Written belief system

[Youkilledkenny]

Let's assume God exists for this discussion.
Currently, within Christianity, there's a lot of personal revelation. In other words, people claim God convicts them of certain things as being negative (smoking, drinking, etc)
If this is true - that God communicates with people on an individual level where one thing may be bad for one person but not the other - why is a written belief system (aka the bible) even necessary?
If God is real and has this ability, couldn't He tell everyone that stealing/lies/lust/murder/etc is wrong? Why did it need written down?
Many alien shows/movies and abductees relay that they were communicated to via telepathy (of sorts) so why couldn't God do this as well?
What's the need to have a belief system (aka DO this DON'T do that) need to be written down, translated and edited for thousand of years?!?

[PghPanther]

Let's assume God exists for this discussion.
Currently, within Christianity, there's a lot of personal revelation. In other words, people claim God convicts them of certain things as being negative (smoking, drinking, etc)
If this is true - that God communicates with people on an individual level where one thing may be bad for one person but not the other - why is a written belief system (aka the bible) even necessary?
If God is real and has this ability, couldn't He tell everyone that stealing/lies/lust/murder/etc is wrong? Why did it need written down?
Many alien shows/movies and abductees relay that they were communicated to via telepathy (of sorts) so why couldn't God do this as well?
What's the need to have a belief system (aka DO this DON'T do that) need to be written down, translated and edited for thousand of years?!?

Yup......or he could have written it himself in a piece of toast or a turtles back...........after all he is suppose to have written the ten commandments on tablets himself?................why didn't he just write his whole revelation then and be done with it?

Answer is simple....there is no personal God manifesting in our reality......

[catnip]

Let's assume God exists for this discussion.
Currently, within Christianity, there's a lot of personal revelation. In other words, people claim God convicts them of certain things as being negative (smoking, drinking, etc)
If this is true - that God communicates with people on an individual level where one thing may be bad for one person but not the other - why is a written belief system (aka the bible) even necessary?
If God is real and has this ability, couldn't He tell everyone that stealing/lies/lust/murder/etc is wrong? Why did it need written down?
Many alien shows/movies and abductees relay that they were communicated to via telepathy (of sorts) so why couldn't God do this as well?
What's the need to have a belief system (aka DO this DON'T do that) need to be written down, translated and edited for thousand of years?!?

Remember that it didn't begin as a written belief system. When the patriarch Abraham went to sacrifice his son to God, he was following an old belief system, perhaps Canaanite because that religion is one of the few in that region that practiced child sacrifice, usually boys. He "heard" God tell him not to and was provided with a goat, iirc. There were no written scriptures.

Moving forward, we see that Christianity began as a cult among the Jews a good number of years before any book was written. And, as far as what we know, there is no book written by original followers of Jesus. I've often said that I don't think Paul ever dreamed that his Epistles (letters) would become scripture. It was an oral tradition.

What is the point of the scriptures? To teach the religious belief system which comes from the practice of faith. At this time, we have an entire segment of Christianity that teaches the cessation of Revelation, that God is now silent and has been since the Apostolic age. This is contrary to what the scriptures themselves teach and contrary to our objectives in faith, else the point of seeking and having the Holy Spirit would not be so clearly spelled out in the scriptures.

The practice of prayer as Jesus taught in Matt 6 is the form that works for faith. This is a process that was formerly taught within the Christian community in practices such as silence, self denial and obedience. Those who are wisdom seekers and practice the faith the way it was taught, are not prone to pound pulpits, pronounce on sin, be unloving toward anyone or cause offense. But mysticism is decidedly unpopular now. And contemplative prayer--a gift of God--is taught against.

"Convicts" is a strong word and I just searched for it in the context that people use it and I see on Got Questions.org that they quote it and claim it is from the ESV, but it isn't. So, I can't find the source of it. The Holy Spirit is very gentle, quiet, easily ignored--thus we sit in silence. Generally, those who use that word haven't a clue as to the experience of the Holy Spirit.

I was thinking recently how the view of the Holy man or woman has been completely lost in this society and wondering how I could present that as a topic of discussion to show the divide in Christianity and what is mostly lost.

[Youkilledkenny]

[Replying to post 3 by catnip]

Remember that it didn't begin as a written belief system

Well yes and no
YES in that Christianity didn't start that way in the NT, but NO in that God did write (or have written) the 10 Commandments in the OT. The question still stands: why was that necessary?
It all seems very 'man-made' to me.
Maybe I expect more from a god or god-like being

[Peds nurse]

Let's assume God exists for this discussion.
Currently, within Christianity, there's a lot of personal revelation. In other words, people claim God convicts them of certain things as being negative (smoking, drinking, etc)
If this is true - that God communicates with people on an individual level where one thing may be bad for one person but not the other - why is a written belief system (aka the bible) even necessary?
If God is real and has this ability, couldn't He tell everyone that stealing/lies/lust/murder/etc is wrong? Why did it need written down?
Many alien shows/movies and abductees relay that they were communicated to via telepathy (of sorts) so why couldn't God do this as well?
What's the need to have a belief system (aka DO this DON'T do that) need to be written down, translated and edited for thousand of years?!?

