Any other Christians out there feel the Bible is wrong?

Question

I mean, God didn't write it-- man did!

I've read snippets here and there, and it's got many things I find unbelievable.

If God made Adam and Eve equal, why does the Bible condemn women speaking in church? It's also got lots of other sexist claims, which in my opinion reflect the time period it was compiled in rather than God's love and equality.

Suicide is wrong? Jesus Christ walked to death willingly; many other people throughout history have also died, knowingly, for the greater good; walking to their death, willingly, suicidally. That is condemned? And what of those who haven't the strength to live and choose suicide? Shall we punish those who don't have the strength to bear hardship?

And gay marriage. I've learned it's through Leviticus that we condemn homosexuality; but a lot of his teachings are void, Old Testament material. Why follow him in this area and not the others? Also; Jesus didn't condemn homosexuality. Didn't even mention it, in fact.

What do you think?

Ihalmiut : How can we know, truly, it is the word of God? Man wrote it.

Mr Math, the Catholic Church stood before the Bible was written. And people followed Christianity without having a Bible; before the printing press, only priests had access to it.

Answer 1

I think that your confusion might be due to a lack of historical context. You could spend years studying this topic, but here are some brief explinations which address the points you mentioned.

Point 1: The Bible was written by man, but inspired by God.

A large group made up of hundreds of well respected and knowledgable scholars who understood the historical context weree commissioned by the Roman Emperor Constintine to authenticate and choose the writings which are included in the modern Bible. Although the actual writing was done by men, their works were included because they were determined to be inspired by God.

Point 2: Women speaking in church

Paul taught that Christians were to conform to the superficial norms of the society in which they are living as long as doing so does not violate the laws of God (Ignoring this principle led to the failure of many missions to native American tribes during colonial times).

When Paul said that women should not speak in church he was referring to this principle. Most early Christian churches met in Jewish Synagogues. In that time and place, women sat in the balcony while the men were on the floor of the building. This became a problem because women were interrupting the service by calling out to their male family members to repeat what had been said. Paul told the women to stop interrupting the service and ask their husbands to repeat the parts they had missed when they got home.

Point 3: Jesus did not commit suicide

First: Suicide involves a desire to die. As he asked his father to let him out of dying on the cross Jesus clearly did not want to die.

Second: Jesus did not kill himself; he was murdered. Jesus allowed the Romans to murder him as an act of self-sacrifice. Self-sacrifice is not the same thing as suicide.


Point 4: Jesus himself said that the old testament law was still valid.

In Matthew he said that he had not come to change the law, but to fulfill it. The unclean food laws were written specifically for the people of Israel who did not, at the time the law was made, fully cook their meat. Thus, God declared those foods most likely to give them food poisoning unclean for the Jewish people.

The punishments listed in the old testament were actually intended to limit penalties for specific crimes. Judges at the time often invoked overly harsh punishments and the laws put in place by Moses were intended to limit the use of torture. Stoning for instance was particularly humane. It was not as we imagine it with the person being pummled all over their body by rocks. In that time, the person being stoned would have been buried up to their neck and the stones were thrown directly at their head. They would have been unconcious after a couple of good throws.

While Jesus never specifically mentions homosexuality specifically, he does discuss sexual sin. This was not an ommission on his part. The Bible treats all sexual activity outside of monogamous, heterosexual marriage the same way. The failure of the modern church to do so is a result of human imperfection rather than a result of Biblical teachings.

Answer 2

The bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God."

Hardly. There are thousands of errors, fallacies, and outright lies, many of which are known forgeries or copyist errors.

"If we accept one part of it, but do not accept another then how can we know that the part that we have accepted is true?"

Exactly. For an example of error, how bout one a kindergartner could find?

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1Ch 25:3 Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.
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Count 'em. There are five names, not six. Couldn't your god find a chronicler who could count? If the simple arithmetic is incorrect, what else is more deeply flawed? This might sound trivial, but it is YOU and your fellow believers that make the claim and requirement for inerrancy, not me.

Catherine: Demonstrate the context that makes this correct.


"The Bible is a complex piece of reading. Many people get different ideas from the same passage."

Ah, yes. The source of the ever delightful "God works in mysterious ways". Most reasonable people call that style double-talk.


"I do not think the Holy Bible is wrong in any tiny detail"

Clearly untrue.


