The Bible is Completely Unreliable

Like what? I ask because I honestly don't know what the harm in believing really is. We are all going to die. If you believe and there is a life after you win. If it's BS then nothing has changed. So the way I see it you have everything to gain and nothing to loose.

 

Because these religious nuts take it to extreme levels and say "It's a sin to masturbate, to listen to this type of music, and oh don't forget to pay us 10% of your income". If you can't see whats wrong with this then

 

OK I got what your saying. lol Well for me personally I don't fall in line like a good little soldier when it comes to my faith. Even the Bible tells us some religions are false and deceiving. That being said I think it's a path people have to choose for themselves. No one can choose it for them.

I keep laughing while typing this everytime I read your comment, but it's hilarious. lol Kinda reminds me of a conversation I had with my brother on this topic the way you put things. Ok focus. lol I get it I do. lol I don't go for the style of cramming it down someones throat and alot of that stuff is stuff people have to and need to make judgments on and for themselves on it or not. Nobody can do it for them and the people who try to force their view are only pushing others away. It's something that has to be pursued freely or it don't mean nothing.

I had a conversation with my brother once and he felt alot like you do. We were younger and of course being brothers you can imagine the conversation got quiet heated and emotional in fact because before he was born I had a sister once who passed away. Now that changed me forever. Anyway long story short he said some nasty bits to me on the topic and made the mistake of making some comments he was out of line in saying and well they had to break us up at that point. I remember saying to him though maybe I am just some dumb bell believing in a fairy tale made for adults and maybe it is all BS and maybe your right we all die and become worm and maggot food.

Maybe I am stupid for thinking she is in a better place, but if there is one chance. Just one in a million shot to a reality where she is saved and alive, well then I'll take it and I I'd do it for you as well. And if I am wrong I'll never know because I am the worm and maggot food you believe I will become, but if I am right well then that is everything to me. So I'd rather go threw life believing in something then to go threw it believing in nothing. For whatever that is worth. I can't make you believe what I believe. I can only ask you to be open to the possibility that there is something better then this. We decided after the way things went it was best we didn't repeat this conversation again and agreed to disagree, but he did agree to at the very least be open to the possibility so I call that a win.

I'll never ask anybody to follow some guide of rules someone else made. I'll ask them to be open to the possibility and read up on it and research it and come up with their own conclusions. If they choose to pursue faith then make their own choices and path walking towards it based off the research and education they have done themselves. I think that is fair because if it were history or science it would be approached logically in the same fashion.

Most importantly and were alot of fanatics make the mistake is you have to respect other peoples points of view. You will never open someones mind to other and new possibilities if you don't. So even though I may not agree with everything you said, I will respect your right and freedom to say it and feel the way you do.

 

I doubt you have ever cracked it open, let alone read it.

 

I don't think you are dumb and I can see where you are coming from. I believe religion is good for those who need help coping with a loss. But look. I'd rather not be lied to. If I am wrong then I guess I will have to deal with that. It just doesnt make sense how theres thousands of religions. Meaning the chance of yours being right vs theirs is close to none.

 

So, what is the origin of the Jewish faith - the first monotheistic world religion?
The transition from Jews to pagan (polytheistic) like the Canaanites, would've been quite radical -
so it's highly unlikely.

Furthermore, Canaanites were one of the most sexually perverted cultures in the world - scholars agree to that. Could the Jewish faith have sprung from that? Highly unlikely.

So.....why would the Hebrews borrow from that? Why borrow from something that's quite opposite from their belief?

Just to imagine a group of perverted pagans gathering to create a very highly moral religion - why would they do that?


So, what is Ugaritic? Here's a long detailed article:

https://www.logos.com/ugaritic


Anyway, that there's any similarities in language, is good evidence that the Israelites' origin was from somewhere in the general region of upper Mesopotamia/Syria..... which is consistent with biblical accounts

 

That is definitely a correct assessment and so courageous to be put forth in the great cloud of godless that entertain this thread!

 

The Canaanites were perverted because the Hebrews claimed they were... all evidence to the contrary.

The Ugarit were North Coast Canaanites and the Psalms were borrowed from them.

 

(1) I do not consider, as literal history (or pre-history), the Noachian flood. (Actually, it is my understanding that many religious texts speak of something similar.)

(2) By doctors, no. But God (and remember, Jesus claimed to be God incarnate) can do so.

(3) I am not certain what you are referring to, specifically, when you speak of "[m]ud and soil" being "given life."

(4) If the reference, here, is to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, you apparently believe that I take the Book of Genesis as literal history (or pre-history). I do not. (For the record, I am not a fundamentalist. Far from it.)

