What proves the Bible is God's truth?

[marco]

If an alien came to Earth and read the Bible what would tell him that it was a God-inspired piece of literature? Would he not see it as an attempted history of some tribe who liked the idea they were the favourites of a God?

What has caused modern folk to accept Hebrew history as opposed to Greek or Babylonian or Egyptian and through the agency of somebody with the nickname "Anointed Saviour" develop a system of varied beliefs? Instead of wooden poles they have built huge buildings.

What's the objective test that the Bible comes from God?
Why have people adopted the Jewish scripture, yet have rejected them in favour of an update?

[Elijah John]

What's the objective test that the Bible comes from God?
Why have people adopted the Jewish scripture, yet have rejected them in favour of an update?

-The "still small voice" that Elijah heard, many of us also hear in the Bible, or at least in parts of it. God is there.
-Unlike the Greek myths, for example, there is a code of ethics attached to the name of YHVH.
-And in that code, there is a prohibition against representing YHVH or any other "god" with graven images, statues etc. Something very unique in the ancient world. An advancement in enlightenment.

[polonius]

What's the objective test that the Bible comes from God?
Why have people adopted the Jewish scripture, yet have rejected them in favour of an update?

-The "still small voice" that Elijah heard, many of us also hear in the Bible, or at least in parts of it. God is there.
-Unlike the Greek myths, for example, there is a code of ethics attached to the name of YHVH.
-And in that code, there is a prohibition against representing YHVH or any other "god" with graven images, statues etc. Something very unique in the ancient world. An advancement in enlightenment.

QUESTIONS:

(1) When was the Old Testament really written?

(2) When was the New Testament actually written?

(3) How long after the events they describe was that?

(4) Do you know how to spot fiction in writings?

[SallyF]

What's the objective test that the Bible comes from God?
Why have people adopted the Jewish scripture, yet have rejected them in favour of an update?

-The "still small voice" that Elijah heard, many of us also hear in the Bible, or at least in parts of it. God is there.
-Unlike the Greek myths, for example, there is a code of ethics attached to the name of YHVH.
-And in that code, there is a prohibition against representing YHVH or any other "god" with graven images, statues etc. Something very unique in the ancient world. An advancement in enlightenment.

HEARING VOICES

Hearing voices refers to the experience of hearing a voice when no one else is around or hearing a voice that other people cannot hear.1 It is sometimes described as an “auditory hallucination�.2

While hearing voices can be a symptom of some types of mental health problems, hearing voices is actually quite a common experience and not everyone who hears voices has a mental health problem.2 Research estimates that around 10% of people have had an experience of hearing voices at some point in their lives.3

The experience of hearing voices is different for everyone. The voices can vary in how often you hear them, what they sound like, what they say, and whether they sound familiar or unfamiliar.2

Sometimes hearing voices can be upsetting or distressing, or they may say hurtful things or things that can be frightening. However, not everyone experiences this and for some people the voices may be neutral or more positive. People may have different feelings about their voices at different times in their lives.4

To learn more about living with voices, visit Mind’s information page which contains personal stories from people with experience of hearing voices.4

Causes
It is not yet fully understood why some people hear voices and others do not. However, there are certain experiences that can be associated with hearing voices or that can make the voices worse. This includes traumatic life experiences, feelings of stress or worry, or mental health problems such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.1,2

Sometimes, hearing voices can be due to things like lack of sleep, extreme hunger, or due to recreational or prescribed drugs.2 https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/h/hearing-voices

Not a soul - in my experience - ever demonstrates that "God" is anything other than voices/imagining in their head.

Not a soul - in my experience - ever demonstrates that so much as a word of any "scripture" came from anywhere other than the voices/imaginations of human minds.

NONE of which answers the OP.

[Elijah John]

[Replying to post 12 by polonius]

Yes, much of the Bible is derived from oral tradition and should not be taken literally. I think I do know fact from fiction. Much of Genesis, for example is fiction and is in fact written that way, in the form of fable.

But there is truth in the ethics of the Bible, the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule, for example. And in the prophetic writings, and the books of Wisdom, the Psalms, the Proverbs etc. Poetic truth resides there.

