http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction This book to which the Christians desperately cling, how relevent is it today? Was it ever? en-us humans are a pretentious race. i dont have the answers but i know they arent in the bible. i actually have read and studied it. there are lessons and morals to be learned, some good some idiotic, but its a fairytale. there are too many people these days who try to back up their arguments with the bible or religion. the bible should never be used to prove a point in a debate because not everyone accepts it as true. . jhall85 Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:55:28 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Years ago a Comparitive Religion course required me to read works ranging from the Old Testament to Ayn Rand's "The Virtue of Selfishness." All of the works provided direction and moral fiber but using them as a foundation for "worship" is wrong. GeniusatWork Mon, 17 Sep 2007 11:23:21 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Early man simply had no other way to explain the aspects and processes of our cosmos and our physical acts of existence. However, once religion was displaced as a "science", it was seen as indisputable spiritualistic fact. And it was only after this development, when it began to be used to control and influence large masses of people. . ryancrrrrr Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:56:11 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction To understand any religious document, you must know the reason for it's existence. The origin of ALL religions can be traced back to the beginning days of kingdoms and empires. Agreed! As those who thought it necessary to rule masses of people discovered the magnitude of the job before them, they began to figure ways to allow the populace to govern themselves. This was accomplished by creating a religion. By presenting rules to abide by, and making the consequences of not following those rules very serious, a ruler could now expect the general populace to govern themselves. Using this method of control, the Ruler could now use his Army to expand his reign. The Crusades is one of the better known operations which took advantage of this method. If you look at any Religion, you will see that it follows the basic "Reward vs Consequence" format. Those who abide by the rules are promised greatly desired luxuries and positions. Those who don't are promised dire consequences. There is the mention of reward and punishment in the New Testament, but not the mention of luxuries as the reward, that would be the human thought, not the divine revelation. Slaves do not have luxuries, are you a slave of Christ? Then you are rich. It was the duty of the Ruler's "Court", ie: The Magician, The Joker, The Jester, and others to convince the populace that both the Rewards and the Consequences were genuine. They did this using secret codes, only they knew, to stage events in public. The Magician was the most powerful person in the Ruler's (or King, if you prefer) Court. He masterminded the codes and the exhibitions, and controlled who was privy to that information. Then, as now, information RULED. . Using their preconceived codes, the Court could stage public demonstrations which appeared to legitimize the Rewards and Consequences of the Ruler's Edict. Witnesses conveyed these results to their families and friends, who then accepted it as truth. Such is the origin of every Religion on Earth today. Investigation will prove these facts to be true. Observe the basics of ANY Religion, and you will discover it adheres to these commonalities. They differ in the context of Rewards and Consequences. Do not take these points as a non-belief in God. Nothing could be further from the truth. These points are merely an explanation of the origins of "Religions". The existence of God (attach any moniker you desire) should be unquestioned by those who are at all in touch with reality. Those who disbelieve should attempt to explain the precision of the Universe to me. That is my challenge to you. Proof negates belief, belief is the acceptance of the validity of something in the absence of proof. Rattail Sun, 09 Sep 2007 06:56:35 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Only the fool would say in there heart there is no God, if that is your belief I truly feel sorry for you and I want you to know I am praying for you. John 3:16. I have studied the Bible and read it all of the way through. And I can quote scripture with the best of them. I certainly can list your verse verbatim and without even flexing my mental muscles to recapture it. The Bible needs a revision. Apparently, god seems to have a slight memory problem, because he can't keep his story straight for a full chapter. http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/abs/long.htm (1115 mistakes found by the non-omniscient eye). ELW Sat, 08 Sep 2007 19:48:11 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Unlike the Constitution which is debated on its ability to be a living document, the Bible is sometimes held, verbatim as the truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth. The Bible holds so many outdated views on life that it is dangerous to be used as the word of God. Maybe that's what the men of the past thought, but our common sense should tell us that these things cannot be. Maybe we could use it as a religious version of Aesop's Fables, but we can't use this book any longer to teach us when so much of the text is no longer viable. Do we just tear out the pages that look ridiculous to us?. You need to take it in its entirety or not at all. And it is not adaptable to a culture 2000 + years later. The writers weren't able to see a world that far in the future. For those who are regenerated, they know that the Word of God requires the engagement of our spirit to gain the divine truths, the letter kills, but the spirit gives life...if you use your spirit, you have the gaining of the divine life in your being. turtlegirl78 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:45:09 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction The Bible is a flawed interpretation of what the writer thought was correct at the time. The men that wrote these books were filtering it through their