The more common sense you use, the less you believe (or need) the Bible?
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).
242564
I have to confess that I don't use the Bible in my everyday life.\n\nMy only motto is: harm nothing, hurt none.
730892
I'm sure you'll be told you're reading the wrong version of the bible. everytime someone finds something bad in one of them, there's either a contradictory statement for rebuttal or it's just the wrong version.
334493
I am not really sure what exactly you mean, but I suppose you mean.....Why do we continue to believe the things we were taught growing up even if now we know better? \n\nIf that is what you mean, I don't think this is true. Once you know better you do not believe anymore. I for one, was taught to be a Baptist Christian. I really do not believe in God or Jesus anymore because there are to many contridictions in everything I was taught. I am intellegent enough to know that the bible was written by men. I also know that what we are shown as the bible is not complete. Many books of the bible were removed by other men, later, because they felt they did not serve their own purposes...So the bible for me is an uncomplete document. I don't think anyone has the complete version. I have traveled the world and seeing what I have seen makes me not believe in God. So for me, I was taught to believe, I believed as long as I didn't know better, now that I do, I do not believe.....sure I like the rituals, the organization, the social aspects of church, but real belief, no. \n\nOr maybe how about Christmas....we are taught to think there is a Santa Claus...when it is our parents. Eventually you know it is them and you no longer believe....\n\nSo I am not sure what you mean, and I am stabbing at this topic...hopefully I am right.
682832
I believe in God and I believe in Jesus and his works...the bible was written by man and had hidden agendas of the age. I believe there are many many many religions and theyre all "right" for the person choosing to believe them. The answers lie within your heart. Every person has the right to believe what they feel is best for them. People who try to change others beliefs are often insecure about thier own.
268068
Nope,it's one of those passages that I disagree with.What you quoted was one of many unethical verses in the bible.I don't believe or follow everything I read.
1101825
Yup I do and its funny in a weird sort of way how people will adapt what is in the Bible to suit their own needs. The book hasnt changed in a few thousand years I doubt its going to any time soon. Its all a matter of personal interpretation I guess but it shouldnt change every time you read it or speak about it to someone if you are a person of your convictions then it will stay the same.
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
329285
I personally agree with much of what you are saying. The bible was written by many different men, and is missing parts that were in it many y&#92;centuries ago. We have the English version (thanks to Henry VIII0, and that is a translated version from thee original Hebrew, Arab and Greek. It is therefore, in my opinion, ridiculous to take it literally. I also believe in God but not in the bible, per say. I believe in the golden rule and being a good person but do not allow myself to be bullied into certain behavior and beliefs by the church out of fear.\nBelieve whatever you want, in the end you have to live with yourself, and should therefore be true to yourself. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Many of the people who would "bash you" for not believing in creationism are just narrow minded people who believe what they were brought up to believe and never questioned any of it.
694471
Why stick even with the 10 Commandments?  All we need are the two commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your mind, all your heart, all your soul, and all your strengh; love your neighbor like yourself.  And as Jesus says, this is just a condension of the entire rest of the Bible.  So you could take the rest of the Bible or leave it, the message still ought to be the same.  It shouldn't change Christianity, and to a large degree I think it wouldn't; people would just keep on doing what they've always done.
647370
I was raised a Baptist and studied religion for the better part of my young adult life.\n\nIt is all a matter of what you choose to believe, so it doesn't matter. What other people claim the bible means is totally irrelevant since it only means whatever you think it means.\n\nI'm an atheist, but I'm well versed in the bible and religion, so believe whatever you will because ultimately, it does not matter to anyone but you.
941143
And I've read many books that prove that the bible is a pile of crap.\n\nSo why do you still believe in the bible, and the discredited theory of creationism?
293601
yes I do. I think alot of people beat people over the head with the bible. I do not think thats what God intended the bible for that use. He gave us free will for a reason.
