How do Christians Still follow the bible?

[BillNye]

I was considering posting this earlier, but after This Thread I figure I'll go ahead. As somebody who has gone to Catholic Schooling and taken religion classes it would natural that I would follow the bible. This is not the case though, anybody who has followed Catholicism should understand where I am coming from. The bible is an extremely outdated document which is only still around because the church comes out and says "hmm, the bible says something that make no sense and it has been proven wrong... no biggie, it must have been figurative!" Why would God/Holy Spirit need to inspire people to write figuratively? The argument is that religion is so in-depth and so hard for our minds to comprehend that we must be given figurative stories and metaphors to grasp its deeper meaning. So now that we are advanced, one could assume that the church could rule out figurative/literal on every story, but obviously they dont do that cuz when science proves something wrong they need to beable to label something figurative to keep its credability. It is is extremely annoying to me when people jump through hoops in attempt to make something "make sense" from the bible when in reality, it was written 2000 years ago, and like anything 2,000 years old it flat out dosnt make sense in most cases.

Another thing is, check out the inconsistancy between the old testament and the new testament. Did God change his mind or did people (who I would argue wrote the bible as in w/o inspiration from the holy spirit) change their mind? I go w/ the latter.

I really wanna hear a devout-christian give a good response.

Edit: Basically I don't get how people can blindly follow a given religion in this case Catholics and the bible.

[dknightx]

[ QUOTE ]
The bible is an extremely outdated document which is only still around because the church comes out and says "hmm, the bible says something that make no sense and it has been proven wrong... no biggie, it must have been figurative!" Why would God/Holy Spirit need to inspire people to write figuratively? The argument is that religion is so in-depth and so hard for our minds to comprehend that we must be given figurative stories and metaphors to grasp its deeper meaning. So now that we are advanced, one could assume that the church could rule out figurative/literal on every story, but obviously they dont do that cuz when science proves something wrong they need to beable to label something figurative to keep its credability.


[/ QUOTE ]
examples please.

[ QUOTE ]

Another thing is, check out the inconsistancy between the old testament and the new testament. Did God change his mind or did people (who I would argue wrote the bible as in w/o inspiration from the holy spirit) change their mind? I go w/ the latter.

I really wanna hear a devout-christian give a good response.

[/ QUOTE ]

i used google, and this page is a decent start:

http://www.bible-knowledge.com/Old-t...testament.html

btw, im not catholic, so maybe you arent looking for my response.

[yukoncpa]

[ QUOTE ]
i used google, and this page is a decent start:

http://www.bible-knowledge.com/Old-t...testament.html

btw, im not catholic, so maybe you arent looking for my response.



[/ QUOTE ]

From your link ( when explaining why God is sometimes so bloody in the old Testament ):

[ QUOTE ]
The best analogy that I can give you on this is just imagine you were married, had several children and all of a sudden you found out that somebody was going to try to kill one of your children. What do you think your natural reaction would be? I have heard mother after mother say to me, without batting an eye, that if anyone would try to seriously hurt one of their own children - they would have no problems in literally killing that person dead if they had to.

This right here is the exact same type of wrath and anger that God Himself has when protecting His own. This is why the Old Testament is so bloody in all of the battles that are described in it. Half of those bloody battles had to do with God the Father defeating all of Israel’s enemies in actual warfare and combat.



[/ QUOTE ]
So Israel's enemies are not children of God? I thought everyone was God's children. This analogy is no good, because any decent parent is not going to choose favorites among her children, especially to the point of killing her unfavorites. If her children are hell bent on killing themselves, a loving mother, who has the power, will put a stop to the bloodshed, not exasperate it.

[dknightx]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
i used google, and this page is a decent start:

http://www.bible-knowledge.com/Old-t...testament.html

btw, im not catholic, so maybe you arent looking for my response.



[/ QUOTE ]

From your link ( when explaining why God is sometimes so bloody in the old Testament ):

[ QUOTE ]
The best analogy that I can give you on this is just imagine you were married, had several children and all of a sudden you found out that somebody was going to try to kill one of your children. What do you think your natural reaction would be? I have heard mother after mother say to me, without batting an eye, that if anyone would try to seriously hurt one of their own children - they would have no problems in literally killing that person dead if they had to.