Hello UKK!! Hope you are doing beautiful this day!


People can say that God can convict them of anything. Smoking, drinking, sexual promiscuity, language, dress, and moral codes. The scripture is used to verify those convictions. So, if I think God told me to smoke, but in the scripture it says, "your body is the temple of the living God, treat it right," then that clearly goes against scripture. God speaks to His people through the Holy Spirit given to us, so it cannot be in direct conflict with God's word or His character.

Only a few knew the written word back then. It is what was accepted and could be handed down.

Thanks for a great topic!

[Youkilledkenny]

[Replying to post 5 by Peds nurse]

Hey PN - thanks for the response!

if I think God told me to smoke, but in the scripture it says, "your body is the temple of the living God, treat it right," then that clearly goes against scripture.

But can't that be said of just about anything? Caffeine, sugar, HFCS, saturated fat, etc. In other words, it seems so many times (using this example) what God tells us is wrong is what's wrong based on popular society.

Only a few knew the written word back then. It is what was accepted and could be handed down.

All the more reason not to use written words - especially in the OT with the 10 Commandments.
Beyond that, why is it necessary to write it NOW. Why can't God tell the 7-8 billion people on the planet what's right or wrong and not rely on written words?

[ttruscott]

If God is real and has this ability, couldn't He tell everyone that stealing/lies/lust/murder/etc is wrong? Why did it need written down?

Do you think GOD uses a digital cell phone to call up an angel for a job? Of course Christians believe in telepathy.

But HE is a GOD who hides HIMself so only those who desire HIS heaven under HIS rules will find HIM - everyone gets what they most desire, their commitment to an ideal manifests as their faith in that ideal. We are here to sort that out so our choices are clear to everyone...HIS personal presence would force all people to chose for HIM and to obey HIS laws since they would have the proof they needed that following HIM was in their best interest whether they really wanted to or desired to or not. With such proof, no one would act naturally from their own desires.

Removing HIMself to be at arm's length from such a coercive proof by using a Book is obvious.

[bluethread]

Gen. 11:6 "And the LORD said , Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do : and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."

Ever since man gained the ability to speculate on "alternative lifestyles", there has been no end to that speculation. Adonai, who used to meet with man in the cool of the evening, established a nation to serve as an example of His ways, along with symbolic rituals to reinforce them. That is why we have the Scriptures. I do not believe this is the complete revelation of Adonai, primarily because there are many things that are not spelled out in detail, ie what is to be done at the Shabbat convocations, how to build a sukkah(temporary dwelling), the exact ritual for the Pesach Seder, . . .

[Peds nurse]

if I think God told me to smoke, but in the scripture it says, "your body is the temple of the living God, treat it right," then that clearly goes against scripture.

But can't that be said of just about anything? Caffeine, sugar, HFCS, saturated fat, etc. In other words, it seems so many times (using this example) what God tells us is wrong is what's wrong based on popular society.

God's laws are not dictated by society, but rather a purpose. Our bodies are a holy temple, and we should watch what we put in it. We are to take care of ourselves. It is something that we can heed for as long as we are on this earth.

Only a few knew the written word back then. It is what was accepted and could be handed down.

All the more reason not to use written words - especially in the OT with the 10 Commandments.
Beyond that, why is it necessary to write it NOW. Why can't God tell the 7-8 billion people on the planet what's right or wrong and not rely on written words?

We are an argumentative bunch. If God wrote all the rules in the sky, we would come up with loop holes, ignore them completely, or devise committees to get a "better understanding of them."

If people can't agree how to run the country, they for sure are not going to agree on what God says is right and wrong.

Make it a great day!

[1213]

Let's assume God exists for this discussion.
Currently, within Christianity, there's a lot of personal revelation. In other words, people claim God convicts them of certain things as being negative (smoking, drinking, etc)
If this is true - that God communicates with people on an individual level where one thing may be bad for one person but not the other - why is a written belief system (aka the bible) even necessary?

It is possible to think that conscience is the voice of God. And some people that don’t like the sound try to suppress it and replace it with voice that they like.

I don’t think Bible is because it would be necessary. I think it is because people wanted to tell what happened at one point of time. It is help for those who want to be loyal to God.