The Question of the Bible & Religion

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   gmwilliamsposted 4 years ago

   
   There are those who strongly, even vehemently argue that the Bible is the word of God & a subdivision maintain that the Bible is the only true book.  Religion has been with humankind since millennia.  Religion has been used to unify people.  In certain aspects, religion has been used to divide & control people.  It also has been used to keep people docile, ignorant, & powerless.   Religion has been used to instill fear into the populace & elevated certain people while downgrading, even marginalizing others.   What are your thoughts on the Bible & organized religion?

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      peterstreepposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I think it starts out with trying to explain things. Who an I? What is the world I'm living in? Is there something before death? Is there something after death? Why do people die? Why do people get sick? Why is there a famine? etc.
      Religion started to explain these basic questions. And science, religion and art where combined in Shamanism.
      curiosity and looking for answers on problems are embedded in human nature.
      And so we started out with the God-theory. Why is there death and what happens after you die. A powerful story was told explaining a these questions.
      But over time, science and religion and art went there own way. And today most of the basic questions can be explained by science. Why are we getting sick, why is there thunder, why do we die, how do we get born etc.
      But the old God theory still hangs around as it is a powerful meme. And as religions have shaped cultures it is hard to change these.
      But over time religions change and become obsolete. We do not need a god of the thunder any more. And we do not need a god who punishes with a big flood any more. As we know now thanks to science what causes a thunder storm or a tsunami.
      The bible can be seen as a science book from 2000 years ago to explain things. Interesting to see how people thought and lived 2000 years ago, but it will not explain gravity, DNA, viruses or the speed of light.
      In short the bible is a book that can be read but in a historical context. as soon as it tries to explain things it is dead wrong.

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         wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         I don't fully agree with this, for the rest of the message was "And this powerful, scary god thing demands that you obey me on penalties worse than death".  Usually along with a promise that death will never happen if you meet the demands.
         
         So the "explanation" is merely a tool to help coerce obedience.  Nor is it very reasonable to compare it to science; the science of the day was health care and astronomy while religion and their writings was merely fictional descriptions of what had, and what would, happen.  Observations were turned into facts based on nothing but imagination; something no "scientist", whether then or now, would do.

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            peterstreepposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, you are right, I was a bit blunt there,
            I was thinking about how people use gods to explain the universe. They do not use scientific methods, not at all. but with the creation of a concept like gods or a god they had a kind of theory to explain the world.
            Besides the god theory you had people who used more earth based evidence. To cure illness with plants by trial and error.
            You are right there that using a god as a explanation is a great way to turn people in obedient sheep. And I guess quite soon people understood the power that gave them when using Gods as an excuse for doing things.

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               wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

               Excellent!  For once what I was trying to say came through!  I must be getting better.

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                  peterstreepposted 4 years agoin reply to this

                  haha, I´ve got my moments...

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   The0NatureBoyposted 4 years ago

   I do say religion and all forms of instructions for shaping the minds of others caused today's world problems. I do not accept that the Bible is.
   
   I see the Bible as a metaphor of the eternal state of the earth and the historical record of a people whose experiences are a prophetic type of the world conditions that brings this half of the world to its termination.   It is easy to use as a means to control others because of the establishment of god and devil and other judgmental adjectives or words that has nothing to substantiate its existence except for human's being conditioned and/or emotional at being called one or either. If there were no judgmental adjectives but only descriptive adjectives such as burn/hot, cold/frozen and others, human would not become emotional which is the primary means of control.
   
   In that light, organized religion and all forms of schooling or brainwashing others into an emotional state of mind concerning almost everything fulfills the purpose for civilizing human and produces this half of the earth's purpose.

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   Mark O Richardsonposted 4 years ago

   I believe in the Bible and in organized religion. They can make us better. People, on the other hand, are not perfect. We make mistakes. We can not do it all on our own. Faith is a choice. Good things come from God. Our motive should be love. Not fear or duty.

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      wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I would question whether faith is a choice or not: could you, deep down where it counts, truly believe there is no god?
      
      It might be possible, for some people, to choose whether or not to question their beliefs, but even that is hardly guaranteed to change those beliefs.  On the contrary it is far more common to simply refuse to accept anything that does not follow along with the belief and support it.

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         Mark O Richardsonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         People make themselves believe or not believe. People support their beliefs with their experiences. Its like the native american story of the two wolves..one good, one bad. Which one wins? The one that you feed. Are we going to feed our negative thoughts? Or positive ones?

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            wildernessposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            That's what I said - you may choose to honestly question beliefs, or not.  Most believers will not truly question their beliefs, and in so doing lose the ability to choose whether to believe or not.

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      The0NatureBoyposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Do you believe in the Bible, Mark, or do you believe the Bible?
      If you believe in the Bible you are saying you accept what people say it's about.
      If you believe the Bible then you have read and digested what is written there before accepting what you understand it to say.
      
      What makes anything negative or positive is only the direction of flow, what flows into is positive and what flows out of is negative but their value will always remains the same.

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         Mark O Richardsonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, I believe in the Bible. But it Is open to interpretation

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            The0NatureBoyposted 4 years agoin reply to this

            What you are saying, Mark, is you accepts other human's expressions of what the Bible means. If you believe the Bible you would have read it for yourself, ingested it and sent questions to God in your heart (Luke 17:20-21) to revel to you what you need to understand of it.
            That is true for organized religion also, you would associate with them to ingest what they have to offer then take that to God for the nourishment you need to perfect your life in the image God wants it to be.

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   Rochelle Frankposted 4 years ago

   I think everyone should read the Bible, as well as other religious texts. They are an important part of our cuture and a way to understand the traditions and thinking of people of all faiths and non- faiths.
   Read all with an open mind without letting your brains fall out.

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   1. 56

      The0NatureBoyposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      Rochelle, the Great Commission (Mathew 28:19-20) Jesus put out there for everyone who believes enough to obey is teachings suggest not just read but study the Bible and all religions you are inspired to explore. That means I agree with you.

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      Mark O Richardsonposted 4 years agoin reply to this

      I agree as well.  It is harder to love others when we do not understand them.

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