Regardless of faith: do you believe the bible is the word of god?

For those that don't believe in God, this question doesn't apply. I am asking who believes the "Bible" is the word of God. From here, you can debate faith.

If the LDS wants to debate the "Bible" without giving reference to any of John Smith's works, then they are more than welcome.

Just like Christians trying to debate their truth to "non-believers". It just doesn't fly referencing anything other than the Bible IMO.

 

No. I don't disbelieve it's the word of God either, though.

 

You can see why I posted this though. I am reading Christians debating god with LDS. I see non believers debating that there isn't God. I see Christians use the Bible as reference to their proof, which is hard to get through to non-believers. Just like its hard for a LDS to reference the book of Mormon to Christians.

So making this a "if you believe the bible is the word of God" then we can really keep on point. Use something everyone believes in.

 

Being told that it's to be accepted as the word of god is probably the first thing that pointed me in the direction of not believing in anything in the first place.

 

Well the great thing about humanity is our free will. So I respect your feeling or belief that it isn't the word of God.

 

Absolutely true of how I feel as well. I am no one to tell others that they shouldn't believe something that brings them comfort. But I feel pretty strongly that if there is a God, It would speak through events and reactions to human actions. Not books.

 

Can we get a poll?

And my answer is yes.

 

I don't think I can make a poll after I already made the thread

 

I've had two moments in my life where I felt something otherworldly had happened to me. The first was after my Dad died in 11/2001. My Mom, my brother, and his wife came out to Oregon for XMas. We spent a few days at Cannon Beach, and it was unseasonably warm, so my bro and I played catch with a football while we were all walking the beach. At some point, I noticed that my wedding band was missing, and we were literally a mile away from where we had all started our walk. We all fanned out looking for the ring, but the beach shore was easily at least 100 yards of sand to water at any spot. After 20 minutes of combing the beach, we realized it was futile, and we all started closing ranks. I was incredibly upset, because my simple wedding band was just like my dad's. Just a basic and cheap gold band, but with a lot of meaning. Anyhow, we all kind of accepted a moment of extra grief, and then my bro and I looked down and saw the ring in the middle of our circle. It literally made us all cry. I can't explain the feeling I had when it was there, but I still get chills even writing about it.

Problem is, I don't know how or why that happened, but I do know we all shared a moment of something that made us all feel ... lucky, I guess? Extraordinary, maybe? So, I'll never forget that, obviously, and my crappy ring is going to be on my finger until I die, but I always wonder if that was my sign, and I just lack a gene that gives me faith.


The other experience is too deep to explain in this forum, so I won't mention it.

Mags, thoughts on this? I'm curious to know what you think about that true story.

 

Wow papa that's a great story. It's a little late for me to fully think this through, but I'm gonna think about this tomorrow morning and come back to you on it. I just wante you to know I just got it.

 

except mormons don't believe the bible can necessarily be taken literally as the infallible word of god as you do. they think something else (book of mormon) is necessary to suppliment and clarify the bible. they consider the book of mormon to be scripture - essentially part of the bible. so in terms of the bible you don't really have common ground in the sense you mean.

 

The bible is the word of the Emperor Constantine and some other dudes at the Council of Nicea, and others throughout time. Believing in God, having spiritual experiences, and thinking that every word in that book comes from the almighty are different things.

 

It's accepted by all that it was written entirely by men.

That pretty much proves there was no super-being involved in any way.

 

I have to agree with Maris on this. To me it's obvious that the bible is man made.

 

Yep. Same thing happened to me as a child. Actually reading bible passages after being told it was the word of god. Comedy gold. It is just impossible to reconcile some of the weirdness in the bible with a one and true "god" (as opposed to the greek type gods, which are very human in character). I can't imagine a singular god "speaking".

 

Yes, I believe the Bible is the word of God. And only the Bible.

 

I believe that things happen for a reason. What may have happened 20, 10, 5 years ago or even 5 days ago; could trigger something in the present. I also believe that things happen "At the spiritual level" that will have man question life after death. Sometimes I think our mind subconsciously will allow certain things to happen; like intentionally losing the ring that symbolizes your connection to your father that you just lost. Almost like you lost your physical father; so you lost the symbolic father as well.

Now with that being said, I think that there was a "supernatural" thing that happened. I think that losing the ring, then finding it, may translate that losing something may not be losing that person forever. You see you are part your father; just like your brothers, sisters, and children you helped to put on this planet. Basically a part of him is in you and a part of you is in your kids. I believe your spirit was trying to teach you that you must not morn your loss, because like your father before you; you must find that part of your father and instill it in your children.

So it could be that spiritually the ring was hidden; and your family searched and bonded together to find that memory of your father. I think your family connected the loss of your symbolic ring as the physical loss of your father. And once your family was deeply connected; the spirit showed you the ring. It bonded all of you.

I believe it was your sign; but you had to understand it until you have Faith. It may not be today, tomorrow, or a few years from now; but what I do know is God is patient. He wants you when you are 100% ready. He made us with "free will" because there is no greater reward than to be loved without force. What might trip you out is: "Why did you think about this now?" Was it because of the spiritual debating in the OT forum; or maybe you connected or trusted someone in here enough to ask this question?

One thing I know in my heart is the one thing I cannot lose is my salvation. I love knowing that my life after death is certain, and eventually I will see my father in Heaven.

P.S. I want you to know I couldn't sleep at all last night after I read your story. It made me think all night about it. One of these days, we can talk in person, so I can tell you everything that went on in my mind. It's really hard for me to translate what's in my head to text.

 

It does speak through events and reactions to human actions as well as through books. If you recognize certain things as being good you need to ask yourself what gives you that ability to make that judgement. What is good and why can you recognize it?

 

The Bible is the word of God as long as it is translated correctly, but the Bible isn't the only word of God given to man. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ and a companion to the Bible. The Bible was not an end of the word of God neither is the Book of Mormon an end of the word of God. There are many nations on this earth and Christ showed himself to other righteous people on the earth who believed in him. He came not to the world but to those who believed in his coming. The testimony of Christ will come from more than one nation. God is not a God of confusion and conflict yet we see hundreds of churches all with their own version of the Gospel. Do you know that we seal families together forever in the LDS Church Mags? The Eternal Family is a central concept in our church. I'd invite you to investigate my Church more closely because you will find things that you will like.

 

It was written by man under the direction of God. So yeah God was heavily involved.