How do Religious people have faith despite the Bible?

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I agree completely; the Bible is the same kind of "guide to life" as the Hindu Shruti, the Buddhist Tipitaka and the Chinese Tao Te Ching. Though, it is amazing that archaeologists have proved some biblical stories through science. Still, they can't seem to prove Moses. For me, the Bible is collection of some human stories which were important to many over time. If that is all it is, that would be enough to warrant a spot on my shelf. But, I believe it is a little bit more than simply that.

Found that interesting as something just hit me when reading your response...

As mentioned it is understood that when Samsons hair was cut he lost his strength... I think many fail to see the other side of this explanation. For example he was a Nazirite and Nazirites didnt cut their hair! So why would this be the case? What is so significant about a group of individuals not cutting their hair? As many cultures believe and still do that their hair also holds their Mana/spirit as do still native American Indians. There are times when to shame them for a deed that was not welcomed by the community their hair would be cut. This in turn would Psychologically weaken them through shame. So when we look at the bible and see that Samsons strength could be lost if his hair was cut. Would it not be more a logical approach that cutting his hair didnt physically make him weaker but psychologically made him weaker? Thus giving him the false impression he lost his strength?

I argue this because for an example the Hypnotist Derren Brown managed to convince someone to take a blue pill that would cure the individual from vertigo. Over a short period of time after taking a number of pills he was able to stand atop of a bridge and look down without issue only to be then told the pill was a placebo.... So in essence creating a belief from something that isnt actually quit true but if you believe it is can have quit a powerful psychological effect both positive and negative just as is religion as a whole!

There are numerous phrases about god apparently saying slavery is ok and that such men can have slaves etc. Which is contradictory to many other areas of the bible... My view is Religion was made for man by man as a form of mass control! However, I am spiritual and though i do not believe in the fundamentals of the bible ( often find the more religious someone pertains themselves to be = more the a***hole! Sorry, just my experience!) i have had an experience when an operation didnt go according to plan! So am rather on the fence on that one!

I could go on but certainly dont wish to cause a religious debate to get out of hand... I respect peoples faiths/views even though i hold my own and as long as they/we are good to each other i have no discrimination against any faith. Its only when faith is used for evil i have issues with...

was just a passing thought

I have absolutely no religion, nor any spirituality, within me.

I am a rationalist, empiricist, agnostic atheist.

I am proud to say that I pretty much lack a***hole qualities; I've been humbled by the scholarship of religion.

Pope John Paul II had a doctorate, and was a secular as well as a Catholic professor.

Yes, there is such thing as an "agnostic atheist."

I don't preclude the possibility of the existence of some "superior force," though I don't have "faith" that such a "force" exists.

Then, what is it that oozes out of you when you are so frequently kind, supportive and fun? You wear the mantle, but don't claim it? Okay with me. There have been many reluctant angels like you. I will keep your secrets.

I always lament that life might not exist for me after my corporeal life.

Im glad you lack the 'a***hole' qualities too Kraftie! haha.

Yup. im sure Jesus was a great guy, but if he was so great and so apparent in his miracles and what he did, why is there virtually no reference of him through early roman stories? They were just as superstitious!

Remember these were also tough times. So creating a spirit or an entity can do wanders for moral and motivation....
' Cumon Elijah, chin up!' can get old pretty quickly! So to create a story of an entity and use shooting stars, eclipses etc is a great way to control the mass. Not only that. The leader of said tribe at time would less likely be dethroned if people feared the repercussions of the gods!

As of present day there are few wars i know that isnt based on religion in one way or another. As far as im concerned its humanities self curse and if god does exist i dont think he/she/it is going to be a very happy chappy when he/she/it sees what we have done to ourselves, each other and this planet he/she/it created!

I find it amazing that the "main religions"(e.g., Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Confucius-ism) have maintained their foothold upon our imagination for all these millennia.

I get the feeling there's something universally "right" which binds all these religions.

If there is a God, I feel like He/She/It/Whatever wants us to fight it out amongst ourselves. Above the fray is this God.

