My view is, There are a few reasons why the bible was created. Here they are (in my opinion)

Remember the Greek Gods? Those were created to explain how the world was made, how it worked, etc. The bible was made for the same reason. People were confused, didn't know what to believe, didn't want to believe that they were just here, and that when they die that that would just be the end.

I believe that the Bible is more of a guideline, something made to try and enforce some type of law and order back then, because it was a lot harder back then to uphold the law on a wide scale. I am not saying that's a bad thing. The Bible itself is a good thing. People didn't know how to live back then. They didn't really have anything to live for The Bible gave them something to live for. It still does, to this day.

Also, I believe that it was created to give people hope, something to look forward to when they die, to try and relieve some of the darkness about dying. People want to believe in something, most can't accept a concept that there might not be anything after they die.

Now, I don't want to know what this world would be like without religion. We would be uncivilized. We'd all probably barbarians, just raping and pillaging without any fear of consequences. We probably wouldn't have half the technology, if any, that we do today.

Lastly, I will tell you why I don't believe in God. I lived with probably one of the most religious people around, my grandmother. She was constantly talking about God and the Bible, telling me about heaven and hell, and all the stories that are in the Bible, and how they all tie in to my life. As a result, I saw that it was all lies (IMO). I'm not saying they are bad, I'm just saying that it just isn't true.

I believe in the Bible, I believe in what it stands for, what it does to/for people. I just don't believe in what it's based on (meaning God, Heaven and Hell, angels and demons). It's just not believable to me. Science explains way more then what the Bible does, but without the bible, our world would be completely different.

I hope I didn't offend anybody, I was just stating my opinions. I'm not trying to make any of you believe me, I just like to share my own views on things when this type of thing popped up. I know I probably left a lot of stuff out, but I don't want to offend anybody, so I am going to stop here.

Originally posted by DarkHyren

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You may know "in yourself" and "believe" but you just don't know.

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So personal experience doesn't count? Isn't that what science is based on? You can't prove anything unless you experience it for yourself, which is why scientists never take mathematical proofs and call them "solid" evidence until they've done some hands-on experimenting in a lab. People have pointed out that there's more "evidence" for evolution than there is for gravity, but we know gravity exists because we can see it. In a similar way, I see God's work. That is the evidence for me.

Originally posted by Chronabis

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Lastly, I will tell you why I don't believe in God. I lived with probably one of the most religious people around, my grandmother. She was constantly talking about God and the Bible, telling me about heaven and hell, and all the stories that are in the Bible, and how they all tie in to my life. As a result, I saw that it was all lies (IMO). I'm not saying they are bad, I'm just saying that it just isn't true.

I believe in the Bible, I believe in what it stands for, what it does to/for people. I just don't believe in what it's based on (meaning God, Heaven and Hell, angels and demons). It's just not believable to me. Science explains way more then what the Bible does, but without the bible, our world would be completely different.

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So, just to make it clear for me, you don't believe in God simply because you choose not to believe?

Yes, I choose to believe in other, more believable things. It's probably due to my grandmother opening my eyes to what the Bible was really about. She was trying to educate me in the Bible, like it tells you to, and she did, better then I could have ever done myself. I've read most of the Bible, but she just opened my eyes in a way that nothing else ever could have done.

Originally posted by Crawldragon

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So personal experience doesn't count? Isn't that what science is based on?

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No, personal experience doesn't really count in this regard and isn't the same as science.
Scientific evidence (and really any other things that are "true") is able to be recreated and / or proven time and time again as needed.
As you said "That is the evidence for me", it doesn't make it true for anyone other then you.
It's your truth, not necessarily the truth.

wow.... you guys have absolutely no idea what the bible is, or even was back then do you?

The bible did not exist until as a cohesive book until 4th century AD.

Some of the early Jewish scrolls used during the Old Testament times contained multiple books but most were the 5 books of Moses and nothing else.

You can't talk about the Bible as if it was a real thing back then. It just didn't exist like that.

you and i have different views on 'back then'. i was talking about after the bible was written. I know that before it was written, the scrolls were used for just the religion, but once they became available to people, then thats when the use of it changed. i did a horrible job of explaining that, but im sure you know what im getting at.
again, these are just opinions, so please don't get offended.

I actually think you've got it messed up again.

After the bible was compiled for use in the Catholic church only the bishop or priest were even allowed to read from the Bible. And most people weren't educated enough to read and even if they were the Bible was written in Latin which went out of use for a lot of people anyway. That is how the Catholic church usurped power in religious matters and weren't challenged for hundreds of years. No one knew any different and the few small groups that did challenge were generally killed of quickly and quietly.

Why isn't there an Agnostic choice on the poll?

Here's my take on the bible. I think that it is mainly supposed to be used as a guidebook. Not only that it is supposed to change for each generation of people since new issues come up and older issues become obsolete.

Religion can be a good thing as long as people don't abuse it and are accepting of each others religion.

aaaaa.. religions!what can i say....i am also an atheist but i do not have any problem with people who believe,but to tell the truth the more you read about history the less then u will believe in any god!it is true that the most atheist persons are the most clever people like doctors etc






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Originally posted by mandragoras

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god!it is true that the most atheist persons are the most clever people like doctors etc

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You're very misinformed. There are a lot of Christian scientists and doctors that are just as clever as atheists. Religion doesn't affect your ability to perform complicated functions.

wow.... I totally didn't see that.

The idea that athiests are smarter than religious people is idiotic.

yea that doesnt make much sense. Especially the part about a doctor. I could maybe interpret what he said for scientists, but even then an atheist scientist would not be smarter than a christian scientist. One might be more logical (all depends on how you would interpret the way I meant logical here) in certain ways, but one would be no smarter than the other. a christian doctor is no smarter than a atheist doctor though.

I highly doubt you can judge a persons intelligence by occupation or religion. Einstein might be smarter with math and such but that does not make him smarter then say a marine biologist.

Of course a atheist doctor will be smarter then a christian doctor because they think they are always right and everyone else is wrong Christians could think the same way too, so its quite a paradox.

I'm not doubting you father or anything so don't take this wrong first off, but I don't think that's what people did. Cause if people did just get scared and started making up an "Afterlife" then they should be even more scared to spend the rest of there afterlife in Hell. Which by comparison is far worse then anything you will endure on earth. At the same time though how are you to know where you go when you die? No one knows for certain that there is an afterlife. All we have is blind faith that's it and everyone is entitled to there own opinion. And to me it was wrong for you teacher to make you sit down just cause you don't have a religion she should let you talk just like everyone else. I believe in letting everyone worship the way they want even if it means believing in nothing at all!! So to answer your question I just believe there is no logical way of putting it. It's simply blind faith!!!!

I don't believe in religion, but I am not an atheist. I believe in what is called grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 say's "It is by grace, through faith you have been saved. And this not of yourselves so that no man can boast". Therefore religion is wrong because I have spoken to lutherans and catholics. And they said you are saved when you are baptized.

good job using a single verse in the Bible and completely ignoring EVERYTHING else written in it.

And How have I ignored everything else in it? Grace is the big picture. We didn't do anything to earn salvation. It was totally out of GRACE that we have been saved.

so.... everyone is saved then? Grace saves everyone?

[lays the trap.... hopes it's obvious]

No, that doesn't mean you automatically get a free ride to heaven. It just means; it wasn't anything we did that made salvation possible.

well, of course there is nothing we did that made salvation possible.... Jesus did everything for that.


But who is saved then?