"While your question was riddled with Biblical errors;"

How right you are. Just as was claimed.

"I found it to be most thought provoking in trying to explain how there are NO actual errors in the Bible."

Somehow, I must have missed your "explanation".

"You should actually read the Bible."

I have. All of it, more than once. Funny how Xtians always assume that detractors have not read their compendium of fairy tales.

Answer 3

It is great that you are asking these question. I am a former Christian and I went through a lot of the same questions and came to the conclusion, after some soul searching, that it is all a lot of made up stories, invented by the patriarchal men who headed the tribes in the OT and who were in the process of wiping out the old pagan matrilineal cultures that existed before Judeo Christianity reamed them.

If you use your mind and think about it, it is obvious. The bible is made up. I suggest you explore other spiritual paths, there are many. Explore, see what strikes the right chord for you.

Bright Blessings on your journey!
Lady Morgana )0(

Answer 4

I am not a Christian although, as a child, I did attend a liberal Protestant church regularly because my mother took me when I was very young, and I continued to attend until I graduated from high school after which eventually I became an agnostic when I found that I was not a person of faith, neither devout nor reverent. I can not believe the bible and resent Christians' political agendas, attempting to undermine the Constitution's prohibition against the establishment of a state religion and to pass legislation based upon religious doctrine. Your question, however, demonstrates your thoughtfulness and willingness to question your religion when so many of the "faithful" seem to regard their religion/bible as literal and infallible. Your comments are sensible and though-provoking., not to mention true

Answer 5

Your getting the idea. The bible is the word of man (not woman) and above all not God and all the hate that goes with man. Question the bible and the church. Both state that man is over everything. God if there is one is over everything. The bible also says man is in his image. How do we know no ones has ever seen God? God may be a round ball shape or a square. How do we know?

Answer 6

Yeah, you've just got to interpret it in the correct context. There is valuable stuff in there, wisdom and metaphors to think about.

But yes, ultimately it is written by man, and if you've ever played a game of telephone, or trusted someone to do something for you, you know that what you start out with is not always what you end up with.

Interpret accordingly. If you take all of Leviticus literally, I hope you're not wearing any cotton/poly blends.

Answer 7

Since the Bible is not wrong where it is the Revealed Word of God, we are not concerned about the people who would drive a wedge between the Faithful.

Answer 8

First and foremost men rote the bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Secondly the bible did not condemned women from speaking in the church, rather what you are speaking about is the letter that Paul rote specifically to the church in Ephesus. Thirdly Jesus did not commit suicide he as sent to die for our sins. He prayed father if this be possible let this cup pass from me. Fourthly he did mentioned about homosexuality, He said(all ho-mongers and adulterers God will judge), and he did also destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.

Answer 9

The Bible is a complex piece of reading. Many people get different ideas from the same passage. Although the Bible was written by man, it was done under the inspiration of God.

He may have walked to death willingly, but he was sentenced to death so it is not a suicide.

Homosexuality was discouraged, but the catch was being gay was possible if man did not have sex with man.

What I think and believe is that the Bible is the word of God. Christian accept it as part of the faith of being a Christian. T

The Old Testament is not void. It has passages that lead into the New Testament. The Prophets of the Old Testament gave us clues as how to trace the lineage of Christ.

When I taught school my students would ask me how God or Jesus could do things like raise the dead and the miracle at the marriage of Caan and the miracle of the fishes and loaves Tough questions for sixth graders. I simply told them that God is a supernatural being and as such the laws of nature do not apply and God is capable of doing things way beyond the power of moral man.

Jesus went through his crucifixon to show that God was willing to give up his only Son to a horrible death to teach others his humility and Jesus was willing to accept it to help Him forgive us our sins, again.

Religious scholars have spent countless centuries trying to come up with exact interpretations of the Bible and only wound up with more questions than answers..

All religions that I know of are based on faith. Hard to understand if you are not religious or spiritual but that is it--FAITH.

I can't answer all your questions, or any of your questions if your heart is not open to accept the faith that lies behind them.

Answer 10

how can u say that the bible is all wrong? isnt there anything in there that you find inspiring, or correct?? or something you agree with??

i believe that Adam and Eve are equal and equally tempted by satan. ill post up a link that explains what your feeling- which is rational, but even though i understand where your coming from, i dont agree that the bible is all wrong, but im not a christian. see the first link just 3 -5 mins