I agree with you. I think God and Jesus are actual entities but I also think the Bible was made to show people how to live their lives through differnt stories and that the stories arn't actually true but more made to prove a point of view to help you reach the pearly gates that all beleivers seek. Many stories in the Bible have been attached to real events such as 666 the number of the beast is a representation of the Roman goverment under Nero when Christians were put in the collesium and killed and of the way he burned the buildings. Many things have acted as this. Its all a alusion to the main Christian beleif with fantastic wrighting to help us fully understand it. For instance lets look at Dragons. Science ofcource cannot disprove anything that cannot be found to test but no real substance of these creatures because even though like Bigfoot it cannot be disproven but neither can it be proven, this with saying that the large majority beleives they are ofcourse fantasy. They were huge terrible beast (the devil) who were slain by pure knights (Christians more or less a holy represenative like a preist) so that the peasants could reach peace (go to heaven). They were fabricated by the Church to strengthen peoples hope and resolve to do right with the thought that a valiant knight would save them from evil.
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I think you've hit the nail on the head, Neal. I don't think that the stories in the Bible were ever intended to be taken literally. In Biblical times (especially the Old Testament), stories were the preferred method of teaching and explaining. Even Jesus used stories (parables) frequently in teaching. Not only are stories easier to remember (which was particularly important before the printing press was invented) but they can be framed in a context that would be understandable to the listeners.
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Papa Spot Wrote:I don't think that the stories in the Bible were ever intended to be taken literally.
What about the Rich man who lifted up his eyes in Hell?
I believe all the stories in the Bible were true, real happenings. 'Course I'm not trying to disprove or prove anything anyone believes here.
Yes, stories were a preferred method, but I believe they were TRUE stories. Telling a false story is just the same as lying, isn't it?!
~FW
~ FFW
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The Bible is like a story book, but the fact still remains, that these stories are true.
If you have studied any history, you can see that the Bible lines up with history.
The events in the Bible are true events that really did happen, and someone recorded them, just like big events are recorded in today's world, and eventually added to our history books.
What do you think? Some nut was board, so he sat down and wrote up a fairy tale book of the human race, and of God and how creation started?
No. The Bible was written by different men, inspired by God, and therefore, we now have the Bible which shows us how to live as Christians, what has happened in the past, and who Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and God are.
Dr Small
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FirefoxWiz Wrote:Papa Spot Wrote:I don't think that the stories in the Bible were ever intended to be taken literally.
What about the Rich man who lifted up his eyes in Hell?
I believe all the stories in the Bible were true, real happenings. 'Course I'm not trying to disprove or prove anything anyone believes here.
Yes, stories were a preferred method, but I believe they were TRUE stories. Telling a false story is just the same as lying, isn't it?!
~FW
No. Absolutely not. Something is only a lie if you intend for the person or people hearing it believe that it is true. Even Jesus called His stories parables. There's nothing in the Bible that indicates that Jesus ever meant for anyone to believe that the stories He told as parables ever actually happened. Take, for example the parable of the wise man who built his house on rock. Jesus said:
Quote:Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
He didn't say that those people will be like THE wise man who builds his house on a rock; he said they'll be like A wise man who builds his house on a rock. Nobody said, "I wonder who the wise man was?" They knew that there was no particular wise man that Jesus was talking about; it was just a story to illustrate a point. It wasn't a lie and it wasn't a deception because Jesus never intended for anyone to think he was talking about a particular wise man or a particular foolish man.
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Correct. But you can't say, that Jesus' words, and all the scripture in the Bible are just stories.
Yes. I know that Jesus told parables, and that was to get his point across, but you can't say that the Bible (as a whole) is a story book, because lots of the things are proven in history to be true.
Dr Small
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Dr Small Wrote:The Bible is like a story book, but the fact still remains, that these stories are true.
That is your belief and that's fine. I wouldn't dream of trying to change your mind about it.
Quote:If you have studied any history, you can see that the Bible lines up with history.
Well, actually, Dr Small, I'm glad you brought history into the equation. In fact, I've studied history rather extensively. Is there something in particular in history that you'd like to discuss that you feel confirms that God wrote (or directed the writing of)? Many of the events described in the Bible are, in fact historically correct. Does that mean that all history books are inspired by God? I guess what I'm trying to ask you is, what does it prove if some Biblical events coincide with historical events? Some of the wars, kings, etc. are verified by history, yes. But you won't find a non-Biblical historical account of the parting of the Red Sea. Nor will you find a non-Biblical historical account of Moses striking a rock to bring up water.
Quote:The events in the Bible are true events that really did happen, and someone recorded them, just like big events are recorded in today's world, and eventually added to our history books.
Some of them are, yes. How does that prove that God wrote the Bible?
Quote:What do you think? Some nut was board, so he sat down and wrote up a fairy tale book of the human race, and of God and how creation started?
Do you believe that the Qu'ran is inspired by God? If not, what do you think, some nut was so bored that he sad down and wrote up a fairy tale book of the human race? What about the Torah? Was it inspired by God? Or did some bored nut write it?
Quote:No. The Bible was written by different men, inspired by God, and therefore, we now have the Bible which shows us how to live as Christians, what has happened in the past, and who Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and God are.
As I've said, that's your belief and that is fine. But that is a spiritual truth and NOT a temporal truth. It CAN'T be a temporal truth because you can't prove it. I also have spiritual truths and mine don't match yours. They are different but they are just as valid. You believe that yours are true and correct and I believe that mine are true and correct. But neither of us can PROVE that our beliefs are true and correct; that is why they are spiritual truths and not temporal truths.
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Dr Small Wrote:Correct. But you can't say, that Jesus' words, and all the scripture in the Bible are just stories.
Yes. I know that Jesus told parables, and that was to get his point across, but you can't say that the Bible (as a whole) is a story book, because lots of the things are proven in history to be true.
Dr Small
Yes, there's some history in it. There's also some philosophy in it. There's even some psychology, some sociology, some poetry, some literature and some of what then passed for medicine. That doesn't prove that God wrote it.
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Dr Small Wrote:Yes. I know that Jesus told parables, and that was to get his point across, but you can't say that the Bible (as a whole) is a story book, because lots of the things are proven in history to be true.
Can you give us an example of something miraculous in it that has been proven by history to be true?
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But the creation of the world, can be proven, as written in the Bible.
You go to a city, you see a building, you know that the building had a builder.
You look at this world, earth, and see all of creation, you know that there has to have a
great designer, a creator, who created the earth with all it's laws of nature and habitat
that no other planet has, where men can live.
Things just do not come into being. Things do not just "bam" and it exists.
Things have to be created, and that is something that man has not witnessed not have done
on their own.
Dr Small
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