4 ms·

Almost everybody believed the world was flat, then they were proved wrong. So many of the objective "facts" in the bible have been proved scientifically wrong a

Almost everybody believed the world was flat, then they were proved wrong. So many of the objective "facts" in the bible have been proved scientifically wrong and no such inaccuracy should exist given divine input. If god exists and was on Earth then he is very vindictive desperate for destruction and violence, humanities aim should be to destroy him. Thankfully there is no evidence to say he does beyond a book with obvious flaws.

dragonwriter 10y ago
> Almost everybody believed the world was flat, then they were proved wrong. Is this really true? I mean, I certainly haven't seen any convincing evidence that there was a single broadly accepted model for the shape of the earth before the time in antiquity when not only was it proven to be round, but its size was reasonably well approximated.
- deepitee1 10y ago
  It appears that some people knew the Earth was spherical as early as 6 BC. Specifically in Greek culture. However, the Bible describes the Earth as being surrounded by a Firmament. This is used in the flat-Earth model to describe a stone-like covering which has literal holes opening to let light through. This is strange considering all of the reworks that the bible went through even up until the 400's. It seems like if it were something widely accepted by scholars or even laymen that it would have been something to correct. You can see regional differences in the bible as it was being written and spread across the middle East, but the knowledge of the spherical Earth must not have spread quickly enough to this area in which copies of the bible were being made.
augb 10y ago
> So many of the objective "facts" in the bible have been proved scientifically wrong and no such inaccuracy should exist given divine input. Not sure what you are referring to being disproved. It is true that a person's interpretation of the Bible may be disproved, but I am unaware of any source that has truly disproved the Bible. The same cannot be said for many of the theories that are taken as fact. > If god exists and was on Earth then he is very vindictive desperate for destruction and violence, humanities aim should be to destroy him. I can understand why you may think that; however, we have to keep in mind that our viewpoint, as humans, is incomplete and imperfect. Further, we have a very limited view of who God is. That is why we need the Bible - to help us see things as He does. It is simple enough for a child to understand, but it is beyond the ability of scholars with years of study and advanced degrees to fully comprehend on their own. God is a truly just God. He cannot let sin (going our own way instead of following God's path for us) be left alone. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and conquer death. Jesus took the wrath we deserved onto Himself, so that we could be free. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 So, even His justice has mercy mixed in. The one who is "very vindictive desperate for destruction and violence" is Satan, as Jesus Christ states: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10 One reason God waits to finally deal with Satan, is so that others can come into a loving relationship with God: "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 Note: All references are from the NASB.
- cholantesh 10y ago
  >It is true that a person's interpretation of the Bible may be disproved And given that that's all we really have, it's a sufficient analogue.
  - augb 10y ago
    I'm not sure you can make that logical leap. Just because I can be disproved does not mean the Bible can be. It just means I can be disproved.
- meows 10y ago
  Why exactly do people need the bible? Why is it that Christians are so skeptical of actual communication via prayer, that anyone who strongly professes to hear the divine might be suspiciously regarded as mentally ill? Why are there no more prophets, judges, or anointed kings? Why are there no more miracles? Why do people need a book translated into English to reach the divine? I am so baffled by how Christians are okay with such a distal relationship, as if the closest relationship to God is a textual one, followed by emotions of a vague relationship to the divine. If one were to look at the severe intimacy that Jews and the first Christians experienced with the sacred, a natural thought is to think that Christians have been excommunicated from all spiritual reality. Not even the Accuser will have his intellectual sparring with God anymore, raining hellish miracles down to earth. There are no more court magicians. This world is an excommunicated world, and people are left talking of an invisible gardener, and the feelings they experience when they engage in textual analysis with varying lenses, such as a historical lens on Hebrew life conditions... this is modern spirituality. How can this be a spiritual relationship with the Father to all things? How can that be a profession of a connection to spiritual reality?
  - augb 10y ago
    > Why exactly do people need the bible? Because people can be mistaken, misguided or plain wrong. We need an objective standard from God Himself, to know what is right and true. (Though, He does also provide some basic understanding of truth and beauty through nature, too.) > Why is it that Christians are so skeptical of actual communication via prayer, that anyone who strongly professes to hear the divine might be suspiciously regarded as mentally ill? May I suggest the word "Christians" be replaced with "people"? I for one am a Christian and know that people can interact with the supernatural. No need to consider someone mentally ill just because they are more attuned to the spiritual than others (even if not a Christian). One of the longstanding core of the Christian life is to spend time in prayer with God. The Bible acts as a point of reference to know whether our experience is of God or not. There are spiritual beings out there that seek to turn us away from the truth. These are the fallen angels, demons. > Why are there no more prophets, judges, or anointed kings? Why are there no more miracles? I for one know of several prophets. I have personally experienced or witnessed miracles. Just because one may not recognize something as a miracle or someone as a prophet does not mean there are none. The unseen world is ever present, both the good and the evil. Our modern society has in the recent past ignored (and some continue to ignore) that it is real just because we have not figured out a way to empirically prove it. The supernatural has the prefix of "super-" because it goes beyond the natural. This does not invalidate science, just as science does not invalidate the supernatural. > Why do people need a book translated into English to reach the divine? The Bible has been translated into many more languages than just English. Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic are the original languages used, not English. > If one were to look at the severe intimacy that Jews and the first Christians experienced with the sacred, a natural thought is to think that Christians have been excommunicated from all spiritual reality. I'm not sure I disagree with you. There are many examples that would seem to back you up. There are many examples that also refute this. The relationship comes from committing oneself wholly (fully) to follow Jesus Christ. How God chooses to work through and in that person may look different for each person. Just as each person has a unique combination of personality, talents, experiences and opportunities. We can say, though, the trend of a follower of Jesus Christ will be to look more like Him. > How can this be a spiritual relationship with the Father to all things? How can that be a profession of a connection to spiritual reality? Perhaps not all who say they have a relationship really know what that even means? This is one more reason we need the Bible - to help us know what God's standard is. If it were left up to me, my standard would not be good enough. My mercy would not be strong enough. My justice would not be complete enough. My ability to see things as they really are and still choose to love would not be pure enough. Edit: corrected spelling and grammar.

