Is the bible still relevant today?

[JehovahsWitness]

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... 8-jan-feb/


Many say parts of the bible date back thousands of years, yet millions still read it daily. Some people as, is the bible actually still relevant today? I personally never let a day go by without reading my bible, it has been a great source of wisdom and a daily reminder of how much I have to learn.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by JehovahsWitness]

Still I recognize many others do not share my high regard for the bible. As the article says

"SOME SAY NO. One doctor compared using the Bible for guidance to using a textbook from the 1920’s for teaching a chemistry class. A skeptic might even ask if you would use a manual for an old defunct computer to guide you in using a new up-to-date computer. In other words, some see the Bible as hopelessly outdated.

Why would anyone use such an ancient guide in today’s modern, high-tech world? After all, countless websites and blogs send out a steady flow of the latest advice and guidance. TV pundits and talk shows feature a stream of knowledgeable psychologists, lifestyle gurus, and authors. And bookstores publish a flood of self-help books, fueling a multibillion-dollar industry."

[OnceConvinced]

It really is impossible to determine which parts are relevant for today. NT letters were written to specific churches. Many statements were made to the people at the time. There is just way too much controversy when it comes to determining what of those things are relevant for today and what are those things that were relevant only to the people at the time.

When it comes to debate, people tend to make something relevant if it backs up their beliefs and doctrines. If it doesn't back up their beliefs and doctrines they say "Oh it was only relevant at the time".

We see that all the time on this website.

The other problem is metaphors. As more and more of the bible is uncovered as false or immoral when taken literally and at face value, it becomes more and more metaphor. In this day and age Christians see way more of the bible as metaphor than they did even 30 years ago. Once again it really becomes impossible to tell what is metaphor and what is to be taken at face value. It all comes down to what beliefs you have and what doctrines you wish to support.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 3 by OnceConvinced]

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... 8-jan-feb/


Some say yes, some say no, some say "its impossible to say". I personally have found point number one above to be true for me.

JW

[Divine Insight]

Is the bible still relevant today?

This question is like asking a man if he has stopped beating his wife.

My answer to your question is that the Bible was never relevant.

It has always been false.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 5 by Divine Insight]

I see what you are trying to say. Personally in my own experience I found this first paragraph touched me.

I particularly liked the illustration used.

With all that up-to-the-minute information available, why turn to the Bible—a book that was completed almost 2,000 years ago? Would not skeptics be right in saying that using such an ancient book for guidance is like using an outdated chemistry book or computer manual? Actually, the analogy is flawed. Science and technology change rapidly, but has human nature changed? People still want to find meaning in life as well as to have a reasonable measure of happiness and security, good family relations, and rewarding friendships.

As old as it is, the Bible addresses those needs and more. It also claims to be inspired by our Creator. It offers to guide us in every aspect of life and to equip us for any challenge that matters. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) What is more, it claims to convey counsel that is timeless—advice that never becomes obsolete! The Bible itself says: “The word of God is alive.�—Hebrews 4:12.

Can the Bible’s claims really be true? Is it out-of-date, or is it really the most relevant and practical of books—in effect, a living book? The purpose of this edition of The Watchtower, the first in a series of special issues, is to help you find the answers to these questions.

READ ON
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2018018#h=6

[Divine Insight]

[Replying to post 5 by Divine Insight]

I see what you are trying to say. Personally in my own experience I found this first paragraph touched me.

I particularly liked the illustration used.

With all that up-to-the-minute information available, why turn to the Bible—a book that was completed almost 2,000 years ago? Would not skeptics be right in saying that using such an ancient book for guidance is like using an outdated chemistry book or computer manual? Actually, the analogy is flawed. Science and technology change rapidly, but has human nature changed? People still want to find meaning in life as well as to have a reasonable measure of happiness and security, good family relations, and rewarding friendships.