Note: I do not have any problem with some of the miracles listed in the Bible--e.g. Jesus' walking on water--as the God of the universe could surely suspend, temporarily, the laws of the universe. But I am less certain about others--i.e. Moses' turning a rod into a serpent--as that would not merely violate the laws of the universe, but would require that a living being was created from an inanimate object; and that sounds, to me, like something self-contradictory. And even God cannot do the self-contradictory--as in, say, creating a square circle. (The problem lies not with the power of God--which is infinite--but with the very nature of the proposition: "quare circle" is inherently self-contradictory. And a living inanimate object strikes me as much the same.)

 

Well...at least this is a new take. So basically your God is an impotent omnipotent capable of doing miracles but not ANY miracle. As for the mud and soil, that is what you and I were made from.

 

I think that the prolific use of hallucinogenic drugs by all religions accounts for many of the miracles, visions & other supernatural occurrences and no less so than the Judeo-Christian religions.

"Drugs in Ancient Cultures: A History of Drug Use and Effects"

http://www.ancient-origins.net/opin...-cultures-history-drug-use-and-effects-006051
EXCERPT "Archaeological evidence shows that humans were taking opium and ‘magic’ mushrooms as far back as 10,000 years ago. Some scholars even believe that a few notable Greeks, like Pythagoras, couldn’t have come up with their genius theories and philosophies without some form of drug use. Texts from ancient history suggest there may be truth in these claims."CONTINUED

 

To answer your questions, the human experience goes beyond rational thought. There are many things we do not know about our own species let alone being able to understand fully our existence. Sure science helps to explain some things but not everything.

Christianity has had a profound effect on human beings. It is the foundation of western civilization. Western civilization has produced the most advanced societies in human history. To ignore these facts shows a profound ignorance.

The Bible was cobbled together over many years and has been around for a long time. To simply dismiss it as a worthless religious text also shows a profound ignorance.

 

So it is BS but it's influenced mankind in a somewhat positive way as far as we know. I can agree with that for the most part. It's also produced lots of religious whackos and killed tons of people so it's got that going for it too.

 

Hebrews were witnesses to the religious practices of the Canaanites.
Of course, their accounts can't be dismissed.

Furthermore, The Bible has proven to be valuable in providing historical information from that time, as proven by archeology. Why would it not be accurate in its explicit descriptions of certain pagan rituals in the worship of Baal and Asherah?


On the other hand, you were not there.
Show me all these evidences you claim that they're not.

Did you read the article?

 

Christianity has its roots on the east not europe.

 

The Hebrew were jealous of the Canaanites because they were more advanced and prosperous than the Hebrews.

http://www.politicalforum.com/index...d-biblical-literature.454167/#post-1066126341

Duplicates of the Sumerian myths have been found in thousands of tablets in Bahrain AKA Dilmun or Eden.

 

Yes.. The Canaanites were prosperous and successful.. The were a sophisticated urban population making up 7 nations. They were involved in metallurgy, pottery making and mining operations. Their cities and towns were not destroyed by Joshua.

They paid tribute to the pharaohs and were all in Egyptian territory.

That's what archeology proves..

The Hebrews envied them.

 

mbk734's arguments are completely unreliable.

 

'The Bible' is an anthology of books written for different purposes at different times, and 'reliable' is a word that needs examination.

 

Did archeology say the Hebrews "envied" them?

Anyway....who says Canaanites weren't prosperous? We aren't talking about prosperity!

 

Irrelevant!

That Hebrews were jealous, is your speculation! Unless you can show us some evidence to that.....
Again, you're missing the point:

Hebrews were witnesses to the religious practices of the Canaanites.
Of course, their accounts can't be dismissed.

Furthermore, The Bible has proven to be valuable in providing historical information from that time, as proven by archeology. Why would it not be accurate in its explicit descriptions of certain pagan rituals in the worship of Baal and Asherah?


On the other hand, you were not there.
Show me all these evidences you claim that they're not.

Descriptions of pagan religious practices by their neighbors is reliable! They were describing what they'd most likely witnessed (especially, since some of them had actually participated in it - that's why they've been rebuked by God in the Bible)!

That would be no different if you enter a mosque, and write to us descriptions of how they do worship inside the mosque! Of course, you're describing it from what you saw!

 

Jerusalem was poor, stony and arid.. not to mention quite small.

They invented their history after the Babylonian exile... after having been exposed to the rich cultural heritage of the Babylonians.

 

I have been to most of those places.

You might want to study up on the Canaanite religion.

The Bible isn't accurate... The geography is usually wrong and they often write about cities that didn't exist.

 

That's not evidence.
That's your own speculation - and it isn't a logical one.

 

Jerusalem was less than 10 acres.. Haven't you seen the old city or studied any archeology?