Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

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Zzyzx
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Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #1

Post by Zzyzx »

Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

1. What, if any, information or guidance provided by the New Testament is useful and applicable in modern life and modern decisions?

2. What, if any, information or guidance provided by the Old Testament is useful and applicable in modern life and modern decisions?

3. Is any currently useful information provided by NT / OT original or unique to the Bible (not common in other cultures and ideologies)?
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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #2

Post by Willum »

[Replying to Zzyzx in post #1]

The information is woefully dated.
In fact, if people had stopped listening to its intuitively good, but misleading advice, as if it came from God, philosophy would have progressed much faster.

As an example: the Golden Rule.
As said by Jesus,it has been considered a foundation of wisdom.

Actually it is a stumbling block of moral relativism.
Everyone thinks they are good, and will treat others well.
But ignoring the debatable cases of personal opinion between average folks, let’s take an extreme. Child molesters. Most were molested as children, and believe it is right to do it to children as well. The Bible has no proscriptions against it.

One horrible case submitted, with apologies for it being a little disturbing.

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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #3

Post by Zzyzx »

.
[Replying to Willum in post #2]

The Ethic of Reciprocity (called Golden Rule by Bible believers) is known to many cultures and ideologies and is NOT unique to Abrahamic religions.

Further: The ethic is rather poor advice. Consider telling a masochist (a person who derives sexual gratification from being subjected to physical pain or humiliation) to treat others as they wish to be treated -- or an extreme introvert -- or a narcist -- or a psychopath.

ANY such general 'rule' is prone to major error. Even counseling to 'Treat others with respect and dignity' is faulty. Perhaps many do not deserve respect or dignity (depending on one's value judgment and opinion) -- a mass murderer? A pedophile?
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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #4

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Zzyzx wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 6:44 pm Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?
Yes it does. The bible contains information that is applicable to all aspects of modern living

  • Family life (Eph 5:33; 6:4)
  • Health and well being (Prov 14:30)
  • Human relations (Mark 4:24)
  • Sexuality (Prov 5:19, 20)
  • Money and finance (1 Tim 6:8-10)
  • Decision making (Prov 21:5)

.... and much more



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FURTHER READING How to deal with isolation?
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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #5

Post by Zzyzx »

JehovahsWitness wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:27 am
Zzyzx wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 6:44 pm Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?
Yes it does. The bible contains information that is applicable to all aspects of modern living

Family life (Eph 5:33; 6:4)
Ephesians 5:33, KJV: "Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband."

What wonderfully simplistic marriage advice, love your wife and respect your husband. That should REALLY make everything just peachy. Isn't real life a bit too complicated to be covered by such 'advice'?
JehovahsWitness wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:27 am Health and well being (Prov 14:30)
Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Rather than waxing philosophical, health and well-being advice from a 'god' might be expected to be more useful – like “Wash your hands (not feet you dummy), boil questionable water, cook food thoroughly, stay away from sick people.”

Of course, desert nomads thousands of years ago would not be expected to know such things – BUT a supposedly 'omniscient god' should. Are people now better informed than 'gods' were in biblical times?
JehovahsWitness wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:27 am Human relations (Mark 4:24)
Mark 4:24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

Listen to preachers?

“a common proverb among the Jews, used on various occasions, and to different purposes; (See Gill on Matthew 7:2). Here it seems to intimate, that if the disciples carefully hearkened to what they heard from Christ, and studiously laboured to understand it, and faithfully dispensed it to others, in return, a larger measure, and greater degree of spiritual knowledge, would be bestowed upon them: for it follows, https://www.biblestudytools.com/comment ... -4-24.html
JehovahsWitness wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:27 am Sexuality (Prov 5:19, 20)
Proverbs 5:19 A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.

Promoting bestiality? Why should breasts 'satisfy' anyone other than a nursing infant?
JehovahsWitness wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:27 am Proverbs 5:20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?
With all that great sexual advice, Christians still divorce at rates equal to or greater than Non-Christians.
JehovahsWitness wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:27 am Money and finance (1 Tim 6:8-10)
1 Timothy 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Is it wise to be content with food and clothing? Do 'the rich' sometimes fall into temptation? Does eagerness for money sometimes cause wandering from 'the faith' and 'pierced themselves with many griefs?

Those who work the hardest are typically at the BOTTOM of the economy. Those who are wealthy got there by 1) Being born into wealth, 2) Having an idea that worked out well, 3) Being fortunate (more luck than good judgment), 4) Cheating and cutting corners to get ahead, OR combine all four – be a politician and accept bribes (campaign donations).
JehovahsWitness wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:27 am Decision making (Prov 21:5)
Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

Plans of the diligent MAY result in profit, or loss depending on circumstances. Haste MAY lead to poverty – or profit, depending on circumstances.


