The Bible - God's Word or Man's

by truth_b_known 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  truth_b_known

  The Bible - God's Word or Man's?

  That is the title of one of the Watchtower's seemingly endless list of books that was pushed out for sale placement in the Jehovah's Witness' ministry. The title does ask a great question. Is this book we call "The Bible" the word of God, Holy Spirit inspired scripture, or just the musings and opinions of humans?

  Those who would deny that the Bible is divine in origin usually point to failed prophecy, events that do not mesh with historic evidence, scientific evidence, or even plagiarism from other religions. This is all fine and dandy, but how about an actual confession from a professed writer of several Bible books?

  1 Corinthians 7:25-40 NWT

  25 Now concerning virgins, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who had mercy shown him by the Lord to be faithful. 26 Therefore, I think that it is best for a man to continue as he is in view of the present difficulty. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Stop seeking a release. Are you freed from a wife? Stop seeking a wife. 28 But even if you did marry, you would commit no sin. And if a virgin married, such a person would commit no sin. However, those who do will have tribulation in their flesh. But I am trying to spare you.
  29 Moreover, this I say, brothers, the time left is reduced. From now on, let those who have wives be as though they had none, 30 and those who weep as those who do not weep, and those who rejoice as those who do not rejoice, and those who buy as those who do not possess, 31 and those making use of the world as those not using it to the full; for the scene of this world is changing. 32 Indeed, I want you to be free from anxiety. The unmarried man is anxious for the things of the Lord, how he may gain the Lord’s approval. 33 But the married man is anxious for the things of the world, how he may gain the approval of his wife, 34 and he is divided. Further, the unmarried woman, as well as the virgin, is anxious for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in her body and in her spirit. However, the married woman is anxious for the things of the world, how she may gain the approval of her husband. 35 But I am saying this for your personal advantage, not to restrict you, but to move you to what is appropriate and to constant devotion to the Lord without distraction.
  36 But if anyone thinks he is behaving improperly by remaining unmarried, and if he is past the bloom of youth, then this is what should take place: Let him do what he wants; he does not sin. Let them marry. 37 But if anyone stands settled in his heart and has no necessity, but has authority over his own will and has made the decision in his own heart to remain unmarried, he will do well. 38 So also, whoever marries does well, but whoever does not marry will do better.
  39 A wife is bound as long as her husband is alive. But if her husband should fall asleep in death, she is free to be married to whomever she wants, only in the Lord. 40 But in my opinion, she is happier if she remains as she is; and I certainly think I also have God’s spirit.

  The Apostle Paul writes "I give my opinion...I think...this I say...in my opinion."

  What other ideas did Paul write and teach that were just his opinion, his thought, his sayings?
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  shepherdless

  Yes, it is a good point you make. One of many that could be made, on the topic.
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  EverApostate

  The Bible - God's Word or Man's

  IMHO the bible cannot be the word of God. Neither does any other religious Books that claim so.

  Why does god want to commuicate to humans when Electricity wasnt invented. WHy cant god make an appearance today to the whole world and relay it live on TV.

  Also, Paul was an Over zealous religious freak who wrote down things based on assumptions and rumours.
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  slimboyfat

  I remember studying that book at the group when I was about eight years old. It made sense at the time.
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  truth_b_known

  Also, Paul was an Over zealous religious freak who wrote down things based on assumptions and rumours.

  I have also read that John was the same way. Both John and Paul believed the end would come before they died.
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  EverApostate

  If Bible was really the word of God, at least the following should be contained in the Bible:

  Germ theory - Reason behind how germs, bacteria and pathogens attack or benefit other living things.

  Astronomy - Should have mentioned the simple science of this solar system, planets, stars and galaxies.

  Physiology of human body- How the human body (At least humans) works and is made up of.

