What convinced you to believe the Bible?
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Postmaster
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Well it's actually not the bible that made me accept Christianity; it was actually Christianity that convinced me in believing the bible. I've had the stories of the bible read out to me at school.
Just the spoken words of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Christianity hold a force of power, let alone the images or the Icons like the Cross and I assure you this to be true. Rabbis have described Christianity as a Mystical religion, and even back in Cyprus Muslim invaders used to take there sick children to churches in hope of a miracle cure because of things they used to hear. Islam doesn't have Iconic figures like Christianity or have had reports of miracle cures which are as old as Christianity itself, which many do and have occurred. The Ideology of Christianity is clear and simple, Sacrifice! And if you follow this path of sacrifice, you too fall into the energy zone of Christianity where wonderful and amazing things occur, live to help others, give your life to God like the nuns and monks, do Gods work, through pain and hardship and the difference between Buddhist monks is they don't endure the suffering of a Christian due to the nature of there worship, since happiness is a foundation of Buddhist thinking, however not with Christianity (Pope John Paul II was a good example of this)
. The bible is an added bonus of guidance because even the illiterate can't read the bible.
Is Christianity the greatest religion in the world? I'll say it in this forum and from my point of view it's yes but beware of the false prophets and the politic mixing which the bible also warned of.
Just the spoken words of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Christianity hold a force of power, let alone the images or the Icons like the Cross and I assure you this to be true. Rabbis have described Christianity as a Mystical religion, and even back in Cyprus Muslim invaders used to take there sick children to churches in hope of a miracle cure because of things they used to hear. Islam doesn't have Iconic figures like Christianity or have had reports of miracle cures which are as old as Christianity itself, which many do and have occurred. The Ideology of Christianity is clear and simple, Sacrifice! And if you follow this path of sacrifice, you too fall into the energy zone of Christianity where wonderful and amazing things occur, live to help others, give your life to God like the nuns and monks, do Gods work, through pain and hardship and the difference between Buddhist monks is they don't endure the suffering of a Christian due to the nature of there worship, since happiness is a foundation of Buddhist thinking, however not with Christianity (Pope John Paul II was a good example of this)
. The bible is an added bonus of guidance because even the illiterate can't read the bible.Is Christianity the greatest religion in the world? I'll say it in this forum and from my point of view it's yes but beware of the false prophets and the politic mixing which the bible also warned of.
I won't go into it too much, particularly as the stated intent of this thread was in reference to the Bible, but there are some erroneous statements here re buddhism-and maybe Christianity(?) "happiness" per se is not a "foundation" of Buddhist thinking, nor do I suspect is it dismissed as somehow "wrong" by Christians, unless they, of course, are from some literal self-flagellating splinter group.Postmaster said:Well it's actually not the bible that made me accept Christianity; it was actually Christianity that convinced me in believing the bible. I've had the stories of the bible read out to me at school.
Just the spoken words of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Christianity hold a force of power, let alone the images or the Icons like the Cross and I assure you this to be true. Rabbis have described Christianity as a Mystical religion, and even back in Cyprus Muslim invaders used to take there sick children to churches in hope of a miracle cure because of things they used to hear. Islam doesn't have Iconic figures like Christianity or have had reports of miracle cures which are as old as Christianity itself, which many do and have occurred. The Ideology of Christianity is clear and simple, Sacrifice! And if you follow this path of sacrifice, you too fall into the energy zone of Christianity where wonderful and amazing things occur, live to help others, give your life to God like the nuns and monks, do Gods work, through pain and hardship and the difference between Buddhist monks is they don't endure the suffering of a Christian due to the nature of there worship, since happiness is a foundation of Buddhist thinking, however not with Christianity (Pope John Paul II was a good example of this)
Is Christianity the greatest religion in the world? I'll say it in this forum and from my point of view it's yes but beware of the false prophets and the politic mixing which the bible also warned of.
John Paul II, though a wonderful man, did not have a clear understanding of buddhism. Buddhism emphasizes compassion at least as much as wisdom, so service to others is entirely consistent with their views, (though Dalai Lama did comment in print on one occasion that he thought Buddhists could learn how to be more active in that regard from Christians). Take care, Earl
Faithfulservant
Well-Known Member
I was convicted.Blessed87 said:
I guess I’ve been fortunate to have always believed. Through my life the way I’ve received its message has changed. It is a constant source of guidance. Through the years the message gets clearer and more concrete. I seem to get more and more of my whys answered. It humbles me. It is factual history. The people who can read it in its original language are fortunate.
