Does the Bible speak to all for all time, or those of its time?
346890
Well...I would say some of the things Jesus said were only relavant to the time. Since you are Catholic, and I am as well we can probably relate with some of this better. So here it goes:\n\nObviously some of the things that Christ talked about (such as the references to the types of clothing and locations in the world etc...) are general and relevant only to those of the time. I don't know many people who walk around wearing cloaks anymore and we don't execute people by crusifixion anymore so...some of those things are irrelevant, but are important for us to understand.\n\nThe whole thing about not eating pork could be taken a few ways. I don't know if that was because of refigeration...I doubt it, but it could be. Catholic's do not do it because we don't think it's needed. Food is food is food. To have something kosher just means that it must meet certain dietary laws. Jewish followers, as far as I know, are the only individuals who follow that law. It could be for refrigeration purposes, but I think it has more to do with how the passages and laws are interpreted than that. Probably something to do with passover or something...I really don't know, might want to ask a Jewish person that one.\n\nIs it possible that some of Jesus' words were only relevant to those he was talking to at the time? Sure! But Jesus came for the world, so his words are for the world! He may have said he gave the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to Peter, but he didn't give them to me or you. They were for Peter and whoever Peter gave them to later on. So yeah, I'd say that's a fair statement.
630582
Dear Lupis_Noctum,\n\nI view myself as a Christian Moderate, and I recognize parts of the Bible as being literal and parts as being idiomatic and parts as being allegorical.\n\nI use exactly the same methodology that I use in reading any book. As you know, even in day to day speech, we use language and sentences that are sometimes literal, sometimes idiomatic and sometimes allegorical.\n\nSo I am not being inconsistent with day to day use of language when I understand the Bible similarly. (I use the historic-geographic-cultural method of understanding the Bible).\n\nCordially,\nJohn\nhttp://www.GodSci.org
368004
YES\n it is all true! The Bible is an AMAZING BOOK!\nBecause it's GOD'S WORD!
1032098
Yes the Bible does have wonderful historical facts and events. But these are things that actually happened. The Bible foretold things 200 years before they ever happened. The Bible is a guide for us and how to live our lives so that we can have everlasting happiness. The Bible is the word of God, his thoughts, his teachings, and his aid to us to guide us through life.
685505
Absolutely yes. But WHICH church? It has to be one that has stuck with "the faith once delivered," but the point is that believers are NOT TO GO IT ALONE, interpreting the Bible any way they wish, proceeding as the individual thinks best. We need one another! I wrote an article about it after alot of soul searching (and Bible study) about what church really means:
1040002
Of course.  If by 100% true you mean that every word in the Bible should be taken literally.  Surly God could have yawned to create the Earth.  He didn't need six days.  And besides, time is a human measurement.  God is beyond time - He is infinite.\n\nBut you should believe the parts about loving your neighbor, and such.  That's the part you need to pay close attention to.\n\nP.S. To the poster above me, the Gosples were bieng written around 100 years after Jesus's death, not three hundred, and the Old Testament was around before Jesus was born.
1164216
Good question. The Bible was written by over 40 men, who were moved upon by the Holy Spirit, over a period of over 1600 years, and is yet consistent in agreement on a variety of life subjects. That is amazing. My Mom and I, and my wife and I, hardly ever agree on everything. This is more proof that God wrote it, using the "holy men of old" as His instruments, yet not overriding their personalities while doing so.
418951
The Bible is only a version of what happen, that is why they call them versions.  There are many eyes that seen what happen and many different versions.  But only a few that are widely popular.  People see things differently in every aspect and that goes with today as well.  It is history, but only a version.
569893
Yes, I support this view.\n\nI think all the religious texts have some wisdom in them, but you can't take them literally.  Some bits were written just for that time and aren't applicable, some are true bits of wisdom that stand the test of time.  However all to me is just nice stories to tell a message/moral, not history.
519572
The Bible is the most widely distributed book in the world. It has been translated into scores of language for people across the globe. As far as English translations, there are numerous ways to translate a sentence or phrase from one language to the next. Various people are going to have differing opinions on how to properly structure the wording of what the original Greek or Hebrew is attempting to convey. If one checks the various translations against one another it can be easily seen that they all say the same thing, only with varying verbiage. Choice of which to use comes down to personal preference (mine is NIV). I began using the NIV many years ago. At the time, it was the first translation to utilize ancient scrolls that were discovered since the time of King James. While those scrolls did not change the message of the Bible, they did help to clarify some areas where the wording was unsure (due to deterioration of parchment etc).  For the most part, it comes down to personal preference in readability...
864987
'And everyone lived happily ever after'\n\nThe Bible doesn't promise that....
542994
You bet, if it has remained in the bible all this time , it is there for a reason. All of the bible preserved throughout the centuries is true and important.
918941
In Protestant (liberal) theology there are several "middle grounds."  There is the notion that the Bible "contains God's word" and also that is can "become God's words."  These are of course nuanced meanings of how Scripture communicates God's message through a supposedly imperfect text.
408203
Yes, I have read the whole Bible, and much of it repeatedly.  Almost every time I read it I either am enriched by something I may have already learned years ago, or I learn something new and am enriched by that.  \n\nI discovered that preceding my reading with a quick prayer to God that He help me see or understand whatever it is that He wants me to see or understand, He does that, and I learn and benefit even more.\n\nI agree with the following quotes:\n\n"The Bible is the chief moral cause of all that is good, and the best corrector of all that is evil, in human society; the best book for regulating the temporal concerns of men, and the only book that can serve as an infallible guide to future felicity."  - Noah Webster\n\n"A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."  - Theodore Roosevelt\n\nI have also read many books about the Bible and which make reference to the Bible in the areas of history, archeology, astronomy, creation vs. evolution, sociology, etc.\n\nI wouldn't trade the Bible and its wisdom for all the money in the world.  That's how much it means to me in my daily life.
398956
I read the Bible from a literal point of veiw. By this I mean that the Bible contains a large number of Literary styles, and each portion needs to be read in accordance with the literary (literal) style in which it is written. I do believe that the Bible is the inspired communication from the living God to mankind.\n\nI agree with the previous poster who stated that the "Us" in Gen. 1:26 is a reference to the Triune nature of God. This is further supported by the references to the Father (as the directive member), the Spirit (which 'moved on the waters') and the Son (as the Spoken Word of the Father). \n\nFurther along, in chapter two (a detailed account of the creative activy of God on day six, not a separate creation account as some would claim), man is refered to as a single creation, both male and female, in the image of God. The theme there being that neither man nor woman (without each other) express the image of God, but that together (as the two are 'one flesh' in marriage) they demonstrate the nature of the Triune Godhead.
76413
Psalm 19:1-4 (NKJV)  \n    The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.   Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language  Where their voice is not heard.  Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.\n\nRomans 1:20 (NKJV)  \n    For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
739717
The KJV was meticulously translated.  By man.  And, no surprise, it isn't perfect.\nThere IS no perfect translation because, even if you have a Hebrew, Greek or Chaldean lexicon, you don't have the meaning of the words from 2,000 years ago.  Meanings change.  Take the word "gay" for example - means something VERY different today than it did 20 years ago.\nWithout taking the time to learn the original languages, then do have the lexicons as well as a Strongs (or other) Concordance.  Read the same passages in different versions for richer comprehension.  A passage read from the KJV, the NIV and The Message takes on new dimension.\nRead it - and read it sloooowly and patiently!  Read it reguarly.  And read it again and again.  What had no relevance (seemingly) last month can suddenly leap out at you today.