From: jtem01@gmail.com   
      
   On 1/4/26 12:49 PM, Mike wrote:   
   >   
   >   
   > 1. Is the Bible the literal word of God, or a collection of human   
   >     writings shaped by culture, politics, and history?   
      
   They are a collection of morality tales -- akin to aesop's fables ==   
   as well as (even today) typical "Oriental" i.e. middle eastern   
   revisionism, justifying/proving their claim to ownership of the land   
   and special status as the "Chosen people."   
      
   You see the exact same thing going on with the "Palestinian"   
   mythology. You know, where a half dozen "Arab" states declare war   
   on Israel and they recast that as a "numerically superior" Israel   
   chasing all the Palestinians off the land.   
      
   > 2. How historically reliable are the Bible's major events, such as   
   >     the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan, or the Resurrection?   
      
   Zero.   
      
   > 3. Why does the Bible contain apparent contradictions, such as   
   >     differing creation accounts, genealogies, or resurrection stories?   
      
   Because the so called "Books" came from different authors, different   
   time periods and even different cultures.   
      
   > 4. If God is loving and just, why does the Bible describe divine   
   >     violence, genocide, or commands to kill entire populations?   
      
   Much of it, or nearly all of it, was written at a time when there   
   were still "living gods" i.e. god kings. There were literal gods   
   smiting people left & right.   
      
   > 5. Does the Bible support slavery, tolerate it, or condemn it, and   
   >     why is slavery never explicitly abolished?   
      
   Slavery was a cultural norm throughout the world. The bible writers   
   talking about slavery would be akin to fish talking about water.   
      
   > 6. Why are women often portrayed as subordinate, and does the Bible   
   >     endorse patriarchy or gender inequality?   
      
   They were subordinate. A man could own as many wives as he could   
   afford. Plus he could have concubines.   
      
   > 7. Who decided which books belong in the Bible, and how was the   
   >     biblical canon formed?   
      
   The bible was finalized in the 5th century, when Justinian banned   
   (criminalized) all but the official versions -- one in Greek, one   
   in Latin.   
      
   > 8. Are biblical moral laws meant to be timeless, or were they only   
   >     intended for ancient societies and cultures?   
      
   They lacked our concepts of change. Just in your lifetime you've   
   seen... what? Cable TV and that's already given way to streaming.   
   The internet, computers and then phones... socially you've seen   
   a massive flood of illegal aliens changing your culture, gay   
   marriage and then the whole "Trans" & non binary thing...   
      
   > 9. Is salvation based on faith, works, divine election, or some   
   >     combination, and why does the Bible seem to support all of these?   
      
   If you have love of your fellow man in your heart, it's got to   
   come out in some ways.   
      
   > 10. Did Jesus explicitly claim to be God, or was that belief   
   >      developed later by his followers?   
      
   Son of God. He explicitly refers to God as his father.   
      
      
      
   --   
   https://jtem.tumblr.com/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)