How Open Minded Are You About The "Book?" And What Jesus Taught.......

Could you say that you know for a fact that Christianity doesn't have Pagan roots and that the scriptures included in the Bible are the right ones? There are many other scriptures from James, Paul, and of course we know about Thomas..If all the other writings were included, they would contradict each other. Why do you think certain ones were chosen and others were left out?

Also, I like what Windancer posted on the PBS show concerning What Jesus thought and taught and what others taught about Him..

I think the original scriptres of christianity - the original bible would be very very thick. I think as times went on people added and taken out bits they suited best, which they thought would be in their favour.

And no, you cannot say anything for certain.

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
And no, you cannot say anything for certain.

Open minded and true..

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
I think the original scriptres of christianity - the original bible would be very very thick. I think as times went on people added and taken out bits they suited best, which they thought would be in their favour.

And no, you cannot say anything for certain.

That's very true, I know that there were several books that were removed from the bible for various reasons.

Originally posted by debbiejo

Also, I like what Windancer posted on the PBS show concerning What Jesus thought and taught and what others taught about Him..

Glad to be of service. 😄

The Bible definitely has Paganistic roots, not to mention that several of the Bible's stories have been around for thousands of years in different forms, (and part of different Religions, ex. Gilgamesh vs. Noah, and the recently discovered Babylonian version pre-dating both Bible Noah and Gilgamesh....). 😉
Heck, the belief in a "one God" only came into existence not long around the fall of the Babylonian "Empire"....before that time, practically all peoples believed in "Pagan" Religions.

Allow me to clear up a few bits and pieces of the big puzzle. The bible has had improvements, both positive and negative. Now were the gossip starts pouring is why they made such improvements. The improvement for removal is because it no longer fitted with the time, or it contradicted earlier/later parts of the bible. A reason why it wasn't removed was to suit the benefit of the catholics. A reason for addition to parts was either unclarity, misinterrpretation, or just to modify it because it had good moral values but didn't consist with the modern laws.

Originally posted by DCLXVI
The Bible definitely has Paganistic roots, not to mention that several of the Bible's stories have been around for thousands of years in different forms, (and part of different Religions, ex. Gilgamesh vs. Noah, and the recently discovered Babylonian version pre-dating both Bible Noah and Gilgamesh....). 😉
Heck, the belief in a "one God" only came into existence not long around the fall of the Babylonian "Empire"....before that time, practically all peoples believed in "Pagan" Religions.

You are refering to Utnapishtim of the Sumerian/Babylonian Flood
myth found int the Epic of Gilgamesh.

As I have said in another thread, some Christians may argue
that Utnapishtim is Noah, and that his flood is the one
of the Bible, but that the Mesopotamians, being ignorant of the
One true God, instead interpreted the flood as the work of their
god Ea.

http://www.mysocialstudiesclass.com/Flood.html

http://www.dreamscape.com/morgana/titania.htm
(Other flood myths.)

But the Hebrews, with knowledge and inspiration from God, knew
the truth.

As for monotheism, it made an unsual first-and-only appearance
with the Pharoah Akhenaten, in the 14th century BC. And some
allege influence (certainly considering the universality of
polytheism, monotheism would have been quite an innovation,
and that it would appear independantly in two adjacent areas like
Egypt and Pelistine/Sinai is indeed difficult to believe). But this
theory ignores two things, first that this Pharoah luved atleast
two centuries after Abraham, and that he lived over two centuries
before Moses, And that after his death most traces of him were
destroyed, so that it is doubtful that the Hebrews would have
known about him without access to top level documents and
written sources (which is how modern historians found out about
him).

And even if there was influence, it does not necessarily negate
the fact that there is a One true God, and that, despite getting
the idea of monotheism from Egypt, the ancient Israelites
ended up finding the true nature of that One God.

http://atheism.about.com/library/islam/countries/bl_EgyptAkhentaten.htm

http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/akhenaten.html
(Argues against the influence theory.)

the ancient Israelites
ended up finding the true nature of that One God

There are a lot of books and epistles that were supposed to be included in our present Bible. Yet, I still believe, as a Christian, that the Holy Writ is still complete and still a reliable source to correct errors.

I believe in God. I believe in what He can do. If it is His will to save mankind through the aid of the Holy Scriptures, then He must have protected the Bible. Divine intervention matters. Who knows, God might have sent somebody or group of people who were destined to keep away the rest of the books and not to include them in the Bible... because they were simply unnecessary, uninspired, and contradicitng.

Originally posted by Jury
There are a lot of books and epistles that were supposed to be included in our present Bible. Yet, I still believe, as a Christian, that the Holy Writ is still complete and still a reliable source to correct errors.

I believe in God. I believe in what He can do. If it is His will to save mankind through the aid of the Holy Scriptures, then He must have protected the Bible. Divine intervention matters. Who knows, God might have sent somebody or group of people who were destined to keep away the rest of the books and not to include them in the Bible... because they were simply unnecessary, uninspired, and contradicitng.

Ever so faithful. 😎

ever so fooled

Originally posted by finti
ever so fooled

never moved.

Originally posted by Jury
There are a lot of books and epistles that were supposed to be included in our present Bible. Yet, I still believe, as a Christian, that the Holy Writ is still complete and still a reliable source to correct errors.

