Is the bible really the word of god?

[MichaelHDurso]

I ponder this all the time when people argue using the bible. They sometimes say conflicting things from it and they claim is the exact words from god but... I tell them that the bible is "interpreted" by humans and due to the fact for catholics the vatican does revise the book once in awhile. So how do we know that the "word of god" is not a book of human being's opinion on ethics that are out of date

[Popcorn Sutton]

This is a logical argument as to why the bible is the word of god. (I don't necessarily believe in it because it assumes creationism)

 

1. God is everything.

2. People are a part of everything.

-------------------------------------------

3. What people say is Gods word.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Popcorn Sutton

[Ringer]

This is a logical argument as to why the bible is the word of god. (I don't necessarily believe in it because it assumes creationism)

 

1. God is everything.

2. People are a part of everything.

-------------------------------------------

3. What people say is Gods word.

 

But that's a just a tautology, so it doesn't work as a logical argument. Also, with that logic we could say that every religion and non-religion is the word of god, so the term 'word of god' becomes meaningless.

 

To the OP, we can validly assume the bible isn't the word of god because of various lines of evidence. First is the fact that the books of the bible were written by several different authors; accounts of events, rules, and teachings are self contradictory; historical inaccuracies; etc. So unless the god whose word is written as the bible isn't the all powerful/knowing (or unless this god is prone to gross exaggeration) it's safe to assume that the bible wasn't written by god.

[Popcorn Sutton]

It's a contentious tautology.

 

Richard Dawkins says that he would never want to live in a universe with a god. I can only assume that that means that creatures can become godly, and that could be a scary situation to live with one. I actually find it very plausible that this universe was created by a god, but I also find it plausible that that creature would've just let it go and doesn't necessarily play a role in what happens. Given enough time, it's easy to see that this could've happened. But to assume that god is everything, and that everything that's been written is the work of god... it's not necessarily false.

[Marshalscienceguy]

I think its simply a metaphor. I don't think the stories where meant to be taken literally but are simply fables to teach us morals.

[AndresKiani]

Maybe, I believe God is the source of all energy. Though as a human being and with the knowledge we have, it is very hard to understand the spiritual world as of yet, I believe one day we will though.

[John Cuthber]

If it is the word of God then He really ought to make His mind up about stuff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RB3g6mXLEKk#t=86

 

Also, we know it's the work of men.

We know when it was rewritten, where, and by whom.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea

 

And Popcorn's "argument" is nonsense.

It suggests that anything said by anyone is the word of God.

So, imagine I make up some word like

webzootlefningywhatsit

and I say it, then it's the Word of God, but I'm the only one who has ever said it.

So I must be God.

 

Popcorn,

you really should think things through a bit more carefully before posting.

[Popcorn Sutton]

Let's not get off topic John. It's a clever argument, but it has no basis in productive scientific inquiry.

 

The argument itself discredits God.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Popcorn Sutton

[John Cuthber]

Let's not get off topic John. It's a clever argument, but it has no basis in productive scientific inquiry.

 

I agree that it is unscientific; you should never have introduced it, but I don't think it's a clever argument at all. It fails as I showed.

Meanwhile, back at the topic.

If God wrote the Bible He messed up

http://infidels.org/library/modern/jim_meritt/bible-contradictions.html

 

Those contradictions are exactly the sort of errors you would expect people to make.

Edited January 12, 2014 by John Cuthber

[LWalkersr]

I think its simply a metaphor. I don't think the stories where meant to be taken literally but are simply fables to teach us morals.

I find it very difficult to understand why people do not believe that the Bible is the actual word of God the father. What's in the Bible is too complex to be just some made up story. The Bible talks about things that could not be made up. The way the Bible is written someone would have had to have been there to tell it the way it is told in the Bible. It's too much for it all just to be a made up story.

[iNow]

Just because YOU cannot understand it does not mean nobody can. Arguments from ignorance and incredulity are not evidence of authorship by some deity or cosmic dictator.

[LWalkersr]

I find it very difficult to understand why people do not believe that the Bible is the actual word of God the father. What's in the Bible is too complex to be just some made up story. The Bible talks about things that could not be made up. The way the Bible is written someone would have had to have been there to tell it the way it is told in the Bible. It's too much for it all just to be a made up story.