own bias and putting it to the page. On top of that, the Bible had to go through translation before it ended up in our current form. Again, the translator will read it in the way that makes the most sense to culture and background AND with what can be literally translated. How did we get this book anyway? Some guy in Rome decided he liked these particular books in the bible and commissioned a bunch of them to be made. That doesn't instill confidence in their holy nature; just a good way to make a buck. New Version of an Old Story The current version of the Bible is merely an adaptation of a document proven to have been written around 3000 BC. The Bible is full of parables with great principles to apply, but most Christians take those stories literally. Example: the Virgin Mary--was she really a virgin, or was that a parable for her purity? Either way, the Bible is for principles, not fact. turtlegirl78 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:40:12 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction The Bible contains spiritual themes and assertions common to almost all religions across time and geography, even religions that were fouded in isolated areas. These core teachings, and the aspiriation towards spirituality and greatness are very real and admirable. The fact that a massive cult exists around this document does not invalidate its teachings. I would say the same about Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim texts. Perhaps it is time for a re-interpretation of the Bible, but it is not to be rejected soley on the basis of it's strange inconsistencies and the actions of believers. After all, Science is full of inconsistent theories and ideas, yet we still see the value in it. No one has ever declared "Believe only what science says, and everything science says." And yet some Americans think that is a rational position. Could we not apply the same criticisms to hardcore science cultists as to hardcore religious cultists? The Bible has flaws, but also great truths which are corroborated by all religious texts. It would be foolish to discard it. Swryght Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:01:04 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction The bible has a lot of things in it that are relevant to today homosexuality, murder, the things you find in the bible are like reading the newspaper headlines these days. Hunter2008 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:47:40 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Judge the authenticity of the bible as much as you want. But until you have truly and earnestly tried the discover its truths by living by its teachings, your words have no credible grounds. Do THAT first, THEN we can debate this topic! Absolutely right! Follow the teachings as demonstrated by God. LIE, CHEAT, MURDER, COVET like he does! In case you wonder...Eat from this tree and you shall surly die (lie), Stopped the sun to allow his people to butcher those who did not believe in him (Cheat and Murder), "I am a jealous God" or shall we just mention what he did to the Cannanites? eastwind Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:57:04 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Knowing that the Bible is the word of God and knowing that there IS a God (with His set laws and standards) is like describing a feeling and a mind set. Tell me, and you describe the taste of salt? Salty? HA! You can't do THAT justice. . eastwind Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:51:57 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Just because religion is something you find unbelievable or hard to live by, doesn't means its fiction or false. You can't disprove its authenticity on you OWN steam, but you CAN prove its truth by investigating and practicing it. . The Bible and other religious "Words of God" are much better standards to live you life by. The media however is not, or would you say that living like our celebrities is an ideal choice of life? That is simply laughable! eastwind Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:43:52 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Think about it, YES in the old testament there were a lot of laws received very poorly by the peoples for which they were intended. But when Christ appeared in the New testament He destroyed much of the old laws. . eastwind Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:34:43 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction While a strong faith is a good thing, organised religion has done more harm in this world than almost anything else. Accept There is but ONE GOD. Call him anything you like! visionary1 Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:06:39 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction God's plan is to dispense His life and nature into His chosen and redeemed believers. He only dispenses into the human spirit, our "inner man"...read John 4:24, which says "those who worship Him must worship in spirit" Have you touched your spirit? Hoogle Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:23:12 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction Why is most psychosis based on religious fear? The Bible was written by Psychotics! . The bible preaches that Fear is of the Devil. So the fear these people have is of evil origin. Stop blaming fear on the bible. noddy Sat, 08 Sep 2007 17:59:38 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction The Bible was written through men by God. The human condition has remained unchanged and the message for mankind is still valid...we are a damaged race that needs salvation. To take it a step further, the Koran is the word of God, the Torah is the word of God, the Upanishads is the word of God.. how many words of God are there, and how than they all be right.. or wrong? Because the bible says its the word of God, it's the word of God, because the bible says it's the word of God, it's the word of God, because the bible says it's the word of God, it's the word of God, because the bible says it's the word of God.. Etc. vonfabian Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:21:20 +0000 http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction http://riledup.com/debate/176/the-bible-is-a-nice-piece-of-twisted-fiction