The Bible

[CheekY]

I’ve always wondered…why are the 2 Testaments different? Did God suddenly just change his rules?

[Sasun]

I’ve always wondered…why are the 2 Testaments different? Did God suddenly just change his rules?

For one thing, the testaments were written by DIFFERENT people not God And the other thing is there is a lot in common in testaments.

[sev-mard]

The Testaments all have to do with WHO compiled the stories and chose what would be included therein. The message can vary because the ppl who wrote them did as well.

[CheekY]

Yes but didn’t those people write the things they heard Moses or Jesus or whoever say in the name of God?

[Armen]

Did God suddenly just change his rules?

Yes, he did change the rules.

 

In Old Testament you're going to be punished for 10 things.

In New Testament there is a mersy for everything you do, even the very bad 10 things...

 

So, basically he made it more liberal. But, the thing is ... no one cares anyway

[sev-mard]

Yes but didn’t those people write the things they heard Moses or Jesus or whoever say in the name of God?

 

 

Yeah but many of those ppl were dealing with hearsy, it's easy to get a bit off track. Some of the gospels were written by ppl who were only kids when Jesus was alive. Do you think that now you could recite word for word conversations your Dad had with your uncles when you were like 10? Doubtful. The Word had its meaning, but through human conduits it got distorted I think. I believe in the message, the essense of Holy Books, but at the same time knowing it was written and constantly changed buy man i take it with a grain of salt..

[Sasun]

In Old Testament you're going to be punished for 10 things.

In New Testament there is a mersy for everything you do, even the very bad 10 things...

That is actually a big difference. I like to think that this is not the new rules, but was just known only then.

[Armen]

In Old Testament you're going to be punished for 10 things.

In New Testament there is a mersy for everything you do, even the very bad 10 things...

That is actually a big difference. I like to think that this is not the new rules, but was just known only then.

Sasun jan, there is a fundamental difference. He sent his son to death to convey a completely new message and thought that it was worth it. And this whole thing was so significant that the whole humankind is still counting the years from his birth (even the atheists ). I want to disagree that that it was known...

[Sasun]

Armen jan, that God is infinitely forgiving has been known thousands of years before Jesus. It had been a core point of Hindu spiritual tradition since vedic times. Unfortunately, the merciful nature of God became known only 2000 years ago in the western world. I don't think that God was not forgiving before, it was just not known to western people, including Jews.

[Armen]

Armen jan, that God is infinitely forgiving has been known thousands of years before Jesus. It had been a core point of Hindu spiritual tradition since vedic times. Unfortunately, the merciful nature of God became known only 2000 years ago in the western world. I don't think that God was not forgiving before, it was just not known to western people, including Jews.

That's true, Sasun.

I guess what I wanted to say was that this time he renewed the same message with introducing the idea of self-sacrifice, which, as far as I know, was not present in previous times.

[Sasun]

That's true, Sasun.

I guess what I wanted to say was that this time he renewed the same message with introducing the idea of self-sacrifice, which, as far as I know, was not present in previous times.

Yes, sure Jesus is unique. I am also unaware of anyone else to go to self-sacrifice.

[Arpa]

I’ve always wondered…why are the 2 Testaments different? Did God suddenly just change his rules?

No Skit God did not change(his mind), his rules. If you read the Bible carefully you will see that there two distinct and different gods. Contrary to the popular wisdom that God may have created man in His own image it seems more likely that man creates god in his own image or, at least what man's image of a god is. You will see that whereas the God of the OT is a god of war, vengeance, death and destruction, unforgiving, hateful and jealous, (read the preamble to the Ten Commandments)an elitist god, a specific god for a specific (chosen) people, the god of the NT is, in contrast a god of love, forgiving, peaceable, a god for all the people as opposed to an ethnically selective one.

While the Old Testament may be best decribed as a source of bad news, news of death and destruction, news of wars and disasters the New Testament can be described as a source of Good News.

