The bible thread

[Matias]

I want to post some scripture from the bible here. Please post some here too if you want to show God's word to people.

Matthew 5

The Beatitudes
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Salt and Light
13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Murder
21"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother[b]will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,[c]' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23"Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

25"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.[d]

Adultery
27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'[e] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

Divorce
31"It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.'[f] 32But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths
33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

An Eye for an Eye
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[g] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[h] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[i] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

[Anonymous]

13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

Doesn't the bible teach forgiveness? This passage practically says "Once you're on the path of evil, you're doomed for hell."

Seems a little contradictory to me.

[Dr Mario]

Doesn't the bible teach forgiveness? This passage practically says "Once you're on the path of evil, you're doomed for hell."

Seems a little contradictory to me.

The Bible isn't the clearest of books (The four gospels aren't even in agreement on everything, so it's no surprise the bible as a whole has a lot of contradictions in it). There's a hell (pardon the pun) of a rift amongst the evangelicals over predestination v free will, and afaik only the Catholic church holds to purely works-based salvation. To choose two of the larger examples.

[Tanthias]

The Bible isn't the clearest of books (The four gospels aren't even in agreement on everything, so it's no surprise the bible as a whole has a lot of contradictions in it). There's a hell (pardon the pun) of a rift amongst the evangelicals over predestination v free will, and afaik only the Catholic church holds to purely works-based salvation. To choose two of the larger examples.

And honestly, if you look at how much time has passed since the very first version of the Bible was written, it's easy to see how some of the meanings could have become lost in translation.

[Anonymous]

And honestly, if you look at how much time has passed since the very first version of the Bible was written, it's easy to see how some of the meanings could have become lost in translation.

"It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

That's not exactly open for interpretation.

[Ivolt]

"It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

That's not exactly open for interpretation.

You talk as if the bible was written by one person.
As the people who write change, so do the opinions and messages written within.

[Tanthias]

"It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

That's not exactly open for interpretation.

True, but again, the first language it was written in had to have been translated, and then the second language had to be translated, and so on, and so forth until the King James version (which seems to be the most popular version these days). Personally, I think that quite a bit of the original meanings have been lost throughout the ages. I do still believe in the teachings, however, and believe that the basic meanings have weathered the passing of time.

[Mistral]

And honestly, if you look at how much time has passed since the very first version of the Bible was written, it's easy to see how some of the meanings could have become lost in translation.

Especially since the two original languages for the Bible were Hebrew and Greek, before the Latin Rites. Also, one mustn't forget the books that were not used, such as the deuterocanonical/apocryphical books. Bad enough that many were removed from the canon by the liturgical Councils, but the Protestant faiths had a habit of cherrypicking as well.

True, but again, the first language it was written in had to have been translated, and then the second language had to be translated, and so on, and so forth until the King James version (which seems to be the most popular version these days). Personally, I think that quite a bit of the original meanings have been lost throughout the ages. I do still believe in the teachings, however, and believe that the basic meanings have weathered the passing of time.

"Thou shalt not kill." Ah, the horribly inaccurate King James version. Good fun for all...

[Matias]

"It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

That's not exactly open for interpretation.

GOD MANIFESTS HIS WORD

All scripture is inspired by God (2 Tim.3:16a). A disquisition upon canonicity[1] is beyond the scope of these meditations, but perhaps a few words on the subject might be helpful. The Greek word kanon means "rule" (e.g., Gal.6:16). It refers to a standard for judgment, or criterion, for the purpose of determining those ancient writings which would thereby be recognized as the divinely inspired Word of God. By association, it came to stand for these writings themselves.

It is the work of God to manifest His Word to us. And, as believers, it is our place to accept the Scriptures and recognize the Word of God. However, our subjective opinions do not determine the authenticity of any certain writings. For all that is "scripture" is inspired by God, regardless of men's opinions.

[Anonymous]

Wow. And now I remember why I left the Catholic chruch.

They're the religious equivilant of "My way or the highway."

[Ivolt]

Wow. And now I remember why I left the Catholic chruch.

They're the religious equivilant of "My way or the highway."

Where have you been?

Almost every religion is like that.
Hell, compared to other religions in the world, they're mellow.

[Dr Mario]

And honestly, if you look at how much time has passed since the very first version of the Bible was written, it's easy to see how some of the meanings could have become lost in translation.

(Focusing on the NT here. I don't know much about Talmud scholarship)

You can't really say "first version of the bible" with any real accuracy. The earliest of the four gospels dates to around 70 ad, the latest dates to perhaps 40 years later. Some of the Pauline epistles appear to predate the gospels and those are from many different authors.

To make things harder, we don't have any manuscripts prior to the late second/early third century. We don't have any complete manuscripts of certain books at all, and we don't have any complete canon bibles dating prior to the 9th century (although mainstream Christian canon appears to have largely settled well prior to that point).

edit: Beaten to the punch by Mistral. Again.

Oh and Matias, Knock it off with the copy/paste stunts.

[Tanthias]

Especially since the two original languages for the Bible were Hebrew and Greek, before the Latin Rites. Also, one mustn't forget the books that were not used, such as the deuterocanonical/apocryphical books. Bad enough that many were removed from the canon by the liturgical Councils, but the Protestant faiths had a habit of cherrypicking as well.



"Thou shalt not kill." Ah, the horribly inaccurate King James version. Good fun for all...

Honestly, I believe that the commandments were one part of the bible that has stayed the same throughout every version. I'm not saying that the King James version is "horribly inaccurate" as you put it, but rather that some of the original meanings were omitted or misinterpreted before the King James version was ever created. I repeat. Some, not all of the meanings were omitted or misinterpreted.

[Matias]

Wow. And now I remember why I left the Catholic chruch.

They're the religious equivilant of "My way or the highway."

There is only one truth. God's word. There is no sub divisions in heaven.

[Anonymous]

Book of Armaments, Chapter 2, Verses 9-21.

...And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, "O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that with it Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits, in Thy mercy." And the Lord did grin and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats... And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin, then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.

Amen.

There is only one truth. God's word. There is no sub divisions in heaven.

Tell that to the hundreds of denominations of christians.