To show that the prophesies concerning Jesus was fulfilled. Mainly that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, then King David. You must understand that those kinds of things were very important to the Jewish way of thinking. Many of today's Christians are not as wrapped up about those kinds of questions because we have to have even more faith than those who lived in the time of Jesus to believe in Him.
Also there are chapters in the Bible where they are listing the census of the people. This is more of a historical thing that really doesn't matter much to the theology of the Bible. I find that reading the genealogy to be boring just like you do, but I have learned to appreciate the reason that it is in there.
2007-09-10 15:09:34
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answer #1
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answered by Future Citizen of Forvik 7
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The reason it has all that geneology is to show where Jesus came from...The Old Testament is a record so will have a lot of geneology in it.....Mainly the geneology is there so you can go back and trace people, I never read it unless I am tracing some one and I have been reading the Bible since 1970s....
2007-09-10 14:52:35
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answer #2
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answered by TRUE GRIT 5
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Well, sorry, I don't fit your criteria of not being Mormon--I USED to be NOT Mormon, if that helps. I was Lutheran before I joined the LDS church, so I did study the Bible exclusively for many years (of course, LDS people do study the Bible.) But consider that you have gotten some really really retarded answers from people that are NOT Mormon and say they have read the Book of Mormon. Never fails to astonish me. Rosskopft is right--he knows what he's talking about. The only thing that is really different doctrinally between the BoM and the Bible is infant baptism, which called an evil practice in the BoM. The idea is that children are not wise enough to choose and are not accountable for their sins when they are small. (BTW--The Church of the Brethren believes this as well--not closely linked to Lutheranism, but I know a lot about this church since some of my ancestors followed this religion and it comes from the same part of the world as Lutheranism.) LDS people believe that children are 8 years old when they are accountable for their sins. That's about it as far as doctrinal difference. Robins Egg--Sick? Really? Warfare in the BoM is not unique--consider how the House of Isreal, according to the Bible, whomped on their neighbors from the get-go, starting from the sons of Jacob taking on the Canaanites for messing with their sister, and continuing on for centuries. Man with Problems--NONE of the things you mentioned are in the Book of Mormon--don't tell me that you have ever read it, because if you had, you would know that NONE of those things are in there. So much for your "research." Anyone can log into some anti-Mormon website and "research." You DO have problems.
2016-05-21 14:25:51
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answer #3
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answered by ? 2
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It's important from two perspectives in my opinion:
1) to show the clear lineage of Christ (and some other more minor characters), and
2) to establish a timeline for Biblical events which can be corroborated by secular history
It's important to know that it's there so if you ever want to study it, you can find it again but it's not important to try to understand it. It's kinda one of those things that really doesn't make sense until you have a need for it. There's also a lot at the beginning of the New Testament.
2007-09-10 14:53:17
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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Geneology is Jewish custom. They believe it is important to know who the Father of the child is, because fatherhood is very important in their culture. But the geneology of Jesus Christ is important to show that He is descended from King David, as it was prophesied of Him. This is also how He is truly established as the King of the Jews.
2007-09-10 15:02:41
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answer #5
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answered by firebyknight 4
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It's a waste of time reading them. Just skip it. The people that wrote the Bible were very keen on geneology.
2007-09-10 14:50:31
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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geneology is a way to trace people back to their roots. you'll notice that the line only really is detailed in terms of the line of Shem, the line the Israelites came out of. the other lines (Ham's and Japheth's) were glanced over very lightly, just so you know what kind of people did what and had what interactions. it helps if you're into repenting for your people and stuff.
basically, the lines focus on the twelve tribes, the order God set up, and for references in the NT. for example, Jesus was of the line of Judah (the holy part of Israel for some time and where Jerusalem is), which means praise.
2007-09-10 15:01:43
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answer #7
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answered by Hey, Ray 6
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Genealogy in the Bible plays a huge role in the Judeo-Christian way of thinking. For Jews, it reinforces that they are a chosen people of God, that they are direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and that the God of their forefathers is still a vibrant and powerful Being in their lives today.
For Christians, of which I am one, it shows that God takes a very personal interest in the minutia of human experience. He doesn't just lump us all into one basket and say "well, there's humanity". No, He looks at each one of us as individuals and offers all of us His love and forgiveness on a one-on-one level.
In addition, genealogy is important to Christians because it is one of the proofs that Jesus the Christ is the same as Yeshua the Messiach of whom the Jews of His time were awaiting and who the Jews of today are longing to find. By proving His roots through the line of David and all the way to Abraham, it fulfills specific Biblical prophesies about His coming. God used the genealogy of the Old Testament as a mirror to the genealogy that would shine the light on the coming of His Messiah.
But, I would say, that just reading names in the Bible does not impart much in terms of spiritual growth. I have read the entire Bible and skimmed through all the names simply because I was looking for the "spiritual meat" of the text rather than the literal reading of the text by and large.
God bless you as your read the Word and may you find everything you are looking for.
2007-09-10 14:56:59
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answer #8
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answered by Ryan H 4
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Because it is just a book written by superstitious people a long time ago. It's nothing special. Read it all - it will make you an atheist like it did me! No fair skipping to the good parts - read it and judge it as you would any other book. Couldn't a god do better?
2007-09-10 14:51:22
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answer #9
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answered by Brent Y 6
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Because in those days, Who and where you came from was important.
2007-09-10 14:52:31
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answer #10
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answered by punch 7
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