This right here is the exact same type of wrath and anger that God Himself has when protecting His own. This is why the Old Testament is so bloody in all of the battles that are described in it. Half of those bloody battles had to do with God the Father defeating all of Israel’s enemies in actual warfare and combat.



[/ QUOTE ]
So Israel's enemies are not children of God? I thought everyone was God's children. This analogy is no good, because any decent parent is not going to choose favorites among her children, especially to the point of killing her unfavorites. If her children are hell bent on killing themselves, a loving mother, who has the power, will put a stop to the bloodshed, not exasperate it.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Israelites are Gods chosen people ... not sure where the whole "everyone is God's child" comes from. Plus I only said that the website was a "decent" start, so feel free to like or dislike its explanation.

[Justin A]

[ QUOTE ]

The Israelites are Gods chosen people ... not sure where the whole "everyone is God's child" comes from. Plus I only said that the website was a "decent" start, so feel free to like or dislike its explanation.

[/ QUOTE ]

We could probably have a whole thread on this topic.

God creating a bunch of different races and then choosing one of them as his favorites is ridiculous. It's no wonder people of the past have had such an easy time using the bible to justify their racism.

[andyfox]

"It may be demanded, Why should you be so furious? (as some have said). Should not Christians have more mercy and compassion? But I would refer you to David's war. When a people is grown to such a height of blood and sin against God and man and all confederates in the action, there he hath no respects to persons, but harrows them and saws them, and puts them to the sword, and the most terriblest death that may be. Sometimes the Scripture declareth women and children must perish with their parents. Sometimes the case alters; but we will not dispute it now. We had sufficient light from the Word of God for our proceedings."

-John Underhill, 1638, defending the massacre of the Pequots [a particularly apt tribe to speak of on a poker site] at ther Mystic River village in 1637


"The whole continent of North America appears to be destined by Divine Providence to be peopled by one nation, speaking one language, professing one general system of religious and political principles, and accustomed to one general tenor of social usages and customs."

-John Quincy Adams, 1811


"It seems to me that God, with infinite wisdom and skill, is training the Anglo-Saxon race for an hour sure to come in the worlds future. The lands of the earth are limited, and soon will be taken. Then will the world enter upon a new stage in its history--the final competition of the races. Then this race of unequaled energy, with the majesty of numbers and the might of wealth behind it--the representative of the largest liberty, the purest Christianity, the highest civilization... will spread itself over the earth."

-Minister Josiah Strong, 1885

[Taraz]

I'm not a Christian and I don't believe in any literal interpretation of the bible, but I don't think the "God changed his mind" argument is an issue at all. It could easily be that God sends messages that will be received well. Maybe humanity was not ready to accept Jesus's message way back in the day.

Think of it like school. You don't teach first grader algebra. You teach him slowly and build upon what you taught him previously. I think it's called Progressive Revelation. This view of religion seems to make some sort of sense to me.

[SNOWBALL]

dkx,

how in the hell is god protecting his "children" when he says that you HAVE TO stone your family if they suggest you worship another god? What plight is god saving you from when he says that a woman has to marry a man who rapes her? Who is being saved from destruction when god says that if a women is engaged to be married and is raped in the city, then both the man who raped her and the woman must be stoned to death?

Almost nothing that can be imagined is more evil and terrible than the laws given by the bible. They weren't "the best wisdom of the time." Basically, you almost could not possibly do worse than those laws.

[bigpooch]

[ QUOTE ]
So Israel's enemies are not children of God? I thought everyone was God's children.

[/ QUOTE ]

John 1:1-13

The Word Became Flesh

1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

[revots33]

[ QUOTE ]
The best analogy that I can give you on this is just imagine you were married, had several children and all of a sudden you found out that somebody was going to try to kill one of your children. What do you think your natural reaction would be? I have heard mother after mother say to me, without batting an eye, that if anyone would try to seriously hurt one of their own children - they would have no problems in literally killing that person dead if they had to.

This right here is the exact same type of wrath and anger that God Himself has when protecting His own. This is why the Old Testament is so bloody in all of the battles that are described in it. Half of those bloody battles had to do with God the Father defeating all of Israel’s enemies in actual warfare and combat.


[/ QUOTE ]

Ah, now I know why god sent that angel to kill all those Egyptian infants sleeping in their cribs. He was just being protective of his "children".

Give me a freaking break.