Have you ever read the bible ?

I see your a fan of Zeitgeist....? you do realize that if you had done any research on what was said about the similarities of Jesus and other so called GODs you would have found that the person(s) who created the movie Zeitgeist were seriously delusional, none of there so called claims make any sense at all.

Zeitgeist debunked!
Exposing the Satanic Empire Final Cut (2008) - 76 min
video.google.ca...

I have read the Bible for most of my life. I see it as a guide to how to live a peaceful life. Life can be so chaotic that I find it comforting to just have a book that I can open to find some answers. I find a lot of hope in reading the Bible that I have never found anywhere else in the world.
Besides that, the stories are amazing and remind me that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9.) People are doing the same things today as they did 2,000 years ago.

I understand that a lot of people believe that the Bible is distorted. Sometimes I don't understand what I read in the Bible so I pray and ask God to explain it to me. Within a few days or weeks, some situation will occur in my life that explains what the Bible means. I read the Bible, I pray to God, God works in my life - the Bible helps me to develop a relationship with God. I believe that the Bible helps me to get to know Jesus.


[edit on 29-6-2008 by checkers]

ha! i laugh just at how you worded this! love it and almost similar to how i view the bible.

i see a message in the bible (and the same one i see in most religious texts) that is a guide for how to make it through all of this. the message is always developing though and thus i think these texts serve a very important purpose, for me anyway.

i believe the surface, as i have stated numerous times, of the bible serves its purpose too. it divides those who are truly selfish from those are looking for their true purpose in this life. those that impose the surface of the bible on others hardly get the point of what spirituality is, IMO (which i am entitled to )

i find the bible has been changed over the years,its actually fact,but i believe that the basic teachings and morals are still there.jesus teachings are especially good.you know if you read the bible and it speaks to you,you actually feel convicted or at least i know i did.and no the book doesnt talk to you,but when you feel conviceted god can speak to you through the holy spirit.i laugh when people discredit the bible and havent even read it.and comparing to a stephen king book is arrogance and ignorance at its best.right now though with all the different religions,jehovas witnesses and mormons and so on,i can tell you that they have been changed,books have been removed and added,i go with the bible and i also like the apocrypha,the lost books of the bible,and more....but in my opinion the book is still fruitful.so give it a chance,...or at least read it.

I was raised in a small Midwestern community as a Christian (Methodist). I moved to the West Coast and tried life out as a little bit of a sinner (although still with my own personal morals).

I found the Bible fits halfway in between. It never made sense to me growing up as literal history, that was missing the point. I was blessed to have open-minded parents who helped me explore that a bit, too. Then when I lived an urban life uninvolved with the church and on my own, I realized the rules and limitations pulled from the Bible are also not the important part, and are in fact very backwards.

Since graduating college and living in LA for 4 years and really observing human behavior to the best of my ability, my Bible now reads like this; a collection of stories written by thoughtful people to provide examples (metaphors) of problems and solutions that arise in society. I think it was written both to be current [at the time(s) the books were written] and prophetic (tells us if we don't learn from the past, we're doomed to repeat it), so to speak. The New Testament especially gets into man's destructive tendencies and tough situations, which, generally speaking can all be solved by complete love and compassion.

I believe Jesus existed, but I think many many stories and legends were attached to the Jesus figure to essentially create the ultimate role model for Christians. Jesus Christ of the New Testament isn't a real person to me, he is the collection of the morals and behaviors we should all strive for. Erroneously, he (and God for that matter) have been entirely too personified in churches and it feels almost as a mistranslation of the Bible.

So, TO ME, the Bible is essentially groups of metaphors saying: God is love --> God is in all of us --> Love is in all of us --> to experience God we must show and use this love ("love" as in patience, honesty, our ability to reason and ponder what is best for everyone) no matter who or what the situation involves.

Yes...It was interesting in some areas and revolting in others. Mostly, it was simply comical. I wouldn't want my children to read it, however. I give the Bible a rating of XXX for strong sexual content, language and violence.

xxx maybe for old testament,but if thats the case you can get the new testament by itself believe it or not.

I completely agree. Actions speak louder than words, and if you live how the Bible suggests a human should live, you don't have to say a word about your faith to anyone.

When when a person is loving, friendly, tactful, fun, kind, generous etc., others will be drawn to him or her. Then that person can share their faith through their positive action.

I also believe humor is important to God. It's in the Bible.
Job 13:5
Zechariah 6:7
Proverbs 21:19

As a lifelong student, I can tell you the Bible is NOT to be taken seriously.

reply to post by pureevil81

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i hear what you are saying, and as always, i value your opinion. but God can be found everywhere. his truth can be found in everything as well as the lies of the angel of "light". one of my favorite books/ movie is "the stand" written by stephen king.

ever read or watched it? there is much truth in that movie although it is fictional. ever read aesop's fables? the same "voice" that speaks to me through the reading of the bible is the same voice that speaks to me when i read these other things pointing out things that i may have missed otherwise. it is the same "voice" that speaks to me when i look at nature and at the night sky.

remember, the devil is the angel of light and he will use anything, even the bible as grounds for seperating us from God.

i see much more hate and intolerance for fellow humans coming from those who worship the "surface" of the bible rather than the creative force behind it and behind everything else.

the books that are now in the bible were chosen by those who wanted to control. there are many important books that were left out of it. the suface message teaches ppl to wait on something to save us. almost like we are so important we shouldn't be subjected to taking the responsibility as humans for what has transpired in the world today.

