There are a lot of ancient texts out there, some considered scripture by some and not by others. We don't have hard evidence of the truthfulness of any of them though, so how do we know which are inspired writings, which are merely the thoughts of uninspired men, or which are complete made up?
With Christian religions, the main book is the Holy Bible, which is actually a collection of many other books, which were in turn taken from an even wider arrangement of books and writings. Most Christians (I think), believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God and many look at any writings that are not included in that collection of books as not being true.
In fact, I've heard the argument on more than one occasion, that the Bible itself claims to be the only true book. The reference used to make that claim can be found in John's book of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 18, where it states: ...If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written i this book.
At first blush, that might seem pretty telling, as the book of Revelation is included at the very end of the Bible and that reference is very close to the end of the book of Revelation.
Now, the Torah is the main book in the Jewish religion (correct me if I'm wrong on that, but that is my understanding), which includes the first part of the Holy Bible. Namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verse 2, it states: Ye Shall not add unto the word which I command you...
So, is the Torah correct and everything else in the Bible an attempt to add to those words? Or is it not quite as simple as that?
I don't want to get into any Bible bashing here (that's a war that nobody can ever win, other than perhaps the devil), but to get to the point of this post, how can we know what books/writings to believe?
My personal belief is that no man can tell you. Only the Spirit can tell you. And the only way that can happen is to read, ponder and pray, in that order.
I believe that the Bible, as well as the Book of Mormon, is the Word of God, but many do not share my belief, at least not about the Book of Mormon. That's okay, everyone has the agency to accept or reject the Book of Mormon for themselves. I do humbly make one request though, do not reject it without reading it first.
Now I leave it to all of you to sound off. What writings/books do you believe and how can you know which to believe and which to discard?
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2 comments:
Wow, Doobie - I am impressed with your very open mind. If only the rest of the world could be the same way. I don’t know the Book of Mormon but I know the Bible – I read scripture passages daily. I don’t know how accurate they are, and sometimes the stories in them are beyond my comprehension, but a book that has lasted that long cannot possibly be wrong (or a work of the devil). Is it truth? I don’t know. But let’s talk about religion. I personally believe that 'religion' is man-made but that the Spirit of God is from God Himself. I belong to an organized religion (Roman Catholicism) and it has its ups and downs. I also attempt to communicate with God on a personal level - which also has its ups and downs. Sometimes God answers me with what I ask, and sometimes He doesn't. A very wise preacher this past weekend helped me to remember that God is a Father to us, who give us what we NEED, not necessarily what we WANT. Being a Christian, I have to remember that even Jesus Christ Himself asked His Father - "Let this cup pass from me, but not my will but YOURS be done." That one statement is what I try to live by - "THY WILL BE DONE". God knows what is best for each one of us. We will understand it all when we meet Him face to face one day. And we will know the truth behind all of the stories (Bible and otherwise) that have withstood the test of time.
That brings up a few excellent points. Is there a difference between religion and spirituality? I think that their is.
Personally, I believe both the Bible and the Book of Mormon to be the word of God, but even if I am wrong, I am convinced that both contain wisdom that can help us as we go through this life, even if the writings contained therein were not inspired by God.
I also believe it possible for every one of us to communicate with God on a personal level and that He answers our prayers, not always with what we want but always with what we need. And sometimes, what need just might be the fires of adversity.
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