From: user6340@newsgrouper.org.invalid
Mike posted:
> On 2026-01-04 17:59, Steven Douglas wrote:
> > Mike posted:
> >> 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.
> >
> > Since your mind is so closed, why did you bother to
> > ask the questions if you didn't want them answered?
>
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