Is it mostly intellectually lazy people who accept the Bible as nonfiction?

Question

Are these people so careless in their reading, that they miss all the conspicuous lies in this primitive book, starting on the very first page?
Or, are they just so desperate to believe it, that they will pretend not to notice how silly and childish the stories are?
Why would they not be interested enough in this topic, to study the history of this book, even to see who wrote it, or when it was written?

FRED H H---Those great scientists SAID they "believed", because they were being responsible high profile role models, who couldn't be sure what would happen to society if some of these simple minded people suddenly stopped "believing", and lost their inhabitions and civil restraints.
Now, we know that it s morality, and not religious fairy tales, that will preserve our society.

THA---Is it sugnificant that most of the "authorities" you mentioned, also believed in witches, slavery, the infiority of women, ghosts, "evil spirits",and even a nice "flat" earth?
You write well, but think poorly.

Mr. Taco----What would happen to a college professor who taught that the Bible is fiction?
I am not the one who is tying to sell any kind of spiritual belief.---I only ask some honest questions.
Please, don't question my education, because I'm certain that it is superior to yours, and it's all recorded at univerities.

You mean that you don't find a story "childish", when it tells of a giant fish that swallows a man WHOLE and then spits him out, days later, in good shape.
Do you really believe that the stomach of any fish is like a big waiting room, full of air, for people to breathe? Was there ever a fish or whale that could swallow a man whole without chewing him first?
If you beieve this , you should never again question anyone's I.Q.
Or are you just trying to be Mr. Reasonable for a religious audience.
Are you on a quest for truth,or a just a campain to boost your glorious image.

1-2 informationalways---Are you ready to accept, from the very first page, the notion of a god ( GOD of what?? since he hasn't created anything yet) who has been standing or sitting ( on what surface??) for umpteen zillion years. --Then He just jumps up and "creates" heavens, earth, man, and animals in 6 days and then this "all powerful" god needs to rest the next day.
What was he doing for the previous zillions of years, and what was his reason for being. How can one be a superior being when there's no one to be superior to?
If we were made in his image,---why did he have leggs when ther'e no surface to stand on?--Why have eyes when there's nothing to see? Ears? Arms with nothing to lift? Mouth, when there's no one to speak to--or nothing to eat, nor reason for eating?
How did he create light to separate night from day, before he even created the Sun, or the earth which revolves to bring on day and night.
Was he sitting, or standing in total darkness before this.

WHY????????

I'm not here to teach evil things to theists, my only motivation is to point out that there is a higher level of moral development, than forcing people to adopt a built-in moral corrective through the kind of reward and punishment that we use to discipline our kids.
We have learned from many sources ,(long before the Bible), the difference between right and wrong; --and as mature and moral adults, we can do the right things for the right reasons without needing to be bribed or rewarded for doing right , or punished for doing wrong.
We should not be rquired to accept fairy tales, or feel guilty for asking honest questions about their veracity.

When someone insults me and attacks me just for asking honest questions, then it becomes obvious that they are not on a quest for truth. --They think they already own it;--- but they're not confident that their "truth" can stand up to scrutiny.

Annie---Can we presume that YOU have done all those things you mentioned, before you decided that you had it all worked out so well, that you must attack anyone who questions your conclusions?

Isn't it better ( or at least more honest ) to simply say "I don't know where we came from or how we got here", rather than buy into some 5000 year old stories, written by primitive people who thought the earth was flat?
Can't we be moral adults w/o all the dstractions?

( Sp) significant.---sorry.

SANTEYIO---I wouldn't respect your opinions, any less, if you had spent all that time reading a Superman comic book. I too have read the Bible many times in college, and I was tested on my comprehension, and recieved an A.---Did you?
How many times would you have to read a Superman comc book to doubt that this guy catches bullets in his teeth?
How could such a seemingly naive person be presumptuous enough to think that he "could answer your questions".
I would be impresed if you could understand the questions.

I'm only asking questions,( not making "outlandish statements"). -- it is YOU who thinks he has it all worked out.
WHY?? WHY??? WHY???

