Why does the Bible get misinterpreted so often????

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Seems like in every debate or discussion with a Christian...at some point, the Christian will assert that something from the Bible is being misinterpreted...or misused in some way.

What is it with that?

Essentially, you Christians are saying that there is a GOD that made everything...

...a personal GOD that wants us to know what IT is like...what pleases IT...what offends IT....what it expects of humans.

This GOD...made planet Earth; the other planets; the sun; the other 200+ billions of suns that make up our galaxy; and the hundreds of billions of other galaxies that we know exist. It placed them in space so vast that two galaxies can pass through each other without any of their stars crashing into each other.

Are you telling me that this GOD cannot manage to get ITS story out in a coherent, dependable form...so that each of us KNOWS what IT is like....what pleases IT...what offends IT....and what IT expects of us?

What on Earth are you folks thinking of?

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Once again they are trying to prove Gods existence through an irrelevant, and as you say misemterpreted, 2,000 year old book that wasnt even written by Him.

How did God make everything?
Why cant he show himself now?

Alot of things i heard from the survivors of Hurricane Katrina was 'I survived through the Grace of God' or 'I thank God'.
Where was God for the people who died?

I read a bit of the Bible when I was younger, I stopped when i read 2 daughters had sex with their father to get a male heir to the family line.

If the Bible gives comfort then fine, but it is interpreted to suit the situation.
I prefer to believe in what I can see and logically explain.

This is such an ongoing debate.It will never go away.

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Ever take a Rorschach test? Ever hear the story of the blind men and the elephant?

http://www.deltabravo.net/custody/rorschach.htm

http://www.noogenesis.com/pineapple/blind_men_elephant.html

People interpret the Bible based on their own experiences, and their own sense of what life is about. I would suspect that the people who interpret the Bible literally, would also be found to be rather concrete in their global thinking abilities. I would also expect that people who have greater conceptualization skills would view the Bible in a more sophisticated light, as history, myth, and primitive ethics.

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I will be back for more of this later. Looks like it may get either interesting or turn ugly very fast. Maybe both.

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Damn! Phoenix took my Rorschach line before I could use it.

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Bunny- You know what they say about great minds!

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and fools....?

not that either of you are of course, just felt like adding something

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Steve-No offense taken. If it were me, I couldn't let that line go, either!

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Personally I'd prefer they would dispense with the hermeneutics and get in to plain language, it would make it much more easy. The symbolism confuses me. I'm with Freud, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

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agree gf if I ever came upon one of those hermy thingys I'd dispense with it straightaway, no problem.

The problem for me is the LACK OF PHOTOS. I know they didnt have digital cameras or even colour photography in those days, but you would expect the odd black and white or sepia tint photograph to give the whole thing a sense of gravitas. Also no stats. Not a pie chart or graph or tabulated data. Plenty of references to the Above, but thats about it.

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I looked at those R. pictures - if I hadn't been told I could turn the pictures or give more than one response, most of my answers were not even mentioned.

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Frank
I think you've hit upon the problem.....................the folks are not thinking.

At least rationally.

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I'm hoping some Christians stop by and deal with the problem.

Seems like every time I bring one of these topics up in a thread...I am accused of trying to bait Christians with this stuff.

But the fact remains that Christians have a lot to answer for...and they certainly ought to be giving responses to the kinds of questions I...and several others...are raising.

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The Bible was written by man, not by God, so there in of itself leads that the word of God may not have been written perfectly. Hopefully, I am not struck down dead by saying that. In addition, the Bible was written by different writers over an extensive period of time.

Secondly, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic while the New Testament was in Greek. These are the original languages of the Holy Bible from which all the translations are derived. God's inspiration is confined to the original languages and utterances, not the many translations.

There are 1,300 languages and dialects into which the Holy Bible, in its entirety or in portions, has been translated. This does not mean that the translations do not convey the meaning of the Bible. The translations depend upon the translator to use the proper words and phrases to render meaning as close as possible to the text of the original language. It is well-known that a new translation is more or less a new interpretation. For instance, in the English language there are many translations and renderings with different words and phrases, which imply that one translation differs from the other.

Unique characteristics such as idioms and colloquialisms make it impossible for an accurate translation of the meaning of the original Language. Therefore, the translations should be used for, the spiritual guidance of the believers.

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Hermeneutics.

