From: theirony2013@gmail.com
On 2026-01-04 17:20, Steven Douglas wrote:
>
> Mike posted:
>>
>> TEN CONTROVERSIAL QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BIBLE
>
> I am SO happy to see this continuing interest in the Bible
> on this group! Let's keep this going all through this new
> year and beyond, God willing -- shall we?
>>
>> 1. Is the Bible the literal word of God, or a collection of human
>> writings shaped by culture, politics, and history?
>
> The Bible is the inspired Word of God. There is a reason
> that the Bible has had the positive impact on the world
> that it has, which is why wherever the Bible is observed
> by a society in today's world, there is generally peace
> and democracy.
>
> It's where the Bible is BANNED by a society that you'll
> find dictators, tyranny, and slavery. Also in today's
> world, nations that observe the Bible do not go to war
> with each other. Have you ever stopped to think about that?
>>
>> 2. How historically reliable are the Bible's major events, such as
>> the Exodus, the conquest of Canaan, or the Resurrection?
>
> As time goes by, more and more geological findings have
> confirmed the reliability of many Bible stories. But maybe
> something that atheists don't understand is that believers
> are able to take many parts of the Bible on faith. As the
> Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, "For we walk by faith, not
> by sight."
>
> There's also the fact that the Bible has proven itself to be
> true with its 100% accuracy record on its prophecies that
> have already happened. That makes it quite easy for me
> to accept on faith the parts of the Bible that don't have
> the proof that nonbelievers demand.
>>
>> 3. Why does the Bible contain apparent contradictions, such as
>> differing creation accounts, genealogies, or resurrection stories?
>
> Those are not contradictions. The supposed differences
> in the Creation accounts are not contradictions at all. The
> second chapter is a recounting of what took place in the
> first chapter. Referring to "genealogies" is rather vague,
> so I'm not sure what that's about.
>
> But the resurrection stories in the four Gospels accounts
> are mere differences in minor details. I imagine if those
> stories were all exact copies of each other, the complaint
> from nonbelievers would be that they were all taken from
> the same script.
>>
>> 4. If God is loving and just, why does the Bible describe divine
>> violence, genocide, or commands to kill entire populations?
>
> As I have mentioned to you previously, it's clear that you
> have no idea of the things that were being done by the
> Canaanites. Why don't you ask your AI thing to fill you in
> about some of the practices of the Canaanites? Particularly
> ask it what they did to babies and other children -- and how
> they would play loud music and why they would play loud
> music. Then, if the thing gives you the correct answer, you
> might begin to understand why God was not very happy
> with those people.
>>
>> 5. Does the Bible support slavery, tolerate it, or condemn it, and
>> why is slavery never explicitly abolished?
>
> I have addressed this question numerous times on this group
> through the years, but the quick answer is that the Bible put
> guidelines on slavery. Slavery existed before the Bible, and
> if the Bible had banned slavery, the Bible would have been
> rejected by the people who owned slaves.
>
> But by putting guidelines on how slaves were to be treated,
> the people who owned slaves started treating their slaves
> better. Eventually, Bible-believing societies banned slavery,
> while slavery continues to exist TO THIS VERY DAY in places
> where the Bible is banned.
>>
>> 6. Why are women often portrayed as subordinate, and does the Bible
>> endorse patriarchy or gender inequality?
>
> The Bible teaches that men are to be leaders and protectors
> of their wives and families. It's a shame that some Christian
> men took that as a license to be tyrants over their wives and
> families. But the reality is that we're supposed to put them
> first and sacrifice ourselves for them if necessary, as we are
> taught in Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands, love your wives, just as
> Christ also loved the church." Since Jesus died for us, that
> scripture teaches us to be prepared to die for our wives and
> families if need be.
>>
>> 7. Who decided which books belong in the Bible, and how was the
>> biblical canon formed?
>
> It was a group effort by many different people over the course
> of many years. The result is that we have a collection of books
> in the Bible that have made the world a better place than it
> would be without the Bible -- as is PROVEN by the kinds of
> societies that exist where the Bible is banned. Atheists us the
> kind of world this would be if they ruled the world -- just look
> at the old Soviet Union for one big example, or at a hellhole
> like North Korea.
>>
>> 8. Are biblical moral laws meant to be timeless, or were they only
>> intended for ancient societies and cultures?
>
> Of course they are timeless, which is why the Bible has such
> a profound and positive effect on the world (wherever the
> Bible is observed in the world).
>>
>> 9. Is salvation based on faith, works, divine election, or some
>> combination, and why does the Bible seem to support all of these?
>
> The Bible says belief in Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation,
> as Jesus told us in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and
> the life; no one comes to the Father except through me."
> Additionally, Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, "For by grace you have
> been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is
> the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
>>
>> 10. Did Jesus explicitly claim to be God, or was that belief
>> developed later by his followers?
>
> Being part of the Trinity, Jesus is God. In John 10:30 Jesus
> said, "I and the Father are one."
Hopefully some of the other people you claim are
reading had the patience, but I didn't have the
patience to read any of that.
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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