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Q. does god really care about you? A. God cares about you personally- 1 Peter 5:7

Q. does god have a name? A. Gods personal name is Jehovah- Psalms 83:18 if your bible doesnt say his name, i have a list of bibles that do if you would like to know which ones they are. just let me know!

Q.what is God like? A. Jehovah God is loving , kind and merciful.-Exodus 34:6,

1 John 4:8,16

Q. is it possible to get close to God? A. Jehovah invites you to draw close to him.-

-James 4:8

these are just some eye opening questions, to which the bible tells us the answers, look up the scriptures see for yourself!

have you ever noticed the way children ask questions? many start asking as soon as they learn to speak. with wide, eager eyes, they look up at you and ask such things as: why is the sky blue?what are the stars made up of? who taught the birds to sing? you may try hard to answer, but it is not always easy. even your best answer may lead to yet another question: why?

children are not the only ones to who ask questions. as we grow up , we keep asking. we do this in order to find our way, to learn of dangers that we need to avoid, or satisfy our curiosity. but many people seem to stop asking questions , especially the most important ones.at least they stop searching for the answers.

think about the questions at the top of this page. these are some of the most important questions you can ask. yet, many people have given up trying to find the answers. why? does the bible have the answers? some feel that its answers are to hard to understand. others worry that asking questions could lead to shame or embarrassment. and some decide that such questions are best left up to religious leaders an teachers. what about you?

very likely you are interested in getting answers to life's big questions. no doubt you sometimes wonder: what is the purpose of life? is this life all there is ? what is God really like? it is good to ask such questions , and it is important that you dont give up until you find satisfying, reliable answers. the famous teacher Jesus Christ said: "keep on asking, and it will be given to you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking , and it will be open to you."-Matthew 7:7

if you "keep on seeking" for the answers to the important questions, you will find that the search can be very rewarding .(Proverbs 2:1-5) despite what other people may have told you, there are answers, and you can find them -in the bible. the answers are not too hard to understand. better yet, they bring hope and joy. and they can help you to live a satisfying life right now.

i dont wanna make this page to long, so later on i will make another topic in reference to this one, an it will talk about, is God uncaring or hard hearted?

stay tuned people.

p.s every thing i post in regards to the bible, i will definitely back it up with a scripture. thanks, have a good day.

KINGDAVID:-6

Perhaps you should start by stating your position on the Bible. If you are going to quote it on a regular basis then we need to be clear as to what and why you are referring to it.

Shalom

Ted:-6

my position is im a christian, as to what im refering to is pretty clear by the title of the topic, and why am i refering to it, is to let people know the truth about the bible, because i know for sure many dont, so im simply letting people know the truth about either the bible, or God an many other questions like hell or heaven which i will post about later on. does that answer your questions ted?

KINGDAVID:-6

In fact you have not answered my question. Please explain what you believe concerning the Bible and what you believe concerning God. Thanks.

Shalom

Ted:-6

Hi kingdavid,

firstly I classify myself now as a neo pagan. For many years I never put my beliefs into a pigeon hole but sometimes others need you to make it clear. As such I believe religion is a very integral part of a person so no religion is wrong even if it is atheism. I believe 'God' (as in the universal spirit rather than a guy with a white beard sitting in heaven) shows them what their religion should be.

Back to the reason I replied. I often wonder about the bible, I admit I've only read small bits as I find it difficult to follow and its not as funny as my other books, but what I wonder is ...as far as I can gather its written by lots of different people so why do people believe it is the word of god to the letter? If I gave a message to someone else to write down they would usually put their own spin on the wordings, things may be lost in translation and over thousands of years a giant game of chinese whispers brings fact and fiction closer together. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying anyone is wrong for believing it, that is what their god has shown them as the way, I just wonder how people can trust the writings of several other people ?

vampress.rozz wrote: Hi kingdavid,

firstly I classify myself now as a neo pagan. For many years I never put my beliefs into a pigeon hole but sometimes others need you to make it clear. As such I believe religion is a very integral part of a person so no religion is wrong even if it is atheism. I believe 'God' (as in the universal spirit rather than a guy with a white beard sitting in heaven) shows them what their religion should be.