In the Armenian the New Teestament is called Avetaran, that means the source of Avetis, Good News, Good Tidings, which in English is known as Gospel and in Greek it is known as Evengelos (simply, good news, tidings) from where words like Evengelical etc are derived.

 

See below why.

 

Good news

Evagelos; Go down the list and see what Evangelos and evangelist means. Some of the others names are interesting as well. Look up Kyriakos and Gregory among others.

 

http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/gre.html#kyriake

 

The Good Book, Gospel;

Why is the New Testament, the handboook of Christians called the Gospel, the book of Good news?

It all started when the angel announced to the shepherds.....

 

http://www.goshen.edu/devotions/advent2002.../article183.php

 

Plowshares; To further see why Christians in general and Armenians in particular are totally confused... see for yourself.

 

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/k/kjv/kjv-idx...&size=First+100

 

Skeptic; And finally some iindependently ntelligent and brave people have figured out why the world is in such a confused state.

http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/preface.html

 

About the SAB

For nearly two billion people, the Bible is a holy

book containing the revealed word of God. It is

the source of their religious beliefs. Yet few of

those who believe in the Bible have actually read

it.

This must seem strange to those who have never

read the Bible. But anyone who has struggled

through its repetitious and tiresome trivia,

seemingly endless genealogies, pointless stories

and laws, knows that the Bible is not an easy book

to read. So it is not surprising that those that

begin reading at Genesis seldom make it through

Leviticus. And the few Bible-believers that

survive to the bitter end of Revelation must

continually face a disturbing dilemma: their faith

tells them they should read the Bible, but by

reading the Bible they endanger their faith.

 

When I was a Christian, I never read the Bible.

Not all the way through, anyway. The problem was

that I believed the Bible to be the inspired and

inerrant word of God, yet the more I read it, the

less credible that belief became. I finally

decided that to protect my faith in the Bible, I'd

better quit trying to read it.

 

I think most Bible-believers find themselves in

that position -- although few will admit it. Not

even to themselves.

 

The most popular solution to this problem is to

leave the Bible reading to the clergy. The clergy

then quote from the Bible in their writings and

sermons, and explain its meaning to the others.

Extreme care is taken, of course, to quote from

the parts of the Bible that display the best side

of God and to ignore those that don't. That this

approach means that only a fraction of the Bible

is ever referenced is not a great problem. Because

although the Bible is not a very good book, it is

a very long one.

 

But if so little of the Bible is actually used,

then why isn't the rest deleted? Why aren't the

repetitious passages -- which are often

contradictory as well -- combined into single,

consistent ones? Why aren't the hundreds of

cruelties and absurdities eliminated? Why aren't

the bad parts of the "Good Book" removed?

 

Such an approach would result in a much better,

but much smaller book. To make it a truly good

book, though, would require massive surgery, and

little would remain. For nearly all passages in

the Bible are objectionable in one way or another.

But with a little luck and much careful editing,

perhaps a small pamphlet could be produced from

the Bible -- one that could honestly be called

good.

 

Perhaps. But to the Bible-believer the entire

Bible is inspired, and has God as its author. To

him each passage contains a message from God that

must not be altered or deleted. So the believer is

simply stuck with the Bible. He has no choice but

to call it good, true, beautiful, and perfect.

When the Bible seems otherwise, as it nearly

always does, the problem lies with his

interpretation of the Bible -- not with the Bible

itself.

 

The believer's defense of the Bible is assisted by

those who publish it. They are invariably

believers as well, and are interested in promoting

and defending the Bible. They do so in many ways,

but their efforts usually include at least some of

the following:

 

Point out consistencies between the redundant

passages, while never mentioning the

contradictions.

Provide explanations and excuses for the

absurdities, cruelties, vulgarities, and insults

to women -- when they choose not to ignore them

entirely.

Emphasize the relative few passages that present a

decent image of God.

Attach footnotes to explain away any difficulties.