ANNIE---If I write a book about a fire-spitting hog, and mention that I passed through Chicago in March, would that serve as "proof", to you, that this hog is for real?

Answer 1

They're desperate to believe, especially in the happy ending they have waiting in the rapture and in heaven. They seek moral absolution and this is understandable. Otherwise they would be in a moral crisis more than they are now as Christians.

Many know evolution is a proven theory, that humans are primates and that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old. They grew up in families that emphasized the Bible and didn't encourage intellectual curiosity. So now they find themselves in a world of change to rapid for them to digest. I'm talking about the hard line fundamentalists here, the Christian Right crowd.

It's voluntary naivety.
.

Answer 2

I take it you are not intellectually lazy and thus do as much reading as possible. If so, you must have read the Bible completely, which I should point out should be read much more than once. Since there are so many stories, which even if not proven true, are absolutely wonderfu.l And yes, even entertaining! The truth being that some of these stories surely beat the hell out of many modern writers' clever stories!!!

Now, regarding the conspicuous lies, unfortunately you don't mention any one in particular, but of course, there must be so many of them. Probably many more than the average joe has found on his own. I surely wish you'd mention at least one. Now you have intrigued me. And no, I will probably not go back to reading the whole Bible again, which I think would be the Seventh time for me. Completely that is, because throughout the many years since I did so, I have read a lot of Chapters and Verses from time to time.

But I don't think one has to be intellectually lazy in order not to want to dig even deeper into what we're reading_or learning for that matter_because if that were the case we would all be living eternally by now. This based on the fact that Scientists have gone on and on learning more about almost everything. Why!!! Scientists themselves have stopped in their tracks once they've encountered something they themselves cannot answer.

See it this way: If we were to have the answer to every single thing then we would not be called humans, but Gods! Now, since science for example, has not been able to prove God's inexistence, then I guess we'll all have to be intellectually lazy and just look the othe way ourselves.

Answer 3

And it is my opinion that the sheep who follow so blindly (and willingly) will never, ever be able to see the truth that waits before their very eyes.

In a world of uncertainty, (again- my opinions) I believe that these people are looking for someone to turn to- a superhero, so to speak- to guide them, sheild them, and protect them. From what, I cannot say (their own abilities to reason?). Perhaps also is the subconsious fear that, because the "Gospel" is all that they have been taught their entire lives, and because mommy and daddy might disown them if they dare think for themselves for two seconds, they will be singled out and not part of the flock anymore. Hey... there's comfort in numbers, after all.

I am not here to call the followers of the Christian faith "stupid", "intellectually inferior", or anything of the sort. (Although I have my opinions on some...) I am simply arguing the point that sometimes there's no use in arguing the point. Despite the overwhelming evidence of the fraud of the Church, I believe it will take at least five to seven additional generations before we can begin moving on from these tales of Jesus, Armaggeddon, and Satan (which, by the way, have been so mangled and taken so far out of context/altered so that one would have to really do some research to find out the true stories/messages behind the Gospels of these writers...) and move on to an age of rhyme, reason, and intellectual pursuit.

*sigh....

Wake me up in 400 years...

Answer 4

It seems to me that it is intellectually lazy for people not to fully comprehend the complexity of ancient texts, religion, and history. That is not to say that the Bible is fiction or non-fiction or that you are right or wrong about it, but rather that your way of approaching it is hardly academic. Take a religion course, history course, literature course, or anthropology course on the time period, and you will find that the people of the past are much more complex and sophisticated than you give them credit for. Take a psychology, theology, or sociology class for modern times, and you will find that religious people today are much more intelligent and intellectual than you give them credit for. Truth is that many Bible readers DO consider the history of the book, who wrote it, and when it was written. That does not necessarily take away from the significance of its message in their lives. It is interesting to me that so many ordinary people come on here and trash the Bible, when the academics in universities take it very seriously in a number of diverse and interesting ways. Again, I am not arguing whether or not the Bible is right or wrong, but rather that it is far from silly and childish. You do not seem to be able to put it in context in any more of an intellectual manner as those who believe in it. What's the difference?

Answer 5

hmm. That's an interesting question. I am a Christian, and I do take the Bible very seriously... I read it very often.

