Wise words in the Bible

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Zzyzx
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Wise words in the Bible

Post #1

Post by Zzyzx »

.
It is not uncommon to hear that the Bible contains universal and timeless wisdom or words to that effect.

My response:
Zzyzx wrote:The Bible is said to contain almost a million words -- perhaps 850,000(?). How many of them constitute 'universal and timeless wisdom'? What percentage? One percent would be 8,500. Are there that many?

A tenth of one percent would be 850 . . . (which I would not contest)
What are examples of biblical wisdom " quoting verbatim without padding or fluff.

Can we list one hundred?

Here's a start -- three words: "Love one another" (said in various forms, here without padding)

Another eleven words: "Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them" (truncated to eliminate unnecessary verbiage)

Another eleven: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Ethic of Reciprocity; common in many ideologies). Needs revision to be universal.
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ttruscott
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Re: Wise words in the Bible

Post #2

Post by ttruscott »

Zzyzx wrote: It is not uncommon to hear that the Bible contains universal and timeless wisdom or words to that effect.
Not sure if I ever heard that...outside of: Walden; or, Life in the Woods. Would you please cite your common sources for me?
PCE Theology as I see it...

We had an existence with a free will in Sheol before the creation of the physical universe. Here we chose to be able to become holy or to be eternally evil in YHWH's sight. Then the physical universe was created and all sinners were sent to earth.

This theology debunks the need to base Christianity upon the blasphemy of creating us in Adam's sin.

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Re: Wise words in the Bible

Post #3

Post by alexxcJRO »

Zzyzx wrote: .
It is not uncommon to hear that the Bible contains universal and timeless wisdom or words to that effect.

My response:
Zzyzx wrote:The Bible is said to contain almost a million words -- perhaps 850,000(?). How many of them constitute 'universal and timeless wisdom'? What percentage? One percent would be 8,500. Are there that many?

A tenth of one percent would be 850 . . . (which I would not contest)
What are examples of biblical wisdom " quoting verbatim without padding or fluff.

Can we list one hundred?

The Bible is full of passages full of wisdom. One can only look with awe at the wisdom, tolerance, compassion present. It just make you feel fuzzy inside and your eyes water. :tears:

See, I (God) will stir up against them the Medes ,
18 Their bows will strike down the young men;
they will have no mercy on infants,
nor will they look with compassion on children.

The Lord promises no mercy, compassion on infants(non-moral agents). So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:

"This is what the Lord of hosts has to say : Go, now, attack Amalek, Do not spare him, but kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and asses.
The Lord orders the killing of infants(non-moral agents). So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


21 Prepare a place to slaughter his children for the sins of their ancestors;
Making plans to slaughter children for the sins of another. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


" The LORD says , And if they give birth, I will slaughter their beloved children. "
The Lord promises more slaughtering of children. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


Then I heard the LORD say to the other men Kill them all " old and young, girls and women and little children.
The Lord orders even more killing of little children(non-moral agents). So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
The Bible instructs the killing of homosexuals. So much wisdom and tolerance. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


"'A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.'"
The Bible instructs the killing of mediums. So much wisdom and tolerance. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


20 If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young womans virginity can be found, 21 she shall be brought to the door of her fathers house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death.
The Bible instructs the killing of non-virgins. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

The Bible instructs the corporeal punishment of children. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


Now kill all the boys and all the women who have slept with a man. Only the young girls who are virgins may live; you may keep them for yourselves.
The Lord orders the killing of non-virgins and keeping the rest(virgins) as spoils of war. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


When the LORD your God hands it over to you, kill every man in the town. But you may keep for yourselves all the women, children, livestock, and other plunder. You may enjoy the spoils of your enemies that the LORD your God has given you.
Keeping women, children, livestock as plunder after killing their father/husband/brother. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


If a man is caught in the act of raping a young woman who is not engaged, he must pay fifty pieces of silver to her father. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he will never be allowed to divorce her.
Forcing a woman to marry her rapist for life. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property.
Beating and having slaves. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:


you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance."
The Bible instructs how one human can purchase another human being, children; how to treat them like property, children as inheritance. So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe.:bigeyes:

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
41 Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.[/i]
They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name
Punishing his created beings to conscious eternal torment for finite sins.
So much wisdom. The kindness and benevolence. I am in awe. :bigeyes:
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."
"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived."
"God is a insignificant nobody. He is so unimportant that no one would even know he exists if evolution had not made possible for animals capable of abstract thought to exist and invent him"
"Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer."

