Do I believe in the Bible?
One of my most treasured possessions is the Holy Bible that my grandmother gave me when I was a little girl. I admit that I have not read the whole thing. It is on my to-read list, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Even though I have not read the whole Bible, I have seen and heard enough to have some strong feelings on the subject:
I am sure that there are some original God-inspired scriptures that speak the truth as he wanted us to know it. But these would have been written long ago and in a different language and style. The Jahova Witnesses are onto something when they point out the key word “Version” on the standard King James version of the Bible.
Even the most well-meaning and highly-educated translators would not likely be able to properly write a modern-worded edition. Too many words and phrases would have changed meaning with time.
The Bible is a book. Based on truth and goodness, no matter how you look at it, it is still just a book. Printed by man. Tampered with by man. It would not surprise me in the least to find that certain leaders and wanna-bees have added to or modified the words, either to their benefit or in an attempt to make things easier for the lay man to understand.
The original scriptures may have contained the truth. But I do not believe that they contained the whole truth.
Our brains and thinking skills have evolved greatly since man first set foot on Earth. Just like I would give a simplified explanation of complex issues to my 9 year old, who’s to say that God didn’t give simplified explanations to the people of previous centuries?
God did not tell us about dinosaurs. Does that prove that scientists are wrong? Or, if you are going to believe the evidence, does that make religion false? You do not have to choose to believe in one or the other.
I believe that God simply didn’t have a reason to tell us about dinosaurs. …Why would God add the details of “by the way, there use to be lizards big enough to crush your house around these parts” when humans are still struggling with so many other basic concepts. It would be kind of like me telling my three year old “lets clean up your milk honey, and by the way there use to be a man named Hitler and he had a lot of people slaughtered because they didn’t believe the same things as him.” … The knowledge may be an important part of history, but it is a worrisome overload for somebody who isn’t ready to hear it.
I do love my Bible. I believe that it contains many wonderful and important concepts. But I will not take every word found within as the 100% truth. Instead, I will see it as a map to help guide my way into being a good person. There will be a few wrong turns along the way where somebody interpreted something wrongly. But overall, it is a good book worthy of respect.
The best I can do is make my journey through life with eyes wide open. With the Bible as my guide, I will recognize the paths of wrong as I come to them. With the strength of my faith in God, I can resist the temptation to follow these paths. And with common sense as my navigator, I will not easily be tricked by the occasional wrong markings and confusing words found in my Bible.