Back to the reason I replied. I often wonder about the bible, I admit I've only read small bits as I find it difficult to follow and its not as funny as my other books, but what I wonder is ...as far as I can gather its written by lots of different people so why do people believe it is the word of god to the letter? If I gave a message to someone else to write down they would usually put their own spin on the wordings, things may be lost in translation and over thousands of years a giant game of chinese whispers brings fact and fiction closer together. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying anyone is wrong for believing it, that is what their god has shown them as the way, I just wonder how people can trust the writings of several other people ?


in answer to your question- i have a very long answer to this question but you will find this a satisfying one

A Letter From a Loving God

Why is the Bible so important?” Because it came from God. It tells us about him and about the good things that he will do for us. And it shows us what we should do in order to please him. It is like a letter from God.

Now God could have written the whole Bible in heaven and then given it to man. But he didn’t. Even though the ideas came from God, he used his servants on earth to do most of the writing of the Bible.

How did God do that?” To understand how, consider this. When we hear the voice of someone on the radio, the voice may come from a person who is far away. When we watch television, we can even see pictures of people in other countries of the world, and we can hear what they are saying.

Men can even go all the way to the moon in their spaceships, and they can send messages back to the earth from there. Did you know that?” If men can do that, can God send messages from heaven?” Of course he can! And he did it long before men had radio or television.

Moses was a man who actually heard God speak. Moses could not see God, but he could hear God’s voice. Millions of people were there when this happened. In fact, on that day God caused a whole mountain to shake, and there was thunder and lightning. The people knew that God had spoken, but they were very scared. So they told Moses: “Let not God speak with us for fear we may die.” Later, Moses wrote down the things that God had said. And what Moses wrote is in the Bible.”Exodus 20:18-21.

Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. But he was not the only one who wrote. God used about 40 men to write parts of the Bible. These men lived a long, long time ago, and it took many years for the Bible to be finished. Yes, it took a period of about 1,600 years! What is amazing is that even though some of these men never met one another, everything they wrote is in absolute agreement.

Some men who were used by God to write the Bible were famous. Although Moses had been a shepherd, he became the leader of the nation of Israel. Solomon was a king who was both the wisest and the richest man in the world. But other writers were not so well-known. Amos took care of trees that grew figs.

In addition, one Bible writer was a medical doctor. Do you know his name?” It was Luke. Another writer had been a tax collector. His name was Matthew. Still another had been a lawyer, an expert in Jewish religious law. He wrote more books of the Bible than anyone else. Do you know his name?” It was Paul. And Jesus’ disciples Peter and John, who also were Bible writers, had been fishermen.

Many of these Bible writers wrote about things that God was going to do in the future. How did they know those things before they even happened?” God had given those men the information. He had told them what would happen.

By the time that Jesus, the Great Teacher, was on earth, a big part of the Bible had been written. Now, remember, the Great Teacher had been in heaven. He knew what God had done. Did he believe that the Bible was from God?” Yes, he did.

When Jesus talked to people about the works of God, he read from the Bible. Sometimes he told them from memory what it said. Jesus also brought us more information from God. Jesus said: “The very things I heard from him I am speaking in the world.” (John 8:26) Jesus had heard many things from God because he had lived with God. And where can we read those things that Jesus said?” In the Bible. It was all written down for us to read.

Of course, when God used men to write, they wrote in the language that they used every day. So most of the Bible was written in Hebrew, some in Aramaic, and a lot of it in Greek. Since most people today do not know how to read those languages, the Bible has been put into other languages. Today parts of the Bible can be read in over 2,260 languages. Just think of that! The Bible is God’s letter to people everywhere. But no matter how many times it has been copied, the message is from God.

What the Bible says is important for us. It was written a long time ago. But it tells about things that are happening today. And it tells us what God is going to do in the near future. What it says is exciting! It gives us a wonderful hope.

The Bible also tells us how God wants us to live. It tells us what is right and what is wrong. You need to know this, and so do I. It tells us about people who did bad things and what happened to them, so that we can avoid the trouble they had. It also tells us about people who did right and the good results that came to them. It was all written down for our good.

