Zephyrus

Ok, so we all know that the Bible has lots of nasty stuff in it. Plenty of sites list them, and pretty much every time "Bible quotes" are sought on a more skeptical site you get pounded with tales of rape, murder of children, and general distastefulness.

Same time, at pretty much every other site out there of Bible quotes you have hoards of Christians saying John 3:14 is their favorite quote. Very tedious. As I see it most discussion of the Bible has a pretty significant gap in it.

The Bible is a historical and literary document. Surely, though, it has some beautiful and true ideas that its writers did happen upon. I'm wondering which of these struck you the most.

Here's mine to start:

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Matthew 6:28-9

NZSkep

IMO I think that verse is stupid. What is jesus trying to say?, that we don;t have to worry about work as everything will be provided for us? I'm sorry, but if everyone took that attitude we would be in a pretty poor society.

The reason lilies don;t need to toil, is that they can get all the stuff they need free from the soil and through photosynthesis. We do not have clorophyl and so cannot photosynthesise. therefore the analagy is false.

Zephyrus

I see it as a celebration of an existence (traditionally, that's probably God, but it could be Nature or Existence itself or whatever you want it to be) greater than what human society often pays heed to. Man, even the greatest of man, in all his vanity can't match the simple beauty and power of even the smallest part of the greater.

It's obviously not an attempt to study the economics of flowers.

Aristophanes

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
-Corinthians 13:4-8

perfessor

Somewhere in John, I'm too lazy to look it up right now, but Jesus encounters a cripple, and says to him "Do you want to be healed?"

The way I read it, it's not an offer but a challenge. Are you willing to shed the self-imposed weaknesses that keep you from doing all you could? Or would you rather just stay addicted to the pot, the cigarets, the procrastination, relying on others , coming up with excuses?

Do you want to be healed? If you do, then get up and walk!

SectarianTurmoil

Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.

(Ps 116:7 - NIV)

Psalm 116 used to be the prescribed psalm for Methodist evening prayer on Saturdays. Getting to this verse meant that I had completed another week without dying (I was a newly recovered alcoholic in those days, and very religious).

I still say it now when wanting to count my blessings. I generally say 'world' instead of LORD though.

MarcelLionheart

Moving to the Biblical Criticism forum.

Chris Weimer

אלי אלי למה עזבת�*י רחוק מישועתי דברי שאגתי

- David

νυνι δε μενει πιστις, ελπις, αγαπη, τα τρια ταυτα΄ μειζων δε τουτων η αγαπη.

- Paul

ωσπερ γαρ το σωμα χωρις πνεθματος νεκρον εστιν, ουτως και η πιστις χωρις εργων νεκρα εστιν.

- James

FreezBee

I could be wrong, but I think the verse says we should not waste our time woeeying. Many people worry too much about things that may not really be important. The formulation in the verse may be a bit extreme, a kind of 'don't worry, be happy' New Ageism. But back then as well as now people were hoarding up material riches they would never need.


- FreezBee

Diogenes the Cynic

"Whatever you did to the least among you, you did to me."