The above blanket / all-inclusive / black vs. white proclamations above are typical of cliches posted by many Bible Believers who debate here – simplistic, narrow, bias confirming. Maybe that is the source of such thinking?
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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #6

Post by bjs1 »

Zzyzx wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:24 am The Ethic of Reciprocity (called Golden Rule by Bible believers) is known to many cultures and ideologies and is NOT unique to Abrahamic religions.
Actually, positive reciprocity was rare prior to Jesus. Several cultures had a “do no harm” ethic. Various forms of the Egyptian ethical standard “Whatever is hateful to you, do not do to others” were common throughout the world. However, the idea of treating others in a positive manner, instead of just avoiding negative actions, was uncommon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule

The passage that we now call “The Golden Rule” was not what Jesus called the greatest commandment. Jesus said that the greatest commandment, after love for God, was “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The passage he was quoting from in Leviticus was the earliest, or one of the earliest, commands to positive reciprocity (depending on when we date Leviticus).

It was not until after Jesus that the call to love your neighbor, instead of just not harming your neighbor, became popular. (Seneca the Younger had a similar thought only a few years after Jesus, though it is impossible to say if he had heard of what Jesus was teaching.)


Zzyzx wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 10:24 am ANY such general 'rule' is prone to major error. Even counseling to 'Treat others with respect and dignity' is faulty. Perhaps many do not deserve respect or dignity (depending on one's value judgment and opinion) -- a mass murderer? A pedophile?
This hits on one of the unique teachings in Christianity. New Testament writers, following teachings in the Old Testament about on whom God causes rain and sun to fall, insisted that we should treat everyone with dignity and respect. Including mass murderers and pedophiles. And liars, cheats and arrogant jerks.

Jesus said that the greatest command, after love for God, is to love our neighbor. When asked who my neighbor is, Jesus told a story about a man showing love to his enemy.

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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #7

Post by Willum »

[Replying to bjs1 in post #6]

Certainly not true, the Golden Rule preexisted Jesus, and was reinvented in Greek, if it wasn’t actually stolen from Egypt by them... and certainly not the point of my post, which was moral relativism of the Golden Rule.
Everyone of us can use the GR to justify our actions, good or ill.
The obvious example I gave was child molesters and abusers.

They predominantly come from these environments, and continue to enact them, in a morbid application of the GR.
I will never understand how someone who claims to know the ultimate truth, of God, believes they deserve respect, when they cannot distinguish it from a fairy-tale.

You know, science and logic are hard: Religion and fairy tales might be more your speed.

To continue to argue for the Hebrew invention of God is actually an insult to the very concept of a God. - Divine Insight

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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #8

Post by Tcg »

bjs1 wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 9:38 pm
Jesus said that the greatest command, after love for God, is to love our neighbor. When asked who my neighbor is, Jesus told a story about a man showing love to his enemy.
This is not the only story attributed to Jesus:
  • Revelation 21:

    6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
So much for loving one's enemies.


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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #9

Post by AgnosticBoy »

Zzyzx wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 6:44 pm Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

1. What, if any, information or guidance provided by the New Testament is useful and applicable in modern life and modern decisions?

2. What, if any, information or guidance provided by the Old Testament is useful and applicable in modern life and modern decisions?

3. Is any currently useful information provided by NT / OT original or unique to the Bible (not common in other cultures and ideologies)?
Sure, how about no kids outside of wedlock? I think that is very good advice given our pandemic of children being raised with little to no real family support, especially in African-American communities.

I think many would agree that kids fare better when both parents are around and are committed to each other and the family, compared to the disaster you see nowadays, of single parent households.

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Re: Does the Bible provide information that is useful and applicable in modern life?

Post #10

Post by Zzyzx »

AgnosticBoy wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:39 pm Sure, how about no kids outside of wedlock?
Exactly what scripture discusses 'kids outside wedlock'? Citation?
AgnosticBoy wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:39 pm I think that is very good advice given our pandemic of children
Pandemic? Might check the definition: "an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population". Are children a disease?
AgnosticBoy wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:39 pm being raised with little to no real family support,
Does marriage ensure 'real family support'?
AgnosticBoy wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:39 pm especially in African-American communities.
We can do without racial comments.
AgnosticBoy wrote: Mon Jun 22, 2020 11:39 pm I think many would agree that kids fare better when both parents are around and are committed to each other and the family, compared to the disaster you see nowadays, of single parent households.
Marriage is NO guarantee of family.
Half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage. Of these, close to half will also see the breakup of a parent’s second marriage.” (Furstenberg, Peterson, Nord, and Zill, “Life Course”)

Of all children born to married parents this year, fifty percent will experience the divorce of their parents before they reach their 18th birthday. (Fagan, Fitzgerald, Rector, “The Effects of Divorce On America)

http://www.marriage-success-secrets.com ... vorce.html
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