God may have used evolution - I don't know. But, the Bible was never intended to be a science book.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Well, you are right but I'm not talking about the whooooole evolution process, just the mere mention of the dinosaurs and such. :)

by Anonymous 8 years ago

OK, again, the Bible was never intended to be a science book - so ....

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Haha. Point taken. :)

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Anything is possible. My //concern// (if I have a concern) with the bible is the difficulty in taking some parts literally and others parts figuratively Not that is a problem with any //other// text, because virtually all texts use both styles The concern comes with attempting to use the bible as the **literal** "word of god" when it is clear that some passages are either intended to be figurative or at the very least they are in clear contradiction It is not helpful to be told to "study it" as there are numerous interpretations, even among the most scholarly "experts" So who do you believe? One quick and pertinent example is the discrepancy in the order of creation between Gen 1 and Gen 2 Not a big deal, and it can be explained in more than one way and that's the point "more than one way" so no ones knows the "exact" way that god had created, and so the word of god is open for interpretation which is the source of my concern

by Anonymous 8 years ago

My concern is that god would expect us idiots to read the Bible and understand exactly what is he expects from us. Why not be clear and concise? Just create a few lists like the 10 commandments. Things to never do. Things to do as much as possible. And so on.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

The expectation to easily understand the Word of God, the Creator of the Universe without some effort, thought, and prayer might be a bit of an over reach. There are many different literary styles that God used in bringing His Word to us. He has done this in part because some styles are better at conveying a certain message than others. It is important to interpret Scripture according to its literary styles, so we might better grasp what is being said. For example, when the Bible says that God “shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge . . . ” (Psalm 91:4), it’s imperative to understand that poetic language is being used and not historical narrative. It’s also important to know that some books of the Bible even contain different literary styles within the very same book. Let’s take a look at some of those styles found in God’s Word. Epistle/Letter Epistles were personal correspondences written to a particular party. They were written for a particular church or individual and often addressed several topics. These letters were written with a familiarity of the areas or problems being discussed and with an apostolic tone of authority. We find value in these epistles in that they provide us with timeless truths on difficult issues that still arise today. Some of the Epistles are Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 &2 Timothy, etc. Genealogical Genealogies in the Bible are lists that document a family lineage. These lists of names cover many generations (sometimes even skipping generations) and showing lines of descent over many centuries at times. They provide us with an important historical record that is sometimes used to prove who someone is. In the case of Christ, it demonstrates His lineage according to prophecy. Geneologies are found in Genesis 5, Matthew 1, Luke 3, etc. Historical Narrative Historical narratives are factual accounts written in prose of what happened at a certain time and place and involve people, nations, and events. The writers of these historical records often did not make judgments on what was happening. They only reported what actually occurred--both good (healings, miracles, etc.,) and bad (murder, theft, etc.). With that being the case, when making judgments, historical narratives must be viewed and interpreted in the full light of Scripture. Historical books are Joshua, Ruth, Esther, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, etc. Law/Statutory Much of the first five books of the Bible is statutory in nature. Old Testament laws are worth understanding as they show us what God required of His people. Although many of the laws are no longer applicable (such as priestly laws), they still teach us what God is like and help us understand what He desires of us. This understanding is called “The Threefold Purpose of the Law." The first purpose of the Law is to be a mirror--reflecting both the perfect righteousness of God and the sinfulness of humans. The second purpose of the Law is for the restraint of evil. The third purpose of the Law is to show us what is pleasing to God. If we view the Law in this manner, we then have a better understanding of ourselves and are able to follow God more faithfully. Examples of the books of the Law would be Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Parable Parables are a unique style of communicating stories and are used to illustrate a single point. They were often used by Jesus in the Gospels. There are also a few parables in the Old Testament (Trees making a king, Judges 9:7-15; The Parable of the Ewe Lamb, 2 Samuel 12:1-4, etc.). Although parables always had a message, they were often designed to prevent some people from correctly understanding what was being said at the immediate time (Mark 4:10-12). Some parables in the New Testament can be found in Luke 18:9-14, Pharisee and Tax Gatherer and Luke 10:30-37, The Good Samaritan. Poetry Some of the best poetry ever written is found in God’s Word. Some books in the Old Testament are written entirely in poetry. Hebrew poetry does not have a rhyming structure in the way much of the poetry in English does. Instead, Hebrew poetry is based on the structure of the text with meter and rhythm (as well as the use of a variety of literary techniques) often being the important elements that make up the structure of the poem. There is a wide variety of poetic types found in Scripture, particularly in the Psalms. Prophecy A prophetic utterance in the Bible means “to foretell or proclaim.” The prophets acted as God’s spokesmen prophesying His message (which was usually a warning and a call to righteousness). Almost every book of the Bible contains some kind of prophecy. Often times, a prophecy had immediate relevance to the people to whom it was given. But many prophecies have two fulfillments--the initial fulfillment shortly after they were given and a longer term fulfillment. Because of that, when we read prophecy, it is important to consider how the original readers would have understood it. By placing prophecies in this context it prevents the mistake of looking for modern “fulfillments” which were never intended. Some prophetic books would be Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation. Proverbial/Wisdom Literature Proverbs and wisdom literature are short statements of truth for common and general rules of life (which have exceptions). The Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes contain many such sayings that deal with a variety of aspects of daily living that can be used as a general guide. You are not bound to study the Bible all alone either. If you live in a civilized community, chances are that there is a Bible Study group nearby. If you were to ready an auto service manual cover to cover, would you expect to be proficient at auto maintenance? How much more complex must understand the Word of God must be!

