Why Do Some Use The Age And Popularity Of The Bible As Proof It MUST Be The 100% Infallible Direct Word Of God

Question

When :

1. There are spiritual books far older than the bible such as the Hindu Vedas and Epics.

2. Popularity does not necessarily mean accuracy especially if thousands of human hands intereferred with the re-wording of the verses over a long period of time.

3. The Bible owes a large part of its large circulation thanks to violent conquest, not its own merit. It just so happened that first the Holy Roman Empire and later the Christian European Empire conquered, and converted other native cultures. When this happened those indigenous peoples were subjugated or murdered and their works were destroyed or outlawed.

Wow Callen, I do not dount that Islam was also spread through slavery and conquest.

But your desperation to sugar coat the actions of the Holy Roman Empire and Christian Europe is a bit much.

You need to read all of history, not just the parts that flatter your religion.

Answer 1

Good thing other professions don't use old books. Where would we be if doctors, dentists, food handlers etc did that? The fact that their book is so old should be proof of how outdated it is. Yet another example of the illogic of religious belief.

Answer 2

If you could and would read the Bible with Spiritual understanding, then you would know the answer to this question. But before you can read with Spiritual understanding you must first become a Child of God until this happens the Bible will always be a mystery to you but if you would only read Roman 10:9-13 and do what it says in these verses then you will be surprised at how much you can understand and realize that the Bible (KJV) is Truly the Word of God.

Answer 3

Hello!
I am a Bible fan, so I will try and answer your question here.

I think that the age of the Bible speaks to its universal appeal. It has spoken to so many people in so many different times. There really is nothing like it in world literature. The Vedas are old, it is true, and I'm not interested in 'tearing them down' to promote the book that I hold sacred, but not only is the Bible of comparable antiquity to the Vedas, it has crossed far more cultural and linguistic barriers than the Vedas. How many Hindus are there outside India? By contrast Christianity is the fastest growing religion in the world. The development of Christianity in Africa in the 20th century was the fastest spread of any religion in any era.

Your comments betray a lot of the historical misrepresentations fostered by our morally bankrupt Media. The Bible was not spread primarily by war and conquest. That's the Quran you're thinking of. Denys in France, Martin in France, Patrick in Ireland, Columba in Britain, the Apostles Peter and Paul in Rome and in Greece. Nino in Georgia, Mark in Egypt. These men and women risked their lives to spread the Gospel in the early centuries of Christianity, and they did so peacefully. Indeed, they were ordinary people, without high rank in their society, they could hardly have done so by any other means. They taught a message of love and redemption in a violent world and often suffered the consequences. These were the people responsible for spreading the Gospel. The religious wars of Christendom came far later, after the Church had been poisoned by imperial politics.
If you are honest about history, I think you will have to conclude that the Bible has indeed spread by its own merits. Had it been other wise, we could hardly expect it to have survived for so long.
It is not true that 'indigenous people were subjugated or murdered' when the Bible was spread. How could that be the case? Who was it who were the Christians, then? Only the slave owners? Ireland was converted to Christianity in the space of a single generation. The indigenous works that were destroyed or outlawed were discarded by the indigenous people themselves. Ireland was not conquered by a Christian army. Neither was Gaul, nor Germany, Britain, Scotland, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Russia, Greece, Egypt, North Africa, Armenia. Read your history. All of these nations converted of their own free will, and lionized the missionaries who brought the Gospel to them as National Saints. Nino for Georgia, Mark for Egypt, Peter and Paul for Rome, Denys for France, Columba for Britain, Patrick for Ireland, Vladimir for Russia, Gregory for Armenia. The list goes on and on.

Answer 4

Because they don't know any better. Critical study of the subject in question is against their religion. They are only allowed to accept religiously approved sources of data. Anything else must be discarded as false information supplied by the Devil.

Edit: Also, they fail to realize that the bible is only popular in 1/3 of the world. It appears that they are not able to see the other 2/3's of the world that thinks the bible is some other guy's faulty beliefs.

Answer 5

the fundies address each of your arguments as such:

1) Hinduism isn't older. that's just a lie. Judaism is the oldest religion on earth

2) when the church undergoes persecution and/or shrinkage, this is a sign of its truth and Satan's work against Christians or God's punishment. when Christianity flourishes it is viewed as God's blessing or fulfillment of prophesy that Christianity will spread to all the corners of the world. either way = win.

3) the propagation of "the word" was no accident. its facilitation by empire, conquest, and murder are all part of "god's unknowable plan" which has blessedly worked to the favor of Christianity.

of course this is only convenient rubbish.

Answer 6

Probably because they are too lazy to actually study it and find good reasons to believe it.

The conquest that you mentioned, I believe perverted Christian belief and practice. The Catholic church for 1400 years forbade the common people to read the Bible. I believe that this was because it contradicted so much of what they teach.

Answer 7

The age and popularity of the Bible do not sway me.
The Bible's writings of prophecy and the historical accuracy in fulfillment DO sway me to believe the Bible.
No other book has established itself as accurate in prophecy, and applicable to daily living like the Bible has.

Even the scribes used by God to record His Word state that the words are not theirs, but His. The fact that Israel is currently back in their own land is a HUGE Prophecy that is fulfilled in our lifetimes.

NO OTHER ethnic group in the history of the world has ever been displaced from the homeland for more than 250 years, and regained their land again.

Only God does that. Only His Word has prophecied it.

Answer 8

Because most people do not have an understanding of what constitutes logical fallacies. This is a good thing for the advertising industry, because they depend on fallacious arguments to sway public opinion in the favor of their clients. The same goes for religions.

Answer 9

Well actually the old testament particularly the books written by Moses are older than Hindu vedas. And most Bibles have been translated as close to the originals as possible. But hey that doesn't matter. What really matters is what's inside a person. And boy do I ever appreciate the Holy Spirit.

Answer 10

It isn't inerrant. That's a false doctrine. Makes the bible and idol as that means it is a perfect something that mankind has made.