Does the Bible still matter?

Holy books, Batman!

© Lisavan

It has been referred to as “holy scripture,” even as the “Word of God.” If you believe in God, that would make reading the Bible your highest priority.

A person who denies the Bible’s claim of being a message to mankind from God is challenging the belief system of literally billions of people over two millennia, who based their every decision on what they read in the Bible.

They are also challenging the truthfulness – or at least the sanity – of the Bible’s 40 or so writers. Those men made the claim, in dozens of passages, that the words they wrote down originated with God. 

•  “God said to Moses. . .” (Exodus 3:14)
• “Then God said to Solomon. . .” (2 Chronicles 1:11)
• “The word of Jehovah came to me, saying. . .” (Jeremiah 1:4)
• “The word of the LORD that came to Hosea . . .” (Hosea 1:1)
• “This is what Yahweh says. . .” (Amos 1:3)

If that is untrue, then they cannot be described as good but misguided men – they would have had to have been liars, or at the very least delusional, and nothing they wrote should be trusted.

 

Anyone who can prove that would owe it to mankind to shout it from the rooftops.

 

What do you actually know about the Bible? Where did it come from? How did it get to the position of prominence it held for so many centuries? Is it right or wrong that it should now take a back seat to modern scientific, moral, and philosophical thinking?

If you are a church-goer, or thinking of becoming one, or thinking of leaving your church behind, what is your chosen church’s opinion about the Bible? Should that matter to you?

Why not forward the link for this page to someone in a position of authority at your church or a church near you, and have them post their replies as comments. Here are the questions:

• Does your church hold the complete Bible to be inspired by God?
• If some parts yes and some parts no, which is which, and on what do you base that?
• Has God inspired other writings? If so, what is your test to determine what is from God and what isn’t?
• Is one version of the Bible (in English) more or less trustworthy than another?
• Please sum up the 5 or so main teachings of your church.
• Does your church have teachings which are based on something other than the Bible, and if so, what?
• What if any direction does your church give to members on political questions, such as who to vote for, or what bills to vote for or against?
• What if any direction does your church give on:
• Creation versus evolution?
• Killing (or dying) for one’s country?
• The role of women in Society?
• Marriage, divorce, and sex outside marriage?
• Abortion, stem cell research, or other medical issues?
• Homosexuality?

I’ll be posting more on this subject as replies come in.

You can read some replies from churches here, in Part 2 of this series.  

Please leave a polite comment.

Bill K. Underwood is the author of the novels The Minotaur Medallion, Resurrection Day, and Unbroken, and the non-fiction book 99 Ways to Fire Your Boss, available on Amazon.com