This is a forum for understanding of Christianity, through Bible and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is well known that the Moses and Jesus Christ did not speak English or Greek, the present day English Bibles are translations of translations by many unknown scribes during past hundred of years, while the original books of Bible are non extant. Analysis of the teachings of Jesus Christ as available in the four Gospels, does not directly support the doctrines of Christianity, which are based upon theology of Paul of Tarsus and later Church fathers. Jesus Christ obeyed & worshiped One God and preached the same. So question arises;
While the Basic concept of Bible remains monotheistic [Deuteronomy;6:4-5, Psalms;14:1, 116:5, Job;23:8-9, Exodus; 9:14, 34:6-7, Psalms;, 2Samuel;7:22, Isaiah;46:5,9, Matthew;19:17-19, Mark;12:29-31, Romans;1:25]; some passages are interpreted to support Christian Church doctrines. One message is clear:
The Bible itself and the scholars agree that the present text is not as was originally revealed:
"How do you say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly he made it falsely; the pen of the scribes made it a lie."[Jeremiah 8:8].
"Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write misfortune which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from justice, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!"[Isaiah 10:1-2]
Extracts from 'Preface' to RSV Bible approved by The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA reproduced below also confirms the same:
'The King James Version of the New Testament was based upon a Greek text that was marred by mistakes, containing the accumulated errors of fourteen centuries of manuscript copying.'
'Sometimes it is evident that the text has suffered in transmission, but none of the versions provides a satisfactory restoration.'
What should be done by a simple person who believes in God, wants to obey Him, seek eternal bliss and salvation?
Its very simple, if someone is seriously sick, he/she shall search for a
credible doctor and if any stage it is found that he is fake,
unreliable, immediately treatment is discontinued, one looks for batter
one. God has given us wisdom and intellect to discern truth from
falsehood. We spend years in education and learning to earn livelihood
and respectable life. We have to make some effort to discover and earn
eternal life, blessings and spiritual peace.
Take a bath, wear clean cloths, sit down alone and pray to God: "O, God
of the universe, You are the Creator, Cherishes of all, You are Gracious
and Merciful, I want to follow the right path which is pleasing to You,
please help me, guide me to the Truth. Amen.
- Free your mind of all your existing beliefs & ideas.
- If you are a Christian, take "Red or Blue lettered Gospels", pen , marker and papers. Start reading Gospels, slowly, gradually, take your time, don't be in hurry.
- Underline, highlight, note down the teachings, sayings of Jesus Christ what he physically and openly preached to people and 12 disciples, not in "VISIONS or Dreams". [Thomas Jefferson's Experience]
- Discard what is not common in four Gospels. Critically examine it, accept what is clear, obvious your are near to the Truth, discard any belief which is ambiguous, not clearly , openly preached by Jesus Christ.
- Look around for people who you find practicing closer to the real teachings of Jesus Christ. Seek their assistance.
- Continue with your quest for Truth till you find it. Keep praying to God for His help. Onus lies with Him.
- Keep exploring, keep reading .......... This site will assist in this regards.
"You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13)
"Jesus answered, "The greatest is, 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one: you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. The second is like this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."[Mark 12:29-31]
The Bible itself and the scholars agree that the present text is not as was originally revealed:
"How do you say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly he made it falsely; the pen of the scribes made it a lie."[Jeremiah 8:8].
"Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write misfortune which they have prescribed; To turn aside the needy from justice, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!"[Isaiah 10:1-2]
Extracts from 'Preface' to RSV Bible approved by The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA reproduced below also confirms the same:
'The King James Version of the New Testament was based upon a Greek text that was marred by mistakes, containing the accumulated errors of fourteen centuries of manuscript copying.'
'Sometimes it is evident that the text has suffered in transmission, but none of the versions provides a satisfactory restoration.'
'Yet the King James Version has grave defects. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the development of Biblical studies and the discovery of many manuscripts more ancient than those upon which the King James Version was based, made it manifest that these defects are so many and so serious as to call for revision of the English translation.'
'Sometimes the present translation will be found to render a Hebrew word in a sense quite different from that of the traditional interpretation.'
'Many difficulties and obscurities, of course, remain.'
'We now possess many more ancient manuscripts of the New Testament, and are far better equipped to seek to recover the original wording of the Greek text'
The scholars are continuously trying to improve and to make the Biblical text as closer to the 'visualised original' as possible but the task is not only arduous but impossible due to non existence of original scripts. Under these circumstances it is the individual responsibility to find out truth as Jesus Christ urged his followers to use the reason and intellect to discern the truth from falsehood:
"He also said to the multitudes, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, 'A shower is coming'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?" [Luke;12:54-56]
It is aimed to facilitate efforts of knowledge seekers to discern the truth from falsehood with the intellectual use of available evidence with in Bible and history. Every one is entitled to his belief but one has to be sure that its based upon the real teachings not derived human work, which may result in everlasting doom & destruction:
“The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”(Ezekiel;18:20 -21)
"The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin." (Deuteronomy 24:16, 2Kings 14:6)
"In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge." (Jeremiah 31:29-30)
"Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him." (Isaiah 3:10-11)
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." (Matthew 16:27 )
There may be some other verses with conflicting meanings, in such a situation one has to apply his/her intellect to discern truth from false in the light of saying of Jesus Christ; "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?" [Luke;12:56]. Remember;"God is not the author of confusion..." (1 Corinthians 14:33). It is simple and logical that a son can not be punished for the crime of his father or any one else, so any doctrine which deviates from the simple logic and clear Biblical text does not stand up to the criteria.