 

[Moontanman]

I find it very difficult to understand why people do not believe that the Bible is the actual word of God the father. What's in the Bible is too complex to be just some made up story. The Bible talks about things that could not be made up. The way the Bible is written someone would have had to have been there to tell it the way it is told in the Bible. It's too much for it all just to be a made up story.

Horse feathers, the bible is not complex at all, it is certainly no more complex than Lord of the rings and not a very good story, full of contradictions and things that are demonstrably not true...

[LWalkersr]

Just because YOU cannot understand it does not mean nobody can. Arguments from ignorance and incredulity are not evidence of authorship by some deity or cosmic dictator.

That’s just it, there is so much overwhelming evidence that God exist, that’s what I don’t understand. Why those people who don’t believe can’t see the evidence. The Bible says that Satin is the great deceiver, well this is the evidence that Satin is the great deceiver that the Bible says he is because Satin has so many people deceived despite all the evidence that God exist, Satin has deceived so many people that God does not exit. Satin has fooled so many people only shows that what the Bible says is true. People need to open their eyes and stop letting Satin deceive them. Then they will see the evidence that God does exist.

[Moontanman]

That’s just it, there is so much overwhelming evidence that God exist, that’s what I don’t understand. Why those people who don’t believe can’t see the evidence. The Bible says that Satin is the great deceiver, well this is the evidence that Satin is the great deceiver that the Bible says he is because Satin has so many people deceived despite all the evidence that God exist, Satin has deceived so many people that God does not exit. Satin has fooled so many people only shows that what the Bible says is true. People need to open their eyes and stop letting Satin deceive them. Then they will see the evidence that God does exist.

Show me some evidence of any god much less the god of the bible, no god no Satan only men writing myths about what they thought god was like, no evidence what so ever...

[LWalkersr]

Show me some evidence of any god much less the god of the bible, no god no Satan only men writing myths about what they thought god was like, no evidence what so ever...

Let me ask you a question. Did you make or create yourself? The Bible tells us that man is God’s greatest creation even over the Universe and the Universe is very complex. But man is God’s greatest creation not the universe. That’s just a little bit of evidence right there.

[Popcorn Sutton]

You won't convince me that the bible is true or that any other ancient text is true at all. I know, as a linguist, that language becomes more and more distorted over time. I do believe that these godlike creatures may exist in our universe however. The evidence is not overwhelming in my opinion, but given enough time, it's easy to see that it's not only possible, it's plausible.

[Moontanman]

Let me ask you a question. Did you make or create yourself? The Bible tells us that man is God’s greatest creation even over the Universe and the Universe is very complex. But man is God’s greatest creation not the universe. That’s just a little bit of evidence right there.

My parents created me, humans evolved from apes, the DNA and fossil evidence is over whelming... You give no evidence at all, just baseless claims from an old collection of myths, not even the oldest collection of myths...

[Popcorn Sutton]

I'm not suggesting that mans word is the word of god though, just that god may have been the cause of our universe, but our universe would probably have the same laws of physics that the universe from which we spawned has. I also believe that god is probably a creature, and that godlike creatures may have visited us in the past, but that's purely philosophical and it has no basis in science. It's not even useful to talk about these things.

[Moontanman]

I also have to ask why do you believe what is in the bible? Why should anyone believe such an inaccurate haphazard jumble of fables?

[Popcorn Sutton]

My parents created me, humans evolved from apes, the DNA and fossil evidence is over whelming... You give no evidence at all, just baseless claims from an old collection of myths, not even the oldest collection of myths...

agreed. It's always nice to hear you chime in Moontanman.

[Moontanman]

I'm not suggesting that mans word is the word of god though, just that god may have been the cause of our universe, but our universe would probably have the same laws of physics that the universe from which we spawned has. I also believe that god is probably a creature, and that godlike creatures may have visited us in the past, but that's purely philosophical and it has no basis in science. It's not even useful to talk about these things.

So now we are down to baseless speculations? We don't know what causes lightning so it must be god? same thing...

[Popcorn Sutton]

No, but it's easy to speculate that godlike creatures may know how to alter the weather and cause something like that to happen.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Popcorn Sutton

[Moontanman]

No, but it's easy to speculate that godlike creatures may know how to alter the weather and cause something like that to happen.

yeah but natural causes are known, why make things more complex than they have to be?

[Popcorn Sutton]

There is no good reason to blame it on god, this is a science forum.