dragonwriter 10y ago

> Almost everybody believed the world was flat, then they were proved wrong. Is this really true? I mean, I certainly haven't seen any convincing evidence that there was a single broadly accepted model for the shape of the earth before the time in antiquity when not only was it proven to be round, but its size was reasonably well approximated.

deepitee1 10y ago
It appears that some people knew the Earth was spherical as early as 6 BC. Specifically in Greek culture. However, the Bible describes the Earth as being surrounded by a Firmament. This is used in the flat-Earth model to describe a stone-like covering which has literal holes opening to let light through. This is strange considering all of the reworks that the bible went through even up until the 400's. It seems like if it were something widely accepted by scholars or even laymen that it would have been something to correct. You can see regional differences in the bible as it was being written and spread across the middle East, but the knowledge of the spherical Earth must not have spread quickly enough to this area in which copies of the bible were being made.

augb 10y ago

> So many of the objective "facts" in the bible have been proved scientifically wrong and no such inaccuracy should exist given divine input. Not sure what you are referring to being disproved. It is true that a person's interpretation of the Bible may be disproved, but I am unaware of any source that has truly disproved the Bible. The same cannot be said for many of the theories that are taken as fact. > If god exists and was on Earth then he is very vindictive desperate for destruction and violence, humanities aim should be to destroy him. I can understand why you may think that; however, we have to keep in mind that our viewpoint, as humans, is incomplete and imperfect. Further, we have a very limited view of who God is. That is why we need the Bible - to help us see things as He does. It is simple enough for a child to understand, but it is beyond the ability of scholars with years of study and advanced degrees to fully comprehend on their own. God is a truly just God. He cannot let sin (going our own way instead of following God's path for us) be left alone. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and conquer death. Jesus took the wrath we deserved onto Himself, so that we could be free. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 So, even His justice has mercy mixed in. The one who is "very vindictive desperate for destruction and violence" is Satan, as Jesus Christ states: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10 One reason God waits to finally deal with Satan, is so that others can come into a loving relationship with God: "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 Note: All references are from the NASB.

