Do you still love the Bible?

senoj53

As a JW I was brought up to believe the Bible was the Word of God, didn't contradict itself and could answer all our questions. I loved the Bible and took the words of Proverbs 2 literally, where it says if you call out for undestanding and search for it you will find the very knowledge of God.

I studied the Bible as JW's recomend, but found that it left me with more questions than answers and this eventually led me out of the "Truth," as I discovered many contradictions in both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures and instances where the Apostle Paul even contradicts Jesus words.

In the most important event of Bible history, (the death of Jesus) the gospel writers can't even agree on the sequence of events and who he appeared to first after his resurrection. There are many other instances that I've uncovered to show that the Bible clearly isn't infalable, or the Word of God, but this has made me realize just how wonderful this collection of writings actually is and I still have a passion and deep love for it, because I now see it for what it actually is... A collection of ancient writings, written by ordinary, imperfect men.

It's all there, Jesus' warning about false prophets and how they crept into the early congregation to pollute his words with what we now call Christianity, and the fact that "Christians" follow the teachings of the self appointed Apostle Paul, rather than those of Jesus the Jew.

I'd be the first to admit that I'm not the brightest of people, so I can't understand why I can see it while my family, who are still JW's can't. If I'm wrong, then why doesn't someone challenge what I believe and why aren't the Elders willing to sit down and discuss it with me, rather than just writing me off as an Apostate?

I suppose the purpose of this posting, is to find out what others think and if they have had similar experiences. I'd love to discuss what I believe with others and be proven wrong, if that is the case, but I don't know where to go, as I feel as if I don't fit in. I feel alienated by family, previous friends and so-called brothers, but still feel as if I'm no part of the world, so any advice would be appreciated.

Witness 007

I love the bible it's good for pressing leaves.

Awakened07

Personally I had much the same experience you did, so no, I can't say I love the Bible anymore (if I ever did). I can still respect some of it, I can still think some of it are good stories with a message... but that's basically it for me.

There are several people here that still have Bible based faiths though.

I would write more but I'm a little exhausted after work. Maybe I'll join in later in the thread. Will be interesting to get the perspective of those who still believe in it.

[edited] Forgot to say Hi and welcome to the forum! [/edited]

Terry

From the reading I've done and research in the last ten years I have to view what we NOW possess which is called THE BIBLE.

What we have now is yet ANOTHER STAGE of an ongoing layer created by the people who translate, redact, edit and publish.

There is no one thing called THE BIBLE.

It is a kind of metaphor more than an actual thing.

You have the Catholic Bible, various and sundry Protestant versions, Jewish bibles and hundreds of translations with political, social and theological agendas each rigorously presenting a particularized VIEW.

Look up into the sky at the cloud formations. The wind is constantly altering the configuration. So too have the men and institutions who shape the bible. It too is a kind of cloud. Each time somebody looks at it--it has changed slightly while still being a "cloud".

Read Friedman's WHO WROTE THE BIBLE

and Bart Ehrman's MISQUOTING JESUS

Each generation of translators has the power to re-create what the Bible was into what the Bible IS at a time and place in history where men have an agenda.

Pious fraud is an interesting thing, indeed. White lies for the betterment of others. Like the Santa Claus tale we tell children "for their own good".

ness

im not too keen on the bible. never was.

compound complex

Greetings and welcome, senoj53:

We're very happy to have you here. For one who claims not to be the brightest of people, you certainly have a clear and intelligent way of expressing yourself.
I, too, still love the Bible and claim it; I do not disagree with your findings. However, I am still dealing with 40 years of WT interpretation of the Bible and have yet to fully extricate myself therefrom.
Though an inactive, non-attender at the KH, I still have close contact with JW kith and kin and employ language common and peculiar to them. I all but avoid Watchtower-speak to the extent possible, however.
As double-agents of sorts - those of us faders - we are living and walking about in two separate worlds. It ain't easy.

Please continue posting and asking questions. I can guarantee you'll get replies!

Sincerely,

CoCo

OnTheWayOut

As I questioned the WTS, I questioned the Bible at the same time.

I concluded (although my opinion is open to more discovery) that the
priests of [YHWH] and their successors started recording the scriptures
sometime after the captivity in Babylon started. They used the writings
to attempt to control the people and get donations to their temple/priesthood.

I imagine that absolutely nobody ever lived by the levitical law in the past, and
the priests tried to get people to believe that they did. Since people weren't
living up to the law, they needed to sacrifice to the temple. David was an
insignificant throne-usurper of an insignificant little country.

The jury is still out, but I believe Jesus was an expert in the law, pointed out
many problems in the then-modern application of that law, and advocated change
along with rebellion against Roman authority. His followers (or cohorts or whatever)
saw the need to go back to work after his crucifiction or else deify him. They
chose to deify him.

Essentially Christian writers did the same thing Jewish writers did. They wrote to
control people and get donations to their priesthood. Just as the Jews heavily edited
the texts, Christians did the same for a few hundred years. They also chose which
writings to keep and which to reject. Most names of authors of the books are
deliberately in error.

This is an extreme over-simplification and subject to high debate over the details.
I recognize that there were many sincere believers, and some of them must have
written some of the scriptures.

At the same time that I reject the Bible, I understand that I was misled by a cult
before, and I don't insist that Christians are wrong. I was wrong before, so who am I
to tell others how to believe.

snowbird

I do. Love for the Bible is what led me out of the WTS. You mentioned in your 1st and 2nd posts that the Apostle Paul was self-appointed. Based on the accounts narrated in Acts 9, 21, and 26, I beg to differ. Reading those accounts is what made me question the FDS doctrine. I'm sure you have reason(s) for your assertions, however, so there's no need for us to quibble about that.

Welcome to the forum that is JWD. I hope you will enjoy your stay as much as I have mine.

Sylvia

eclipse

I heard the pages make great rolling papes.

bigwilly

I heard the pages make great rolling papers.

LOL, I was just gonna make a comment about "holy rollers" tho I have yet to have the experience. . .

Do you still love the Bible?

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