Religion is and always has been a major influence on the everyday lives of all humans. From the very beginning, even primitive peoples worshipped some for of deity and of course there were always those individuals that claimed intimate knowledge of and a special relationship with those deities. In this way religious leaders became extremely powerful. Every modern religion has its own holy book. For the Christians, this is the Scriptures but there are good 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.
The way in which the content of the scriptures were decided is also still a major issue. It was a group of eminent church officials that decided what would be included in the official version of the Word of God. This was done arbitrarily, say critics and thousands of other religious Christian writings were excluded because they did not fit into doctrines that the then church leaders wanted to promote.
Many critics point out that even highly respected theological scholars do not agree on the exact nature of the scriptures. There are those that firmly believe that it is the holy Word of God, divinely inspired and without fault. They call this the doctrine of inerrancy. Another camp says that the scriptures cannot be taken literally, but rather as an allegory, a riddle even, that needs expert interpretation.
The bulk of the scriptures were originally written in Hebrew or Greek. Sceptics say that much of thee original meaning has been lost in the numerous translations that have been made over time. In addition, when translated into a specific language, the entire content of the original material is phrased to fit in with the cultural make up of those that speak that 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.
Some of the more outspoken critics say that the scriptures are hypocritical. They point out that the vast majority of people are suffering from debilitating poverty and even persecution. This cannot possibly be related to the message that Christianity will set people free, will empower them and will ensure that God Himself will look after them. These people have no reason to believe in these empty promises.
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.
The way in which the content of the scriptures were decided is also still a major issue. It was a group of eminent church officials that decided what would be included in the official version of the Word of God. This was done arbitrarily, say critics and thousands of other religious Christian writings were excluded because they did not fit into doctrines that the then church leaders wanted to promote.
Many critics point out that even highly respected theological scholars do not agree on the exact nature of the scriptures. There are those that firmly believe that it is the holy Word of God, divinely inspired and without fault. They call this the doctrine of inerrancy. Another camp says that the scriptures cannot be taken literally, but rather as an allegory, a riddle even, that needs expert interpretation.
The bulk of the scriptures were originally written in Hebrew or Greek. Sceptics say that much of thee original meaning has been lost in the numerous translations that have been made over time. In addition, when translated into a specific language, the entire content of the original material is phrased to fit in with the cultural make up of those that speak that 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.
Some of the more outspoken critics say that the scriptures are hypocritical. They point out that the vast majority of people are suffering from debilitating poverty and even persecution. This cannot possibly be related to the message that Christianity will set people free, will empower them and will ensure that God Himself will look after them. These people have no reason to believe in these empty promises.
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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