The Bible

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Medjai

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Many people have barraged me in the past with attempts at convincing me of the Bible's accuracy...

They fail to realize a few things...

1. A historically accurate document is not infallable.
2. In every "historical document" of elder days there are supernatural and/or unreasonable events that are removed to maintain the accuracy of the document (e.g. Ancient Egyptian writings were very precise and accurate yet made the pharohs out to be living Gods, the Greeks were accurate, yet attributed many events to the anger or pleasure of the Gods, there are many more examples).

I believe the Bible has historical significance in that the whole of Europe was drastically influenced by it. Further, the Bible has many accurate depictions, yet it claims causation of such events to things that we can not logically take into account.

Most ancient texts that involve wars, started by the side who is writing the text, are the will of their God or Gods.

The idea that people lived hundreds of years is absurd, and and obviously false. I can go into the biological reasoning behind this of course if you need (it has to do with telomeres).

The idea that donkey's and snakes could speak is absolutely absurd. There mouths aren't shaped for it, and snakes don't have voice boxes.

The idea that snakes "eat dirt" is absurd. There isn't one snake on the planet that does this.

Now, you call the Greek dietys of old, "Myths". And you justify this by calling on much of their absurd notions. Yet you must remember, at one time these "absurd notions" were perfectly reasonable to the masses.

The Bible speaks of places that actually exist and of people that actually lived. To this I agree. Of course it is not likely that all the people in it and all the places discussed within its pages did in fact exist, I suppose its possible.

Than again... the Iliad spoke of Troy and other factually existent cities and nations... did it not? Charles Dickens, "A Tale of Two Cities" spoke of actual people and definately actual places (in great and accurate detail) yet we all agree this masterpiece was a work of fiction.

Fiction can be written with the aid of factual information, it adds to the believability of a given text, it helps the reader visualize things as well.

Anyways, I fail to understand how the Bible being a valid source of "history" (which I don't take it to be in totality or even majority) in any way makes it the infallable and unchanged divine word of a supreme being. Please explain.
 
By the way, I am not trying to start an argument. I just wish to understand where you guys get the idea that the Bible is divine. It honestly baffles me.
 
Its Honesty
The Bible is painfully honest. It shows Jacob, the father of its "chosen people," to be a deceiver. It describes Moses, the lawgiver, as an insecure, reluctant leader, who, in his first attempt to come to the aid of his own people, killed a man, and then ran for life to the desert. It portrays David not only as Israel's most loved king, general, and spiritual leader, but as one who took another man's wife and then, to cover his own sin, conspired to have her husband killed. At one point, the Scriptures accuse the people of God, the nation of Israel, as being so bad they made Sodom and Gomorrah look good by comparison (Ezekiel 16:46-52). The Bible represents human nature as hostile to God. It predicts a future full of trouble. It teaches that the road to heaven is narrow and the way to hell is wide. Scripture was clearly not written for those who want simple answers or an easy, optimistic view of religion and human nature.

Its Preservation
Just as the modern state of Israel was emerging from thousands of years of dispersion, a bedouin shepherd discovered one of the most important archeological treasures of our time. In a cave of the northwest rim of the Dead Sea, a broken jar yielded documents that had been hidden for two millennia. Additional finds produced manuscripts that predated previous oldest copies by 1,000 years. One of the most important was a copy of Isaiah. It revealed a document that is essentially the same as the book of Isaiah that appears in our own Bibles. The Dead Sea scrolls emerged from the dust like a symbolic handshake to a nation coming home. They discredited the claims of those who believed that the original Bible had been lost to time and tampering.

Its Claims For Itself
It's important to know what the Bible says about itself. If the authors of Scripture had not claimed to speak for God, it would be presumptuous for us to make that claim for them. We would also have a different kind of problem. We would have a collection of unsolved mysteries, embodied in historical and ethical literature. But we would not have a book that has inspired the building of countless churches and synagogues all over the world. A Bible that did not claim to speak in behalf of God would not have become foundational to the faith of hundreds of millions of Christians and Jews (2 Peter 1:16-21). But with much supporting evidence and argument, the Bible's authors did claim to be inspired by God. Because millions have staked their present and eternal well-being on those claims, the Bible cannot be a good book if its authors consistently lied about their source of information.

Its Miracles
Israel's exodus from Egypt provided a historical basis for believing that God revealed Himself to Israel. If the Red Sea did not part as Moses said it did, the Old Testament loses its authority to speak in behalf of God. The New Testament is just as dependent upon miracles. If Jesus did not rise bodily from the dead, the apostle Paul admits that the Christian faith is built on a lie (1 Corinthians 15:14-17). To show its credibility, the New Testament names its witnesses, and did so within a time-frame that enabled those claims to be tested (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Many of the witnesses ended up as martyrs, not for abstract moral or spiritual convictions but for their claim that Jesus had risen from the dead. While martyrdom is not unusual, the basis on which these people gave their lives is what's important. Many have died for what they believed to be the truth. But people do not die for what they know to be a lie.

