DO you think that it may be possible that you've been mis-interpreting the Bible all these years?

Question

There is a tremendous possibility that every last one of us hase misinterpreted the Bible and are living their lives based on a false rendition of Biblical beliefs. Not just Christians, but also Atheists and people that oppose the Bible in general are out there living by a lot of misconseptions about GOD, Jesus, and scripture, and every last one of them is convinced that they know everything there is to know about GOD's word. Yeah, sure, they might admit that they don't know everything (by saying things like "Nobody Knows") every once in a while, but when the time comes to make their point, they refuse to give an inch.

Do you think that you know the Bible as well as your own Diary, or do you admit that there is, in fact a possibility that you, like those that oppose you, could have accidentally mis-interpreted the Bible? Can you admit that the GOD you love (or hate) might be a self imposed fiction and not the actual GOD? Or, do you think that your translation is 100% accurate?

Adder_Astros
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Answer 1

It's not only possible that I've misinterpreted the Bible in spots, it's highly likely--there's a lot of deep stuff in there after all!

Answer 2

It's possible. Translations are part of the problem, another problem are people who don't (really) understand that the Bible was written in another land at another time. The culture of the Jews 2000+ years ago was not the same as 21st Century America. Unfortunately, many people don't take this into account.

Edit: a note to a poster above. The Dead Sea Scrolls are not that close to the modern Bible (though not too far off, either). The book of Esther is completely missing, and there is evidence it may be deliberate. The book of Tobit, from the Catholic Deuterocanon, IS present, as are several other books (such as "The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness") and several additional psalms. There are also several discrepencies. Many of these may be connected to Essene beliefs, but no one knows for sure.

Answer 3

You must be new around here. To even suggest that God's Holy wisdom is contradictory or even God forbid, wrong?! That's sacrilegious!

Who cares what Wikipedia says on this topic anyway: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_contradictions or for that matter the fact that 3,000 other gods and religions all contradict each other: http://www.godchecker.com Or the fact that there are 150 major* religions in the world, meaning the chance that the Christian god and the New Testament are correct are about .6%, i.e. there's a 99.4% chance it's all B.S. Of course, if we include ALL religions and gods/goddesses, this number approaches 100%.

"The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also."
— Mark Twain

Geez, dude, you JUST now figured this out?

Answer 4

Adder:

Wow, man. Good question.

I think that ANY idea we have of God in our mind (or heart) is in some way a fiction because God's reality is way too big to fit into our brain.

No matter what we imagine God to be, he's always going to be bigger, better, more awesome than the picture we have in our head.

We are finite. We have all these limits. But God is infinte. No limits. Boundless love.

Any idea a human being has of God, whether positive or negative, is going to be mostly fiction.

And anybody who says they have the corner on understanding what the bible says should be avoided like one of Pharoah's plagues.

Answer 5

I'm pretty sure it wouldn't matter if the bible was interpreted exactly as intended, or if it was so grossly misunderstood as to be unrecognizable to the original authors. It's like saying maybe we have been misinterpreting Homer's Iliad & Odyssey all these years, and our whole view of the Greek god hierarchy must be rethought. Oh no! Athena didn't really spring forth full grown from Zeus's upper thigh! They are both works of fiction, or at best, quasi historical mythology.

Answer 6

As a Roamn Catholic, I can say that the translation is pretty darn close to 100% accurate. since we did not only write the New Testemant we were actually there when it was being lived. so, we put togehter the scriptures, and we have the tradition the sord of mouth and the unbroken linage and culture. The Catholic schurch was started by Jesus christ. He assigned St. Peter as trhe first Pope, "peter do you love me more than these'" "Feed my sheep". Plus we were actually there when he said these things His non-verbal body language etc., is a part of our culture as Catholics. Plus there is the Holy sprit that He sent. He would not make the Pope infalliable on spritiual matters and then abindon Him when it cam eto understand. You can rest assured that the community that Jesus started has blossomed into othe Roman Catholic church that you see today. "You are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail aginst it." Pope Bendicit XVI is a direc tsuccesor of St. Peter who was handed contorl or if you like reposniblity for Jesus's followers, by Jesus Himself. So, we worte tthe new Testament, we have the culture, the tradition, the hierarchy designated by Jesus, the Holy spirit. so, yeah I think we are pretty darn cloes to 100% of what Humans are able to understand of God, of what He allows us to know.

Answer 7

Men left to interpret the bible on their own will always end up making mistakes. This is one of the reasons that the world still needs prophets today. There are prophets on the earth today who still speak the word of God and recieve revelation just like Moses, Abraham, Peter and John did in ancient days. visit www.mormon.org to learn more.

Answer 8

Private interpretation of biblical doctrine is not the same as personal reading of the Bible for spiritual growth. The Catholic Church continues to protect the doctrinal interpretation of scripture as a matter beyond the decision of individual readers, but at the same time, in the strongest language encourages the personal, private reading and study of the sacred texts. If the inspired word is read in a spirit of faith and prayer, the Holy Spirit will protect from error and lead the reader to God's true message for his or her life.

The critical word here is "authority." Who has the authority to decide the proper doctrinal interpretation of scripture passages? Many Christians maintain that that this authority belongs to the individual believer. Catholics maintain that this authority was given by Jesus to his followers as a group under their proper leaders; in other words, the authority to decide what is the saving truth and what is the norm of Christian living revealed by the Bible is vested in the Church with its appointed leaders.

An example may help to focus the point at issue. In chapter 13 of John's Gospel, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. Most gospel readers probably interpret "washing one another's feet" as a symbol of service to others, an encouragement to love in action, or humility in doing good to others. "I do not need to wash feet literally to fulfill the command of Jesus; I do it by serving others. Fine, but who tells you to interpret the text this way? There is nothing in the reading itself to indicate that Jesus did not mean a physical washing of physical feet. Your authority for reading the text that way is not coming from the Bible but from outside it.

The Catholic admits this. The Bible does not interpret itself but needs an authentic interpreter. This, for the Catholic, is the community of believers, the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit through its leaders.

Peace and blessings!

Answer 9

I never interpret Scripture without looking at what the Church and the Apostolic Fathers say about it.

There, I am on solid ground.

Answer 10

I agree, but I would have to say it was my parents who misinterpreted it because they were the ones who forced it down my throat while I was growing up. Fortunately, I have been bible-free for quite a while. Ahhhhh