I am quite interested to know what your objections to the Bible are... do you have any specific questions I could answer for you? So far I haven't found any discrepancies or things that don't make sense when the entire Bible is taken into account. I am under the impression that it can explain everything in this world that we need to know... You can post a question to my blog if you'd like.

Answer 6

I know a lot of Christians who study the history of the Bible and all things related- me I don't like to study the history of anything. I know that there is a God and that is good enough for me. Also there are thousands of brilliant people who believe in God and the Bible. I can't speak for the world but I know that I didn't become a Christian because I was desperate to believe in something-

Answer 7

Are you so careless in your reading, that you miss all the glorious lines in this holy book, starting on the very first page?
Or, are you just so desperate to not believe it, that you will pretend not to notice how real and glorious the stories are?
Why would you not be interested enough in this topic, to study the history of this book, even to see who wrote it, or when it was written?
=) answer that

Answer 8

--WOULD YOU SAY THAT these historical people are intellectually lazy?

*** g84 3/22 p. 10 Why Should I Read the Bible? ***
***HOW OTHERS HAVE FELT ABOUT THE BIBLE
--“The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.”—PATRICK HENRY, American statesman
-- “I am convinced that the Bible becomes even more beautiful the more one understands it. Let culture and science go on advancing, and the mind progress as it may, it will never go beyond the elevation and moral culture of Christianity, as it glistens and shines forth in the Gospels.”—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer
-- “I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatever.”—SIR ISAAC NEWTON, British scientist
--“ . . . probably the most influential collection of books in human history. Whatever one may think of the Bible’s contents, its role in the development of western culture and in the evolution of many eastern cultures makes at least some acquaintance with its literature and history an indispensable mark of the educated man.”—The Encyclopædia Britannica
-- “It is the best book that ever was or will be in the world, because it teaches you the best lessons by which any human creature who tries to be truthful and faithful can possibly be guided.”—CHARLES DICKENS, English author!
***‘Bible Best Reference’
Concerning this ‘highest education’ AMERICAN EDUCATOR William Lyon Phelps wrote:
--“Everyone who has a thorough knowledge of the Bible may truly be called educated; and no other learning or culture, no matter how extensive or elegant, can . . . form a proper substitute. . . . I believe a knowledge of the Bible without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible.”
--♦ More and more archaeologists and scholars doing research in the Middle East are relying on the writings of the Bible to substantiate their finds, reports the Vancouver Sun. Dr. G. Douglas Young, president of the American Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, stated: “It was fashionable not so long ago to picture the Bible as being full of inaccuracies. But today we look upon it as an authentic source of information.” He said that the Bible was “a most reliable” source of history, and that diggings frequently bear out Biblical writings. Dr. Young recalled that when he first went to work at the ruins of ancient Hazor he asked the expedition head what reference books he should bring. He was told: “The Bible is the best reference we have.”

--NEED HUNDREDS more in order for you to have some respect?
--WHERE do you get your idea of intellectuallism and who are intellectuals in your eyes, some paperback smut writers?
--GAIN SOME knowledge before you make such outlandishly sweeping statements!
--ARE YOU NARCISSTIC in your view of your intelligence, it certainly sounds like it?

Answer 9

Call me any name you want.
1Peter 4:14 " If you are insulted because of the name of Christ you are blessed, for the Spirit of Glory and of God rest on you".
The prophecy of Revelation is important for you.
" The Rapture is imminent."
I also know that we are in the Church age. Historical trends prevail in this dispensation.
In the Dooms day dispensation prophecy will prevail.
The period after the Rapture is also known as the Devil's desperation.
The Holy Spirit will be removed. The Holy Spirit acts as a restrainer now.
Great violence, dictatorships and the last great WW will take place during the Great Tribulation.
The future for you is in Revelation.
I will be gone.
"Vio Con Dios."

Answer 10

I noticed in your question that you offer no intellectual reasons NOT to accept the Bible as non-fiction. You say there are conspicuous lies.Would you be fair to us and give us some examples of these " lies" ? You say we haven't studied the history of the Book, or about Who wrote it. Please , in fairness, could you explain how you know this ?