Buddism itself is not a religion but more of a practice, there are many people from all religions that study and practice buddism. As far as i am concerned this practice is as close to a genuine religion as you can get as it focuses on the inner and on an individual base which are apparently some of the first words within the bible..' The answers are found within' comes to mind, also Buddism out of all other religions was found to be the most happiest and content. However living in a world where materialism, bank balance, what car you drive and how many beers you downed at the weekend becomes more of an important factor. seems to void the concept of religious true values. Jesus apparently drank from a wooden cup but yet religion builds huge buildings out of gold and jewels which could have funded millions of of poor people. I just find it all rather contradictory. But hey. If thats what you believe and you are genuinely good to people, for all i care you can believe in fairies. Its an individual thing but yet we force our individual ideologies onto others as fact and when that gets challenged all hell breaks loose, so to speak.

Yep....absolutely....Buddhism isn't a "religion" in the sense of most of the other "religions" which I mentioned.

The Buddha was a prince (I believe his name was Gautama or something) who decided he had enough of the decadent life, and spent a long period of time in the woods as an ascetic. Through the wisdom acquired through this isolation, he developed the precepts of Buddhism.

To many people are trying to Christianize the flesh. One should never drive the train from emotions, but there are denominations living in the caboose, driving the train from the emotion standpoint, not living it from the doctrinal standpoint. How do they respond when someone points out their faults, defense. Why what right does a person have to tell them anything. You see, they will not be self denigrated in any way, shape, or form. The root cause of their sin is that they love themselves and they won’t allow any one to taint that self view. They interpret everything through the sieve of self. They relate what others do, they relate what others say in accordance with their actions and their words substantiate the way they desire to see themselves. 


Romans is the foundation of the believer’s faith in this Age of Grace. But, look at the epistle of Corinthians. The minute that people say Corinth, another word pops up in their mind, what word is it? Carnal! Carnal! Corinthians! They were marked by divisions. They had divided into little factions, into little groups, and little cliques separating one from another over who was more important than the other person in the person’s mind, of course. The Corinthian believers were acting like children, immature children! Infantile adults! Paul called them babes and not babes in a good context. We could say they were adult children but they were in charge of assemblies in their home. Religiondom of our day is best described as the Corinthians epistle equally the Galatians epistle. The same mind-set that led to the judgment Isaiah warned Israel about continues to operate within society today. It never went away. What took place during Isaiah’s day was true of Paul’s day, the Corinthian assemblies were a prime example. And it didn’t end there. It continues on in our day, the same inner mind-set, that same sin nature at work in the human race throughout history. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The world is full of children, full of infantile children mind-wise. We can say characterized by immature, carnal minds. Minds bent on serving only self. And, who is it that comprises the profession church today? The same people.

I like chile con carne. It's very carnal.

The empiricist side of me wants to see evidence that there is an entity worthy of worship, worthy of prostration.

Until then, I remain an agnostic who lacks faith in a Supreme Being.

This will be the issue at the Great White Throne Judgment. People will be standing there not clothed in the Savior’s righteousness because they’ve rejected what Jesus accomplished where their sin debt is concerned. They’ll be standing there in their own righteousness and that righteousness is the righteousness Paul said, I don’t want to be found in that. I won’t measure up. Nobody’s righteousness will measure up. You say, well, there are a lot of good people out there. Yes, from an earthly perspective, certainly they are good, but not when their earthly goodness is measured beside God’s perfect righteousness. It doesn’t cut it. We might think of them as good and they would be good relatively speaking; good citizens, good neighbors, good people from a relative standpoint, but from God’s standpoint, they do not measure up to who he is. And so therefore, we have the dilemma of the human race. Just as religion did not save the Israelites during the time of the law contract, religion could not save the Gentiles during that time either; just as it cannot save Israelite or Gentile today. Religion is an equally inadequate self-defense plea today for people to make as it was in Paul’s day. And we’re not even under the law program today according to Paul, we’re under grace.

When I get to the Pearly Gates, I'll explain myself.

Go to the churches and find out for yourself what you have to do to get God to say YES or NO. But be aware, there’s insecurity in those messages. These are the doctrines we’re tossed to and fro by as we hear those things and fail to understand the good news of reconciliation. Wow! What good news the world could hear. Someone has paid their sin debt already. The decision was made before you were ever born. What wonderful news! Now, not everyone is going to be in Heaven because God reconciled the world unto himself, we know that. The Bible clearly teaches that you have to accept that gift. Love doesn’t force itself. God is equally as much love as he is just. So, he doesn’t force that on anyone. He offers it freely to the world, but he did indeed accomplished it for the world through his son. The issue is no longer sin, the issue is: what well you do with what the son accomplished where your sin debt is concerned.