434024
Contrary to what a lot of Englightened people on here will have you think, the Bible isn't just for scholars or spinners. If it is true, the Bible is God's Word to man, then I think it is safe to take the book at face value assuming that most people were quite illiterate at the time of its first use. \n\nGod would not make his only word to man undicipherable to all, save the rich intellects of the world. This seems like the biggest, most obvious trap, out there! The rich have the key to salvation, but of course they do! The rich Europeans, to take it even further and make it better! Give me a flippin break. This is getting stupid.\n\nThis is one of the major "flaws" in the entire idea of the Bible being God's Word. Does God not know that most people on Earth are hardly literate, can't understand Hebrew or Aramic, and by inspiring a 3,000 plus page text, he has put the salvation of nearly everyone on earth in the hands of a very few who can actually READ who came from Europe and were bent on ruling the world at all cost??! Impossible for God to do such a thing to 90% of the rest of his own creation!\n\nSo, read the Bible just as it comes to you. Yes, God asked God why he forsakened himself. That is the surface interpretation, no spin. Unless your parents could afford to send you to private school, where they teach you how to spin, I mean interpret the Bible, or unless you were born into Christianity where there are churches all around you that teach these spin techniques, you would never know that when you read page 2,198 in the Bible, that it is ACTUALLY refering to page 1,328 which REALLY means what page 498 said in the third paragraph referring to page 20.\n\nThe logical or face understanding of the text, is that God called out to himself(strange indeed), in a manner that seemed  much like begging of himself to help himself. It's ridiculous.
384528
The reality is, as you are so correctly noting, that anyone can take the bible and use it to back up or justify just about any opinion.  So simply quoting some text out of context is no way to settle anything.  It is a waste of time.\n\nBetter, consider the overall theme and purpose of the bible which is simple that people come closer to God by coming closer to people.  So the point is we are to be kind to one another and work at getting along.\n\nStay nice.  Stay happy.
51838
You know, YOU take the Bible more literally than we ""Bible-thumpers"" do! You here, not us, seem to be claiming that every single verse in the Bible MUST be taken literally, and we believe that, yes, there really are verses that are meant only to be taken as allegory. Did Gd actually ""walk"" in the Garden of Eden? YOU seem to say that this, too, must be taken literally, and not us!\n\nSo, it is possible, FOR US, to ""Believe in"" the Bible without taking Every Single verse literally, although you seem to say this verse must be taken literally for us to believe in it....
430538
Okay.  I think that part of what people consider contradictions in the Bible are actually specifications.\n\nWhen you have two things that are Biblically based, but polar opposite, I think we have to consider that they are written for two polar opposite attitudes of heart.\n\nWe tend to think that if something is wrong, then what we need to do is the opposite thing.  But what if that's not true?  What if we just need to reign ourselves in a little, not go drastically the other direction?\n\nThe preacher in our congregation when I was growing up used to say, "In order to give someone directions, you have to know two things: where they are and where they want to go."\n\nHis point was that sometimes what people need to do depends on where they start. \n\nYou haven't been specific with the situation, but I'll use this as an example:\n\n Do not answer a fool according to his folly,\n Lest you also be like him.\n Answer a fool according to his folly,\n Lest he be wise in his own eyes.  Proverbs 26:4-5\n\nHow can they both be true, and how do you decide whether or not to answer?\n\nI think if I have a tendency to be rash in my answers, I'd better take verse 4 to heart.  If I answer what I believe to be a foolish remark, I'm probably only going  to show myself to be a fool.\n\nIf I have a tendency not to confront foolish talk because I am shy or insecure, every fool and his brother is going to feel compelled to give me advice because they take my silence as interest or approval. So verse 5 applies to me.\n\nYou say the people have book, chapter and verse.  I'd study context around it and make sure the concept is understood.  Then make sure it makes sense to apply it to the person it's being applied to.\n\nIn the end, each person has to do what they believe to be the correct thing and trust that God will bring about resolution.  If we submit to Him, He will bring us into agreement with each other.  If we care more about being right in an argument than we care about being righteous before God, we have little hope of unity.