God gave us what we needed to overcome the evil in the world and it comes from with in, not something that is outside of us. when reading the bible as taught through mainstream christianity view points, you take the control of your life out of your hands and put into something outside of yourself. again, remember, the devil is known as the angel of light. don't be fooled. God speaks through the bible, but his message has more to do w/ the power he lovingly placed w/in us and any message that says the power is held outside of you is a message you should abandon immediately, IMHO.



[edit on 29-6-2008 by justamomma]

Before I asked Jesus into my heart, my mom gave me a white KJV Bible.
I thought it would make me a Christian if I read it and tried to live a good life.
I couldn't understand it, but, I would read a chapter many nights.

It actually (on the surface) looked to me like an affirmation that women were cattle for men, according to God.
I quit reading it. Then one day I heard the gospel and asked God "If you love me as much as a man, show me."
I opened up my Bible and read it and was astounded. I can't remember what I read, (I just opened it and looked.)
Well, it was love and I said the prayer I heard on T.V. and immediately I cried and KNEW I was saved and loved by the Creator. He forgave me for the horrible things and everyday things I had done.
It has hidden treasure that the carnal man can't see.
Even with bad translation the KJV saves people EVERY day.
I have been looking for a more accurate translation in line with the Textus Receptus.

reply to post by justamomma

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i value you opinion as well,and yes i believe you said everything i wanted to,and should have but didnt.very good post.even satan,or the devil,or the fallen angels all believe in god,and use portions of it to decieve the very elect,that was also in the bible,as far as the bible goes im into prophecy alot....it is very interesting to me.but we agree that the basic teachings of the bible are still intact,correct?martin luther in the......what,1500s took some books from the bible,so what we read actually was hand picked by a certain few.now some people might argue,and i have friends that will argue that god can keep his word true and correct to this very day,now i have to disagree there,yes god could keep his word exactly how he wanted,but he never said he would.right?so we agree you need to test the spirits,because you never know which one might be there.....im glad justamomma that we agree to disagree,but mostly we agree.you are one of the few that im glad to have met on this website.take care

that was great,it happened to me in much the same way,i also have a friend who no more that 1 year ago said he would never believe much less worship any god,now hes singing a different tune as well.he has heard and felt god,which is the deciding factor,great post star for you....i love hearing testimonies.

reply to post by pureevil81

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oh wow! that was a very nice thing to say. i am very glad we "met" as well. you have many points to the things you say that make me think.

yes, i do believe that the underlying message is viewed very similarly by the both of us.

i just believe that sometimes ppl focus so much on using certain words (that were most probably manipulated in translation... i have no proof course other than what i feel in my heart) of the bible as proof for how everyone else should be living. in other words, they worship the bible rather than the creative force that is behind EVERYTHING.

there is one verse that always stands out in my mind when speaking of such things. it says something to the effect that NOONE will be left w/out excuse before their creator.

there will be some who never had the bible, but their creator will be pleased with them bc they "understood" the voice behind EVERYTHING. on the other hand, there will be a multitude of "christians" who will have realized too late that they did NOT truly "understand" the voice of their creator.

what is more wrong than taking drugs, or sleeping w/ someone outside of marriage or the same sex, or not submitting to your husband's authority? imposing your beliefs and view onto others on purpose in any way that causes guilt, shame, or pressure

if our creator has trusted us by giving us free will, who are we to not trust our fellow human beings?

and furthmore, who are we to think the creator has not the ability to reveal himself to our fellow human beings in his way and in his timing? He doesn't NEED any of us to try and force our limited knowledge and understand onto any one. that hinders his work more than it helps.
[edit on 29-6-2008 by justamomma]

[edit on 29-6-2008 by justamomma]

reply to post by justamomma

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the and furthermore part i was just about to post,you beat me to it.lol...imposing our own beliefs on people is wrong,no doubt...i think you covered everything i was getting at...nice job on that....peace

reply to post by Max_TO

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ive read it and i like it there is not anything that can be disproved in it its a history book of god in the old testement the new testement is a history of jesus and teachings

it has helped a lot of people in the past and will a lot in the future

definately on my top 10 list

reply to post by Max_TO

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the gnostic gospels are crap i dont think they are very goo d and they are definateely not christian but

there are some gospels i accept as inspired such as the book of enoch etc

yoou should llook them up they answer alot of the questions posed by scholars about the book

Have you ever read the bible from a different point of view?

Have you ever read the bible as a history book without any religious intent?

Have you ever read the bible as if it were just a novel - without any religious intent?

Have you ever read the bible from the viewpoint Jesus was an alien?

Have you ever read the bible from the viewpoint Jesus was a Light Being? beingoflight.brotherofyeshua.com...

Have you ever vested time into reading the TANAKH - comparing accuracies?

Have you ever read the Book of Mormon as an extension of missing data/history - relating to the bible.

Or - do you read the bible as man has interpreted and tells you what it means?