John 14:14New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
COMMENT: It doesn't work. Try asking God for a winning lottery ticket.
Obviously, the Bible cannot be taken literally.
Should we take the bible literally?
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Should we take the bible literally?
Post #1Can we believe whatever God or Jesus tells us in the Bible?
John 14:14New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
COMMENT: It doesn't work. Try asking God for a winning lottery ticket.
Obviously, the Bible cannot be taken literally.
John 14:14New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
COMMENT: It doesn't work. Try asking God for a winning lottery ticket.
Obviously, the Bible cannot be taken literally.
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Divine Insight
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Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #2Never mind a winning lottery ticket. Trying asking this God to help your child who's suffering from a horrible disease. It won't work in that situation either.polonius.advice wrote: Can we believe whatever God or Jesus tells us in the Bible?
John 14:14New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
COMMENT: It doesn't work. Try asking God for a winning lottery ticket.
Obviously, the Bible cannot be taken literally.
[center]
Spiritual Growth - A person's continual assessment
of how well they believe they are doing
relative to what they believe a personal God expects of them.
[/center]
Spiritual Growth - A person's continual assessment
of how well they believe they are doing
relative to what they believe a personal God expects of them.
[/center]
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Elijah John
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Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #3I don't think even literalists would take that passage literally. Most anyway.polonius.advice wrote: Can we believe whatever God or Jesus tells us in the Bible?
John 14:14New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
COMMENT: It doesn't work. Try asking God for a winning lottery ticket.
Obviously, the Bible cannot be taken literally.
But you're right, the Bible cannot be taken literally, at least in many instances.
My theological positions:
-God created us in His image, not the other way around.
-The Bible is redeemed by it's good parts.
-Pure monotheism, simple repentance.
-YHVH is LORD
-The real Jesus is not God, the real YHVH is not a monster.
-Eternal life is a gift from the Living God.
-Keep the Commandments, keep your salvation.
-I have accepted YHVH as my Heavenly Father, LORD and Savior.
I am inspired by Jesus to worship none but YHVH, and to serve only Him.
-God created us in His image, not the other way around.
-The Bible is redeemed by it's good parts.
-Pure monotheism, simple repentance.
-YHVH is LORD
-The real Jesus is not God, the real YHVH is not a monster.
-Eternal life is a gift from the Living God.
-Keep the Commandments, keep your salvation.
-I have accepted YHVH as my Heavenly Father, LORD and Savior.
I am inspired by Jesus to worship none but YHVH, and to serve only Him.
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JehovahsWitness
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Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #4[Replying to post 1 by polonius.advice]
Well I can only speak as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we are not bible literalist, so no the bible isn't to taken literally. Some of it is literal some of it is not. In this case the word "anything" is not to be taken literally.
JW
Not LITERALLY "anything" in the absolute sense
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 077#809077
Well I can only speak as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we are not bible literalist, so no the bible isn't to taken literally. Some of it is literal some of it is not. In this case the word "anything" is not to be taken literally.
JW
Not LITERALLY "anything" in the absolute sense
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 077#809077
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681
"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" - Romans 14:8
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681
"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" - Romans 14:8
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McCulloch
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Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #5[Replying to post 1 by polonius.advice]
Literal or not. It just isn't true.James 5:13-18 wrote:Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
First Epistle to the Church of the Thessalonians
The truth will make you free.
Gospel of John
First Epistle to the Church of the Thessalonians
The truth will make you free.
Gospel of John
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JehovahsWitness
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Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #6INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681
"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" - Romans 14:8
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681
"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" - Romans 14:8
Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #7I'm curious. Did you figure this out before or after evidence to the contrary? In other words, if you read the sentence without testing it, would you have believed Jesus meant a literal "anything"? Or did you notice that after praying, you didn't get what you asked for, so you then figured "gee Jesus must have meant a figurative 'anything'"JehovahsWitness wrote: Well I can only speak as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, we are not bible literalist, so no the bible isn't to taken literally. Some of it is literal some of it is not. In this case the word "anything" is not to be taken literally.
If Jesus did not mean "literally anything" then what did he mean? What is a "figurative anything" exactly?JehovahsWitness wrote: Not LITERALLY "anything" in the absolute sense
Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #8RESPONSE:JehovahsWitness wrote: [Replying to post 5 by McCulloch]
How if taken non-literally can you prove it isn't true?
Simple. I prayed for a winning lottery ticket on a certain date. I didn't win.
This is disproof of the claimed inerrancy of the Bible. Q.E.D.
Others may want to repeat this simple experiment.
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2timothy316
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Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #9[Replying to post 8 by polonius.advice]
1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that no matter what we ask according to his will, he hears us."
A wining lottery ticket apparently was not 'according to His will'.
Matthew 6:31-34 - “So never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to wear?’ For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. So never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles."
Are you seeking first the kingdom and God's righteousness?
1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that no matter what we ask according to his will, he hears us."
A wining lottery ticket apparently was not 'according to His will'.
Matthew 6:31-34 - “So never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to wear?’ For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. So never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles."
Are you seeking first the kingdom and God's righteousness?
Re: Should we take the bible literally?
Post #10What's the point of asking then if God is just going to do that which is according to his will?2timothy316 wrote: [Replying to post 8 by polonius.advice]
1 John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that no matter what we ask according to his will, he hears us."
A wining lottery ticket apparently was not 'according to His will'.
To illustrate
- God's will is X
- My will is Y
- I ask for my will. God ends up doing X
- God's will is X
- My will is also X
- I ask for my will. God ends up doing X
As you can see, me asking something of God is an utter waste of time. No matter what I ask, God will always do X