I'm inclined to agree. It is a clear voice of reason and simple truths in an increasingly chaotic and complex world. The one thing I am amazed about the Bible is, that it emphasizes, compassion, above all else.VLreal said:I guess I’ve been fortunate to have always believed. Through my life the way I’ve received its message has changed. It is a constant source of guidance. Through the years the message gets clearer and more concrete. I seem to get more and more of my whys answered. It humbles me. It is factual history. The people who can read it in its original language are fortunate.
We can deal successfully with anything and/or anyone, if we remember our compassion, and the Bible reminds us of this thruth.
my two cents
v/r
Q
Great posts, everyone. For me, since I was brought up in a christian home, I always thought the Bible was a good book, but not something to base my life on or anything. As I grew older, I began to see people who did base the whole of their beliefs upon the Bible, and they were always seeking to see what the Bible said in a situation, not their first impression or opinion. That helped me to see that the Bible applies to so much of our lives.
Before that occured, though, I began to hear (or perhaps I began listening) people talk about sins and forgiveness through belief in Jesus. My thoughts kept turning to that need I was seeing: believing in Jesus and repenting from my sins. I didn't understand what was going on, so I simply prayed, "God, I believe Jesus, okay? It's between You and me now, so please stop bugging me over it." That wasn't what God wanted. Finally, my mom asked me if I felt like I needed to be saved. I said yes, and she helped me to pray, asking God to forgive me of my sins, and asking Jesus to come into my heart and be my Savior. Since then He has been faithful, and He is the One who has shown me that the Bible is the ultimate spiritual truth.
Sometimes I don't like what I see in the Bible, like if I am holding a grudge against someone to be reconciled, or to keep forgiving my brothers since God has forgiven me, or to love everyone. The thing is, I can't do it all, but God keeps working in my life so that I can do better and live according to His Word, the Bible.
I encourage you to think deeply about these things, and to not be afraid to pray about them to ask God to show you the truth.
A.
Before that occured, though, I began to hear (or perhaps I began listening) people talk about sins and forgiveness through belief in Jesus. My thoughts kept turning to that need I was seeing: believing in Jesus and repenting from my sins. I didn't understand what was going on, so I simply prayed, "God, I believe Jesus, okay? It's between You and me now, so please stop bugging me over it." That wasn't what God wanted. Finally, my mom asked me if I felt like I needed to be saved. I said yes, and she helped me to pray, asking God to forgive me of my sins, and asking Jesus to come into my heart and be my Savior. Since then He has been faithful, and He is the One who has shown me that the Bible is the ultimate spiritual truth.
Sometimes I don't like what I see in the Bible, like if I am holding a grudge against someone to be reconciled, or to keep forgiving my brothers since God has forgiven me, or to love everyone. The thing is, I can't do it all, but God keeps working in my life so that I can do better and live according to His Word, the Bible.
I encourage you to think deeply about these things, and to not be afraid to pray about them to ask God to show you the truth.
A.
Cerealkiller
Just this guy, y'know?
I was raised with the Bible, but unfortunately I was raised seeing a lot of people who claimed to live by the Bible and had some very serious flaws of their own creation. I turned towards philosophy and other more "secular" writings in a sort of search for meaning. I maintained an interest in the Bible as an interesting historical/literary work. The more I learned of it however, and the more various interpretations I was exposed to, the more I realized that the Bible agreed with all the philosophers that I agreed with. I kept coming back to the fact that all the systems I thought worked were either mirrored in the Bible, or had been inspired by it. It seemed to me that the only rational move was to accept that maybe the Bible was a good source of spiritual/philosophical truth as well as an entertaining historical document.
mynameisstephen
Well-Known Member
I believe the Bible to be true after bieng born again the Holy Spirit reveals the truth but here are some points to consider If people say that is not
1. It is unique in its continuity.
If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time.