If we didn't have the ability already god would have found it necessary to give it to us.

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Linkat wrote:

The Bible was written by man, not by God, so there in of itself leads that the word of God may not have been written perfectly. Hopefully, I am not struck down dead by saying that.

Try not to be so "god fearing!" Twisted Evil

Quote:

In addition, the Bible was written by different writers over an extensive period of time.

Secondly, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew and Aramaic while the New Testament was in Greek. These are the original languages of the Holy Bible from which all the translations are derived. God's inspiration is confined to the original languages and utterances, not the many translations.

There are 1,300 languages and dialects into which the Holy Bible, in its entirety or in portions, has been translated. This does not mean that the translations do not convey the meaning of the Bible. The translations depend upon the translator to use the proper words and phrases to render meaning as close as possible to the text of the original language. It is well-known that a new translation is more or less a new interpretation. For instance, in the English language there are many translations and renderings with different words and phrases, which imply that one translation differs from the other.

Unique characteristics such as idioms and colloquialisms make it impossible for an accurate translation of the meaning of the original Language. Therefore, the translations should be used for, the spiritual guidance of the believers.

Yes, Link...I know.

And you Christians keep trotting that stuff out whenever something inconvenient is pointed out.

That is why I framed my question the way I did.

Allow me to repeat it:

Essentially, you Christians are saying that there is a GOD that made everything...

...a personal GOD that wants us to know what IT is like...what pleases IT...what offends IT....what it expects of humans.

This GOD...made planet Earth; the other planets; the sun; the other 200+ billions of suns that make up our galaxy; and the hundreds of billions of other galaxies that we know exist. It placed them in space so vast that two galaxies can pass through each other without any of their stars crashing into each other.

Are you telling me that this GOD cannot manage to get ITS story out in a coherent, dependable form...so that each of us KNOWS what IT is like....what pleases IT...what offends IT....and what IT expects of us?

You see, Link...I am asking: If your god is so powerful...and if your wants us to know what it is like...and wants us to know what pleases or offends it...and wants us to know what it expects of us...

...why didn't it do a better job of getting the message out?

A god that can make galaxies should be able to get a message this important out in absolutely unambiguous form.

Why...considering all the presumptions YOU FOLKS are making....has it been such a failure?

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Frank you continuously make assumptions about what God is and what He has done. If you read thoroughly and gained any sort of understanding I never stated any thoughts of
God other than that He is loving and forgiving. Most of what you state is not part of my beliefs in God. You just make up assumptions.

I am simply stating an answer to the question why the Bible is misinterpreted (better stated as interpreted differently - not misinterpreted as everyone has different thoughts and opinions and I respect each). Not who God is to each Christian.

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Linkat wrote:

Frank you continuously make assumptions about what God is and what He has done. If you read thoroughly and gained any sort of understanding I never stated any thoughts of
God other than that He is loving and forgiving.

Other than making it up out of thin air....why do you assert that there is a GOD...and that the GOD is loving and forgiving?

Quote:

Most of what you state is not part of my beliefs in God. You just make up assumptions.

Point out a particular assumption that I am making...so that we can discuss whether or not it is a reasonable assumption to make based on what your have offered in opinion.

Keep in mind that I addressed a particular question to a particular mind-set...and that you offered a response. I don't think it is inappropriate to assume that you are part of the group to whom I addressed my question.

Quote:

I am simply stating an answer to the question why the Bible is misinterpreted (better stated as interpreted differently - not misinterpreted as everyone has different thoughts and opinions and I respect each). Not who God is to each Christian.

Not sure I understand what you are saying here...but save it for later.

Of course...all this simply gets us way off track.

The problem that is in question here is:

If the Christian god is the creator god Christians claim it is...and if the god intends for us to know about it...

...why has the god screwed up the message so badly?

Why has the god allowed humans to umpact on the message...when that should be a snap for it to avoid?

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thanks gf

one learns something every day

hermeunenithingy

bet warney knows nothing about it

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Frank wrote:

You see, Link...I am asking: If your god is so powerful...and if your wants us to know what it is like...and wants us to know what pleases or offends it...and wants us to know what it expects of us...

...why didn't it do a better job of getting the message out?

Ummmm, I think almost every home in the world has got a bible, and if you can't understand it (or you want some pretty pictures) Get a children's bible.

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Why does the Bible get misinterpreted so often????

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