Is there any other wisdom other than the Bible?

[The Amazing Ryuu]

Romans1:17

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

According to this... yes, we can come to know God, and are in fact expected to, just from the world around us. The more we learn about our world and the unvierse, the more it's obvious, at least to me, that there's a hand in the design. Hm. I kinda like using Bible verses that point away from itself. It has no problem allowing you to go in search of faith-related things elsewhere, and I personally think that helps establish its authority.

Actually, Fushigi, your post reminds me of a question I had in another thread: Is it Jesus himself that's the way to God, or is it the path he preaches? If we're supposed to be able to find God in creation itself, CAN Jesus the person be the only way to salvation? Obviously, people who have never heard of the Son or the Bible can find God, according to that verse, so why can't they then be saved?

I also had an idea today that might make for an interesting thread. Everyone asks whether there's multiple paths to the same heaven. What if each patch just leads to a different heaven? Jesus leads us to one, and people who come to God via nature go to another, and the Muslims another?

I feel bad for you Priestley. It's also those sort of answers that make other 'logical' individuals think that religion is blind following. stare

Edit: Re-reading this... This post is a little schizophrenic. But I don't know how to edit it down and make it more cohesive.  

[Fushigi na Butterfly]

No, it's cool, it makes sense. It makes alot of sense actually. Huh. Now I'm thinking. 8D  

[The Amazing Ryuu]

A little thinking's good for you every now and again. smile  

[freelance lover]

Fushigi na Butterfly

@Liz: But how can anyone be sure what the spirit of the Bible is? That's my point. How do I know the Bible was inspired by God? Because the Bible says so? Isn't that like a person saying to you that they never lie, and you asking how you can believe them, and them answering, "Because I never lie"? Is there any outside evidence of the Bible's truth, wisdom, and possibly having been inspired by God? Where do I find it?

I think, to an extent, this is where faith comes into play, as well as my own morals and understanding of God and the world. I see the Bible as, for the most part, preaching, a message of love, tolerance, and hope, which I agree with. If there is a passage I disagree with, I seek to understand that passage better and in almost every case I've found, it falls back to morals that I support and am comfortable with.

And like I said- faith is a big part of it. Faith is belief in something for which we have no proof, and to me, faith is what makes spirituality so amazing. That people can believe in something so much without having hard evidence, and still know it to be true.

My faith, like your is evolving and I'm beginning to rely less on scripture, (although I still enjoy studying it, understanding it, and see a need for it) and am relying more and more on what I think God's need in the world is and what I personally am to do. The older I get, the less black and white religion comes. It's confusing, but I don't think it's necessarily bad. I grow in my faith by study and discussion, and if I knew everything my faith would surely dwindle.  

[kita44]

I don't know whether you want any specifics, but I personally use KJ. This is because out of all the rest of the the versions of the bible, (I believe all were inspired by God) this version has stayed true. What I mean by that, is although it has gone through editing, no one has ever changed the meaning of the scripture. Such as, one of the editions that has been made changed old spelling to new age spelling, same with printing. But since KJ can be quite confusing, I also have NIV to reference too. That way when I don't understand the meaning of something in KJ, I can read the verse in NIV and compare the two. This helps me alot.

But as to one certain bible being inspired, I believe that all were inspired, but some have gone through revisions that have changed the meaning of the scripture.

I believe that God speaks to people other than Christians, (and not always through the bible) but I don't believe there's anything specific with this, he just uses certain things to call on theie hearts.  

[freelance lover]

kita44

I don't know whether you want any specifics, but I personally use KJ. This is because out of all the rest of the the versions of the bible, (I believe all were inspired by God) this version has stayed true. What I mean by that, is although it has gone through editing, no one has ever changed the meaning of the scripture. Such as, one of the editions that has been made changed old spelling to new age spelling, same with printing. But since KJ can be quite confusing, I also have NIV to reference too. That way when I don't understand the meaning of something in KJ, I can read the verse in NIV and compare the two. This helps me alot.

But as to one certain bible being inspired, I believe that all were inspired, but some have gone through revisions that have changed the meaning of the scripture.

I believe that God speaks to people other than Christians, (and not always through the bible) but I don't believe there's anything specific with this, he just uses certain things to call on theie hearts.

The thing about KJV is that it's actually not the best translation we have today. It was translated hundreds of years ago and was translated off of a faulty Greek alphabet. We've since made new discoveries (which is why the discovery of the Rosetta Stone was so big) and we've also discovered pieces of scripture that were removed or added.

The things is, the Bible is an old book which has been transcribed thousands of times. It has been edited, redacted, and changed either unintentionally or intentionally. The best example off the top of my head is the ending of the book of Mark. It has three endings, some of which are missing in earlier text, and the writing style also does not coincide with the rest of the Gospel, leading scholars to think the ending was added by another author to resolve it more, since in the original the women at the tomb just run away screaming.

I personally like the KJV for its poetic language, but in studying it I like to go to the NRSV, since it was translated by a large panel of biblical language scholars. NIV is also a good one too, which I like to use for cross referencing.

I believe the Bible was divinely inspired, but that we have to take any translation with a grain of salt. You also have to be careful, since some translation, like The Message, are really more like interpretations rather than translation. But I think any translation can have it's good qualities and ultimately bring a person to God.  

[The Amazing Ryuu]

Well, if I believe in a God who is as powerful as I think he is, and this book was his biggest communication tool to be used for thousands of years, I'd like to think that, despite the editing and the re-piecing, what he wanted to say to us is still in there. Otherwise what would be the purpose of letting it hang around so long?

freelance lover

You also have to be careful, since some translation, like The Message, are really more like interpretations rather than translation. But I think any translation can have it's good qualities and ultimately bring a person to God.

Well, The Message was originally a paraphrase, not a real translation, by a pastor who wanted his son to be able to grasp the more complicated parts of the Bible. If you're really having trouble understanding what's going on over the course of a whole passage, The Message is pretty good as an overview. Don't try to go chapter-and-verse with it though.  

[freelance lover]

The Amazing Ryuu

Well, if I believe in a God who is as powerful as I think he is, and this book was his biggest communication tool to be used for thousands of years, I'd like to think that, despite the editing and the re-piecing, what he wanted to say to us is still in there. Otherwise what would be the purpose of letting it hang around so long?

I agree with this. I think we can still draw wisdom and guidance from the Bible, it's just harder sometimes because we're not coming from the same time or place as the original audience. When you understand the intent of many of the scripture though, it makes sense.  

[The Amazing Ryuu]

freelance lover

I agree with this. I think we can still draw wisdom and guidance from the Bible, it's just harder sometimes because we're not coming from the same time or place as the original audience. When you understand the intent of many of the scripture though, it makes sense.

Mmm. I miss my old pastors. We used to go through certain books chapter and verse and have a mini seminary as a Sunday school class. xd  

[freelance lover]

The Amazing Ryuu

freelance lover

I agree with this. I think we can still draw wisdom and guidance from the Bible, it's just harder sometimes because we're not coming from the same time or place as the original audience. When you understand the intent of many of the scripture though, it makes sense.

Mmm. I miss my old pastors. We used to go through certain books chapter and verse and have a mini seminary as a Sunday school class. xd

This is why I like being a religion minor. I get to bury myself in Bible commentaries!