As old as it is, the Bible addresses those needs and more. It also claims to be inspired by our Creator. It offers to guide us in every aspect of life and to equip us for any challenge that matters. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) What is more, it claims to convey counsel that is timeless—advice that never becomes obsolete! The Bible itself says: “The word of God is alive.�—Hebrews 4:12.

Can the Bible’s claims really be true? Is it out-of-date, or is it really the most relevant and practical of books—in effect, a living book? The purpose of this edition of The Watchtower, the first in a series of special issues, is to help you find the answers to these questions.

READ ON

The problem with this is that the authors of the Watchtower are clearly wrong. Even Jesus in the New Testament rebuked many of the immoral directives of the Old Testament whilst simultaneously claiming that he did not come to change the laws of the old prophets. So the claim that the Bible is the inspired word of our creator is clearly false.

The authors of the Watchtower are also clearly being extremely dishonest when they blatantly ignore the fact that the Bible claims that Jesus was the Son of the God of the Old Testament who was sent to earth through a virgin birth to be offered up as the sacrificial lamb of atonement for our sins. That is what the Bible is about. Why are these authors of the Watchtower pretending that the Bible is solely about moral values, and that it was supposedly consistent, of even intelligent?

The Old Testament has the Biblical God commanding us to judge others and stone 'sinners' to death. It also tells us precisely what sins should be used for this purpose, including trivial things like collecting wood on the Sabbath. Do the authors of the Watchtower stand by the practice of stoning people to death for working on the Sabbath? And they can't claim that Jesus changed that law because the New Testament has Jesus proclaiming that he did not come to change the laws of the prophets of old and that not one jot or one tittle shall pass from law.

The Bible as a whole is a collection of self-contractor claims. It's impossible to obey both Jesus and Yahweh. You must reject at least one of them.

Also, Jesus taught that we are to hate our own mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. What decent human would support that mentality?

Jesus also taught that we are to take no thought of the morrow. Jesus proclaims that God feeds the birds, but the birds do not toil, sow, reap, or store food in barns, yet God feeds them and then he suggests that if God would do this for the birds surely he would do even more for us humans.

But we know that Jesus lied. For one thing the Birds risk their lives daily in search of food. Often obtaining food by stealing food from other birds, or eating other birds, they chicks, or eggs. Is that how God 'feeds' the birds? Is that how we're supposed to acquire our food? Jesus was foolish when he taught that. There can be no doubt about that at all. Jesus either knew nothing of the birds, or he ignorantly just chose an extremely flawed analogy.

And does it really make any sense to take no thought of the morrow? Can you even live that way? I don't think so. Would we have houses if we took no thought of the morrow? Of course not, why should we build a house that we won't even be able to move into until it's finished. Clearly the very act of building a house is taking thought of the morrow.

According to Jesus we should not sow, reap or store food. Can you imagine life where humans actually acted on the advice Jesus gives? I think there are countries where people do this, possibly because they have no choice, and the result is horrible. They end up starving to death and their children suffer the same fate.

Even if we take the superstitious rumors of God wanting to damn us if we fail to accept Jesus as our savior out of picture, there is still no wisdom to be had in these teachings.

The only real question concerning the Bible is the question of whether there actually exists a God who is out to damn us. And if we have to do as Jesus taught in order to save ourselves from being damned by this God, then we had better not become farmers, or collect food to hold us over in the winter. According to Jesus we need to act like the birds.

You continually preach that we should read the Watchtower, but it's crystal clear that the authors of the Watchtower are not to be trusted to tell the truth. They have totally refused to confess that much of what Jesus taught was pure ignorance. And that even if we were to accept the teaching of Jesus we would need to reject the original teaching of Yahweh anyway.

The authors of the Watchtower totally refuse to acknowledge that the Bible cannot possibly be the inspired "Word" of our creator. The content of the Bible simply isn't intelligent enough to fill that bill. Even the teachings of Jesus are ignorant for the most part.

In fact, the only teachings of Jesus that people praise as being obviously intelligent in terms of morality are the teachings where Jesus rebukes the original directives and commandments of Yahweh.

