Afterlife, Savior, Creator- Aren't these all concepts invented by someone at some point, and put in the Bible?

Question

Should we give something the stamp of approval just because by convenience it was included when the Bible was being put together by a bunch of mostly elderly men following their personal biases? And should we be swayed by men egotistical enough to claim their own writings were "divinely inspired"?

Answer 1

Let's see: most of the Disciples were fishermen, other than Matthew, the tax collector. Those aren't exactly exaulted occupations. And in the Old Testament, the prophets ranged from fig growers to shepherds. Again, not exactly the kind of jobs that tend to give a person an overblown sense of their own worth.

And I'm not sure where you're getting the "mostly elderly men" idea because it certainly doesn't come from the Bible. David was middle-aged at best when he wrote the Psalms. Daniel and his friends are specifically called "young men." And the Disciples weren't elderly, either: fishing was a tough occupation that required a younger person's strength and agility.

In any event, these were people who weren't considered the cream of the crop. Moses was a murderer, as was David. Daniel was a slave, and Jeremiah was treated like a criminal. They had one thing in common, and that was their awe of God. They'd seen what He could do, and they weren't about to write anything that they were uncertain about.

(The punishment for false prophecy was death by stoning, in case you were unaware: even one prophecy that failed to come true was enough to earn the death penalty.)

So I'd have to say that your arguments just don't hold up in light of we know about those who wrote the Bible.

Answer 2

If what you say is true I find it amazing that these elderly men who followed their personal biases could predict the future with such accuracy! The man Jesus and what he did, where he was born, how he died etc was predicted and everything came true-there is over 300 prediction in fact. I have a list if you'd e-mail me I'll send it to you. One prediction told of his Crucifixion and this practice was not invented at the time-in fact it wasn't used by anyone until hundreds of years later!!! Christianity has a rich history which started with the jews at the beginning of time. The bible is filled with historical facts that Archaeologists use and has been proven very reliable. We have over 5000 documented ancient findings of scripture, many in different languages, all the same. WE have the dead sea scrolls to prove this also. The Vatican just bought 2 gospels dating 90 ad, the same as we have today. There is prophesies that has come to pass from the bible that proves it's reliability. Over 300 just for the man Jesus. We have non christian evidence of Jesus from Tacitus and Josephus both historians. And a Governor named Pliny the Younger who all wrote about "Christos" and his followers the Christan's. Archaeologists have found the tomb of Caiaphas who was the Pharisee that brought Jesus to trial. Jesus WAS a real person who was an historical figure. Even well read Atheists KNOW this. We have eye witnesses who had every thing to loose by claiming to be a follower of Jesus. Why? When Jesus was killed they scattered. Afraid. BUT when they saw he was resurrected they became bold. Why? Since the bible is reliable, and Jesus WAS here you must decide. Was he a nut? A liar, Or who he claimed to be.

Answer 3

You would do well to look into the canonization process the bible underwent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canon

As it is written, it is a deeply "loaded" question that would require us to bend truth just to acknowledge it's circumstance. In a purely hypothetical sense, if the authors involved in the Bible were not divinely inspired as they have stated, then it would require a lot of imagination to complete the Bible, yes. I personally don't believe this to be the case, and I am wondering why you bother to ask when your mind is already made up. You've taken some liberties and leaps in determining the truthfulness and qualification of the authors, and it makes for a difficult approach to answering your question.

Answer 4

The Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest recorded pieces of the Bible. The Bible was written over 1600 years by people of different races and backgrounds. Written by over 40 different authors and it tells the same story. That Jesus was, is, and will always be the Son of the living God. The authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write what God had told them. For you to ask of something as this it is clear to see that you need more studying in the word. You cant give an accurate explaination of this without knowing in detail what your talking about. Get Real

Answer 5

For your sake, I wish they were making it up, because if they weren't, you'll suffer for all of eternity. I believe they weren't making it up. Anyway, it's undeniably true that all have sinned and that all people have a conscience. Examples of sin are lying, swearing, gossip, lust, covetousness, hatred, bitterness, stealing, etc. Justice demands that sin be punished. So if justice has to be done, then everyone has to go to hell to pay for their sins, or else someone else has to pay for them. The men who wrote the Bible did miraculous signs and wonders to prove that they were speaking and later writing the words of God (Moses parted the Red Sea after predicting ten plagues; Jeremiah predicted many future events in his own time, as well as the coming Messiah; Ezekiel made dead bones come alive at God's command and through God's power; Jesus Christ did numerous healings and raised Himself from the dead). Moses, David, and Paul were all murderers. Paul persecuted Christians, jailing and killing them, until he was blinded on the road to Damascus by Jesus Christ. A couple days later God healed his blindness when a Christian prayed for him. You can hardly say that Paul was following his own personal biases. And if God really did create us, and we have a tendency toward worship, then why would you assume that He would never talk to us? Something to consider. Not trying to be a jerk. God bless.

Answer 6

You display a profound ignorance of the process of scripture.
First, the books were written over a 2-3000 year period.
Many different authors, worked independently of each other.
Each listened to what G*D revealed to them in their time.
Jewish tradition established the Creation myth.
Christian tradition discerned Salvation history.
The afterlife grew out of Judeo-Christian understanding.
Based on the experience of Jesus Resurrection/Ascension.
The church selected the most reliable books 1600 years later.
The ones selecting were obviously not any of the authors.

Answer 7

God made you a free willed agent, so you're free to do or believe anything you want to...As for me i choose to believe the Words of the Bible..I walk by Faith not by sight....

Answer 8

Created by man

Answer 9

While it's certainly your right to believe that, dear one, I choose to believe Christ because He proved He was who He said He was.

God bless!

Answer 10

well you are in good company the cynics are at least as active here as those of us who believe