Its Unity
Forty different authors writing over a period of 1,600 years penned the 66 books of the Bible. Four hundred silent years separated the 39 books of the Old Testament from the 27 of the New Testament. Yet, from Genesis to Revelation, they tell one unfolding story. Together they give consistent answers to the most important questions we can ask: Why are we here? How can we come to terms with our fears? How can we get along? How can we rise above our circumstances and keep hope alive? How can we make peace with our Maker? The Bible's consistent answers to these questions show that the Scriptures are not many books but one.

Its Historical And Geographical Accuracy
Down through the ages, many have doubted the historical and geographical accuracy of the Bible. Yet modern archeologists have repeatedly unearthed evidence of the people, places, and cultures described in the Scriptures. Time after time, the descriptions in the biblical record have been shown to be more reliable than the speculations of scholars. The modern visitor to the museums and lands of the Bible cannot help but come away impressed with the real geographical and historical backdrop of the biblical text.

Its Endorsement By Christ
Many have spoken well of the Bible, but no endorsement is as compelling as that of Jesus of Nazareth. He recommended the Bible not only by His words but by His life. In times of personal temptation, public teaching, and personal suffering, He made it clear that He believed the Old Testament Scriptures were more than a national tradition (Matthew 4:1-11; 5:17-19). He believed the Bible was a book about Himself. To His countrymen He said, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life" (John 5:39-40).

Its Prophetic Accuracy
From the days of Moses, the Bible predicted events no one wanted to believe. Before Israel went into the Promised Land, Moses predicted that Israel would be unfaithful, that she would lose the land God was giving her, and that she would be dispersed throughout all the world, regathered, and then re-established (Deuteronomy 28-31). Central to Old Testament prophecy was the promise of a Messiah who would save God's people from their sins and eventually bring judgment and peace to the whole world.

Its Survival
The books of Moses were written 500 years before the earliest Hindu Scriptures. Moses wrote Genesis 2,000 years before Muhammad penned the Koran. During that long history, no other book has been as loved or as hated as the Bible. No other book has been so consistently bought, studied, and quoted as this book. While millions of other titles come and go, the Bible is still the book by which all other books are measured. While often ignored by those who are uncomfortable with its teachings, it is still the central book of Western civilization.

Its Power To Change Lives
Unbelievers often point to those who claim to believe in the Bible without being changed by it. But history is also marked by those who have been bettered by this book. The Ten Commandments have been a source of moral direction to countless numbers of people. The Psalms of David have offered comfort in times of trouble and loss. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount has given millions an antidote for stubborn pride and proud legalism. Paul's description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 has softened angry hearts. The changed lives of people like the apostle Paul, Augustine, Martin Luther, John Newton, Leo Tolstoy, and C. S. Lewis illustrate the difference the Bible can make. Even entire nations or tribes, like the Celts of Ireland, the wild Vikings of Norway, or the Auca Indians of Ecuador have been transformed by the Word of God and the unprecedented life and significance of Jesus Christ.

http://www.70x7.com/10reasonsbible.htm
 
These are the reasons of someone else, I wanted individual reasoning.

That's okay though...

I am not asking for an argument so there is no need to go all out. If you want me to address each of those I will but really I don't feel like it.

Anyways, could you post 'your' reasons? I won't criticize them.
 
well my reasons all fall into those above. What impresses me is the consistancy, many authors one book, no conflicts!

Many of it's stories and references have been discovered in arceological diggings which affirms it's authenticity. Not made up characters.

it helps me know and understand God better. It encourages and guides me. It's packed with wisdom and Christ's teachings.

It's prophecies that have been fulfilled strengthens my faith even more!
Here is a great site that points out 100 prophesies.

http://100prophecies.org
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Medjai @ Oct. 24 2003,10:59)]Than again... the Iliad spoke of Troy and other factually existent cities and nations... did it not?
Click to expand...
And people thought Troy was a fictional place...until they found the ruins.
rock.gif
 
i have a HOLY BIBLE THAT CAN NOT BE DEFEATED.
IT IS MADE OF THESE FOUR:HOLMAN'S, KJV, DOUAY, AND LAMSA'S.
i have by THE HOLY GHOST FUSED BACK TOGETHER WHAT WAS DESTROYED BY THE CONCISION. AMEN
i am nothing0.
JESUS IS THE LORD1PRAISE THE LORD1THE LORD YESHUA. AMEN
 
You have a Bible that can't be defeated... I didn't even know Bibles were made in such a fashion as to be combined...
 
He is saying that his Bible uses different aspects of four different published versions of the Bible and that because it takes the best of each (essentially) it is "unbeatable".
 
Fall upon IT and see IT's strength.
All who fall upon it are broken in two, and all that IT falls upon are crushed into the dust. amen
i am nothing0.
JESUS IS THE LORD1PRAISE THE LORD1THE LORD YESHUA. AMEN
 
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