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I'm not sure that The Bible is the word of God. I think it is more likely to be the 3rd/4th/5th (insert number here) generation interpretation of the thoughts of someone who believed they were communicated with by God.

I think you are missing some fundimental points, but maybe I am not explaining things very well.

There are more than 300 laws in the old testament. These were given protect the Israelites in what was a very law-less world. Some were health and safety related, some specifically related to worship and sacrifice. Some to the structure of society

God saw that observance with laws alone did not create God-faring people. In fact the observance with the laws in many cases became more important than Faith. That’s why he stepped in

The New Testament refers to the new NEW CONTRACT between man and God. It is foundations are the very core of old testament belief about sacrifice and atonement but require faith not just strict observance.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Religion is primitive mankind's attempts to communicate with the weather... Nothing more, nothing less. It's an insane aberration in a modern, supposedly scientific, world.

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"Politicians are the same the world over... We build bridges where there aren't any rivers." - Nikita Kruschev

Answer 1: And now we've got global warming - makes you think...

Answer 2: Well, no, there's probability, disease, crops, death and animals that also needed to be communicated with and justified...

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Note to all:

Sensitive subject this - let's please ensure that we show appropriate respect for other's beliefs as we go along.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Ernest,



Yes that is correct. All of the other versions around at the time were mostly in Latin. Which allowed the "church" to control the interpretation they gave out in their sermons (ahem). So good old James decided that he wanted a bible for the rest of us, and had it translated into English.
Middle age english apart, the KJ version is still the closest translation to the original Greek. Some of those old english phrases do seem to express the original meaning a lot better, than some of the more modern versions. Hmmmm I guess my perception could also be due to the amount of Shakespear I did at school. For the record though, I don't think it matters very much which version someone uses.



I am not a bible scholar by any stretch, but I do know that there are many original manuscripts. They are mostly in Greek, and Aramaic. The point is, it isn't based upon one manuscript that was translated, it is based upon many that all say the same thing. The most recent versions found were the dead sea scrolls of course. The text, in our modern bible is still a perfect match to what is in the scrolls. Now all of that doesn't automatically infer authenticity (as in the bible being "The Word of God"), but it does mean that what we have today is still true to the original and ancient texts.



Yes. That is the problem in a nutshell. Throughout history, people have always used whatever can to their own ends, and to further their own agendas. Religion is no exception. As an example, the Catholic Church has probably killed more people than any other "organisation" in history (I have nothing against Catholics btw). Most of the Catholics at the time were no doubt living in as much fear as anyone else, and didn't agree with what was happening either.

Religion is nothing more than man's attempt to impress God. Nothing much has really changed in that respect for centuries. God was so unmoved by all of that, that he decided to come and talk to us personally instead.

As for the "old" laws. That law was written during the 40 or so years the jews were wandering about in the desert. Prior to that they didn't have any written law, or at least what law they had, was superceeded by the law in Egypt.

Now then, today we have a choice.... we can decide to live under the "law" (the old covenant), or we can live under "grace" (the new covenant). This doesn't make the old law irrelavent (or the laws of the country we live in irrelavent either), but it does mean that keeping the law in itself is not what determines our eventual "destination".

hmm, one example. Would you translate the original as "virgin" or "young woman". Both meanings are valid but in the context of the mother of god one certainly has more of an impact.

May you be touched by His noodly appendage

Well in Mathew and Luke, the Greek word used for virgin is: parthénos

This translates as: maiden, an unmarried daughter. Which in the context of ancient Greek is a virgin.

Any Greek scholars out there care to comment?

I am impressed. I think that this is a very good explanation.....better than mine.

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Speed camera policy Kills

Not directly relevant, but I'm reading a book at the moment which describes how some of the inconsistencies in the old testament arise from the amalgamation of two main texts, a 'Yahvist' and a 'Sacerdotal' version, thought to have been written a few centuries apart. These were inercut, sometimes in fairly short order, which is how, in Genesis, we have 'let there be light' before the creation of the sun and stars.

For several hundred years, the traditional stories were thought to have been passed on by word of mouth and in song. This does lead to a suspicion that many of the events described are more in the category of myth and legend, rather than literal events. The account of the Flood, for example cannot be correct, for we now know there were civilisations in Egypt which survived this period. Of course, I'm sure there are lessons which could be learned from the stories presented, provided they are taken in their proper context. The dangers when they are not are evident today as much as ever - you have american evangelicals quoting Leviticus when admonishing homosexuality, yet they ignore the absurdities it contains, some of which Ernest quoted. Then there is the ID debate.

If the historical accuracy of the bible is being called into question than that is a whole different subject. It is interesting that several of the texts contain historical detail that has proved 100% accurate by subsequent archaeology, and this is an on-going process.

The original tread was about salvation. That is what the bible is all about. From Genesis 3 where it all goes wrong to the crucifixion it is about how man can get back to God.

It is about the fundamental difference between knowledge and understanding. You can know every single line in the Bible, and yet understand nothing.

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Speed camera policy Kills

You're not a Pastafarian are you?!

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

I'm considering a conversion.

Me too, I thought it was all just one big joke until I saw the graph demonstrating the link between global warming and the number of pirates.

The website is a real eye-opener, I mean it even explains the FSM's invisibility - amazing!

Indeed.... however if you turn to the last book in the bible, then we hear how the sun will be no more, but there will still be plenty of light. So it kind of ends up in the same sequence it started in.



Yes that is quite probably what happened. The earliest books in the bible (chronogically) were all written by Moses, who of course lived a considerable time after those events took place. After that time, the historical record is transcribed as it happened.

Who looks after the Dead Sea scolls?

How many have been translated, and released to the world?

Are they close to the Greek versions of biblical texts?

Hmmm.

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

This may help

http://www.centuryone.com/25dssfacts.html

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Speed camera policy Kills

Hmm. Why was that then? Seems an awful long time to wait - and only original photographs of fragments were released, NOT the original scrolls.

The release was unofficial, and circumvented a determined effort by the Catholic church to keep those scrolls from public or scientific scrutiny.

The scrolls confirm that several parts were left out of later versions of the bible - psalms, and prophecies from acknowledged prophets.
Sounds as though they didn't fit the truth, so they got canned (well potted actually!).

My CSE Religious Studies project was on the Dead Sea Scrolls - and the full story smacks of a cover up by the Catholic Church - they only released bits which fitted their versions of events.

Bring on The Spanish Inquisition!! They tortured Gallileo for daring to state that the earth was NOT at the centre of the universe.

Why is the hierachy always so afraid of what the plebs will find out?
There is nothing basically wrong with religion, except a minority use it to control what their followers can access.

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Time to take responsibility for our actions.. and don't be afraid of speaking out!

For the amusement of anyone that hasn't seen it, see http://landoverbaptist.org/

Perhaps you should try reading the Bible for yourself rather than relying on somebody else to come to the conclusions for you. You may find out what it is actualy all about.

You come from the standpoint that its all crap and I will find whatever I can to ridicule it. I don't think you are interested in looking at it from the standpoint of understanding the nature of God.....thats a pity.

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Speed camera policy Kills