This is not an article about the Bible, or the God therein. It's about basing all of one's opinions on words written at a different time and for different cultures.
I've always felt the Bible to be an excellent form of written history and it proclaims a wonderful philosophy. And although I'm not a Christian, I am not anti-Christian. I think there are people who truly believe and live by the Bible's standards........and on the flip-side, those who use the Bible's standards to their own gain.
Ideas about what is right and wrong change - even in biblical times. At one point, women were forbidden to speak in church - having to wait until they get home to obtain answers from their husbands. Property rights were given to only those who inherited land. Slavery was upheld as the norm. These laws changed as societies changed.
My point (simplistic I know) is that as societies change and evolve, our thinking and laws must change as well. We have to base our change in thinking on not only valid points, philosophies and ethics, but on the changes in society.
There are so many controversial subjects these days - abortion, gay rights.....and it seems many people cannot make an argument without saying, "because the Bible says so."
I for one, am glad that rules and laws were changed by people who not only had good moral standards, but also thought for themselves....going against previously written laws to come to a (most of the time) logical conclusion. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the right of voicing my opinion now. Whether my ideas are right or wrong - I have the privilege to ask questions of myself and of others.
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Comments: 38
I believe what it says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
To me, the Bible is God's love letter to us. It is His instruction manual for our lives. If we read it faithfully and follow those instructions, life is so much better and easier.
That doesn't mean that some have read the words in the Bible and misunderstood them, for they have. While most people believe that Paul was against all women speaking in church, that cannot really be the case, since he had women who did so in his own ministry. Words taken out of context - whether in the Bible or in any writing - can be used, abused and misunderstood. And that's whay many - especially supposed Christian or Catholic - leaders have done through the ages.
It's better for each one who follows Christ to read on his/her own, asking the Holy Spirit to help him/her understand.
Life on earth is constantly changing - we are constantly learning aka discovering new things.......some good and others bad...and because of that, laws pertaining to ethics and/or spirtuality cannot remain static.
We have to adjust based on information.
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Coyotes Remember
I agree one hundred percent
That sums it all up
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I think your article makes a very valid point -- too many Christians stake their beliefs on it just being because the Bible says a thing is so. But WHY do they believe what they do in their hearts?? I know that Jesus is real and that God loves me because He has literally saved my life on several occasions. I have seen my guardian angel -- I was a teenager. I once saw a demon, spoke the name of Jesus, and it disappeared. No one can tell me these things were hallucinations. I agree with you that a lot of the cultural things in the Bible have gone out of date . . . slavery is one issue that is discussed as part of the Old Testament laws. (If you read it, though, God is not really condoning slavery. More of an indentured servant type situation.)
Anyway, great article. I am rambling. :)