Millions of such Bibles are published and

distributed each year by believers in their

tireless and tiresome effort to propagate their

beliefs. Consequently, nearly everyone, whether

believer or skeptic, has at least one copy in his

possession. Among these Bibles will be found many

different versions, but all have one thing in

common: all are believer- friendly editions that

support, promote, and defend the Bible.

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible attempts to remedy

this imbalance. It includes the entire text of the

King James Version of the Bible, but without the

pro-Bible propaganda. Instead, passages are

highlighted that are an embarrassment to the

Bible-believer, and the parts of the Bible that

are never read in any Church, Bible study group,

or Sunday School class are emphasized. For it is

these passages that test the claims of the

Bible-believer. The contradictions and false

prophesies show that the Bible is not inerrant;

the cruelties, injustices, and insults to women,

that it is neither good nor just.

 

The SAB will help those who believe in the Bible

to honestly reconsider that belief. It will help

those who are unfamiliar with the Bible to resist

the temptation to believe. And it will help those

who have already rejected the Bible defend their

position.

 

It is time for us all to stop believing in, or

pretending to believe in, a book that is so

unworthy of belief.

[Arpa]

Here is that passage of the Avetis;

 

8] And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

[9] And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

[10] And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

[11] For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

[12] And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 

http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/k/kjv/kjv-idx...V2&byte=4618962

[Arad9]

Why should it matter if you think the Bible has contradiction?

take the books of the Bible as a history books.

[Arad9]

I’ve always wondered…why are the 2 Testaments different? Did God suddenly just change his rules?

God didn't change his rules but they were just fulfilled

Matthew 5:17

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

 

You will see that whereas the God of the OT is a god of war, vengeance, death and destruction, unforgiving, hateful and jealous, (read the preamble to the Ten Commandments)an elitist god, a specific god for a specific (chosen) people, the god of the NT is, in contrast a god of love, forgiving, peaceable, a god for all the people as opposed to an ethnically selective one.

While the Old Testament may be best decribed as a source of bad news, news of death and destruction, news of wars and disasters the New Testament can be described as a source of Good News.

it's evident that you haven't read the bible let me quote from the new testament.

 

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.

 

John 3:36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.

 

Rom 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness

 

I don't know which god is the meaner god according to you the god of the old testemant or the new testemant Jesus spoke more about hell then heaven.

 

The SAB will help those who believe in the Bible

to honestly reconsider that belief. It will help

those who are unfamiliar with the Bible to resist

the temptation to believe. And it will help those

who have already rejected the Bible defend their

position.

 

It is time for us all to stop believing in, or

pretending to believe in, a book that is so

unworthy of belief

 

Armenian Church is not based on bible only. Also there are no major contradictions (if any) in the bible.

I think you have to be an idiot not to believe in the Bible as a history book.

We can deny any history book by saying it seems to contradict therefore that event didn't happen. So any error and throw the whole history away.

If the Bible is accurate history book then we need to know Jesus better.

[Sip]

Why should it matter if you think the Bible has contradiction?

take the books of the Bible as a history books.

I am trying to recal another instance where a "history book" has attributed a bunch of historic events to the will of god...

[Arad9]

Sip

Can we believe St Gregory the illuminator existed? or are we going to pick and choose history? what makes somthing historical? If you test the Bible(which is a collection of books and not one book) to the same standered you use to test any historical book you'll see it will stand.

[sev-mard]

Why should it matter if you think the Bible has contradiction?

take the books of the Bible as a history books.

I am trying to recal another instance where a "history book" has attributed a bunch of historic events to the will of god...

I agree with both of you in some respects. When it comes to the Bible I take it as a historical snapshot in the sense that i'm sure it's accurate of things,ideas, customs of the times in which it was written. The Acts of God are up to each person to believe. If you've had 'faith' instilled in you as a concept from youth you're more likely to believe certain parts than others. It's all about what it does for ech person, how it makes you feel, and subsequently act. When people get together, using this book and start dolling out "the correct way to be and act" when the Book itself offers up various edicts on the subject, is where I get aggravated and disillusioned.