R those crazy stories in the bible supposed to have happened?
403005
The answer depends on which stories and the context in which you are asking.  Much of the Bible relates true history and has been documented by archealogical study.  Some Bible stories are exactly that, stories.  This doesn't mean they are not true in the theological sense.  They are stories told to relate a truth about God and his relationship with people.  Its like telling a story to illustrate a point.  The story may not be true, but the point the teller is making is true.  The key is to know what kind of story you are reading.  There are histories.  There is poetry.  There are songs.  There are philosophical dissertations.  Many forms of literature appear in the Bible.  When reading remember what the Bible is for.  God is trying to help us to know who he is and how he wants us to be.  If we read looking for the answer to these questions, "Who is God?" and "Who are God's people?" we will find that the answers found in the Bible are always true.
958533
True, if you think about it, 2000 years or so ago, there were no scientists to prove or disprove anything, so it became a moralistic way of life that got way out of control (forming of religions). The bible is a conglomeration of stories that were told after the fact, which means that they were highly embellished (if they happened at all).
1033550
The entire bible?  No.  In fact, there is proof that parts of the bible are inaccurate (like Genesis), and there is proof that parts of the bible really happened (we know many hisotrical leaders and occurances actually happened).\n\n- We've found Herod's palace, and it implies he was as carefree as the bible portrays him as.  One point for bible\n\n- We've found egyptian records that range from acheivements to embarassments.  They were quite meticulous at their historical records...yet no mention of Moses, losing their slaves, losing their first borns, plagues, etc.  One point against.\n\n- We've found evidence of a mass flood, one point for\n\n- It would be impossible for all species alive today to fit on the boat, not to mention carry enough food, deal with waste, etc.  One point against.\n\nSo you see, the bible is much like Greek or Egyptian mythology.  It is what was thought to have been known at the time...some of it was correct, some based on false rumor.
341933
OMG YES!! Just because it is a spiritual book does not mean that the stories in them are supposed to be taken literally...symbolism people! Good question.
35415
ummm ... silly\n\nBUT, in an attempt to explain something very strange ... maybe the person reading the bible was reincarnated from that time and it brings them sorrow to read about their history
417448
The bible and blind faith are two concepts I can't believe.  The bible is inaccurate and has been changed.  If you've studied Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythology you will get where all the stories came from.
905769
And you believed it??\n\nHA!!!!\n\nNo one should take the Bible seriously, at least not as a scientific textbook.\n\nIt was written by ignorant, superstitious Bronze Age nomads who knew nothing of modern science and biological specifics.
572053
It was weird for me as well - and continues to be since the people I cae most about are still believers.  There's a whole horde of such stories at the following site:
275460
The bible is a book of stories passed down thro generations. Don't take it seriously
347610
It's a parable - a story to teach us a lesson.  The Bible is not always an accurate history of life.
878417
The whole idea is a fiction.  I realized by the time I was eight years old that the Biblical tale of creation could not be reconciled with the scientific evidence, and since science is obviously right (it works!), the Bible had to go.
912098
LOL...Good point! Give em something to think about!\n\n********\n\nNoah and his ark was actually a true story.....notice, I said STORY....not EVENT.\n\nThe Fertile Crescent had spring floods every year, due to the snows melting from the Ural mountains to the north. The story was a tale told at the time to get locals to prepare for the spring floods by moving to higher grounds or to build barges/floats, to keep above the flood waters.\n\nThe "story" says it was the "whole world" that flooded.....actually it was THEIR whole world.....people didn't use to travel a lot, ya know. the whole bible is a compiled group of stories just like this one.
822753
Yes, sure.  IF there is a story in the bible about rape, then ALL rape victims and ALL rapists must act the same way in every rape scenario.  Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
824187
Nope.  \n\nSecularists especially, use these "Didn't the (whatever Bible story) get copied from (whatever extra-biblical source)?"  all the time.  These have been discredited over and over again, yet they keep coming back.\n\nWhile it is true that there are similar stories in various other ancient texts, they are also very dissimilar.  You can look to the Amarna Letters, Babylonian Theodicy, Elba Tablets, Hammurabi's Code, Ishtar's Descent, Ludlul Bel Nemedi, Mari Tablets, and innumerable others, and find stories that are similar to the Bible's.  That hardly allows for them to be sources.\n\nKeep in mind also, when the Flood occurred, it was world-wide, and every ancient civilization recorded it.  These are also descendants of Noah, who abandoned YHWH as God, and followed idols instead.  The veracity of the story remains.  You can look to other stories in the same vein.
584344
Most of the time is means they are crazy, but sometimes God does send angels to help us. God could have told them to do anything like He told Moses to lead his people out of Egypt or like how He talked to Job. I hope this helped you!
362940
I have been reading about that as of late and find it interesting.  plausible. The bible has seen a lot gone through a lot in that i mean translations.  It also stands that some books were purposely left out.  With that in mind I don't feel it proves with out a shadow of a doubt that its true.  However it does leave enough room for the thought and probability.
372149
now let me think about that for a nano second...yes!\nlets face it, the bible was a collection of STORIES...and if anyone thinks that people get turned into pillars of salt, then they are more stupid than i thought