2. It is unique in its circulation.
The invention of the printing press in 1450 made it possible to print books in large quantities. The first book printed was the Bible. Since then, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. By 1930, over one billion Bibles had been distributed by Bible societies around the world. By 1977, Bible societies alone were printing over 200 million Bibles each year, and this doesn’t include the rest of the Bible publishing companies. No one who is interested in knowing the truth can ignore such an important book.
3. It is unique in its translation.
The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.
4. It is unique in its survival.
In ancient times, books were copied by hand onto manuscripts which were made from parchment and would decay over time. Ancient books are available today only because someone made copies of the originals to preserve them. For example, the original writings of Julius Caesar are no longer around. We know what he wrote only by the copies we have. Only 10 copies still exist, and they were made 1,000 years after he died. Only 600 copies of Homer’s The Iliad exist, made 1,300 years after the originals were written. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. In fact, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, some written within 35 years of the writer’s death.
5. It is unique in withstanding attack.
No other book has been so attacked throughout history as the Bible. In A.D. 300 the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered every Bible burned because he thought that by destroying the Scriptures he could destroy Christianity. Anyone caught with a Bible would be executed. But just 25 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered that 50 perfect copies of the Bible be made at government expense. The French philosopher Voltaire, a skeptic who destroyed the faith of many people, boasted that within 100 years of his death, the Bible would disappear from the face of the earth. Voltaire died in 1728, but the Bible lives on. The irony of history is that 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society moved into his former house and used his printing presses to print thousands of Bibles.
The Bible has also survived criticism. No book has been more attacked for its accuracy. And yet archeologists are proving every year that the Bible’s detailed descriptions of historic events are correct.
1. It is unique in its continuity.
If just 10 people today were picked who were from the same place, born around the same time, spoke the same language, and made about the same amount of money, and were asked to write on just one controversial subject, they would have trouble agreeing with each other. But the Bible stands alone. It was written over a period of 1,600 years by more than 40 writers from all walks of life. Some were fishermen; some were politicians. Others were generals or kings, shepherds or historians. They were from three different continents, and wrote in three different languages. They wrote on hundreds of controversial subjects yet they wrote with agreement and harmony. They wrote in dungeons, in temples, on beaches, and on hillsides, during peacetime and during war. Yet their words sound like they came from the same source. So even though 10 people today couldn’t write on one controversial subject and agree, God picked 40 different people to write the Bible—and it stands the test of time.
2. It is unique in its circulation.
The invention of the printing press in 1450 made it possible to print books in large quantities. The first book printed was the Bible. Since then, the Bible has been read by more people and printed more times than any other book in history. By 1930, over one billion Bibles had been distributed by Bible societies around the world. By 1977, Bible societies alone were printing over 200 million Bibles each year, and this doesn’t include the rest of the Bible publishing companies. No one who is interested in knowing the truth can ignore such an important book.
3. It is unique in its translation.
The Bible has been translated into over 1,400 languages. No other book even comes close.
4. It is unique in its survival.
In ancient times, books were copied by hand onto manuscripts which were made from parchment and would decay over time. Ancient books are available today only because someone made copies of the originals to preserve them. For example, the original writings of Julius Caesar are no longer around. We know what he wrote only by the copies we have. Only 10 copies still exist, and they were made 1,000 years after he died. Only 600 copies of Homer’s The Iliad exist, made 1,300 years after the originals were written. No other book has as many copies of the ancient manuscripts as the Bible. In fact, there are over 24,000 copies of New Testament manuscripts, some written within 35 years of the writer’s death.
5. It is unique in withstanding attack.
No other book has been so attacked throughout history as the Bible. In A.D. 300 the Roman emperor Diocletian ordered every Bible burned because he thought that by destroying the Scriptures he could destroy Christianity. Anyone caught with a Bible would be executed. But just 25 years later, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered that 50 perfect copies of the Bible be made at government expense. The French philosopher Voltaire, a skeptic who destroyed the faith of many people, boasted that within 100 years of his death, the Bible would disappear from the face of the earth. Voltaire died in 1728, but the Bible lives on. The irony of history is that 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society moved into his former house and used his printing presses to print thousands of Bibles.
The Bible has also survived criticism. No book has been more attacked for its accuracy. And yet archeologists are proving every year that the Bible’s detailed descriptions of historic events are correct.