I believe in God. I believe in what He can do. If it is His will to save mankind through the aid of the Holy Scriptures, then He must have protected the Bible. Divine intervention matters. Who knows, God might have sent somebody or group of people who were destined to keep away the rest of the books and not to include them in the Bible... because they were simply unnecessary, uninspired, and contradicitng.

The other writing of Paul would be contradicting...He believed, along with James and Thomas that you could find God from within...They believed in reincarnation and they didn't believe in a "Head" of the church. Infact in their meetings people drew lots and took turns on who would speak...The Roman Church didn't like that...THEY wanted to be the HEAD of the church. So, of course it would make since that they would burn all the Gnostic scriptures...and such.

Originally posted by debbiejo
Could you say that you know for a fact that Christianity doesn't have Pagan roots and that the scriptures included in the Bible are the right ones? There are many other scriptures from James, Paul, and of course we know about Thomas..If all the other writings were included, they would contradict each other. Why do you think certain ones were chosen and others were left out?

Also, I like what Windancer posted on the PBS show concerning What Jesus thought and taught and what others taught about Him..

I am pretty opened mined about the bible even through I only read it once.And some stuff I do not understand even through I try too.JM 🙂

Originally posted by debbiejo
Could you say that you know for a fact that Christianity doesn't have Pagan roots and that the scriptures included in the Bible are the right ones? There are many other scriptures from James, Paul, and of course we know about Thomas..If all the other writings were included, they would contradict each other. Why do you think certain ones were chosen and others were left out?

Also, I like what Windancer posted on the PBS show concerning What Jesus thought and taught and what others taught about Him..

How did they decide which books to include in the New Testament?

There are solid reasons for trusting in today's list of New Testament books. As previously mentioned, the Gospel writers Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were close followers of Jesus. The other authors were considered trustworthy as well: James and Jude (half-brothers of Jesus, who initially did not believe in him), Peter (one of the 12 apostles), and Paul (whom Jesus made an apostle after his death and resurrection).

The church knew about these men and their association with Jesus. Moreover, what they reported was consistent with what people had heard and seen themselves regarding Jesus, and had passed on to their children. So, when other books were written and appeared hundreds of years later (e.g., the Gospel of Peter, though Peter had long since died), it wasn't difficult for the church to spot them as phonies.

Another example is the Gospel of Thomas (which Mohammed references in the Quran). The Gospel of Thomas was written around 140 A.D., long after Thomas had died. Though it bore some similarities to the New Testament's authentic Gospel of Matthew, it also contained wildly different messages. The descriptions of Jesus did not fit anything the early church knew to be true of him.

For example, throughout the Gospels, Jesus treats women with dignity. He taught women as well as men, spoke against unfair divorce laws, and first appeared to women after his resurrection, entrusting to them the message that he was alive. This respect toward women countered the culture of his day, which typically viewed women as possessions. Yet the Gospel of Thomas attests the following to Jesus: "Let Mary go away from us, because women are not worthy of life."16 And: "For every woman who makes herself male will enter into the kingdom of heaven."17

So, as books were written and circulated among the early church, it was not difficult for people to discern the forgeries. False writings countered the known teachings of Jesus and the Old Testament, and often contained historical and geographical errors.18

At some point an official list of New Testament books became necessary: 1) Christians were being martyred and books were being destroyed; 2) in translating the books into Syriac and Old Latin, a listing of authoritative books was important; 3) false books and false teachings were always challenging the church; and 4) God may likely have been moving the church to formulate an official list. In A.D. 367, Athanasius formerly listed the 27 New Testament books (the same list that we have today). Soon after, Jerome and Augustine circulated this same list.

http://www.everystudent.com/za/features/bible.html

Originally posted by debbiejo
The other writing of Paul would be contradicting...He believed, along with James and Thomas that you could find God from within...They believed in reincarnation and they didn't believe in a "Head" of the church. Infact in their meetings people drew lots and took turns on who would speak...The Roman Church didn't like that...THEY wanted to be the HEAD of the church. So, of course it would make since that they would burn all the Gnostic scriptures...and such.

Don't speak of being open minded while you are so closed minded about your (Ridiculous)opinion of Paul that you cannot see the truth.
And by the way, God tells us in the Bible to never let HIS WORD (the BIble) out of our thouhts (mind) and that it should always be in out hearts and thoughts because then only can we grow spiritualy to what He intended us to be. So to me, being open minded (open to false interpretations and doctrines) is against the word of God and exactly how Satan get people to turn their backs on the TRUTH.

Originally posted by sonnet
Don't speak of being open minded while you are so closed minded about your (Ridiculous)opinion of Paul that you cannot see the truth.
And by the way, God tells us in the Bible to never let HIS WORD (the BIble) out of our thouhts (mind) and that it should always be in out hearts and thoughts because then only can we grow spiritualy to what He intended us to be. So to me, being open minded (open to false interpretations and doctrines) is against the word of God and exactly how Satan get people to turn their backs on the TRUTH.

I think you are the one with the closed mind. You should read the gospel of Thomas.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I think you are the one with the closed mind. You should read the gospel of Thomas.

I have but do not support false doctrine. It has been time dated and it was impossible for Thomas to have written it unless he wrote it after he died. I believe in God and HIS WORD only, no need for ading any corupting literature to my life. I do not give Satan any part in my life.

😆 "TRUTH"