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Post #4

Post by JJ50 »

How can that book be full of words of 'wisdom' when the entity they worship is evil in the extreme, if it exists and what is attributed to it is factual?

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Re: Wise words in the Bible

Post #5

Post by SallyF »

[Replying to post 3 by alexxcJRO]

Believers have a "Faith Filter".

Often it's the person at the front of the church; they who filters out all the nasty stuff you just posted.

That's one of the comforting things about living in a fog of belief

One doesn't need to see the nonsense and nastiness it's just not there to be seen.

And the foghorn blaring from pulpit means one doesn't need to hear that there are great rancid lumps of nonsense and nastiness thrashing violently against the innards of the smiling, benevolent filter at the front of the church.


Your post illustrates many of the reasons why I consider Christianity to have been a fraud from the beginning.
"God" … just whatever humans imagine it to be.

"Scripture" … just whatever humans write it to be.

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Post #6

Post by SallyF »

Oh yes, and often belief seems to come with its very own, DIY Faith Filter.

And then EVERYTHING one sees or hears from the so-called "Word of (the biblical version of) God" is wise and profound and filled with lovingkindness.
"God" … just whatever humans imagine it to be.

"Scripture" … just whatever humans write it to be.

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Post #7

Post by Elijah John »

JJ50 wrote: How can that book be full of words of 'wisdom' when the entity they worship is evil in the extreme, if it exists and what is attributed to it is factual?
So "treat others as you would have them treat you" are not words of wisdom? If they are, then how do you account for their presence from a book inspired by such an "evil" entity?

The Golden Rule is simply the essence of what Jesus calls the "Law and the Prophets". Distilled, boiled down from the many, many words of Wisdom contained in the Bible.
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.

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Re: Wise words in the Bible

Post #8

Post by Elijah John »

[Replying to post 3 by alexxcJRO]

I think you know, or should know that the disturbing passages you list are not what I mean when I say "timeless and universal wisdom". There are many other passages, too numerous to quote which are far more benign and inspirational.

Yes, just because you can cite many atrocious passages in the "Good Book" does not mean the Bible is useless as a source of timeless and universal wisdom. As I say in my signature area, "the Bible is redeemed by it's good parts". And there are many.

There are many other passages which continue to inspire and uplift. Do you honestly think you have provided a fair and balanced representation of the Bible in the passages you have cherry picked to construct your straw man?

What is remarkable is not that there are many awful passages from primitive people in the Bible. No, what is remarkable is that there are any good, beautiful, uplifting and edifying passages at all, given the primitive and barbaric times from which they emerge.

And there are. Many good passages, too many to list them all. And those determined to dump on the Bible and the people who produced it will ignore them, no matter how many I or other believers enumerate.

And I would ask you, and Z an other skeptics and detractors, where do you get your inspiration? And does that source make you better people?
Last edited by Elijah John on Wed Jun 26, 2019 10:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
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.

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Re: Wise words in the Bible

Post #9

Post by 1213 »

Zzyzx wrote:
What are examples of biblical wisdom " quoting verbatim without padding or fluff.

Can we list one hundred?
...
I think wisdom can be found in different ways. Obviously single sentence can be wise, but for me, I think the greatest wisdom comes from the whole story.

What do you think about this:

.the truth will make you free.
John 8:31-32
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Zzyzx
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Re: Wise words in the Bible

Post #10

Post by Zzyzx »

.
1213 wrote: What do you think about this:

.the truth will make you free.
John 8:31-32
Free from WHAT?

Noble statement but not true -- unless those who 'know truth' are actually free
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