pro/anti prejudices and the bible (for VanHoose)
walter nusbaum nusbaum@iglobal.net
Sat, 31 Jan 1998 09:58:34 -0600 (00886283914, 19980131155833765.AAA147@nusbaum.iglobal.net)
Walt(1/31)
At 11:58 PM 1/30/98 -0500, vanhoose wrote:
>vanhoose wrote:
>>
>> Phipps, John wrote:
>>
(Snip)
>> PAT
>> Dear John,
>> These are some of the facts about the Bible that seem to me to indicate
>> that it could not have simply been written by human beings:
>> 1. It was written over the course of 1600 years and 60 generations.
>> 2. It was written by more than 40 people. these people were, among
>> other things, kings, fishermen, scholars, and peasants.
>> 3. God, through the Holy Spirit, directed some authors to write his
>> message immediately and allowed others to pass on his message through
>> the generations.
>> 4. The Bible was written on three continents - Asia, Africa, and
>> Europe - and in many different types of places such as prisons, palaces,
>> in the wilderness, and on the road.
>> 5. The Bible was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and
>> Greek.
>> 6. The Bible includes history, prayers, worship songs, poems,
>> prophecies, and letters.
>> 7. Biblical authors wrote about many controversial subjects yet
>> maintained one consistent theme: God loves us and forgives us for our
>> sins.
>>
(Snip)
WALT
Dear Pat,
Nice summation. While the scope and chronology impress, it would seem that
god took an inordinate amount of time and used a multitude of mouths to get
his message across, which has clearly changed as god has evolved. He began
as the creator, then became the destroyer, then showed up as a war god for a
community of desert people. This allowed the leaders of that people to
rationalize their excesses.(Hey guys, this isn't *my* idea. God told me to
do it).
He then expanded his grasp to include all peoples of the world, while
maintaining a special relationship with his chosen people. The medium used
for passing his word was nebulous at best, usually through dreams and
revelations. Other people's dreams and revelations are not the things that
one should "bet the farm on", especially in light of the fact(as history now
shows) that the OT is riddled with false claims and prophesies.
I believe that Ian prefers to "take it from the top" and work down for this
reason(among others), because "if" it can be shown that the basic document
is flawed, anything that follows is necessarily likewise tainted.
It seems marvelously curious that this god's "word" is now used as the basis
for *three* major religions(A veritable unholy trinity! :)), each one at the
other's throat. Further, as regards one(Christianity), his word has spawned
some 2,400 denominations, all claiming truth. All this veracity is enough to
boggle the mind(and does, if you allow it).
Well Pat, just a couple of thoughts as you begin your journey. I hope that
it proves to be exciting and rewarding, wherever it may lead.
Best wishes,
Walt