to christians: do you really think the bible makes sense?? or you just believe it because you have to?

Question

when i say "make sense" i mean make sense, not paranoids...
example: if i said that i saw a flying cow eating strawberries in a cloud while swimming in a pool of cotton" that makes no sense.

errors?? have you tried logics ???

Answer 1

I tried everything I could to find errors in the Bible, translations, etc. I only found more evidence in its favor.

Answer 2

actually, when u read Jesus' parables MAN do they make sense.

it is complete Common Sense... it's crazy that so many people try to distort it.

use ur brain to find something Positive, and i think it will help u when trying to understand. if u read translations that don't make sense to u, try a different one. u do know that the meaning is lost when words are translated, ESP after such a long period of time. i think if it bothers u That much, u should learn aramaic and hebrew and decipher the Original text.

if u dont have time for it, then just keep seeking what makes Sense to you..what is Good, Positive, Right, and Decent out of the words that u are reading, and u will find an answer. whether or not u Believe in it, it doesn't matter. i really think if someone went out and just studied the bible for Educational purposes, they would at least Respect what Jesus had to say.

also, u have to remember that the old testament was Specifically written for, and by, the Jews, who live very differently that we do. they had major Rules and Regulations to follow, and were much more strict, to the fact they coudln't even eat pork! and these were Man Made rules by the way, written by man. so, the New Testament was to show that Jesus came to fulfill the prophecy of the old, and the new covenant was something Different than just following these "rules".

btw... the book of David actually predicted so many things and corresponds with a lot of historical events.. quite amazing.

even if u read it as a Book, and not as your Belief... if u don't understand it, fine. but don't push Your judgements onto others either. christians who do that are wrong. u dont need to make the same mistakes.

Answer 3

Excellent question!

I learned that we have to give some slack to the bible because things were different in olden days.

However, the ancients said that about the myths and fairy stories of their times, too. Almost all of those stories begin 'long ago' and/or 'far away' . . . . .

In every age, none of these strange occurrences tak place during the current time.

Answer 4

I believe the Bible to the extent that much of it is the history of wars which is basically what most other history is. I also believe in the teachings of Jesus, to love a respect your fellow mankind. Love your neighbor as yourself, how can anyone not believe that.

Answer 5

I don't think that it makes since at my age because I am 15 years old but I am trying to understand it little by little in my bible study group...so I hope to one day make since of it!

Answer 6

1 Corinthians 2:14-16

14) The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15) The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16) "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Answer 7

Just because it doesn't make sense to you does not mean it is nonsensical.

Plus, you didn't give any examples.

Answer 8

A lot of it doesn't, at least not to me. I think it might have to do with being editing it, translations, and all the metaphors

Answer 9

Our Lord founded a Church (Matthew 16:18-19), not a book, which was to be the pillar and ground of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15). We can know what this Church teaches by looking not only at Sacred Scripture, but into History and by reading what the earliest Christians have written, what those who've sat on the Chair of Peter have spoken consistently with Scripture and Tradition, and what they've solemnly defined. To believe that the Bible is our only source of Christian Truth is unbiblical and illogical.

During the Reformation, primarily for doctrinal reasons, Protestants removed seven books from the Old Testament: 1 and 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, Tobit, and Judith, and parts of two others, Daniel and Esther. They did so even though these books had been regarded as canonical since the beginning of Church history.

When examining the question of what books were originally included in the Old Testament canon, it is important to note that some of the books of the Bible have been known by more than one name. Sirach is also known as Ecclesiasticus, 1 and 2 Chronicles as 1 and 2 Paralipomenon, Ezra and Nehemiah as 1 and 2 Esdras, and 1 and 2 Samuel with 1 and 2 Kings as 1, 2, 3, and 4 Kings—that is, 1 and 2 Samuel are named 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Kings are named 3 and 4 Kings. The history and use of these designations is explained more fully in Scripture reference works.


"To get the full flavor of an herb, it must be pressed between the fingers, so it is the same with the Scriptures; the more familiar they become, the more they reveal their hidden treasures and yield their indescribable riches."-- St. John Chrysostom, A.D. 347-407



The Process of Lectio Divina
A VERY ANCIENT art, practiced at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio divina - a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures which enables the Bible, the Word of God, to become a means of union with God. This ancient practice has been kept alive in the Christian monastic tradition. Together with the Liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm. Within this rhythm we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to God, and to accept the embrace that God is continuously extending to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Lectio - reading/listening
THE ART of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply. When we read the Scriptures we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah. We should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the still, small voice of God (I Kings 19:12); the "faint murmuring sound" which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. This gentle listening is an "attunement" to the presence of God in that special part of God's creation which is the Scriptures.

THE CRY of the prophets to ancient Israel was the joy-filled command to "Listen!" "Sh'ma Israel: Hear, O Israel!" In lectio divina we, too, heed that command and turn to the Scriptures, knowing that we must "hear" - listen- to the voice of God, which often speaks very softly. In order to hear someone speaking softly we must learn to be silent. We must learn to love silence. If we are constantly speaking or if we are surrounded with noise, we cannot hear gentle sounds. The practice of lectio divina, therefore, requires that we first quiet down in order to hear God's word to us. This is the first step of lectio divina, appropriately called lectio - reading.

THE READING or listening which is the first step in lectio divina is very different from the speed reading which modern Christians apply to newspapers, books and even to the Bible. Lectio is reverential listening; listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe. We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak to us personally - not loudly, but intimately. In lectio we read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us this day.

Meditation
ONCE WE have found a word or a passage in the Scriptures which speaks to us in a personal way, we must take it in and "ruminate" on it. The image of the ruminant animal quietly chewing its cud was used in antiquity as a symbol of the Christian pondering the Word of God. Christians have always seen a scriptural invitation to lectio divina in the example of the Virgin Mary "pondering in her heart" what she saw and heard of Christ (Luke 2:19). For us today these images are a reminder that we must take in the word - that is, memorize it - and while gently repeating it to ourselves, allow it to interact with our thoughts, our hopes, our memories, our desires. This is the second step or stage in lectio divina - meditation. Through meditation we allow God's word to become His word for us, a word that touches us and affects us at our deepest levels.

Prayer
THE THIRD step in lectio divina is prayer: prayer understood both as dialogue with God, that is, as loving conversation with the One who has invited us into an embrace; and as consecration, prayer as the priestly offering to God of those parts of ourselves that we have not previously believed God wants. In this consecration-prayer we allow the word that we have taken in and on which we are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. Just as a priest consecrates the elements of bread and wine at the Eucharist, God invites us in lectio divina to hold up our most difficult and pain-filled experiences, and to gently recite over them the healing word or phrase God has given us in our lectio and meditation. In this prayer, this consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the Word of God.

Contemplation
FINALLY, WE simply rest in the presence of the One who has used the Scripture word as a means of inviting us to accept a transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded that there are moments in loving relationships when words are unnecessary. It is the same in our relationship with God. Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the One who loves us has a name in the Christian tradition - contemplation. Once again we practice silence, letting go of our own words; this time simply enjoying the experience of being in the presence of God.




"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." -- St. Jerome, A.D. 340-420