The Bible is a Book of Fairy Tales

And it's the best evidence we have for God. What does that tell you? 2,000 years ago people didn't know anything about the earth, biology, physics, chemistry or astronomy. They were naive (gullible) and trying to make sense of the world. Stories were handed down for generations with plenty of stories people just made up or exaggerated. Why do people still have blind faith in this book? It's really incredible.

 

It tells me you are ignorant. All ancient religions are actually laws. Long before nations had constitutions and laws, they had religion.
It is also a history book of sufficient reliability that it is used as a source for archaeologists.
So if you hate the religion of your mommy, go lick your wounds in private. There are many educated people who may be agnostic while respecting the volume of knowledge contained in the Bible.

 

But the laws aren't all the same, are they? Some include beards, some turbans, Sikhs have to carry knives, Muslim women are shorn of rights etc etc. So which are the right laws? Yours, I suppose.

 

The Bible hasn't been used by archaeologists for a hundred years. Too many of the authors knew nothing about the locations in Palestine or when and where certain towns and places existed.

 

And your point is?
You just woke up?

 

The laws of Judaism, Christianity and Islam come down from Hamurrabi and before that from Ras Shamra.

 

You are not correct Margot. I have an archaeologist in my family who has spent decades in the middle east - and the bible provides clues and guidance for established digs.

 

All religions are made up. Man hates not having answers to questions, so they made up answers.
No longer works for me - works for many people.
As long as they don't try to peddle their beliefs on me (as many like Cruz want) I live and let live.

 

Our ancestors who struggled with shifting from hunter-gatherers to city dwellers realized it didn't work very well if everyone wasn't on the "same page". So laws, morals and mores were established. Where populations had differing opinions about how they wanted to live, territory was established. Territorial boundaries allow those within the boundary to live in harmony.

Interesting thing about humans is they want to determine their own style of life, but they also want to get along with their neighbors.

It's when someone wants their own style of life and beliefs and doesn't care about, or hates their neighbors that civilization suffers.

 

They're all wrong.....

 

So why are they all different?

 

There are many different religions that each have their own holy books or own basis for their belief in a supernatural being. However since you are talking about the bible, I assume you want to talk about Christianity. I am a Catholic, and Catholicism, although a branch of Christianity, is different from other Christian sects. In the Catholic faith, we do not believe that the bible is the best nor only evidence of God; check out St. Thomas Aquinas' writings, which attempts to prove the existence of God without using the Bible but only logic, and other Catholic theologians.

Now as to Christians (protestants) who believe in only the Bible as the proof of God's existence, I don't think it is a matter of gullibility. I get the feeling that you find these people to be rather silly for believing in just the Bible? Correct me if I am wrong, but it comes out that way from your writing I do not believe them silly for that. It's not the bible per se that makes them believe in God, but rather, I believe, their own spiritual encounter with Him through prayer or what not. And spirituality is something you cannot quantify through science and research; it is an entirely personal experience. And then they use the Bible to learn about him, and their faith in this book comes not from the fact that it is the Bible, but from their own personal encounters with Him.

I hope this explanation helps If there are any Christians here who would like to correct me, please do; I am basing my answer regarding other Christian sects on just what I think is the situation, not on any actual facts

 

They aren't different .. Look up 10 commandments in Islam and then look up the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

 

The Bible is a poor source and Bible archaeology is a joke. Look at the fraud of Yigael Vadin re: Masada.

 

So all the abrahamaic religions teach the same? Rubbish. You can't escape with that.

 

With a few minor differences they are alike.. One having evolved from earlier religions. ... and all have the ten commandments.

 

Because some people like chocolate and some people like strawberry. You have a problem with diversity?

 

You are not an archaeologist. It is part of the curriculum. Go to the universities around the world and tell them how smart you are.

 

Do you have anything, not written by a man, that explains existence? Even your Big Bang Theory has to presume matter existed - you cannot something from nothing.

 

Very sad, doesn't say much for people who believe this stuff in this day and age

 

The Bible says that Adam was made before plants and animals. Do you believe that "knowledge"?

 

How else would a caveman describe it?

 

Laws and religion are not all equivalent or valid over time, even the most conservative Jews no longer stone people for trivial offenses.

I think it is fair to say that archeologists and historians do not entirely disregard the Bible. Otoh. Neither do they regard the Bible by itself as a "reliable" source. I think you would be hard pressed to find a historian or archeologist who thinks Noah's flood happened as described in the Bible... or that the world is 6000 years old