by Anonymous 8 years ago

I think I get that, here is the Crux //my emphasis added// //Although //**many of the laws are no longer applicable**// (such as priestly laws), they still teach us what God is like and **help us understand** what He desires of us.// Like anything else, //who// gets to decide which laws are still applicable? Is it you? the pope? your preacher? the Ayatollah? Basically everyone is reading and studying the same words and coming up with different emphasis. That's what I did. I studied for a good many years, I took classes, I discussed and read and sought guidance from priests and rabbis and theology scholars. And you are right it did //help// me understand. So like all of them, I picked and I chose, I threw-out the ideas about the evils of menstruation, and shellfish, and foreskins and I threw-out the ones about homosexuals too. In the end I kept only three 1) love every one as your brother 2) judge no one 3) treat material possessions as unimportant That is about all I can handle Budwick. The rest is left up to you and your brethren. You folks can sort out who can sleep with who, which orifices are godly and which are sinful. You can figure out which cultures are worth saving and which to cast aside. Meantime, I'll will enjoy my carefree life absent fancy cars and nice houses and xboxes and Iphones I will hug dirty mexicans when I meet them and share my meals with beggars and heathens. And I will smile while I am doing it pretty confident that if I am wrong, and there is a god, this is what all those words boil down to: be nice to everyone you meet and they will be nice to you. and if I burn in hell for that, I guess I deserve it.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

If you live in a civilized community, chances are that there is a Bible Study group nearby. If you were to ready an auto service manual cover to cover, would you expect to be proficient at auto maintenance? How much more complex must understand the Word of God must be!

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Thanks Budwick. I honestly appreciate your effort been there done that I have talked and studied I have searched my soul and the minds of many learned teachers But I don't think I will be going back I am convinced I have the true message it is peace and love I don't not need a manual I have a heart

by Anonymous 8 years ago

I agree that REAl science and genesis coincides, evolution is religious dogma,not science.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

you have it backwards.. creationism is religious dogma.. evolutions is based on science....Science gathers facts and then comes to a conclusion.. Religion comes to a conclusion without gathering facts..

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Good theory.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

I don't see how that's possible. The bible never mentioned people coming about from monkeys.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Neither does evolution...

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Monkeys, apes, whatever. Still, evolutionists believe we derived from some animal.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Well not necessarily. We technically are animals. The bottom line with evolutionists is that they don't believe that humans just poofed into existence from dust and a rib.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

what you been smoking?? No one ever said man came from monkeys...

by Anonymous 8 years ago

I mean, I guess you could find connections between the two for example, snakes used to have legs and over time they were removed and in the bible, when the serpent (devil) tricked Eve into eating the fruit God cursed him and every snake with no more legs. But the bible isn't met to prove everything with science. Could God have created everything through evolution? Maybe. It's not something that you have to worry about as a Christian.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

those writers are lazy and left many plotholes and karma houdinis

by Anonymous 8 years ago

How come there are no midgets in the Bible? I suppose you could consider David a midget compared to Goliath, but that's just a comparitive narration. It would be much more entertaining with little people running around, doing miracles, and building things. Pound for pound, you could fit more midgets in the ark so you would think they would be everywhere. I'm not counting Chinese people mind you, but that certainly raises a good question; were there Chinese people on the ark? There is a serious boatload of them now. Where'd they all come from? (Chinese people, that is)

by Anonymous 8 years ago

however there are more than one passage on who killed Goliath ,, just one more of the bible discrepancies.. And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Beth-lehemite slew Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam” (2 Samuel 21:19).

by Anonymous 8 years ago

That all happened at the tower..every one began to babble in a different language and they were dispersed to the 4 corners of the earth.. each with his own..That is if you wish to believe in fairy tales..

by Anonymous 8 years ago

That explains the language barrier, but not the physical characteristics. Using that tale...Perhaps someone could argue it's a metaphor

by Anonymous 8 years ago

have to go back to the time of the separation of the people,, over a few hundred thousands of years they adapted to their surroundings.. Man in the warmer climates lost all of their body hair,, and got bigger noses to counter the heat..ETC ETC..again more fairy tales...

by Anonymous 8 years ago

The bible was man's attempt to explain that which couldn't be explained by science at the time.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Explanations by a bunch of superstitious minds...Later used to control mankind....

by Anonymous 8 years ago

I don't know that I agree, if the bible actually controlled mankind, the world may be a better place than it is. I don't think the bible even controls its own readers / believers. It is just an object after all, it holds only the power the reader assigns to it. Given the glaring contractions between what it reads and what its readers do, I can only presume that isn't much as "power" goes. I guess I'm not inclined to give mankind such an easy excuse for bad behavior.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Religion has always tried to control mankind.. goes way back to the 3rd century,, when Constantine made Christianity the Dominate religion.. it was the way to bring all the different factions together under his rule...Believe what I tell you or die is a great motivator.. Worship my God or he will burn your as s

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Religion can't really try or do much on its own, it's not a living entity. Man has tried to use religion to control other men, but I would say the real problem is the desire of man to control other men, not words on a piece of paper per se. And we also can't deny the obvious, clearly many choose to be controlled, otherwise a great many religions would have die out completely. Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of religion either, but the bottom line is this only has power over people so long as people allow it to.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Gods the big banger I guess.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Those are two wayyyyy different things.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

Because it's rubbish.

by Anonymous 8 years ago

who knows bible is written and rewritten nothing is set in stone because nobody wrote it God didn't write it

by Anonymous 8 years ago

No... they don't coincide at all. Not even in the least bit.

by Anonymous 8 years ago