[Elijah John]

[Replying to post 13 by SallyF]

"Hearing voices" as in hearing the "still small voice" I.e, an inner knowing. Not to be conflated with hearing audible voices, or the voices of psychotic disorder.

Don't even atheists have an inner sense sometimes, an inner knowing of things? I think that is what is described in Elijah's episode. God is found in quiet, meditative states, in this case in contrast to Sturm and Drang. But I realize atheists would attribute inner knowing to something other than God.

Perhaps I misunderstood the point of the OP. Maybe you or Marco could clarify. But my answer above is what convinces me the Bible is (at least partly) the Word of God, in contrast to some other Holy writ or myth.

[SallyF]

[Replying to post 13 by SallyF]

"Hearing voices" as in hearing the "still small voice" I.e, an inner knowing. Not to be conflated with hearing audible voices, or the voices of psychotic disorder.

Don't even atheists have an inner sense sometimes, an inner knowing of things? I think that is what is described in Elijah's episode. God is found in quiet, meditative states, in this case in contrast to Sturm and Drang. But I realize atheists would attribute inner knowing to something other than God.

Perhaps I misunderstood the point of the OP. Maybe you or Marco could clarify. But my answer above is what convinces me the Bible is (at least partly) the Word of God, in contrast to some other Holy writ or myth.

The OP is very straightforward.

What's the objective test that the Bible comes from God?

I have NEVER seen an OBJECTIVE TEST.

You have offered voices in the head.

[Willum]

[Replying to post 3 by Tcg]

For once I agree with 1213, personal belief is the only thing that proves the Bible is God's truth.

All other tests fail.
If you try to prove the Sun goes around the Earth, fail.
Moses existed, fail.

But if you can create such conditions that you believe the Bible is God's literal truth, then who can argue with you?

[marco]

I believe, that what is told in the Bible, is possible. Bible doesn’t speak about “corpses�, which means dead bodies. Those who were raised were not dead bodies. How could you prove it could not have happened?

To you, 1213, I cannot prove it did not happen. Matthew 27 tells us:

" At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people."

By just reading the above I discover that tombs broke open and holy people WHO HAD DIED were raised to life. Perhaps you were reading a different story. Can we anticipate some extraordinary exegesis?


I cannot prove Socrates did not chat to friends after drinking hemlock but I can readily believe it since no natural law is broken. Corpses do not come to life - even if they are corpses of holy men, a detail that is an astoundingly silly observation - and so we have something that contradicts a law that we have successfully accepted. That contradiction, for most reasonable people, would suffice to discredit Matthew's yarn.

[1213]

…By just reading the above I discover that tombs broke open and holy people WHO HAD DIED were raised to life. Perhaps you were reading a different story. Can we anticipate some extraordinary exegesis?

Previously you said “corpses of "holy men" got up from their graves and walked to Jerusalem�. That is not same as dead person getting life and then go and walk to Jerusalem. Those who walked were not corpses, because corpses don’t have life.

…I cannot prove Socrates did not chat to friends after drinking hemlock but I can readily believe it since no natural law is broken. Corpses do not come to life - even if they are corpses of holy men, a detail that is an astoundingly silly observation - and so we have something that contradicts a law that we have successfully accepted. That contradiction, for most reasonable people, would suffice to discredit Matthew's yarn.

And what is the natural law that prevents lifeless to become living? Don’t you believe that all life came to exist randomly from lifeless matter?

[marco]

Previously you said “corpses of "holy men" got up from their graves and walked to Jerusalem�. That is not same as dead person getting life and then go and walk to Jerusalem. Those who walked were not corpses, because corpses don’t have life.

Check the figure of speech prolepsis.
Are you making a serious point or just attempting to play with words? A dead person is a corpse. The corpses apparently came to life. The things the cadavers became walked. Let's just accept Matthew was being stupid.

And what is the natural law that prevents lifeless to become living? Don’t you believe that all life came to exist randomly from lifeless matter?

Do you believe all life came from lifeless matter? Unlike you I don't have an explanation for how matter originated. You think that a big giant breathed life into some mud and the mud started to talk, presumably in Hebrew. Is that sensible?

In any event we are discussing buried bodies rising to life and being identified as the corpses of holy men. What is a holy corpse? Are you seriously defending this nonsense?