Why would God rely on a book?

Question

As we all know there are many who believe that the Qu'ran or the Bible or other sacred text is the word of God. I'm curious if anyone can come up with a plausible answer to the question: Why would God rely on a book? It would seem rather unreliable to me to convey a universal message through writing when the majority of people couldn't even read and when it's so easy for books to be lost and destroyed either through time or deliberate intent.

Answer 1

God spoke to people many times during those times, and still does. The Bible is just so that His words would be kept forever as evidence. Words can be easily forgotten can they? but what someone has written stays there on the paper(scroll).

Answer 2

Acutally He didnt. The initial history of the world as written by Moses was passed on via word of mouth for centuries or a millinea depending on how you read and percieve the time line to go. Moses wrote down the acounting that we find in Genesis and all of the instructions and history found in the next 4 books as a preservation of the history of the Jewish nation. The rest of the Old Testament is history and prophecy written down and recorded for posterity. The New Testament was written acounts of historical events, letters to the early church, and some prophecy. None of it was actually formed into the book(s) that we know until 1546. The Protestant Bible was agreed upon at that time and thus the Canon was formed. The Catholics have a 46 book Old Testament as opposed to the Protestant 39. There are other books that are considered Apocrypha (books left out of the canon) by both groups. They both have the 27 book New Testament. Bottom line is the Bible is a divinely inspired humanly written acounting of what people heard from God as well as a history of a people as old as the Earth itself and while I am sure there are probably books, letters and prophecy missing what we have was given us by the Divine and we should learn all that we can from it.

Answer 3

nichele , The reason for all those Bibles (many without the NT) is that the Catholic Church controlled the wealth , the education , the hand written publcations , the military , and the Civil Laws . It was not until the invention of the printing press that other views like those of Martin Luther , Copernicus , Galileo , and MANY others could start to be heard . Even then - even NOW , the Catholic Church and it's just as evil step child , the Christian Right , use their power and wealth and numbers to try to tell others what they can and can't read . For instance the Blanda Group ( A Christian Right Propaganda Organization) is warning parents against letting their children read the Harry Potter Books . How silly is that ! ?

For Beth ( below ) :
Actually you have to look at the Bible with healthy dose of skepticm . For example in the OT the historical account of Exodus is greatly exaggerated . Only a small number of Jews were ever "enslaved" by the Egyptians . It was exaggerated for political and social reasons . So too , one can intelligently assume , was the account of Noah's Ark and many other historical recordings including the stated ages of important people .
The NT is surely prone to the same type of exaggeration . Stories like the Loaves and Fishes and the Wedding at Cana come to mind .

Answer 4

When the Bible was written, God's people were educated. Not only the wealthy but all of them, from youth throughout their lives were taught. (Deuteronomy 31:12) This was different from the surrounding nations who only educated royalty and certain ones of wealth. Certainly not women. In fact, some of the men used to write the Bible were ordinary.
Many other books written during and after that time HAve been lost or destroyed. But not the Bible. The Bible has survived centuries of even deliberate attempts to destroy it. This in itself is evidence that it is the word of God.

Answer 5

I am a new Christian since six or seven months. I think the Bible was written by men inspired by God. Me and a couple of billions of other Christians have tried to follow the Bible every day for two or three thousand years and found that it works absolutely wonderful.

So if it works why shouldn't God rely on it ? It has been tested a million times more thoroughly than any other scientific, logic or cognitive method. If a person can't read he can ask someone to read it for him. If God's word doesn't work for you that is another answer you need to find out for yourself.

Answer 6

Yet, the Bible hasn't been destroyed, moreover it's grown ennormously in books about them and adding to them. The Qu'ran and New Testaments continued this tradition, and to this day most of western literature is based on these works.

I don't take it word for word, but there a lot to be said for the endurance it's proved that you falsely and ignorantly disclaim.

God also spoke in creation, and through natural items, like rainbows and burning bushes and doves and sacrificed sons on rocks and trees. The Bible is actually the secondary recording of those events.

Think about it. It may not be scientifically or historically reliable, but it is definitely cultural important and historically influential.

Most of our modern ideals of freedom also come from Jesus, as does a concept of socialism. You can't discredit such a volumous work because a few people took a few passages out of context and go crazy.

But feel free to discredit those people.

ADD: You are right, that historically less than 1% of any population could read, and to this day most of the world can't. But I stress that the Bible is inspired word, as Catholics put it, Man's interpretation of God's greater revelationary imagery. Not that I believe it all, but you have to each book in it's proper context to understand it and not literally.

Answer 7

If GOD had relied on some other means then the question would have been Why GOD relied on that thing.
Since book is the most primitive form of keeping information that is why we find revelations in the form of books.
We can subject any revelation to test to know if it is a word of GOD or not. I mean if the thing has changed with time

Answer 8

The Bible, was written by man under the inspiration of Jehovah God. A scripture to back this up is 2 Timothy 3: 16,17. The wealth of information found in the Bible and scientifically accurate proves that Jehovah inspired 40 men bible writers to transfer his thoughts and purposes for man to learn and apply in our sinful lives. God's Word, the Bible also gives us hope for the future, Psalm 37: 10,11, & 29, Matthew 6:33. I am an avid reader of the Bible and try very hard to apply all that I read in the Bible. You should too!

Best Wishes for your question!

Answer 9

Precisely why God would use a book, to insure that people would have to know it was preserved for our benefit, by him. Not by any means man might have but by God's will and direction, using imperfect means to deliver a perfect message, could only happen if God directed it.

Isaiah 55:10,11: "For just as the pouring rain descends, and the snow, from the heavens does not return to that place,unless it actually saturates the earth and makes it produce and sprout, and seed is actually given to the sower and bread to the eater, so my word that goes forth from my mouth will prove to be.It will not return to me without results,but it will certainly do that in which I have delighted, and it will have certain success in that for which I have sent it."

No other book has been published more widely than the Bible.It is in more languages and more lands than any other, even where it is banned.

Answer 10

We will all know the answer to this in the 1000 year reign of Christ, there one book [ bible, Qu'ran must be same? ], one God and one Christ will not produce 1000's religions, and for sure we will have the mind to see how bad off we were in the John 12: 47, 48; imperfections of sin, when we are made perfect and able to understand.