Feb 01 2008
Holy Bible: Fact or Fiction?
There are many Christians and other people who swear by the Bible. The claim is that it is the word of God. Many other religions disagree that it is the word of God. So who is correct.
It was Constantine the Roman Emperor who commissioned the construction of what people now view as the Holy Bible. His committee went through many books that were belieevd to be the word of God and weeded out the ones they did not think belonged. This was not the first intervention of man but the largest in tern of how the Bible is currently seen.
Reading through both the old and new testaments, you see many stories of glory, romance, Gothic tales, and heroism. There are wonderful stories on how the world started with Adam and Eve, the story of the great King David, and the saving of the animals by Noah during the great flood. The new testament finds the parables of Jesus and how he arose from the dead after dying on the cross for the sins of the world. These are all interesting stories and give an insight into living a morale life.
However, in my opinion, they are just that, stories. Did the men who wrote the books think they were inspired by God? Most likely a majority of them did but it still does not mean it was. The contradictions in the old and new testaments leads one to wonder of they were the same God.
In the old testament, you see a vengeful God who talks of an eye for eye and tooth for a tooth. He not only allows mass killings but encourages characters like David to carry them out. Then he allows a Job a man in his prime to stricken with heartache and sickness just as a test to see if he will forsaken God. The God of the old testament believes in punishment of both women being subordinate to men and all humans subordinate to him. Does not sound like a friendly loving God does it? Sounds like control issues.
On the contrary, the new testament shows a loving forgiving God who not all loves people so much, he sends his son to die for all of their sins. Jesus, son and God, shows how loving he is by interfering with a stoning of a whore and speaking of not judging others unless you are without sin. A lesson many so called Christians could learn from. There are many lessons of God’s love. Is it just that he changed his outlook?
Religion is faith and only faith, with no proof of reality. So to answer the fact or fiction questions, the Bible is fact if you want to put blind faith in it. For me, I look at the stories at both interesting and having many morale lessons. Beyond the possibility of the stories are scientifically impossible and more fiction than fact.
From Moses parting the Red Sea to Noah repopulating the world from just his family to the rising from the dead of both Lazarus and Jesus all make interesting stories. However, there are many similar stories from many other religions. They are called folk tales or legends.
In my final opinion, the Bible is no more real or less real than any other religion. It is purely a leap of faith. You can believe in anything if you have faith. For me, I prefer to see real proof not a book that tells me that it is real.
Please feel free to share your own opinion.
I was raised Catholic and go to a Catholic church and my fiance is a Music Director of a new Methodist church that is in our area. My children and I attend both churches. I would rather take my chances believing than not believing.
I must be a rare Christian though because I believe that all people should be free to practice whatever their beliefs are and if they have no belief that’s okay too. I try hard not to judge others because I don’t want to be judged. I equate God with love, so I try to be a good person and spread love.