How can any bible based religion have any credibility?

Question

Everyone except the fundies realises that to take the bible literally is ridiculous. We have overwhelming evidence in support of the Earth being 4 billion years old and of evolution.

Yet for those christians who accept evolution, how do you know which parts of the bible to take seriously?

It's very clear with what it states about creation and floods etc.

Shouldn't the whole text be dismissed as tainted?

How can anyone boldly declare which parts are right and which parts are wrong?

Or do you just chose the bits that back up a moral stand that you would hold irregardless of the bible?

Answer 1

The Catholic Church does not take the stories of creation in the Bible literally. Catholics believe the book of Genesis tells religious truth and not necessarily historical fact.

One of the religious truths is that God created everything and declared all was good.

Catholics can believe in the theory of evolution. Or not. The Church does not require belief in evolution.

On August 12, 1950 Pope Pius XII said in his encyclical Humani generis:

The Teaching Authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions, on the part of men experienced in both fields, take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter - for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God.

Here is the complete encyclical: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_12081950_humani-generis_en.html

The Church supports science in the discovery of God's creation. At this time, the theory of evolution is the most logical scientific explanation. However tomorrow someone may come up with a better idea.

As long as we believe that God started the whole thing, both the Bible and modern science can live in harmony.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

i think that you as a person are going to take and believe in what the whole bible says or you wont. it wouldnt make sense to dismiss some parts and accept others, it should be looked at as a whole, since if im not mistaken the bible was writen by the apostals, or god's men. personally i dismissed it, and look at everything the scientific way, based on a little argumen that goes something like this:

since the first humans, they always wondered of how they got here, what created everything, they couldnt answer the question, so they made up that a powerful being (god) created everything, from ants to the universe. how did they know god exists? they didnt they just said god existed and went on with their lives...

i believe that you dont need the bible or religion to help you or tell you whats right or whats wrong, you can do that on your own, unless a person is born with an evil mind, good luck to them....

i dont want to offend anyone, i think if you are going to discuss this subject it should be done in a serious, mature matter

Answer 3

Evolution is a theory, not fact. The bible on the other hand, has been proven factual when compared to history and existing historic writings.

I'm amazed that scientists who claim to require proven fact base most of their beliefs on someone's theory. Just because it sounds good (theory) doesn't make it so.

Science and Religion clash because science doesn't believe in faith and religion is faith based. If conflict and contradition makes religion less authentic, what does it say for the science community which has the same problems.

There is a place for religion and science, neither is completely incorrect in their respective ideas. Objective thinking will reveal this, bias opinons will spawn ignorance and useless arguments.

Answer 4

The Bible is a book of parables. You are supposed to read the stories and draw deeper conclusions, occasionally going, "ah ha!."

This is why for hundreds of years, only learned people read and interpreted the bible. The common man didn't possess enough education to read, let alone understand interpretive reading. The educated priests would read the bible, and then explain it in sermons to congregations in layman's terms.

But at the end of the day, it's still a storybook.

Answer 5

The Bible has absolutely no credibility- especially with Jesus, the very person christians claim to worship. Let me explain:

The Old Testament was written from around 600 BCE.

The main authors were: Jeremiah, Baruch (600 BCE- 590 BCE) with help of Persians and then Nehemiah and Ezra from 450 to 420 BCE (again with help of Persians).

See the Supreme Bible of God which gives you all the source texts from which the Bible was written as well as the Biblical texts.
http://one-faith-of-god.org/final_testament/bible_of_god.htm

+++Is the Bible fact or fiction+++

If we take just one character, Moses, did Moses ever exist? or was Moses in fact based on the real historic figure of Pharaoh Akhenaten?

The Essene High Priests exiled at Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls etc) certainly believed the Torah was pure fiction and based on Akhenaten. One of their most treasured relics was
the Copper Scroll on which is written in Greek:
"Akhenaten is also Zadok". (in other words Akhenaten is Moses/Aaron )...
See:
http://one-faith-of-god.org/old_testament/sources/copper_scroll/copper_scroll_0010.htm

Or maybe the instruction from Nehemiah to the Temple on Elephantine Island around 420 BCE on the "brand new" ceremony of Passover is a clue that the Old testament Bible is a made up story?
See:
http://one-faith-of-god.org/old_testament/apocrypha/passover/passover_0010.htm


+++What did Jesus think?+++

Jesus founded the Nazarenes, also known as the gnostics.
http://one-faith-of-god.org/new_testament/apocrypha/nazarenes/nazarenes_0010.htm

Jesus believed the god of the old testament was not god, but satan, the ultimate deceiver pretending to be god.

This of course makes perfect sense, for any god that commands its followers to kill, has to be twisted and evil. Any God that is "jealous" is "vengeful" clearly cannot be the creator of the universe, but some lesser deity.

However, the Sadducee High Priests with Paul of Tarsus created the parasite religion called christianity to deceive even those who thought they follow Jesus.
http://one-faith-of-god.org/new_testament/apocrypha/founders_christianity/founders_christianity_0000.htm

So if a person truly follows Jesus, then they would reject the Bible of Paul of Tarsus. Because any person who believes the Bible supports the primary enemy of Jesus.

Answer 6

1st.......there is no time frame for Genesis 1:1 so the bible does not date the earth

2nd no one knows how life " just happened " just wild theories that have no merit ( right now )

3rd Many people believed Homers Odyssey was all fiction.......but we are finding out more and more that it wasn't, just food for thought

Answer 7

The israelites served a single being mono God all of their life whilst they served the actual God. This comparable God grow to income to Jesus interior the synagogues for 30 years-- he never refuted the pharisees for coaching a pretend God-- in certainty he taught it-- John 17:one million-6 Jesus spoke of as the father-- the only actual God-- additionally Paul taught one million cor 8:6-- there is one God to all of the father-- Catholocism translators twisted greek to english word meanings to extra healthful their fake trinity coaching. it fairly is the actual God= Psalm 80 3:18

Answer 8

Theists are typically smart enough to realize that all religions are dumb, wrong, and just plain goofy, except for their own. They are not that smart.