But to get the most out of the Bible, we need to know the answer to a question. The question is this: Who gave us the Bible? What would you say?” Yes, the whole Bible is from God. How, then, can we show that we are really wise?” By listening to God and by doing what he says.

So we need to take time to read the Bible together. When we get a letter from someone we love very much, we read it again and again. It is precious to us. That is the way the Bible should be to us because it is a letter from the One who loves us most. It is a letter from a loving God.

Take a few more minutes now to read these scriptures that show that the Bible truly is God’s Word, written for our benefit: Romans 15:4; 2*Timothy 3:16,*17; and 2*Peter 1:20,*21.

KINGDAVID wrote:

The Bible also tells us how God wants us to live. It tells us what is right and what is wrong. You need to know this, and so do I. It tells us about people who did bad things and what happened to them, so that we can avoid the trouble they had. It also tells us about people who did right and the good results that came to them. It was all written down for our good.

Who gave us the Bible? What would you say?” Yes, the whole Bible is from God.

Take a few more minutes now to read these scriptures that show that the Bible truly is God’s Word, written for our benefit: Romans 15:4; 2*Timothy 3:16,*17; and 2*Peter 1:20,*21.


Firstly thank you for such a prompt answer.

I have a copy of the scriptures that my local Jehovah's witnesses left with me after I had lots of questions for them on each occasion that they have visited. I have managed to read all of the scriptures that you wrote about.

I think though using the book itself to prove that it is right is a little odd...if someone doesnt have out and out faith in it in the first place. I probably wouldn't say necessarily that god gave us the bible...It's not god I don't trust so much as the people that wrote it down. It says that we should believe it is from god, but if I wrote a book portaining to be god's word I'd probably say that to.

The stories about Moses and about Jesus reading from the bible while very interesting also assume that someone believes in them to begin with rather than believing they are legends as well. As I said I believe that 'god' speaks to us in ways suitable for each of us if we want to stop and listen so why would he/she or it (depending on your viewpoint) need a written word. If most people listen to their inner voice, possibly the voice of their god, they know what is right and what is wrong.

First of all, KD, if you are a Jehovah's Witness you should do the right thing and identify yourself as one. That would open up the discussion so that those of us who have what we consider to be legitimate criticism of the JW's and their peculiar interpretation of the Bible can express it.

Secondly, there is no such word as 'Jehovah'. The Judeo-Christian God's personal name, as given in (transliterated) Hebrew consonants is YHWH. The vowels are uncertain, as is the meaning, but the concensus of modern scholars is that the name means something like 'I am who I am', and that with vowels, the name is best expressed as YAHWEH. Many Jews, however, consider the name of God too sacred to be written in full, so they leave out letters and even today devout Jews write, in English, G-d instead of God, regardless of the context. 'Jehovah' seems to have been formed by taking the consonants YHWH and interpolating the vowels from "Adonai' or 'Elohim', but it is a completely artificial and archaic construction. If you can provide documented evidence from scholarly sources, not JW apologist material, that God's true personal name is Jehovah rather than Yahweh, please do so, giving the source.

Thirdly, your attitude reminds me of the old story about the mother asking the little child what she was drawing and the child said, 'I'm drawing a picture of God.'

The mother said, 'Honey, no one knows what God looks like', and the child replied, 'They will when I finish my picture.' You seem to be saying that no matter what any of us think about God and the Bible, no matter how diverse our beliefs might be, you will tell us the truth. As Ted suggested, here and on the other thread you began, just share your own testimony with us and we will share ours with you.

Fourthly, since you claim to be such an authority, you might want to list your formal qualifications as a theologian and Bible scholar. Standing on street corners hawking Watchtower and Awake doesn't cut it.

Finally, a non-religious suggestion. If you look closely at your computer keyboard, you will see two keys, one on each side, labeled 'Caps' or "Shift'. Using either of them will spruce up the appearance of your posts nicely.

Edited a while later to add the following: I see that you have already identified yourself as a JW on another thread. Fair enough.

Bronwen:-6

YHWH=Jehovah

That is why they hired their own "translators". Nice trick if that is what you want.

