Nickman said:
If the bible was from a higher power that created us we would see some of his genius in the stories. Instead we see the marks of human hands and ideas common to the time in which they lived.
You reckon, Nick, that people who belive in the Bible as God's Word (at least some of the people) don't see genius in the stories??? Do you reckon we make it up just because we want to see it there?
Marks of human hands are there, that's for sure. The language changes through the centuries, the traditions change, the life conditions change. Do you mean you want to see something like Bible written by people who lived thousands years between them, but you want no change? You want all people who wrote the Bible to be the same, same character, same vocabulary, same intelligence? I just don't understand what you want God's word to be, how 'perfect' (the same) in your eyes you want it?
Jeppo, on Dec 11 2008, 01:02 AM, said:
This is pretty much the way I see it too. There's nothing in the Bible that isn't a product of its time. I can't begin to imagine what a book written by an omniscient deity would really look like, but i'm pretty sure it wouldn't be full of trivial barbarism about which enemies to kill, how to avoid women on their period or the 'abomination' of eating shellfish etc..
Of course it's a product of it's time, Jeppo. Can you see past that though? I watched a great film last week, called "Patch Adams". The old scientist
showed him 4 fingers and asked Patch "How many fingers do you see?" Patch said 4. But later he came to ask the man what's the answer. The old sientist said "Look beyond the fingers, look at me." And Patch saw 8 fingers. He learned to see beyond the obvious.
Call me crasy guys, but in every page I see God speaking to us. We see why God says in OT to kill enemies, why He says in OT "to avoid women on their period or the 'abomination' of eating shellfish etc.." We don't see that as junk. We see beyond it- why did He put it there for us to read? Not sure if you are interested what i think about God's reasons... I am not the best at explaining, but here's what I think-
God was teaching people of the time a certain principle.
God wants us to see which principle, because it is very much the same principle in our times.
Those stupid (as some people think of them) things and rules in OT which you call a product of time ARE stuffed with symbols for us to see. IF we look at the products of the time from a different angle, IF we see beyond them, we see God in everything in the Bible, in every word of it. Some places in the Bible are harder to see though, some are easier.
Nickman said:
Did you get a chance to watch that show? I am part way through and it has alot of strong evidence that Yahweh was an imaginary God like all others used as a national symbol.
You guys might say that I am brain washed. Who and what do you let wash your brain? Some program? And do you think this program makers see beyond 4 fingers and look at the 'apple' not from one side only?
Edited by Rebel, 11 December 2008 - 01:37 AM.
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