What do you think of the idea....?

Question

What do you think of the idea that the bible was merely an attempt to construct a completely defensible lie/story. During the time of its authoring, scholars were always trying to do things like square the circle, construct unbreakable codes, and anything else that seemed to challenge the mind.

It could have them spawned something entirely different....the religions that we know today?

Answer 1

I believe that when what now passes as the bible was constructed in the 4th century it was done as a sincere attempt to re-tell folklore and supposed events as best as those interviewed could remember by true believers at the time.

Remember that the mind will substitute information for our memory when memory fails. This mental process is so automatic that we are most often unaware of it.

It is easy to understand why Constantine wanted to re-construct christian dogma. It is to his credit that he hired a genuine scholar to interview christians in Rome and write down their various and conflicting accounts to make what scholars loosely refer to as the "gospels"!

It is likewise understandable that human memory was no better then, than it is now.

It is therefore understandable that when presented with about 25 contradicting supposed "gospels" they could find but four that were acceptable to the council of Nicaea.

This is why is it absolutely preposterous when we read or hear some self appointed "speaker for god" make actual quotes of Jesus or any other biblical figure. No such information exists that has even the slightest verification since we should have established that the gospels are no more than re-creations by a qualified scholar based upon the faulty memories and substitute remembrances of old folklore as passed on by the uneducated.

So, an honest attempt by Constantine and his appointed scholar? Surely a reasonable benefit of the doubt even if it was obviously proprietary in nature. Constantine’s motivation was almost certainly understandable, the avoidance if anarchy and revolt is one of the responsibilities of whatever passes for government.

To give the bible a fair read I believe we must separate modern claims by believers to adjust the simplicity of the bible with modern information; such claims like instead of making the world and everything in it, modern believers think nothing of adjusting the bible to read, god created the universe.

Not only is this claim baseless it really is an affront to the value of the bible as it renders it in need of adjustment by mere modern believers. These same believers are not only NOT scholars, with the ability to make such suggestions, they probably wouldn’t recognize a scholar if they ran into one on the street.

I leave you with the following quote worth reading:

“Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable.” H.L. Mencken
Respectfully.

Answer 2

Well, at least supposedly, the bible (old and new testaments) was written over a period of about five or six thousand years. I believe that it is likely that the first books were written around certain people so the masses would prove said people to be rightful leaders (i.e. Moses, King David). Then I believe much of what follows is written by religious zealots, many of whom weren't entirely in touch with reality (i.e. prophets). This cycle begins again in the New Testament, where Christ preached and then someone decided to write Gospels detailing his life. Gospels consistently contradict one another, so they were likely written by two different people. Mark came first, so whoever wrote Luke likely didn't read or at least didn't examine Mark very closely. The rest of it is just a bunch of writing that came from various prophets and what not in the two or three hundred years between Christ's death and the rule of Emperor Constantine.

Do I think the bible is an intentional deception? Not in the way that you say. But yes, I believe the bible was added to continuously over the years in order to uphold the current lie.

Answer 3

The different components of the bible were written by author years apart and certainly were not in touch with each other. Most of the narratives there were for some time conveyed orally from one person to another. You have an interesting proposition but it can happen only if the authors were ex-FBI or ex-CIA operatives.

Answer 4

The proof is already here. Just look at all of the different religions. If it was so infallible that would never have happened. Interpretation itself would have been a given. I have to logically come to the conclusion that had a perfect being inspired a book it would be comprehended by everyone. None of this....breaking off to start our own religion because we think it means "this". And so on....

Answer 5

I think there's some truth to what you say, but it isn't so much that someone sat down to plan it out, but rather, over time obvious inconsistencies were removed and apologetic responses to contradictions were added.

Numerous extant early manuscripts prove people were constantly modifying the books.

Answer 6

The Bible is history and truth, not a lie. What's a lie is everything Darwin ever wrote, and people that try to prove the Bible wrong.

Hey...YOU ASKED what I thought...

Answer 7

I believe that religion was simply a tool to control the less intelligent and it's working even today. Damn you Constantine!

Answer 8

Wow.! it took them over 3,500 years to complete that idea.

Answer 9

a completely defensible lie?.....maybe in ancient times, but nowadays it's about as defensible as iraq was when we invaded........

Answer 10

I don't think . It gives me a headache .