Shalom

Ted:-6

Ted wrote: That is why they hired their own "translators". Nice trick if that is what you want.Ted, of course the rendering of God's name as 'Jehovah' is not blasphemous or disrespectful, it's just WRONG, and that has been well known for, I believe, more than a century now. I'll admit that, to a western ear, it has a better ring then 'Yahweh'.

You are correct, however, that the JW Bible is a 'cooked' Bible, with literally THOUSANDS of deliberate errors in translation performed in order to conform Scripture to JW teachings (rather than the other way around). Nowadays, of course, nearly all new translations are the result of interdenominational scholarship, either Catholic-Protestant or Catholic-Protestant-Jewish. If the JW's would abandon their deceptive translation and embrace the authoritative ones now available to all Christians it would be a great asset to their credibility.

Bronwen:-6

"An asset to their credibility." Oh okay. LOL

Shalom

Ted:-6

KINGDAVID wrote: Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. But he was not the only one who wrote. God used about 40 men to write parts of the Bible. These men lived a long, long time ago, and it took many years for the Bible to be finished. Yes, it took a period of about 1,600 years! What is amazing is that even though some of these men never met one another, everything they wrote is in absolute agreement.KD, I don't disagree at all with much of what you have written about the Bible and its writers; in fact, some of it is right on target and very well stated!

You also, however, make some rather serious errors.

Very few books of the Bible were actually written by the persons to whom they are attributed. It was very common in those times to attribute one's writings to some ancient worthy in order to - hopefully - give the writings more authority; in fact, this custom still exists today, and one can go into any bookstore and buy a Webster's Dictionary, a Roget's Thesaurus, and books of etiquette by 'Emily Post' and economics by 'Adam Smith', none of which have anything to do with the long-dead authorities whose names they bear.

Moses certainly did not write the Pentateuch; those five books were, in fact, carefully assembled from a wide variety of sources by a committee of experts during the Babylonian Exile in the 8th century BC.

Paul only wrote a few of the letters attributed to him.

The time frame of all the Biblical writings is from after 800BC to about AD100, WAY short of 1600 years.

...and finally, no one who has ever read the Bible could seriously assert that 'everything in it is in absolute agreement'; indeed, there is an entire thread devoted to all of the many factual errors, discrepancies and contradictions currently active on this very forum. You should check it out.

Bronwen wrote: KD, I don't disagree at all with much of what you have written about the Bible and its writers; in fact, some of it is right on target and very well stated!

You also, however, make some rather serious errors.

Very few books of the Bible were actually written by the persons to whom they are attributed. It was very common in those times to attribute one's writings to some ancient worthy in order to - hopefully - give the writings more authority; in fact, this custom still exists today, and one can go into any bookstore and buy a Webster's Dictionary, a Roget's Thesaurus, and books of etiquette by 'Emily Post' and economics by 'Adam Smith', none of which have anything to do with the long-dead authorities whose names they bear.

Moses certainly did not write the Pentateuch; those five books were, in fact, carefully assembled from a wide variety of sources by a committee of experts during the Babylonian Exile in the 8th century BC.

Paul only wrote a few of the letters attributed to him.

The time frame of all the Biblical writings is from after 800BC to about AD100, WAY short of 1600 years.

...and finally, no one who has ever read the Bible could seriously assert that 'everything in it is in absolute agreement'; indeed, there is an entire thread devoted to all of the many factual errors, discrepancies and contradictions currently active on this very forum. You should check it out.


youll find this interesting please read browmen-this is from jehovahs witnesses

PENTATEUCH

(Pen′ta·teuch).

