souled_out

Okay, I just thought this would interest you all:

In Genesis, God separates light from dark/day from night on the first day. However, he only makes the light-producing objects such as the sun, moon and stars on the fourth. He also creates plants on the third day, before there was a sun to fuel their photosynthesetic processes.

In addtion to this, God instructs Noah to make an *incredibly* small, SINGLE window on the ark for ventilation...okaaaay....
Noah also sends out a dove to see if there is land. It brings back a leaf from a tree the second time Noah sends it out. Um...okay, so a tree survived an "all-engulfing" flood. Even if it didn't, 7 days (period between the first and second flight) is a mighty short time for a tree to grow completely....

Anyone ever notice David killed Goliath twice? First, it says something like, "David, with no sword in his hand, swung his sling and hit Goliath in the head, KILLING HIM. Then, David approached Goliath, drew his [Goliath's] sword from its sheath, and cut off his head, KILLING HIM.

De ja vu.

emotional

souled_out,

What exactly did you expect from the Bible? The Bible isn't to be taken seriously any more than Greek mythology. It's an interesting book, it has a magical, captivating style even when it mentions all the atrocities, and it's full of diverse beliefs (from the fairy-tale wishfulness of the Psalms to the hard-nosed cynicism of Ecclesiastes); the troubles begin only when people think it should be taken seriously, ie when they think it's actually the Word of God.

The Bible is a lot of mythology, some history, a lot of imaginative cosmology and theology and a rich stew of various opinions, many of them contradictory. To say it is an engaging book is to honour it; to say it is the Word of God is to blaspheme. The Bible is not the Word of God. The God of the Bible does not exist.

excreationist

Maybe God filled the universe with photons, then made them travel in one direction so that there were shadows...?

Deathscyth Hell

Devnet said the following:2360
posted September 27, 2001 06:11 PM
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souled_out,
What exactly did you expect from the Bible? The Bible isn't to be taken seriously any more than Greek mythology. It's an interesting book, it has a magical, captivating style even when it mentions all the atrocities, and it's full of diverse beliefs (from the fairy-tale wishfulness of the Psalms to the hard-nosed cynicism of Ecclesiastes); the troubles begin only when people think it should be taken seriously, ie when they think it's actually the Word of God.

The Bible is a lot of mythology, some history, a lot of imaginative cosmology and theology and a rich stew of various opinions, many of them contradictory. To say it is an engaging book is to honour it; to say it is the Word of God is to blaspheme. The Bible is not the Word of God. The God of the Bible does not exist

____________________________________________

If there is no God of the bible, then how could saying that it is the word of God be Blasphemy?

You say that the Bible is mostly Mythology. Prove it.

Although I agree that the beginning of genesis should be accepted in the same way as greek mythology for securalists, the rest of the bible is quite accurate. There is quite a bit of Archaeological evidence that supports the bible. It is true that some does contradict it (the tel of Jericho) But that the bible is mostly mythology is neither accurate nor true. The OT is a History of Israel, and is very accurate in many parts. Do you have evidence that suggests otherwise because I would love to hear it.

Balki

One I always find amusing is the talking snake in Genesis. If species don't change, where did those vocal chords go to? Hmm.

That one always makes me laugh when I think about the simpletons who actually believe it.

Deathscyth Hell

Your lack of Biblical Knowledge shows.

emotional

</STRONG>

The traditional theistic doctrine of God is of an omnibenevolent, merciful, loving, kind, just character. The Bible portrays him as a diabolical, unjust, cruel, capricious, dictatorial despot. If the theistic God existed, then such a book would be a gross libel against him, as Thomas Paine often remarked.

</STRONG>

I didn't say "mostly". Some of it is mythology, some of it is accurate history (verified by external sources; eg Hezekiah the king of Judah is mentioned in Assyrian tablets of the king who besieged him, Sennacherib). It is not, however, timeless; it's a product of its time, with relevance for its time. Greek mythology too has historically accurate parts (Schlieman found Troy with the help of the Homeric epics).

The Bible is mythology in whatever parts it mentions supernatural events. The supernatural is mythology. The parting of the Red Sea, the standing still of the Sun for Joshua, the various accounts of little food being sufficient for many days and people, and raisings of the dead (etc, you get the idea) are all unhistorical, because it is naturally impossible for such things to occur. A woman years past her menopause can't give birth (see here for more about that).

Quatermass

At what point does Genesis shift from myth to history? There are so many legendary stories throughout the OT, why would one assume they are trustworthy or historical? Are there other legendary stories like this that you believe or are ‘real’ miracles only found in the bible?

Wahrheit

If it is impossible for such things to naturally occur, how does that disprove the fact that these events were supposedly supernatural?

Wahrheit

emotional

Only natural things can occur. When we read of supernatural events, it is reasonable to assume that they never happened. Supernatural events of the spectacular, impressive kind (as in the Bible, and not as in Geller's spoon-breaking and other such pettiness) invariably occur in the past, and in the context of propaganda. The Bible, you should know, is a book of propaganda: it serves to make its readers pious servants of God. In order to do that, it shows the omnipotent power of God by regaling us with miracles worked by him. It is thus akin to motion pictures. Ever wondered why you never see stunts in real life, only in motion pictures? Because motion pictures have an agenda of exciting people and making them pay for the show. The Bible is no more than the "film" of theistic religion, and its miracles are the "stunts". In real life you never find anything supernatural. Not at present, and most probably not in the past either. I cannot absolutely disprove the occurrence of miracles in the past, since I lack the equipment (instrumentation for viewing back in time), but on the basis of high probability I can assume that the supernatural events told in the Bible never happened.