Do you take the Bible literally?

I am wondering how many people here at Totse take the bible literally. If you do, why? If you don't, why not?

Nope, or at least I dont think I do.

First I pray that if I get a "message" that would be nice, and if I dont thats cool (laid back thing here).

Then I read it like a novel (the bible). Not expecting or demanding anything.

What happens happens.

Baby

I was studing to be a preacher for 3 years but quit due to different viewpoints.

My teachers were sure that the bible was literaly true and I was sure that is was more allegorical in nature. Read the book of Revalations, it sounds like a fucking D&D campain.

Even Jesus used storys to communicate, like the pearl of great price or the story of the splinter of wood in a mans eye.

Recieve the teaching as they come before you. As you strive for your higher self, will the teaching appear and resonate unto the highest.

Meaning then becomes that it is, the knowing becomes the accepted.

Trust be with you that those who truly seek the path of their souls shall be before them a guiding Light.

The change is near. Reslove the illusions of the lowest in you and ascend to the highest of your being.

Such is that which surely must come.

Before you stands choice. Fear and deny yourself not that the Truth is the True Way.

quote:Originally posted by XliMun(Frontalobe)~:

Recieve the teaching as they come before you. As you strive for your higher self, will the teaching appear and resonate unto the highest.

Meaning then becomes that it is, the knowing becomes the accepted.

Trust be with you that those who truly seek the path of their souls shall be before them a guiding Light.

The change is near. Reslove the illusions of the lowest in you and ascend to the highest of your being.

Such is that which surely must come.

Before you stands choice. Fear and deny yourself not that the Truth is the True Way.

I do not have the know how to speak as you.

But somehow I can understand what you say. It is so hard to believe in things not seen. The Bible talks so far above me.

BTW It is Revelation, not Revelations.

B

quote:

I do not have the know how to speak as you.

But somehow I can understand what you say. It is so hard to believe in things not seen. The Bible talks so far above me.

BTW It is Revelation, not Revelations.

B

You have the 'know how' in your Higher Self, for if you did not how could "somehow" ?

That which is seen, by that which is not released from 'the beasts', see not that which above the four to be overcome.

Don't you know you are above the seen also?

That which talk above us, yet we know its place, requires an 'ascention' upon it.

Rise to the throne of the table so that you might recieve.

Go slow and look for signs, ask for help, know that you recieve.

That which is to become knows you and awaits your aknowledgment. You are to become through choice.

Find choice.

I'm going to try to make this short and not lead you through the whole process that i have gone through, for me to decide why i believe the Bible literally (not counting the obvious parables, metaphors, etc.)

To begin with:

I believe in God (the Judeo-Christian God, just so that there is no misunderstanding).

I believe that the Bible is His Word, and that it was divinely inspired.

If these first two beliefs are true, then i believe that He would have conveyed His Word as straight forward as we can handle (i know, Rust, i know) in most cases-- barring prophecy, which should be obscur until after the fact. And also barring things of the spiritual realm; that, by their very nature, would be (and should be) beyond our grasp.

So, if these three things are true, then the understanding of our world/universe (including science) should be looked at from a Biblical perspective first. Not by bending the Bible to fit science, but by understanding science(s) through 'biblical glasses'.

That, in a nutshell, is why i believe God's Word as literally as i possibly can.

I just read this link, and i think it is just as appropiate in this thread as it is in many others.

http:../../www.rzim.org/publications/jttran.php@seqid=102

quote:Genesis 6:6:15 & 19 NIV:

This is how you are to build it [noahs arc]: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet tall... You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you

How in the world did he manage to get two of the over ten billion species onto a ship with only 33,750sq feet? That right there should be enough to conclude that the bible shouldn't be taken literaly.

"Elvis didn't do no drugs".

quote:Originally posted by TJTay89:

How in the world did he manage to get two of the over ten billion species onto a ship with only 33,750sq feet? That right there should be enough to conclude that the bible shouldn't be taken literaly.

"Elvis didn't do no drugs".

first of all, you are missing some of the Biblical text reguarding the size.

If you figure out what you are missing, i'll give you another quiz.

quote:Originally posted by xtreem5150ahm:

first of all, you are missing some of the Biblical text reguarding the size.

If you figure out what you are missing, i'll give you another quiz.

Well I got that out of the bible (NIV)LW=Fsq. The only thing I left out was the three levels of the ark, so it would have 33,750 x 3 = 101,250sq feet. Makes no difference you still can't get 20 billion animals on it.

quote:Originally posted by TJTay89:

Well I got that out of the bible (NIV)LW=Fsq. The only thing I left out was the three levels of the ark, so it would have 33,750 x 3 = 101,250sq feet. Makes no difference you still can't get 20 billion animals on it.

