From the very beginning of human history religion, in one form or another, has played a vital role in human societies. Even the most primitive peoples had, and still have some form of worship. Religion ruled human lives and there have always been powerful individuals that claimed to be the only ones with true knowledge about the deity being worshipped and that acted as the earthly representative of that deity. They use the scriptures to wield their power, but these are just a few of the reasons why I am not a Bible student.
Religious leaders tell their congregations that the scriptures is the Word of God and therefore holy. This is most certainly not the truth, says critics. The scriptures are nothing but a collection of writings of many different human beings. To portray these writings as the Holy Word of God is mischievous in the extreme, they state. And because these works have been written by humans, they are subject to common human failure.
Many others ignore the scriptures because, they say, this collection of books have been assembled by humans and that the present content of the scriptures have been chosen from thousands of potential writings. Critics say that only those works that underwrote the personal views of those that selected the books to be included were chosen. It was therefore the product of a church that needed to justify its own doctrines.
Some people ignore the scriptures because they simply do not know who to believe. There are those that say that the scriptures is an accurate historical record that contains not one single factual error. Then there are others that hold the opinion that the scriptures are allegorical and that it must not be interpreted literally at all. Both views have highly qualified and experienced advocates.
Another oft repeated criticism is the fact that the scriptures have been translated many times and into many different languages. No translation can ever reflect or convey the original meaning of the text that were penned mostly in Hebrew and Greek. These translations therefore inevitable contain many errors and they furthermore reflect the culture represented by a specific language.
Another major point of contention is the fact that the scriptures are so contradictory in nature. On the one hand it is clearly stated that man has, and always had a choice. The scriptures nevertheless do not tolerate the possibility that other deities may exist, that other religions may have some significance or that there are paths to salvation other than the single route prescribed by the Holy Scriptures.
Perhaps the majority of critics will have nothing to do with the scriptures because they say that the message of love, repeated over and over again, is completely out of touch with reality. The scriptures promises those who believe that they will be treasured by the deity and that they will not want. The reality is that the vast majority of Christians all over the world are repressed and forced to live in abject poverty.
There are those that are actually very serious students of the scriptures, but not to become enlightened, but to disprove the the ideas set forth in this work. But there are also those that insist that it is a holy book that contains valuable instruction to the devout. Perhaps man does have freedom of choice.
Religious leaders tell their congregations that the scriptures is the Word of God and therefore holy. This is most certainly not the truth, says critics. The scriptures are nothing but a collection of writings of many different human beings. To portray these writings as the Holy Word of God is mischievous in the extreme, they state. And because these works have been written by humans, they are subject to common human failure.
Many others ignore the scriptures because, they say, this collection of books have been assembled by humans and that the present content of the scriptures have been chosen from thousands of potential writings. Critics say that only those works that underwrote the personal views of those that selected the books to be included were chosen. It was therefore the product of a church that needed to justify its own doctrines.
Some people ignore the scriptures because they simply do not know who to believe. There are those that say that the scriptures is an accurate historical record that contains not one single factual error. Then there are others that hold the opinion that the scriptures are allegorical and that it must not be interpreted literally at all. Both views have highly qualified and experienced advocates.
Another oft repeated criticism is the fact that the scriptures have been translated many times and into many different languages. No translation can ever reflect or convey the original meaning of the text that were penned mostly in Hebrew and Greek. These translations therefore inevitable contain many errors and they furthermore reflect the culture represented by a specific language.
Another major point of contention is the fact that the scriptures are so contradictory in nature. On the one hand it is clearly stated that man has, and always had a choice. The scriptures nevertheless do not tolerate the possibility that other deities may exist, that other religions may have some significance or that there are paths to salvation other than the single route prescribed by the Holy Scriptures.
Perhaps the majority of critics will have nothing to do with the scriptures because they say that the message of love, repeated over and over again, is completely out of touch with reality. The scriptures promises those who believe that they will be treasured by the deity and that they will not want. The reality is that the vast majority of Christians all over the world are repressed and forced to live in abject poverty.
There are those that are actually very serious students of the scriptures, but not to become enlightened, but to disprove the the ideas set forth in this work. But there are also those that insist that it is a holy book that contains valuable instruction to the devout. Perhaps man does have freedom of choice.
About the Author:
Find out more about why I am not a Bible student by visiting nowthink.com today. To learn all about our current projects and get detailed information on alternative religions, click the links at http://www.nowthink.com/bible-student .
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