Instead of looking at all the miracles (which we will never understand) and the 'seemingly' vindictive God (although, did he ever do something without reason?), look at the the prophecies concerning Jesus and how all the books (66) are connected with one another even though they were written (as far as we are aware) by 40 different authors over the course of 4,000 or so years.
For example, in Psalm 22:16 (which was written before crucifixion was even a thought and stoning was the capital punishment in use at the time) it mentions piercing hands and feet. Well, what happened to Jesus? Then look at Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12, this is the exact description of what Jesus endured, yet was written well before His time on earth. There are also many many other references to Him in the OT.
I know a lot of people have a very hard time with the OT. In fact, that is probably the main reason for most people not believing that the Bible is the Word of God. However, when you look at God's seemingly petty and vindictive attitude, was there ever a time when He acted in a way that clearly wasn't warranted? His children would misbehave, and He would discipline them for such. What parent wouldn't? I know I'm very thankful for all the time I got disciplined when I misbehaved, otherwise I'd be quite a bit more of an ass than I am now.
Some also argue that even if such actions were warranted, they were rather extreme and they don't really want a God like that, so they don't believe He exists and therefore discredit His Word. What I want to know is this: Should God conform to our image of Him, or should we conform to His? Where has sticking our head in the sand when we don't like/agree with something ever got us in our life here? It usually leaves our ass exposed to be kicked, does it not?
Then there's the 'problem' with all these amazing miracles occuring throughout the Bible. People try to explain them with science, and when they can't, they say the Bible is hogwash and full of fairy tales. However, they're only seeing what they want to see. What would be a much larger blow to the Bible being the Word of God is if science was able to replicate those miracles that occurred in the Bible. For that would mean that they really weren't miracles. But if we can't explain them, what's the big deal? If there really is a God, then would it not make sense that He can do things that are beyond our comprehension?
Many others like to say that the since the Bible timeline of the history of the earth doesn't agree with science, it's false. What I've never understood is how science claiming that the earth is billions of years old and the Bible saying it's only 6,000+ years old means anything. For it to mean anything, they'd have to make the assumption that when God brought the world into existence, everything was 'newborn', as it were. There are absolutely no grounds for making that assumption. The Bible's ambiguity about the beginning of time is quite possibly one of the main reasons for it still existing and believed upon today. Other 'religious' books and records have all proven to be false as we have understood how the universe works. For example, in Greek/Roman mythology, Apollo (the sun god) pulls the sun across the sky each day; or in other mythos, the sun actually is a god. Both of these (among many other 'explanations') have proven false and have been the downfall of such beliefs.
If we were born in a non christian nation we would think there book was from God!
Why else were we told to spread His Word? If everybody knew the Bible, there would be no need to do so.
An understanding of the character of God is quite possibly one of the most important things to have. Not that we completely understand who He is, but more that we have an understanding that He is God, and we are 'man'; and as such He is beyond our comprehension. A lot of people can't deal with this, and as such don't believe in God, and therefore the Bible. That is understandable, which is why faith is called for. I know a lot of people scoff at the idea of faith (call it gullible, among other things), but it is what it is.
Furthermore, for something that is full of fairy tales, the Bible has survived any and every attempt to eradicate or discredit it. Most other 'religious' books and ideas have long since faded into oblivion or our school textbooks. Yet the Bible has not. In fact, it is more or less outlawed from schools. Ever wondered why? If it was just mythology like many claim, why don't they teach it as such, alongside Greek mythology and the like?
The only way that you will accept the Bible as such is if you study it for yourself and let it speak for itself; it does that rather well IMO. You could look at external evidence as proof for or against the Bible, but since most evidence against the Bible has come from those who were already looking to prove it false, and most evidence for the Bible has come from those who were looking to validate it... Well, I'll let you decide. Regardless of what people say, there really is no one who is unbiased in their views and research of the Bible. That is why, I say again, that you are the only one who can decide for yourself. Unless, of course, you don't have a problem taking others' explanations for your own.
slappy