So the reason why so many people see Jesus as their hero is precisely because he rebuked much of the ignorance of Yahweh.

None the less, even Jesus continued to condone slavery.

So unless the authors of the Watchtower are prepared to also support slavery I can't imagine why they would place the teachings of Jesus on such a high pedestal.

The Bible cannot be the word of any all-wise God because there is no wisdom in it.

It's a terrible book that teaches terrible morals.

~~~~~~

Just think about it. So Jesus teaches us not to stone adulterers to death. So what? Why should anything think that we should have stoned adulterer to death in the first place? Well duh? Yahweh commanded it! It was originally the so-called "inspired word of our creator".

Jesus teaches us to turn the other cheek and not seek revenge. So why should anyone have ever thought that it would be a good idea to be seeking revenge in the first place? Well duh? Yahweh commanded that we must seek an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and take no mercy. This was a command from Yahweh, not a mere suggestion that we could seek revenge if we merely wanted to.

The main reason people like Jesus so much is precisely because he basically told Yahweh to go jump in the lake of fife. And nobody likes Yahweh. So Jesus became a hero for telling God off.

And so now we are supposed to believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of Yahweh in whom Yahweh is well-pleased?

The Bible is utterly absurd. It was never anymore relevant than a poorly written comic book. And the authors of the Watchtower aren't being truthful when they make claims about the Bible that leave out and ignore these important facts.

[marco]

I personally never let a day go by without reading my bible, it has been a great source of wisdom and a daily reminder of how much I have to learn.

Then presumably when you read Luke's early chapter, you smile. It is incredible that intelligence attempts to trace a human being back to some Neanderthal who, presumably, didn't record his date of birth as 0..0..0. The inclusion of the following destroys any authenticity the Bible might claim. Notice the interesting phrase at the very beginning: AS WAS SUPPOSED. How wonderful that Joseph kept all those birth certificates and passed them to Luke.



23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli,6

24 Who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Janna, who was the son of Joseph,

25 Who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Amos, who was the son of Naum, who was the son of Esli, who was the son of Nagge,

26 Who was the son of Maath, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Semei, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Judah,

27 Who was the son of Joanna, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the son of Zorobabel, who was the son of Salathiel, who was the son of Neri,

28 Who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmodam, who was the son of Er,

29 Who was the son of Jose, who was the son of Eliezer, who was the son of Jorim, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi,

30 who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Judah, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Jonan, who was the son of Eliakim,

31 Who was the son of Melea, who was the son of Menan, who was the son of Mata, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David,

32 Who was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Booz, who was the son of Salmon, who was the son of Naasson,

33 Who was the son of Aminadab, who was the son of Aram, who was the son of Esrom, who was the son of Phares, who was the son of Judah,

34 Who was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, who was the son of Thara, who was the son of Nachor,

35 Who was the son of Saruch, who was the son of Ragau, who was the son of Phalec, who was the son of Heber, who was the son of Sala,

36 Who was the son of Cainan, who was the son of Arphaxad, who was the son of Sem, who was the son of Noe, who was the son of Lamech,

37 Who was the son of Mathusala, who was the son of Enoch, who was the son of Jared, who was the son of Maleleel, who was the son of Cainan,

38 Who was the son of Enos, who was the son of Seth, who was the son of Adam, who was the son of God.

AMEN!

[JehovahsWitness]

I personally never let a day go by without reading my bible, it has been a great source of wisdom and a daily reminder of how much I have to learn.

Then presumably when you read Luke's early chapter, you smile.

Yes, at the moment in our mid-week meetings we're studying the gospels. I think they read them in the Catholic church too (I know you have a particular tolerance for all things Catholic).

JW

[JehovahsWitness]

23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli,

I don't know if Jesus age at his baptism is significant. I know that 30 was the age a man could serve at the temple so perhaps we can think that it was the point at which he came of age.