The Bible: Gods Word or Mans?

ALTER2EGO -to- EVERYONE:

There are various types of religions in existence with their own sacred books called bibles. As a result, many people believe that all religions are valid and that they are simply different roads to the same place. Along that line, many feel that no type of religion can lay claim to which type of religious bible is really the word of God. For instance, Muslims claim the Koran is the correct bible, while Christians claim the Judeo-Christian Bible is the right one.

The difference between the Judeo-Christian Bible and other religious books is that there is EVIDENCE showing the Judeo-Christian Bible was inspired by Almighty God. No other religious book has been able to prove such. For instance, hundreds of Bible prophesies have been fulfilled, some written centuries before the fulfillment of the prophesied events. Secular history and archeology bears this out. In addition, Bible writers were privy to information that was not discovered by scientists and explorers until centuries later. Below are two such examples.

Example #1: For a period of time in history, humans thought the earth was flat and that if one sailed too far out to sea, one was likely to sail off the earth. By the 15th Century when Christopher Columbus claimed he discovered the new world, most Europeans correctly theorized that the earth is a circle or sphere. However, it was not until after the first circumnavigation of the globe was led by Ferdinand Magellan in the year 1519 that this theory of a 3-Dimensional, circular earth was proven as fact. More than 2,000 years before Ferdinand Magellan attempted to sail around the globe, the prophet Isaiah did not merely theorize but stated that the earth is a circle. Isaiah was inspired by God to write:

"{22} There is One who is dwelling above the circle of the earth, the dwellers in which are as grasshoppers, the One who is stretching out the heavens just as a fine gaze, who spread them out like a tent in which to dwell, {28} Have you not come to know or have you not heard? Jehovah, the Creator of the extremities of the earth, is a God to time indefinite. He does not tire out or grow weary. There is no searching out of his understanding." (Isaiah 40:22 and 28)

SIDE NOTE: Circles can be 2D (flat) or 3D (an ORB or a SPHERE)


Example #2: Prior to the 17th century, none of the best scientific minds could explain what causes the earth to be positioned in a stable orbit. Then in 1687, Isaac Newton published his theory that gravitational forces are the explanation behind the earth's stability. (Gravity is also the reason why humans can move around without fear of toppling off the earth into space.) More than 3,000 years before Newton's existence, under divine inspiration Moses wrote that the earth hangs upon nothing (indicating gravity), as follows:

"He [God] is stretching out the north over the empty place, hanging the earth upon nothing;..."
(Job 26:7)


DEBATE QUESTIONS:
1. How could Isaiah have known that the earth is circular, considering that the writing of the book of Isaiah was completed in 732 B.C.E., and it wasn't until the 16th century AD/CE that the first person to attempt to prove the earth is a circle was Ferdinand Magellan? Magellan attempted to circumnavigate the globe in 1519 AD/CE or 2,251 years AFTER Isaiah wrote that the earth is a circle.
http://didyouknow.org/sailing/
http://www.rmg.co.uk/magellan


2. How did Job know that the earth hangs upon nothing--indicating gravity--considering that the book of Job was completed in 1473 B.C.E. and it wasn't until 1687 AD/CE that Isaac Newton published his theory about gravitational forces--3,160 years AFTER Moses wrote that the earth hangs upon nothing?
http://inventors.about.com/library/i...s/blnewton.htm


3. Where did Isaiah and Moses get this info?

It is both the word of God and man's, perhaps. ;)

[psychoslice]

Words to describe what we call God always comes from man, anything we read or hear on matters of what is beyond the mind, is always going to be tarnished by the mind, how could pure Source be written on paper, or even spoke of in mere words, words can only point one to go within their own inner Being, and from there one must discover for them selves what is there, but try to come back and describe what you experienced, you just can't, believe me.....no!, don't believe me, find out for yourself.

These aren't really proofs; they're seeing what one wants to see and reading into things by connecting dots between things with the benefit of hindsight. The evidence is being stretched beyond what is reasonable proof. Even discounting this, whether or not these interpretations and translations are even correct is still op to debate. What bothers me also are some historical things that are being overlooked to make the case seem more reasonable than it actually is. The idea of the earth being round existed long before the OPs claims. The ancient Greeks wrote about it, and they predates the writing of the Bible. Also, prior to the 17th century, science was we know it didn't even exist.

Regardless, I don't particularly care if the Bible was written by some version of the Abrahamic god. Even if it was, it's not something that can be logically proven any more than the existence of the Abrahamic god himself can be proven. You either observe and experience it as true or you don't. What does it matter if the words come from your god? They can serve as foundations for meaning and purpose in your life regardless, yes?

[Triner]

#1, The Hellenistic Greeks had figured out that the earth was a sphere around the 7th century BCE. So the first example is specious.

#2, Is valid in the same way that many of Nostradamus' predictions are proven to be true. As quintessence said, the evidence is "stretched beyond what is reasonable" and claimed as proof.

So, since both examples are bogus. I still think the Bible is Man's version of history along with Man's interpretation of Jesus' message.

