Why must the Bible be perfect?

...I don't understand why most Christians believe that the Bible is perfect. I mean the new testament is just a conglomeration of the works of other Christians just like them.

I'm not trying to harp on the Bible - it's a very useful book for Christians - it's just that it seems so silly to me when people pull a quotation out of one of Paul's letters act like it has some sort of ultimate authority... it's almost like a form of idolatry. (If I had to pick a favorite Christian writer I would go with C.S. Lewis; should I start treating his works (Mere Christianity, Narnia) like some sort of religious canon?)

Of course you could insist that the Bible is the actual word of God and that he spoke directly through its authors but what basis do you really have in making this judgement? ...and even if he was speaking through these individuals I find it hard to believe that their personalities and biases wouldn't still end up finding their way the text. (I mean if you want a Biblical example look at David, Abraham and Moses - God didn't have compete control over these individuals; they made lots of mistakes.)

Honestly I'm not even sure if I would consider myself a person of faith but I think that Christians should rely more on experiencing Christ's love personally instead of modeling themselves after the writings of others. If there's any legitimacy to the notion of Christ living in us then it should be able to be experienced without reliance on a book filled with stories about dead Christians... why dwell in the past if you can experience what God is doing in the lives of Christians today?

Honestly I'm not even sure if I would consider myself a person of faith but I think that Christians should rely more on experiencing Christ's love personally instead of modeling themselves after the writings of others.Meinhard1

right, and most christians DO do that.

You brought up a good point; I highly doubt that St. Paul would've wanted his letters to be treated as infallible because he flat out says that some of his teachings are based on his own understanding of God's laws (read 1 Corinthians 7). Why treat his teachings as infallible if he himself didn't think his teachings were infallible? Paul does have a number of great ideas concerning sexual immorality, but I think that if he were alive today, he'd be alarmed to see his writings put on the same level as the Psalms and the Torah.

Christians on the liberal side may not care if the Bible has a few errors because they only care about the message of salvation that the Gospels present. On the other hand, the people who think that the Bible has to be true word-for-word have likely been taught to adhere to this tradition from a young age, and this could be why there's some animosity between catholics and evangelical protestants.

Anyone who acts as if the bible is "authority" on others are probably radical christians and shouldn't be taken seriously in the first place.

Anyone who acts as if the bible is "authority" on others are probably radical christians and shouldn't be taken seriously in the first place.

DJ-Lafleur

[QUOTE="chaoscougar1"]:cry: Not another one :( Where did you get this "most" Christians stat from? From the previous religious thread that is still going on, Atheists expect more out of Christians than Christians expect of themselves. I do not know many Christians who attempt to follow the Bible verbatim, there is only the small minority of fanatics who believe the Bible is infallibletopsemag55

this too

As a christian I don't really think it is perfect. It may have been at one time, but humans have rewritten it many times and even thrown entire chapters out. Kinda hard to argue it's perfect when imperfect beings have altered it so much throughout the years.

As a christian I don't really think it is perfect. It may have been at one time, but humans have rewritten it many times and even thrown entire chapters out. Kinda hard to argue it's perfect when imperfect beings have altered it so much throughout the years.

Serraph105

Lol the Bible just makes me laugh.

people take the bible to serieus instead of loooking at the inner messageDarthRoel

yeah like rape

If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.-Deuteronomy 22:28-29

oh yeah and the story of lot

If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.-Deuteronomy 22:28-29

oh yeah and the story of lot

spawnassasin

[QUOTE="spawnassasin"] If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.-Deuteronomy 22:28-29

oh yeah and the story of lot

topsemag55

does that include the 10 commandments too

also

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place." (Matthew 5:17)

[QUOTE="topsemag55"][QUOTE="spawnassasin"] If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.-Deuteronomy 22:28-29

oh yeah and the story of lot

spawnassasin

does that include the 10 commandments too

also

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place." (Matthew 5:17)

The Ten Commandments are mentioned in the NT as well - just FYI.

Whoever posts this verse in the scriptures would do well to read the remaining Sermon on the Mount. This is where Jesus teachings replace and transcend some of the aspects of the Law of Moses (OT Laws).

does that include the 10 commandments too

also

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place." (Matthew 5:17)

spawnassasin

I see people write off these people using words like minority and sure they might be right.

But when one radical member of that christian minority happens to be Governor, then it affects a lot people.

It's not perfect. In fact, it's almost entirely fiction :)imaps3fanboy

This is relevant.

This is relevant.

CBR600-RR

[QUOTE="imaps3fanboy"]It's not perfect. In fact, it's almost entirely fiction :)topsemag55

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sense

There ya go

[QUOTE="topsemag55"][QUOTE="imaps3fanboy"]It's not perfect. In fact, it's almost entirely fiction :)imaps3fanboy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sense

There ya go

[QUOTE="imaps3fanboy"]

[QUOTE="topsemag55"] I'll have to see a credible link for that, not the Onion.:P:lol:topsemag55

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sense

There ya go

Ever seen how many people on here debate the veracity of Wikipedia?:lol: It's like a pendulum - people buy into it if it agrees with their position, and I'm guilty of that too.:Ptopsemag55

I'm also guilty of that. I even used it in an essay once. My teacher said he accepted wikipedia because it was .org and not .com :lol:

OMG this incessant Christian bashing I CANT TAKE IT!

Atheists expect more out of Christians than Christians expect of themselves. chaoscougar1

[QUOTE="chaoscougar1"]Atheists expect more out of Christians than Christians expect of themselves. kuraimen

[QUOTE="topsemag55"]Ever seen how many people on here debate the veracity of Wikipedia?:lol: It's like a pendulum - people buy into it if it agrees with their position, and I'm guilty of that too.:Pzeldaluff

I'm also guilty of that. I even used it in an essay once. My teacher said he accepted wikipedia because it was .org and not .com :lol:

[QUOTE="kuraimen"][QUOTE="chaoscougar1"]Atheists expect more out of Christians than Christians expect of themselves. mindstorm

1. Jesus referred to himself as the logos. He is the cause of all creation and the one through whom "logic" came to be.mindstorm

What do you mean by your last sentence ("and....to be").

Is the meaning "logic" of the word "logos" taken into consideration here due to that being one meaning of it or is there some other source to suggest that Jesus was labeled as "logos" in the sense of the one through whom logic came to be?

Because I always thought that the word "logos" when referring to Christ had the meaning of "words/speech" (as in he is the one through whom God speaks, sort of) and "reason" as in the "reason why", the cause for many things.

[QUOTE="mindstorm"] 1. Jesus referred to himself as the logos. He is the cause of all creation and the one through whom "logic" came to be.Teenaged

What do you mean by your last sentence ("and....to be").

Is the meaning "logic" of the word "logos" taken into consideration here due to that being one meaning of it or is there some other source to suggest that Jesus was labeled as "logos" in the sense of the one through whom logic came to be?

Because I always thought that the word "logos" when referring to Christ had the meaning of "words/speech" (as in he is the one through whom God speaks, sort of) and "reason" as in the "reason why", the cause for many things.

why are the majority of Christians generalized in so many religious threads....

Not everybody who is Christian believes in every piece of the Bible in fact I know quite a few who do not...

Anybody educated in the religion at all knows there are flaws, large sections changed, books added/removed.

This will continue to be the case.

i.e. the gosbal of eve being removed, the ressurection story being added in the 3rd century, Jesus being god literally voted on, ect. ect.

You won't get British humour because:

CBR600-RR