People often quote a Bible passage to me, implying that the Bible is the ultimate authority on the subject (morals, geology, science, history, philosophy).
I see absolutely no reason why I should pay much attention to what the Bible says, and certainly no reason to consider it to be the "word of God." In fact, I can think of quite a few good reasons NOT to consider it as anything more than a collection of the myths, legends and beliefs of a very primitive and superstitious people. The fear of death is something that the priests have drilled into us in order to allow them to have power over us. They are simply insurance salesmen, and they have to make you are afraid of something before you will buy their insurance against it.
I have not only read the Bible very carefully, but I have also spent considerable time studying it. It was my reading of the Bible that first convinced me that there was nothing holy or inspired about it, since it so full of contradictions, errors, absurdities and even condonation of evil. The mere fact that there are so many thousands of Jewish and Christian sects, all with differing doctrines, all claiming the Bible as the basis of their doctrines, proves how unreliable it is.
My extensive notes run to 64 pages fine print.
I have - encouraged by Christian friends - read the works of many Christian apologists: C. S. Lewis, John Warwick Montgomery, Ron Rhodes, Norman Geisler, Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, Simon Greenleaf, Alfred Edersheim, (and others), and I find them consistently illogical and unable to deal satisfactorily with the obvious Bible problems. I also find that my Christian friends are usually unwilling to read any of the books which I recommend to them about the Bible and Christianity.
The Jesus that most Christians worship is certainly not anyone who lived in Palestine two thousand years ago, but is an artificial (mythical) construct of people who never even knew Jesus or the people whom he supposedly taught. The history of early Christianity is a forgery constructed by the Roman church, as is becoming ever more clear with the discovery of long-suppressed Christian writings which contradict traditional Christian doctrine. To put it bluntly: the New Testament is a pious fraud.
.
And please don't suggest that one must read the Bible "in the proper Spirit" unless you can define what you mean as something other than simply "being willing to accept whatever it says as the Word of God."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Regarding Christianity being a 'myth', if you are as open as you claim, consider 'The Real Meaning of the Zodiac' or 'The Gospel of the Stars'. The Zodiac comes to us from antiquity that is indeterminable, and the oldest legends say it was given by Enoch. Ancient 'myths' religions of the Greeks and earlier were largely founded upon the Zodiac, which is actually a proclamation of the gospel that predates the Bible account and is not really even addressed by the Bible - but we can see today that the typology in the Bible and Zodiac are perfectly compatable with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteAside from that: consider the teachings of Jesus. He said if you want to know if what He taught was the word of God, that you could know this by doing what He taught. He didn't say to prove what He taught by study of the Bible, but that the Scriptures spoke of Him.
I'm put off by 'Churches' because Jesus gave very specific instructions that have not been followed in our generations. I would say that all the Churches need to return to the roots of being disciples of Jesus - that His words are above all the rest of the words in the Bible as to what we are to believe and do. To hear Him and not do what He said is what Jesus specifically condemned - be it those who said, 'Lord, Lord' to those whose house fell flat when the storm came.
And what benefit is the life without God? Can you tell what meaning your life has gained in this persuit? Do you have hope for anything? What do you believe is the reason for your life?
I think the Bible has all the answers we need, but certainly doesn't leave us without questions.
Thanks!
Personally I see no reason to pay much attention to what the Bible claims Jesus said.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that ancient peoples interpreted the Zodiac the way they did is 100% irrelevant to understanding anything except their own superstitions.
I can't speak for The Mudras, but I find it pitiful that you apparently are unable to find any meaning for your life unless you base it on ancient superstitions and belief in invisible beings. See my own response to that question at http://packham.n4m.org/purpose.htm
I agree with what Packham has said.
ReplyDeleteMy purpose in life? It's to live, to find joy in living, and to do good. And, finally, to die like every other thing that has lived or will live on the planet (and that includes you), having lived a good life without having to do so in hopes of some reward in the sky.
And part of doing good is exposing absurd superstitions like belief in magical, invisible beings.