This anglicized Greek word (meaning “five rolls” or “fivefold volume”) refers to the first five books of the Bible”Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Contents. The Pentateuch is a most important segment of God’s written Word, furnishing a solid foundation upon which much that follows firmly rests. Its first book, Genesis, gives us the inspired account of creation and also traces man’s history from Eden down through much of the patriarchal era to the death of Joseph (“in the beginning” to 1657*B.C.E.). The second book, Exodus, begins with the death of Joseph and tells of Moses’ birth during a time of slavery, of the deliverance of God’s people from Egyptian bondage, and of the inauguration of the Law covenant at Sinai; it includes details for the construction of the central structure for worship, namely, the tabernacle in the wilderness (historic events from 1657 to 1512*B.C.E.). Leviticus, the third book, covering only about one month’s time (1512*B.C.E.), gives invaluable information about the Levitical priesthood, its ordination, and its duties, as well as laws and regulations governing the congregation’s obligatory support of Jehovah’s worship. The fourth book, Numbers, as its name implies, tells of the censuses taken near the beginning and end of the wilderness journey. It also gives us many details on the 40 years of wandering (down to 1473*B.C.E.) and includes many laws embraced within the framework of the national covenant. The final book, Deuteronomy, covers about two months’ time (1473*B.C.E.); it explains portions of the Law covenant and provides many ordinances necessary for the new generation of Israelites who were poised on the Plains of Moab, ready to invade and occupy the Promised Land. The closing chapters tell of the appointment of Joshua as leader and the death of Moses.

Writership. There is no single text saying that Moses wrote the entire Pentateuch, but scattered throughout the material are explicit statements serving the same purpose. (Ex 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Nu 33:2; De 31:9, 19, 22, 24-26) There are also many sections where the words are directly credited to Moses, beginning with his first recorded conversation (Ex 2:13,*14), continuing to his final blessing on the people (De 33:1-29), and including some of his lengthy speeches (De 1:1; 5:1; 27:1; 29:2; 31:1) and notable songs. (Ex 15:1-19; De 31:30–32:43) The opening verses of 20 out of 27 chapters of Leviticus tell us that what follows are the words of Jehovah spoken to Moses so he, in turn, could inform the people. The same is true in more than 50 instances in the book of Numbers. So, with the exception of the closing verses of Deuteronomy, the evidence within the Pentateuch itself shows that its writership properly belongs to Moses.

Many other passages in the Bible witness to the fact that the Pentateuch was from the hand of Moses. (Jos 1:7; Jg 3:4; 2Ki 18:6; Mal 4:4) Such men as David (1Ki 2:1-3), Daniel (9:11), Ezra (6:18), Nehemiah (8:1), Jesus (Mr 12:26; Lu 16:29; Joh 7:19), Luke (24:27), and John (1:17) make references to this work as that of Moses. More directly to the point, Jesus acknowledged that Moses was the writer (Mr 10:3-5; Joh 5:46,*47), as did also the Sadducees.”Mr 12:18,

as for the discrepencies an contradictions being talked about, thats everyones opinion, not factual. besides the bible isnt a book you can just pick up an try an find errors in , the bible is a very hard an easy book to understand at times, do not take everything literal in it, its sometimes speaks in spritual, symbolic forms , not eveything is literal. heres a little test of your knowledge, take revelation 12:7-12 for instance what do you think this means to you , is it a literal saying or a spiritual sayin, or does it mean anything at all, tell me what you think?

KINGDAVID wrote: youll find this interesting please read browmen-this is from jehovahs witnesses


Oh geeze....are you a Jehovah's Witness??!!? Please say it ain't so.....

No, I don't have the patience to read what you copied and pasted, I just want to know if you're a JW.

KINGDAVID:-6

The following is from Bible stranslators, scholars and well educated clergy: paraphrased of course. The Bible is a book composed of writings by many authors. The Pentateuch was passed on orally for centuries with some later written manuscripts used in it final compilation. None of the Pentateuch was written by Moses. He was long dead before it was composed.l

This book is composed of myth, legend, folk tale, poetry, short story, fiction, theology, philosophy, some but very little history etc. It was never intended to be read literally. Now if others want to say differently that is how the Jews take the OT. Are we to now tell the Jews how to read their own book. Give me a break.

Interpretation is not just a matter of reading and saying whatever comes into ones hear. It was written in a style called midrash, and must be interpreted that way. Midrash makes a great deal of use of the above mentioned styles along with metaphor. It is a style in which later stories are interpreted using the older ancient words. This is true in the NT as well. The Life of Jesus was interpreted using the words of the OT.

In interpretation we must make use of knowledge of their culture, their history, belief systems, conceptualization abilities, , fund of knowledge, their language etc. Without this you have no idea as to what the authors intended.