cholantesh 10y ago
>It is true that a person's interpretation of the Bible may be disproved And given that that's all we really have, it's a sufficient analogue.
- augb 10y ago
  I'm not sure you can make that logical leap. Just because I can be disproved does not mean the Bible can be. It just means I can be disproved.
meows 10y ago
Why exactly do people need the bible? Why is it that Christians are so skeptical of actual communication via prayer, that anyone who strongly professes to hear the divine might be suspiciously regarded as mentally ill? Why are there no more prophets, judges, or anointed kings? Why are there no more miracles? Why do people need a book translated into English to reach the divine? I am so baffled by how Christians are okay with such a distal relationship, as if the closest relationship to God is a textual one, followed by emotions of a vague relationship to the divine. If one were to look at the severe intimacy that Jews and the first Christians experienced with the sacred, a natural thought is to think that Christians have been excommunicated from all spiritual reality. Not even the Accuser will have his intellectual sparring with God anymore, raining hellish miracles down to earth. There are no more court magicians. This world is an excommunicated world, and people are left talking of an invisible gardener, and the feelings they experience when they engage in textual analysis with varying lenses, such as a historical lens on Hebrew life conditions... this is modern spirituality. How can this be a spiritual relationship with the Father to all things? How can that be a profession of a connection to spiritual reality?
- augb 10y ago
  > Why exactly do people need the bible? Because people can be mistaken, misguided or plain wrong. We need an objective standard from God Himself, to know what is right and true. (Though, He does also provide some basic understanding of truth and beauty through nature, too.) > Why is it that Christians are so skeptical of actual communication via prayer, that anyone who strongly professes to hear the divine might be suspiciously regarded as mentally ill? May I suggest the word "Christians" be replaced with "people"? I for one am a Christian and know that people can interact with the supernatural. No need to consider someone mentally ill just because they are more attuned to the spiritual than others (even if not a Christian). One of the longstanding core of the Christian life is to spend time in prayer with God. The Bible acts as a point of reference to know whether our experience is of God or not. There are spiritual beings out there that seek to turn us away from the truth. These are the fallen angels, demons. > Why are there no more prophets, judges, or anointed kings? Why are there no more miracles? I for one know of several prophets. I have personally experienced or witnessed miracles. Just because one may not recognize something as a miracle or someone as a prophet does not mean there are none. The unseen world is ever present, both the good and the evil. Our modern society has in the recent past ignored (and some continue to ignore) that it is real just because we have not figured out a way to empirically prove it. The supernatural has the prefix of "super-" because it goes beyond the natural. This does not invalidate science, just as science does not invalidate the supernatural. > Why do people need a book translated into English to reach the divine? The Bible has been translated into many more languages than just English. Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic are the original languages used, not English. > If one were to look at the severe intimacy that Jews and the first Christians experienced with the sacred, a natural thought is to think that Christians have been excommunicated from all spiritual reality. I'm not sure I disagree with you. There are many examples that would seem to back you up. There are many examples that also refute this. The relationship comes from committing oneself wholly (fully) to follow Jesus Christ. How God chooses to work through and in that person may look different for each person. Just as each person has a unique combination of personality, talents, experiences and opportunities. We can say, though, the trend of a follower of Jesus Christ will be to look more like Him. > How can this be a spiritual relationship with the Father to all things? How can that be a profession of a connection to spiritual reality? Perhaps not all who say they have a relationship really know what that even means? This is one more reason we need the Bible - to help us know what God's standard is. If it were left up to me, my standard would not be good enough. My mercy would not be strong enough. My justice would not be complete enough. My ability to see things as they really are and still choose to love would not be pure enough. Edit: corrected spelling and grammar.