  THe Bible mentions the following, which are of no use to mankind at all

  Diseases are caused by sins, slaughters, Genocides, blood shed, incest, talking snakes and donkeys, Solomons 600 wives and 300 concubines, Genealogy of Jesus(Contradiction here again) and other nomads, women inferior to men, a hypothetical ransom sacrifice…..
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  mickbobcat

  The bible is not the word of god. Its full of discrepancy's and BS and out and out stupidity. I was told by one elder men could not write such wonderful words. LMAO He was an idiot. There is nothing about the bible that indicates anything other than ignorant humans trying to explain what they could not otherwise explain. There is also no proof for any god. Not a whiff. Nada. You will get the idiot saying I feel this or I feel that. When I was a PIMO in the cult I would say yes but everyone in every religion says the same thing and they can not all be right. So is it not more probable that its a chemical release you get by an emotion or an emotional response? I would need to see some extraordinary proof to these extraordinary claims.
  
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  Rafe

  The Hebrews had a reason, purpose and intent to what they wrote especially concerning and relating to their god.

  Through the knowledge of what mankind has acquired over the centuries, we can also see the apparent ignorance of the writers of the bible.
  
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  PaddyTheBaddy

  If Bible was really the word of God, at least the following should be contained in the Bible:
  Germ theory - Reason behind how germs, bacteria and pathogens attack or benefit other living things.
  Astronomy - Should have mentioned the simple science of this solar system, planets, stars and galaxies.
  Physiology of human body- How the human body (At least humans) works and is made up of.

  Granted, it would have been nice if the bible contained the above information. Maybe God knew we would figure much of these things out by ourselves. What we personally want to hear from God and what God believes we need to hear in order to prosper may be different.

  What we are struggling to figure out is how to live peacefully with one another. The Bible speaks a lot about core values we need to embrace if we want the human race to survive long into the future.

  Jesus gave an account of some of these values below. He indicates that investing in values such as righteousness, mercy, humility, peacefulness are good long term investments. They aren't just man made concepts which will disappear if we disappear, but will continue to exist eternally.

  2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

  3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

  5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

  6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

  7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

  8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

  9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons[a] of God.

  10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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  PaddyTheBaddy

  There is nothing about the bible that indicates anything other than ignorant humans trying to explain what they could not otherwise explain.

  Paul and Richard Dawkins have both tried to understand and explain the conflict between who we currently are and who we desire and strive to be. There are some interesting similarities between how they both articulate this problem and how the solution requires self sacrifice.

  Jesus left the example to follow in placing your fellow human's interests before your own.

  From Dawkin's the book The Selfish Gene,

  “The point I am making now is that, even if we look on the dark side and assume that individual man is fundamentally selfish, our conscious foresight-our capacity to simulate the future in imagination- could save us from the worst selfish excesses of the blind replicators. We have at least the mental equipment to foster our long-term selfish interests rather than merely our short-term ones…We have the power to defy the selfish genes of our birth and, if necessary, the selfish memes of our indoctrination. We can even discuss ways of deliberately cultivating and nurturing pure, disinterested altruism-something that has no place in nature, something that has never existed before in the whole history of the world. We are built as gene machine and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against our creators. We, alone on earth, can rebel against the tyranny of the selfish replicators.”

  Paul speaking in Romans 7:18-25

  18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

  21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

  There is also no proof for any god. Not a whiff. Nada.

  There is evidence that the information contained in our DNA is responsible for creating us.

  Where did this information come from? Richard Dawkins accepts that it is reasonable to postulate an intelligent source.

  In his own words he said the following,

  "Well it could come about in the following way. It could be that, eh, at some earlier time somewhere in the universe a civilization evolved by probably some kind of Darwinian means to a very, very, high level of technology and designed a form of life that they seeded onto perhaps this planet. Ehm, now, that is a possibility and an intriguing possibility and I suppose it’s possible that you might find evidence for that if you look at the um detail, details, of biochemistry, molecular biology, you might find a signature of some sort of designer."