For your next quiz, explain to the class where you came up with 20 billion animals. In other words, how many species of animals are there?

Then we will move on to another question.

It's possible that there were less species of animals when it happened.

I think that when reading the Bible, one needs to remember that it was written over along period of time, by many different people, living in different cultures, for different audiences. The writers didn't even realise that what they were writing would one day be canonised into a sacred text. Some parts are meant to be taken literally, but not all of it.

There's also the fact that the writers had different understandings of how the world worked. For example, they believed that the mind was inside the heart, which gives having something in one's 'heart' a different meaning. These days we generally associate the heart with emotion, whereas the Bible's original audience would have associated it with the whole mind.

I dont believe the bible, im a Realist.

No person can talk to god, if he exist he would have shown his face by now.

No person can stand up from being dead.

Even the most advanced machinery cant split a sea in 2, so how come mozes could?

Dammit I thought I said million. Anyway you can only guess on how many there were. I know that even if you were to fill the ark with all of the worlds beetles and enough food to feed them, there wouldn't be enough room for any other type of animals. Seeing as how there are over 350,000 different types of bettles (that we know of).

quote:Originally posted by TJTay89:

Dammit I thought I said million. Anyway you can only guess on how many there were. I know that even if you were to fill the ark with all of the worlds beetles and enough food to feed them, there wouldn't be enough room for any other type of animals. Seeing as how there are over 350,000 different types of bettles (that we know of).

Sorry, i just noticed that you replied. It's bedtime now. I'll try to get to this after work tomorrow.

[ArgonPlasma2000]

quote:Originally posted by Chavez:

I was studing to be a preacher for 3 years but quit due to different viewpoints.

My teachers were sure that the bible was literaly true and I was sure that is was more allegorical in nature. Read the book of Revalations, it sounds like a fucking D&D campain.

Even Jesus used storys to communicate, like the pearl of great price or the story of the splinter of wood in a mans eye.

Exactly, but you have t take the Bible for what t says. If it means that it is allegorical, it will tell you. Other times you gotta either go with your instincts. If the Holy Spirit tells you its an allegory, its an allegory. Other times when it says olive oil its sometimes just plain ole olive oil

No I don't And it's really not meant to be taken literally, but it's more a bunch of stories with morals.

[$tinger]

I don't. I just try my best to live by the Golden Rule.

quote:Originally posted by TJTay89:

Dammit I thought I said million. Anyway you can only guess on how many there were. I know that even if you were to fill the ark with all of the worlds beetles and enough food to feed them, there wouldn't be enough room for any other type of animals. Seeing as how there are over 350,000 different types of bettles (that we know of).

Two part question this time.

1)According to the Hebrew text, what were the (types of) animals God told Noah to take aboard?

2)Do beetles fall into these catagories?

(Just so you know, right now i'm not quite sure myself (about the beetles). I had been planning on double checking before i asked this. And this does not mean that there were no 'bugs' on board. I'm just making the point that it wouldnt (if my understanding is right) fall under the directive given to Noah.

[ArgonPlasma2000]

quote:Originally posted by Abnormal987:

No I don't And it's really not meant to be taken literally, but it's more a bunch of stories with morals.

wow, your logic is flawless

Is the bible meant to be taken literally? Of course not. Why, it must be interpreted by the individual who reads it, that way everyone gets their own special message from it, and is even free to decide how to implement whatever they feel like they have 'received' into their life. We can have over 100,000 factions, denominations and sects that all disagree, (sometimes to the point of murdering each other), over the same set of writings...



Well hell. We've already got that. Maybe the bible is meant to be taken literally, but that would mean, (gasp), actually having to read, understand and obey. Not very likely.



Go about your business good people of Sodom and Gomorrah, nothing to see here.

Nah

Probably because i am not christian

sorry if the topic changed as it went along i was not in a reading mood

The Bhagavad-Gita is much truer than Whitey's scripture. And plus, Krishna gets like mad pussy. He fucks some meadow goddesses for like two eons or some shit like that. And what of Jehovah? According to Whitey, he knocks up some maiden by sending the Pigeon. Fuckin lame, if you ask me.

I can't believe how many people think that the worlds population was actually started by two people; I mean, come on! They're just metaphors.

Yes.

quote:Originally posted by Arrow2brain:

I can't believe how many people think that the worlds population was actually started by two people; I mean, come on! They're just metaphors.

metaphors for the first two single cell lifeforms?