: The Bible doesn't cause dis-harmony, people do.Fallacy: That's right! and people are the ones that read, interpret, and translate the Bible! See the problem?
You said that the message of God is to love one another, and you are right about that. Just because non-christians and luke-warm christians love to argue about stupid things doesn't make the Bible wrong.
: : look at it this way, everyone is on thier spiritual journey. most people admit to going through a stage in thier life where they questioned the existance of a supreme being. we are all at different stages of our spiritual realization. you cannot put people down for what they believe or don't believe. that is between them and God. no one else.
: Yup, we are all on a spiritual journey. Some people just choose the wrong path. (Like the Heavens-Gate people who participate in a mass-suicide so they can meet up with Jesus on the comet Hale-Bopp. Those people aren't too happy now, I guarantee) As Christians, we shouldn't hate or ridicule these people, but we can share the Gospel with them.
Fallacy: You cannot guarantee the above anymore than I can . Being a Christian does not mean you have inside information on where people go when they die, you can only make educated assumptions.
: : also understand that the bible has been misinterpreted over thousands of years and through hundreds of cultures. these are the result of human mistakes obviously. i hardly think that we can any longer rely on the bible as an unfaulted spiritual resource, or as a basis to judge other people. ( i cringe whenever i hear someone quote from the bible.)
: Yeah, over the years the Bible has been translated in modern language we can understand. Just like Shakespeare literature. If you ever saw the original translation of Shakespeares work, I guarantee you wouldn't understand a word. As our language has changed over the years, the Bibles translation has too so we can understand it. The fact the the Bible has been interpreted into thousands of cultures has nothing to do with its relevance. it still says the same thing it always has.
Fallacy: Have you ever played the game "Telephone?" You start with a phrase like "go to the store and buy some bananas" and twenty people later you end up with " Get your good stories out of Liza Minelli"
A defense against this happening that I've heard is that the Bible was "inspired" by God, and thus is immutible to change. this same person also told me that God does not change the natural course of things, he follows the rules of science that he made. This means that God sent his words down, and then people got ahold of them and interpreted them as they saw fit. There goes THAT message!
: : so if someone chooses not to believe in the bible, or in a supreme being, we cannot make judgments. we can still treat everyone with respect for thier beliefs, and a kind hand toward a person who does not belive is more proof of a divine existance than any quote from our almighty bible.
: That is exactly what the Bible teaches us, but you too, are judging. You are saying that all Christians are the "holier-than-thou" type, when in actuality that is not a true Christian attitude.
Fallacy: She never said "all Christians are the holier than thou types" that was just your interpretation. This brings up an interesting point. Someone just like you or me translated the Bible, couldn't they have been wrong as well?
