Thought some of you might find this interesting.

Nearly one-third of Americans believe the Bible is literally true, word-for-word, reports the Christian Post, a drop of 10 percent over the past 30 years.

In the Gallup survey, more than 1,002 adults were asked to describe their view of the Bible. Here are the results:
--28 percent said the Bible is the "actual Word of God and is to be taken literally."
--49 percent said the Bible is the "inspired word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally."
--19 percent said it is an "ancient book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man."

The number of people who believe the Bible is literally true increases with age with the highest number of such believers living in the South and the lowest number living in the West. Younger people are less likely to profess belief in the literal Bible, and just 10 percent of college graduates say so, compared with 39 percent of people with a high school education or less

simply put, i think everyone should have the right to follow their own beliefs, as long as said beliefs don't include the harm - emotional, physical, or what have you - of another human.

i suppose that steps on the toes of fundamentalists; not being able to blow up skyscrapers or medical clinics being such an affront to their rights and religions, it might even be said to piss them off.

i imagine i can live with that.

just read an intresting book called "the misquoted jesus" its basically a history of the bible, and how it came to be.

did you know the new testement is made up of 28 scrolls (no length included, could be 90 pages each, could be 90 words) these scrolls were the "letters" the disciples wrote back and forth to each other, that a head cardnial had made into the bible in 300ish AD. Now, at that, we have to realise that we don't even have a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of the bible. So, could it be word for word right? very very doubfull.

think of it like this, and take it for an expirament. Take a video tape, and make a copy of it. Then make a copy of that copy....do that about 28 times. Then look at the quality of the last copy. It looks like shit. That is basically how the bible reads out. It at best is a loose interpretation of letters written back and forth beetween jesus' deciples, that weren't even put down for 350-300 years after they were originally written. Not to forget the fact that, only noblemen could even read or write then as well.

i dunno..i mean, i guess as long as you have faith, you're ok. But it would be a pretty good mind fuck to die, get to heaven and it be completely different that you expected, and then meet god, and he be like the god in southpark. Some...toad with wings and stuff.

like the game telephone kids play in kindergarden..

ZKitten wrote:like the game telephone kids play in kindergarden..

EXCEPT, the "Faithful" believe that God was there as "Editor" for each transcription.
Personally, I believe the Bible has been 99.8+% accurately reproduced, but many things that right-wingers take as "Literal" are INTENDED "Figuratively", and I have different interpretations of those Figurative passages than Many "Bible-Thumping" so-called "Christians".
I consider Myself "Christian", but I do not have a hint of belief that Every Bit of the Bible is intended "Literally".

Bone...... you troublemaker.

there is a passage somewhere where it speaks that if your hand does something bad cut it off....I personally dont think that it is literal. I didnt even think that when I WAS an ordained southern baptist minister....I never took the bible as literal...too each his own, is all I can say....

Dark Elf wrote:Bone...... you troublemaker.

there needs to be an option for believe certain translations are real but the king james version is over edited and changed for content worse than the rest.

junkie christ wrote:there needs to be an option for believe certain translations are real but the king james version is over edited and changed for content worse than the rest.

when I was of that faith, I always had a problem with the fact that the bible especially the KJV was written by a man...or several men

good point junkie

Time, translations, copies, the Roman Empire, and the Catholic Church aside...

The bible says that it is physically written by man.
The bible also says that man is fallible.

/point made

Bone wrote:

Dark Elf wrote:Bone...... you troublemaker.

Now I'm not gonna ever think twice about pissing you guys off with posting subjects that may result in arguments/debate/trolls etc.

junkie christ wrote:there needs to be an option for believe certain translations are real but the king james version is over edited and changed for content worse than the rest.

Have you ever seen that bumper sticker that says

If it ain't king james, it ain't bible
'


I can't believe that sort of stupidity exists on this earth....
they must actually think it was originally in english!!

Hardcoregirl wrote:

junkie christ wrote:there needs to be an option for believe certain translations are real but the king james version is over edited and changed for content worse than the rest.

Have you ever seen that bumper sticker that says

If it ain't king james, it ain't bible
'


I can't believe that sort of stupidity exists on this earth....
they must actually think it was originally in english!!

Come on, everyone knows American is God's language!

Hardcoregirl wrote:

junkie christ wrote:there needs to be an option for believe certain translations are real but the king james version is over edited and changed for content worse than the rest.

Have you ever seen that bumper sticker that says

If it ain't king james, it ain't bible
'


I can't believe that sort of stupidity exists on this earth....
they must actually think it was originally in english!!

i actually know a few people like that, its quite sad because they are missing out on alot of good things in life. They are so single minded, the have the " my way or the highway aproach to life". ..Its really sad

Historic and Scientific , to completely back it up ! There is more concrete proof for God then against. Maybe a lame reason to some for believing as I know faith is the major factor, howver all of us have a choice to believe what you want and choose your path. God is extending an invatation and you can refuse it if you want the choice is yours.

Seraphim wrote:Historic and Scientific , to completely back it up ! There is more concrete proof for God then against. Maybe a lame reason to some for believing as I know faith is the major factor, howver all of us have a choice to believe what you want and choose your path. God is extending an invatation and you can refuse it if you want the choice is yours.

There is no more proof for the existence of god than there is proof against the existence of god. You are just choosing to see what you want to see and believe what you want to believe.

i don't see what the big deal is with religion. if you need it to be a good person, then i guess some people are better off believing. i can not call myself religious because no matter what, i will always have doubt. so i just try my best to be as good of a person as possible. i figure that if that is not good enough for whatever deity may exist then i would not want to worship said deity anyway.

Was an atheist , now I am not. Not trying to stir any waves. I bellieve because of three things

1. Faith
2. Experience
3. Research

I am allowed to my beliefs even if you do not agree, just like you have your beliefs, and I have to respect that. So please do not tell me that I see what I want to see, because you have not given me any basis to believe otherwise. K !

Getting back to the original topic, no, even as a Christian, I don't believe the Bible is the literal "word of God". As someone pointed out (got sidetracked by some of the other comments and can't remember who, forgive me!), the New Testament is a collection of letters from the apostles to each other and to different congregations. My assumption is that much was lost in translation, edited out by over-zealous religious leaders or just plain tossed out when it didn't fit what the church wanted taught at the time.

I take it as a guide, pointing me in the direction I need to go, not the absolute one true way that I have to follow to the letter. I don't do well taking orders.

I occassionally believe that I'm semi-intelligent and can think well enough for myself to determine what's right and wrong for me. I don't presume to try to determine what's right or wrong for someone else.