“The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.”(Ezekiel;
"The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin." (Deuteronomy 24:16, 2Kings 14:6)
"In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge." (Jeremiah 31:29-30)
"Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him." (Isaiah 3:10-11)
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." (Matthew 16:27 )
There may be some other verses with conflicting meanings, in such a situation one has to apply his/her intellect to discern truth from false in the light of saying of Jesus Christ; "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?" [Luke;12:56]. Remember;"God is not the author of confusion..." (1 Corinthians 14:33). It is simple and logical that a son can not be punished for the crime of his father or any one else, so any doctrine which deviates from the simple logic and clear Biblical text does not stand up to the criteria.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Conclusion
Conclusion
How do you say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us?
Lo, certainly he made it falsely; the pen of the scribes made it a
lie [Jeremiah 8:8]
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and
that write misfortune which they have prescribed; To turn aside the
needy from justice, and to take away the right from the poor of my
people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the
fatherless! [Isaiah 10:1-2]
So question arises that:
What should be done by a simple person who believes in God, wants to obey Him, seek eternal bliss and salvation?
Its very simple, if someone is seriously sick, he/she shall search for a
credible doctor and if any stage it is found that he is fake,
unreliable, immediately treatment is discontinued, one looks for batter
one. God has given us wisdom and intellect to discern truth from
falsehood. We spend years in education and learning to earn livelihood
and respectable life. We have to make some effort to discover and earn
eternal life, blessings and spiritual peace.
Take a bath, wear clean cloths, sit down alone and pray to God: "O, God
of the universe, You are the Creator, Cherishes of all, You are Gracious
and Merciful, I want to follow the right path which is pleasing to You,
please help me, guide me to the Truth. Amen.
- Free your mind of all your existing beliefs & ideas.
- If you are a Christian, take "Red or Blue lettered Gospels", pen , marker and papers. Start reading Gospels, slowly, gradually, take your time, don't be in hurry.
- Underline, highlight, note down the teachings, sayings of Jesus Christ what he physically and openly preached to people and 12 disciples, not in "VISIONS or Dreams". [Thomas Jefferson's Experience]
- Discard what is not common in four Gospels. Critically examine it, accept what is clear, obvious your are near to the Truth, discard any belief which is ambiguous, not clearly , openly preached by Jesus Christ.
- Look around for people who you find practicing closer to the real teachings of Jesus Christ. Seek their assistance.
- Continue with your quest for Truth till you find it. Keep praying to God for His help. Onus lies with Him.
- Keep exploring, keep reading .......... This site will assist in this regards.
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Why Monotheists be interested in Christianity and Bible?
The three monotheistic religions, Jews, Christians & Muslims are linked through the common ancestor and spiritual father of these great faiths, Abraham, the great monotheist. Muslims, also believe in the Biblical prophets and revelations to them from God hence closer to Jews and Christians. While Jews don't believe in Jesus Christ, the Muslims revere Jesus Christ as a great prophet and messenger of God. While there are many differences, the main difference is the Christian doctrine of Trinity which according to many Biblical scholars is extra biblical.
However the least they can do is to to believe in Just One God, [not Trinity] the concept, always followed by Christians in varying numbers during last 2000 years, the number growing now. This may save them form idolatry, polytheism, the great unforgivable sin according to Bible (Exodus 34:14 ; Isaiah 2:8, 1Sa 15:23, Mt 6:24; Lu 16:13; Col 3:5; Eph 5:5, Acts 10:25 Acts 10:26, Revelation 22:8, 22:9) and Quran. Even seven laws of Noah which according to Jews if followed by gentiles are enough for their salvation, they include this great sin of worshipping any one beside God.(see Quran;4:116)
This site may help to follow the true teachings of Jesus Christ centred on obedience and worship of God.
Explore more about CHRIST & CHRISTIANITY: http://flip.it/0kFbY
View my Flipboard Magazine.
The Doctrine of the Trinity:Christianity's Self-Inflicted Wound
by Anthony Buzzard and Charles Hunting
This important work is a detailed biblical investigation of the relationship of Jesus to the one God of Israel. The authors challenge the notion that biblical monotheism is legitimately represented by a Trinitarian view of God and demonstrate that within the bounds of the canon of Scripture Jesus is confessed as Messiah, Son of God, but not God Himself. Later Christological developments beginning in the second century, and under the influence of pagan Gnosticism, misrepresented the biblical doctrine of God and Christ by altering the terms of the biblical presentation of the Father and the Son. This fateful development laid the foundation of a revised, unscriptural creed which needs to be challenged. This book provides a definitive presentation of a Christology rooted in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. The authors present a sharply-argued appeal for an understanding of God and Jesus in the context of Christianity's original, apostolic, unitary monotheism. >>>>
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