I will not get into the organizations nonsense about the Trinity. They have no idea as to what they are talking about.

The NT and especially the gospels, whomever the authors were, are writings that give us what the church had come to believe about this Yeshua of Nazareth, at the time of writing. It is the nature of developing tradition.

I will, however, make reference to the term "Christian". That term has come to mean those who accept the Divinity of the risen Lord., This organization has usurped the term and it in no way describes the Jehovah Witnjesses.

You are some 20 years old and I am 62. I am far from knowing everything and have much to learn but I will choose to learn from scholarly people who know more then I do. You might consider the same approach. Scholarly people are those who are accepted by the major scholarly associations around the world. I do not choose scholars who begin with a preconceived notion about what they want to prove. They have to work at it.

Shalom

Ted:-6

KINGDAVID wrote: 1. youll find this interesting please read browmen-this is from jehovahs witnesses

2. This anglicized Greek word (meaning “five rolls” or “fivefold volume”) refers to the first five books of the Bible”Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

3. The Pentateuch is a most important segment of God’s written Word, furnishing a solid foundation upon which much that follows firmly rests.

4. Its first book, Genesis, gives us the inspired account of creation and also traces man’s history from Eden down through much of the patriarchal era to the death of Joseph (“in the beginning” to 1657*B.C.E.).

5. The second book, Exodus, begins with the death of Joseph and tells of Moses’ birth during a time of slavery, of the deliverance of God’s people from Egyptian bondage, and of the inauguration of the Law covenant at Sinai; it includes details for the construction of the central structure for worship, namely, the tabernacle in the wilderness (historic events from 1657 to 1512*B.C.E.). Leviticus, the third book, covering only about one month’s time (1512*B.C.E.), gives invaluable information about the Levitical priesthood, its ordination, and its duties, as well as laws and regulations governing the congregation’s obligatory support of Jehovah’s worship. The fourth book, Numbers, as its name implies, tells of the censuses taken near the beginning and end of the wilderness journey. It also gives us many details on the 40 years of wandering (down to 1473*B.C.E.) and includes many laws embraced within the framework of the national covenant. The final book, Deuteronomy, covers about two months’ time (1473*B.C.E.); it explains portions of the Law covenant and provides many ordinances necessary for the new generation of Israelites who were poised on the Plains of Moab, ready to invade and occupy the Promised Land. The closing chapters tell of the appointment of Joshua as leader and the death of Moses.

6a. There is no single text saying that Moses wrote the entire Pentateuch...

6b. ...but scattered throughout the material are explicit statements serving the same purpose. (Ex 17:14; 24:4; 34:27; Nu 33:2; De 31:9, 19, 22, 24-26)

7. There are also many sections where the words are directly credited to Moses, beginning with his first recorded conversation (Ex 2:13,*14), continuing to his final blessing on the people (De 33:1-29), and including some of his lengthy speeches (De 1:1; 5:1; 27:1; 29:2; 31:1) and notable songs. (Ex 15:1-19; De 31:30–32:43) The opening verses of 20 out of 27 chapters of Leviticus tell us that what follows are the words of Jehovah spoken to Moses so he, in turn, could inform the people. The same is true in more than 50 instances in the book of Numbers.

8. So, with the exception of the closing verses of Deuteronomy, the evidence within the Pentateuch itself shows that its writership properly belongs to Moses.

9. Many other passages in the Bible witness to the fact that the Pentateuch was from the hand of Moses. (Jos 1:7; Jg 3:4; 2Ki 18:6; Mal 4:4) Such men as David (1Ki 2:1-3), Daniel (9:11), Ezra (6:18), Nehemiah (8:1), Jesus (Mr 12:26; Lu 16:29; Joh 7:19), Luke (24:27), and John (1:17) make references to this work as that of Moses. More directly to the point, Jesus acknowledged that Moses was the writer (Mr 10:3-5; Joh 5:46,*47), as did also the Sadducees.”Mr 12:18,

10. as for the discrepencies an contradictions being talked about, thats everyones opinion, not factual. besides the bible isnt a book you can just pick up an try an find errors in , the bible is a very hard an easy book to understand at times, do not take everything literal in it, its sometimes speaks in spritual, symbolic forms , not eveything is literal. heres a little test of your knowledge, take revelation 12:7-12 for instance what do you think this means to you , is it a literal saying or a spiritual sayin, or does it mean anything at all, tell me what you think?1. Kingdude, I have read it and you are correct, it is not only interesting but much of it is quite accurate. There are, however, parts that are not.

