It is said that from Mount Sinai God gave, amid
thunderings and lightnings, ten commandments for
the guidance of mankind; and yet among them is not
found–“Thou shalt believe the Bible.”
-Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899)
Do you agree or disagree? Can you be a follower of god and his laws, but not a believer in all of the bible?
I ask this because one of my contacts has been having some dilemma with being christian and not believing all aspects of the bible. maybe this quote will help.
2007-09-29 16:42:42 · 19 answers · asked by Cheese Fairy - Mummified 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
So does this mean that out ancient ancestors, who were illiterate and relied upon their priest, who may also have been barely literate, were not Christians? You can follow the teachings of god without a book being present. Likely none of Jesus's disiples were literate - does that make them less worthy or not true christians??
I see some have bothered to answer the question - I thank you for that. It's a simple one after all, and a matter of opinion.
The quote wasn't meant to move you - it was meant to illustrate a point. Did you see the point? Did you comment on the point?
2007-09-29 16:54:56 · update #1
Here's another question for you - did God exist BEFORE the bible was written, or after. Sill me, I always thought god came first - long before writing, the printing press, etc.
Easy to beleiev in god without a bible - millions of people did so for millenia.
2007-09-29 16:56:49 · update #2
God's laws are universal and can be found in places other than the bible. So, the answer would be no. One does not need the bible for believing in God. That belief comes from the very mind and understanding of the individual, interpreting for themselves what the proper choices are.
BTW, when the "10 Commandments" were given to Moses at Sinai, there was no bible. The bible is a relatively recent item of faith. So those who relied on oral tradition and story-telling, were they true believers in God since they had no bible?
"God" was created after the bible was written. Had to be. This "God" that everyone professes to believe in, is based on human notions. Men and women have developed their own "God" to satisfy their needs and cherry-picked beliefs. So, the "God" that we know, or assume we know, is a mere creation by Man. When really we have no idea.
2007-09-29 16:51:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't think you can cherry-pick the Bible. The entire Bible is the "inspired Word" of God. Picking and choosing alters the Bible as a whole, much like choosing bits and pieces from a recipe card will alter the end product as well; what you finish with may be edible (especially if all you did was omit the ingredients that aren't palatable to you) but it's not what the Creator of the recipe had in mind. Hope this helps. God Bless.
For those who think it's sufficient to "just be a good person" Christ told us that no one is good but God. The Bible is not a handbook for teaching people how to be good--it's a salvation plan, from beginning to end. It's all about the redemptive power of God's love and sacrifice for us.
2007-09-29 16:49:31 · answer #2 · answered by child of God 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think some Christians believe in every word of the bible but there are others who state that the bible has been translated many times so that there may be human error in places. I think the important parts of the bible deal with God Jesus and other areas may be something not as important, whether Jesus spent 40 days in the desert or 39, for example
2007-09-29 16:58:42 · answer #3 · answered by Al B 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
All I can tell you for sure is that the first five books of the Bible are science books containing advanced scientific instructions the God Yahweh wrote out for mankind to follow in order to survive on Earth. From the book of Joshua thru the end of the Old Testament are history books that God wrote telling us what happened to the generations after Moses who followed God's laws found in the first five books of the Bible and what happened to those generations after Moses who refused to follow God's laws found in the first five books of the Bible. So the nucleus of the Bible is The Laws of Moses. Which in my opinion Jesus didn't abolish and as far as His Father Yahweh is concerned are still in effect. Also one should consider the recorded history in The New Testament as God's true story telling.
2007-09-29 17:15:03 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
The Bible wasn't written at the time Moses was supposedly handed the commandments. Plenty of good people don't believe in part or all of the Bible, or in any other "holy" book, period.They just live their lives, do whats right, and try not to hurt others. It works, too.
2007-09-29 16:50:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
If you do not accept the Bible then how can you be a Christian? We would not know who Jesus is without the Bible. We would know nothing of God without the Bible. I am sorry but I don't see how you can be a Christian without the Bible.
2007-09-29 16:46:02 · answer #6 · answered by Bible warrior 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's kind of irreverent since in order for it to matter if you believe in the ten commandments you maybe prone to believing the bible. I'm not very moved by the quote.
2007-09-29 16:45:26 · answer #7 · answered by 354gr 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The statement ultimately undermines itself, since the Ten commandment story is in the Bible. Nonsense.
2007-09-29 16:45:42 · answer #8 · answered by neil s 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The ONLY way that modern man can know God is through His Word the Holy Bible. If you don't believe the Bible, then you cannot possibly know God
2007-09-29 16:47:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
The Bible is the tool that God gave us to learn about Him and grow in Him. It is a key part in my relationship with Him. <><
2007-09-29 16:52:39 · answer #10 · answered by Transformed 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