Originally Posted by Triner

#1, The Hellenistic Greeks had figured out that the earth was a sphere around the 7th century BCE. So the first example is specious.

#2, Is valid in the same way that many of Nostradamus' predictions are proven to be true. As quintessence said, the evidence is "stretched beyond what is reasonable" and claimed as proof.

So, since both examples are bogus. I still think the Bible is Man's version of history along with Man's interpretation of Jesus' message.

Actually, the Greeks theorized that the earth is a sphere in the 6th century B.C.E. Isaiah wrote affirmatively that the earth is a circle in the 8th century B.C.E. or 200 years before the Greeks began theorizing.

[SeaZen]

Originally Posted by Alter2Ego

[size="3"]ALTER2EGO -to- EVERYONE:

[color="Navy"]There are various types of religions in existence with their own sacred books called bibles. As a result, many people believe that all religions are valid and that they are simply different roads to the same place. Along that line, many feel that no type of religion can lay claim to which type of religious bible is really the word of God. For instance, Muslims claim the Koran is the correct bible, while Christians claim the Judeo-Christian Bible is the right one.

The difference between the Judeo-Christian Bible and other religious books is that there is EVIDENCE showing the Judeo-Christian Bible was inspired by Almighty God. No other religious book has been able to prove such. For instance, hundreds of Bible prophesies have been fulfilled, some written centuries before the fulfillment of the prophesied events.

3.

Fullfilled prophecies do not prove anything other than a knack for being able to predict future events. Nothing more, nothing less. Even if we were to accept your faulty premise that prophecies prove infallible communication from God and exclusive correctness of one spiritual path over another, your premise is still easily dismissed. There are other highly accurate spiritual prophecies that have come true that are not related to the bible or biblical spirituality at all that negate your faulty premise. Hopi Indian prophecies come to mind. Does this mean that Hopi Indian Spirituality is the only infallible correct communication from God and all others wrong? No.

Claiming that reportage of Isaiah and Moses saying the world was round when the rest of the world thought it was flat as a means of proving a bunch of disparate mutually exclusive texts called the bible put together by the council of nicea around 300 a.d. as the exclusive, infallible word of god is just as ridiculous.

Not only that, but history is fraught with many examples of individuals who made correct claims of scientific knowledge that went against the conventional thought of the time. Where did these individuals get their info? A very good question for discussion but nothing that anyone can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt as you claim to do. You will have to do MUCH better than that as you have proven nothing. Care to try again with something more tangible and logical?

The bible IMO is man's word with many evil and dysfunctional words and ideas at that. There are some highly inspired gems among the chaff but thats about it.

[Native spirit]

Anything you read is written by man, the bible how can anybody possibly believe that, it was writtem by man to suit man, there was no one alive that knew how to write the written word, in the time the bible was supposedly written, the found drawings or they say scrolls or tablets , who said all this there is no one alive that can say they were there when these were supossidly said let alone written, look at the testaments the old and the new, who said they were correct it was man.
its like asking who destroyed the atmosphere it was man putting things into space when they should leave well alone, the say its the ozone layer who said that it was man again,

Namaste

[Shabda]

the bible is a latecomer to the spiritual game, and all of it's ideas can be found in religions that were popular previous to the time of jesus' birth...the jews originally worshiped many gods, it is my opinion that they got the idea of ONE god from the zoroastrians, who held them as slaves for quite some time...
a great many of the things jesus supposedly said, originated centuries before isreal even existed, in the east amongst the buddhist and hindu teachings, and when speaking of hindus, please remember that the 33,000 or so gods and goddesses in that path are ASPECTS of one god...
honestly, ive found through reading the "bibles" of various religions, that a great many of them teach the exact same things, merely using different ways to explain the concepts to the culture they were directed to, in that particular time period....
there is also evidence that many of the stories included in the bible were lifted from other groups in the world at the time, and that they had been legends for centuries before the bible was written, by whomever wrote it, as there is not one single piece of evidence to show that any of the disciples actually wrote any of the books attributed to their hand...using a famous figure's name on a book was a way of having it be accepted by a greater number of people...somehow utnapishtim became noah, among others in several different flood mythologies that existed up to 3000 years BEFORE the birth of jesus, believed to have originated with the sumerians
archeologists working in isreal have also found evidence to suggest that the exodus never happened, and that the jews were instead descendents of the canaanites...whatever the case may be, it just isnt very likely that the accounts in the bible are historically true, even the jericho story doesnt line up with the time the bible says it happened, carbon dating places it up to 150 years earlier than the bible says it did....regardless of the religion one chooses, it is always a good idea to not take every word literally...and even if you do personally, it isnt always the best idea to try talking others into believing the same as you yourself believe....God began NO religion, only man has done that, and God accepts ALL without prejudice

One would not have to ask such a question if one placed his or her faith in God.
Trust God...Read His Word...Pray, meditate, fast, build up ones relationship with the Holy Father. Then and only then will one have the truth. Otherwise its just one's mind making up things as he or she goes. Not God.

Peace be with you.