2. Absolutely correct.

3. Well....yes and no, and perhaps I'm quibbling here. The Hebrew Bible is in three parts, the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Hexateuch (nearly all modern Bible scholars now group Joshua with the first five books) certainly forms the basis of the Law, and, of course, of traditional Hebrew history. But I'm not sure that makes these books the most important. All of the Bible is important, each part in its own way.

4. Here your source goes astray, for Genesis gives us not one but two accounts of creation, mutually irreconcilable, each derived from pagan creation myths (Babylonian and Sumerian I believe) which are still available in their original forms. Simliarly, the story of Noah and the flood is based on the Epic of Gilmamesh, which may also be read today in its original, or at least in its pre-Biblical form. In fact, nearly all modern Bible scholars, Jewish and Christian, believe all of Genesis to be legendary, though it certainly might contain some accounts which have a factual and/or historical basis, especially in the later chapters. It does not, of course, make any mention of the millions of years of human and pre-human history prior to the time frame of 'Adam'.

5. Quite accurate and very well stated.

6a. Correct.

6b, 7, 8, and 9. Intelligent Bible readers might disagree whether any of these verses, based on the content of the verses alone, imply that Moses wrote the Pentateuch; the fact remains that modern Bible scholarship can discern with virtual certainty at least four major sources and several minor ones for the content of these books, and can reliably trace their origin to the 8th century BC. There is no question that Moses is traditionally regarded as their author, just as Paul is traditionally regarded as the author of the letters attributed to him, even though several of them can be dated to long after his death. Traditions are one thing, facts often something else entirely.

10. Well, here I can speak only for myself. As I have mentioned here before, I have been reading the Bible ever since I learned to read and I can assure you that I did not begin reading the Bible to try to find errors in it, nor do I read it for that purpose now. One need, however, only read the first two chapters of Genesis and apply simple common sense to realize that God could not have made the animals before man (Gen 1) and man before the animals (Gen 2), or that, later on, Solomon's sea could not have had a capacity of 12,000 gallons and also of 18,000 gallons, and in the NT gospels, that Joseph could not have been the son of Heli and also the son of Jacob, and that Judas Iscariot could not have taken his ill-gotten silver and bought a field with it and also returned it to the temple. These factual errors and discrepancies do not make the Bible one whit less sacred and less authoritative to those of us who understand it and its origins.

Regarding Revelation, we have recently discussed that extensively on other threads. It was written by a man named John, not the Evangelist, as a book of comfort and encouragement to Christians who were being persecuted by pagan Rome. The symbolism it contains was undoubtedly understood by John's contemporaries, though some of it may be obscure today.

Bronwen:-6

Sounds good to me. Well put.

Shalom

Ted:-6

I think the King may have abdicated.

i dont want to start a war or personal attack thing & its just my opinion but i dont believe there is a god of any kind & religion (in my opinion causes nothing but trouble)

how did we get here - simple

inside stars

all the chemicals in your body from the calcium in your bones to the zinc in your hair, were origionally forged in the fiery furnaces inside stars

over the past 12 billion years, these chemicals have passed through the cores of at least 2 stars before settling inside you

buttercup:-6

I am in complete agreement with your comments on the stars. Yes we are made of stardust.

I do disagree with you on the reality of God. However, that is my opinion. And yes you have alluded to the horrible deeds done in the name of God. We ought not to blame God, if He exists, for the misues of his name. Humans misuse many things all the time. That is human nature.

