Bible, a source of ethical values? (Warning, religious thoughts!) - by Gorgonseye
SD on 24/1/2008 at 15:44
Quote Posted by BR796164
When it comes to taking ethical inspiration from the Bible, it's like any other book - a wise man can take a lot of good inspiration from it and a stupid man can take a lot of bad inspiration from it.
Of course, if its value lies entirely in the wisdom or otherwise of its interpreter, this makes it essentially worthless as a guide to live your life by, no?
I'd also contend that it's not particularly like "any other book" in being so open to interpretation. I can think of plenty of books which could inspire nothing but wisdom and good sense in its readership.
Ben Gunn on 24/1/2008 at 16:23
Quote Posted by jtr7
Yeah.:nono:
Anyway, "image", as it's used here, is about visual appearance, visual representation. It's not like "CD image" where we are talking about information. Image as in how humans look, separate from motives, feelings, intent, actions, thought, etc.
Only one good interpetation of "image" that Ive heard of- he made us in his image= like him, we have free will and are capable of choice.
Sheesh, Im an atheist who has never been to religious school and I have to tell you that...:tsktsk:
Rogue Keeper on 24/1/2008 at 17:01
Quote Posted by SD
Of course, if its value lies entirely in the wisdom or otherwise of its interpreter, this makes it essentially worthless as a guide to live your life by, no?
I'd also contend that it's not particularly like "any other book" in being so open to interpretation. I can think of plenty of books which could inspire nothing but wisdom and good sense in its readership.
No interpreter is born with wisdom - that is achieved by studying, observation, analysis. Wisdom is not natural in-born intelligence. If wisdom was in-born, we wouldn'nt need any books as guides.
Many secular speculative philosophical works raise more questions than answers and you can interprete them in different ways. The stupid ones would rely on the "only one correct" interpretation from certain authority.
If the Bible inspire bad thoughts in you, however, you are entitled to it, of course. What I find more interesting is, how a mere book managed to shape the history of Western civilization, in various ways.
the one true thief on 24/1/2008 at 17:48
Quote Posted by BR796164
If the Bible inspire bad thoughts in you, however, you are entitled to it, of course.
What I find more interesting is, how a mere book managed to shape the history of Western civilization, in various ways.I believe it's called Human ignorance. :p
jtr7 on 24/1/2008 at 17:56
The word used in that case is translated from...
Quote:
tselem from an unused root meaning to shade; a phantom, i.e. (figuratively) illusion, resemblance; hence, a representative figure, especially an idol:--image, vain shew.It's not used very much at all. It's also used to describe Seth as Adam's son, and models of plague mice and butt sores fashioned from gold, and idols made to represent Baal. There's a strong emphasis on the external, separate from the internal.
This is where problems come in: What a sentence means vs. what the reader would like it to say vs. what another reader assumes vs. what a person who's never read it has been told it says....
37637598 on 24/1/2008 at 18:45
Quote Posted by BR796164
No interpreter is born with wisdom - that is achieved by studying, observation, analysis. Wisdom is not natural in-born intelligence. If wisdom was in-born, we wouldn'nt need any books as guides
This is true, although you cannot learn wisdom through a book entirely. You can only get an idea of how someone else is wise, you yourself must practice wisdom in order to understand it, and become wise. Not too many people who base their lives off the bible practice wisdom. I'd say it's not very wise to devote yourself to jesus christ as if he were a god, when god specifically says to honor only him (god, not jesus) over any other gods.
Quote Posted by BR796164
If the Bible inspire bad thoughts in you, however, you are entitled to it, of course. What I find more interesting is, how a mere book managed to shape the history of Western civilization, in various ways
Way back when, people were stupid. If you saw someone nailed to a cross, not moving, and you were alive in the time of christ, would you A) check for a pulse? B) Assume he's dead and take him down off the cross for his family to bury. Even now, just recently, a man was thought to be dead, but when they were doing his funeral, he started banging on the inside of his coffin, and asked for a glass of water when he was discovered alive!
To think that so many people followed this one man and still do to this day, all because he says he was tortured for our sins, but I see it as nothing more than a publicity stunt. I'm sure if Jesus was alive today, he'd be on jackass... but don't take my word for it.
My typical conversation with online preachers...
OH WAIT, I just had a feeling of adrenaline, it's a miracle! God is touching my heart! Truely what else could this feeling be?
learn something about your body, maybe then you'll figure it out.
No, it's god! I'm not gonna learn anything unless my pastor teaches me because he's old and nice and follows god and he should be the president.
But he doesn't know anything but the bible, he would be a terrible president.
No this country was founded on the teachings of god, in God we trust, one nation under god, etc...
Then what about wars? God says to forgive no matter what...
We wouldn't have wars!
So we would let other countries come in and kill us and take our resources and take us hostage and torture us?
No they wouldn't do that because they would see how we're peaceful.
No they would see how we've dropped our defense and take the oppertunity to take over the USA.
god is our defense.
What can god do?
He'll do something.
Like what? Kill the bad guys?
No god doesn't kill.
what about the 1000's of people he killed back in the day?
Oh yeah? Well... you're going to hell ooooo scarey, you're scared of hell, huh.. ooo... the devil's gonna getcha!
hell isn't real, the devil isn't gonna get anyone, you just believe that because you read it in a book and your pastor supports it.
The bible is real, the book of god, it tells us how to go to heaven.
Were gods finger prints on the origional scriptures? Show me.
No he wrote it through john, luke, shcquile, etc.
So man wrote the bible?
No, god did
but you just said he wrote it through man, so man wrote it?
Well the holy spirit told tham what to write
So they remembered everything the holy spirit told them, went home, got out some paper and a pen, and wrote exactly what the holy spirit told them?
Yes
What if they changed it or forgot some of it?
They wouldn't change it
do you know them?
I know god
Why would god leave such a huge task to man, man is incapable of fulfilling such an important task. Why didn't god just send us a bible from heaven, made of cloud gold?
I dont want to talk to you anymore
ok, I dont expect you to have all of the answers, but no-one seems to.
...
Well have fun living in question of yourself.
END-
SubJeff on 24/1/2008 at 19:51
Quote Posted by BR796164
What I find more interesting is, how a mere book managed to shape the history of Western civilization, in various ways.
I didn't.
What I find amazing is that people attribute things to a book, and not to the people who used it. It is a tool, nothing more, but it's foundation is built on the innate human drive to question existence and those who know how have twisted human nature by it.
failure2comply on 24/1/2008 at 21:33
Fact is, even if all religions were banned or eliminated, the same number - or more - would spring up the next day. Seems to be an innate human phenomenon.
ataricom on 24/1/2008 at 21:44
Quote Posted by BR796164
What I find more interesting is, how a mere book managed to shape the history of Western civilization, in various ways.
The only way I think Christianity shaped Western society is through the administration of the Catholic church during the middle ages. It was, for the most part, the backbone of western Europe for close to 1000 years, from the fall of the western Roman Empire through the Renaissance. Sure, it provided a faith for people to follow, but it became so badly contorted (people's beliefs in ghosts, witches, etc. became a staple to Christianity) that the only constant was the organization of the Church.
That being said, modern Catholicism has been "modern" for 500 years.