Shalom

Ted:-6

We're made of stardust? How romantic. I don't believe god is a "he" I believe there is a divine essense in the universe that we choose to follow or not as the case maybe. I believe "god" comes to people in many different ways ....the way it is right for them. I've always believed you feel "the divine" or "god" best when looking at the stars...

im so glad that my comments dident cause any riots, there's been so much unrest of late, just shows it can be done, a jew, a white witch & a non believer all accepting of each other in the same thread

vanpress:-6

I have absolutely no reservations about the way you think of God. If God exists, and I believe s/he does, s/he is the source and ground of our being. We do not have the language anywhere on the earth that can adequately or even closely describe of define God. Thus we must resort to metaphor. Thus God has a thousand names: God, Yahweh, Allah, The Creator and on and on.

We have resorted down through the centuries to refer to God as a person, generally it has been Father but more and more Mother, Brother, Sister, Companion, the Divine etc.

Shalom

Ted:-6

buttercup:-6

I enjoy a good debate or discussion but they don't always have to get, shall we say, heated up, although that is ok too as long as folks realize that in the end it doesn't matter.

Of course there are three of us speaking together civily. Why not? We are all children of God if you so believe and if not we are definitely all children of Mother Earth. We are on this boat together so we might just as well get along.

An innocent question for no other reason then personal interest. Who is the Jewish person?

Shalom

Ted:-6

Those were not eye opening questions...........if you take any of the religions on this planet Earth..........they are the same questions each religions asks,



1. Q. does god really care about you? about you personally- 1 Peter 5:7

2. Q. does god have a name? A. Gods personal name is Jehovah- Psalms 83:18 if your bible doesnt say his name, i have a list of bibles that do if you would like to know which ones they are. just let me know!

3. Q.what is God like? A. Jehovah God is loving , kind and merciful.-Exodus 34:6,

1 John 4:8,16

4. Q. is it possible to get close to God? A. Jehovah invites you to draw close to him.-

-James 4:8

Answers to your questions.........

1.Q: . does god really care about you? about you personally- 1 Peter 5:7

Those were not eye opening questions...........if you take any of the religions on this planet Earth..........they are the same questions each religions asks,



1. Q. does god really care about you? about you personally- 1 Peter 5:7

2. Q. does god have a name? A. Gods personal name is Jehovah- Psalms 83:18 if your bible doesnt say his name, i have a list of bibles that do if you would like to know which ones they are. just let me know!

3. Q.what is God like? A. Jehovah God is loving , kind and merciful.-Exodus 34:6,

1 John 4:8,16

4. Q. is it possible to get close to God? A. Jehovah invites you to draw close to him.-

-James 4:8

Answers to your questions.........

1.Q: . does god really care about you? about you personally- 1 Peter 5:7



Your god does not start with a capital "G". Is he really your God?

2. Q. does god have a name? A. Gods personal name is Jehovah- Psalms 83:18 if your bible doesnt say his name, i have a list of bibles that do if you would like to know which ones they are. just let me know!

You have a list of Bibles....do you have a list of religions that adhere to a supreme consciousness?

3. Q.what is God like? A. Jehovah God is loving , kind and merciful.-Exodus 34:6,

1 John 4:8,16

God is the spirit that gives anyone and everyone their spiritual need.



4. Q. is it possible to get close to God? A. Jehovah invites you to draw close to him.-

-James 4:8

In every person their lies a spirit that connects to the divine spirit.

Hi Buttercup you can throw a neo-pagan into the brewing pot of this discussion:wah: :wah:

The God of the Old and New do clash a lot IMO.

buttercup wrote: im so glad that my comments dident cause any riots, there's been so much unrest of late, just shows it can be done, a jew, a white witch & a non believer all accepting of each other in the same thread


Hear, hear!

Ted wrote: vanpress:-6

I have absolutely no reservations about the way you think of God. If God exists, and I believe s/he does, s/he is the source and ground of our being. We do not have the language anywhere on the earth that can adequately or even closely describe of define God. Thus we must resort to metaphor. Thus God has a thousand names: God, Yahweh, Allah, The Creator and on and on.

We have resorted down through the centuries to refer to God as a person, generally it has been Father but more and more Mother, Brother, Sister, Companion, the Divine etc.

Shalom

Ted:-6


That is sympathetic enough. But is it the truth?

Hi Downtown. I guess I'm being naive, but why would someone share a false belief about God/the divine spirit?