In my short life I've probably read the bible right through only a couple of times, not from a religious point (although I used to be a twice on a Sunday kid) but more from the historical angle. I suppose my most interesting part is the Old Testament with it's stories of Moses in the desert, Noah and the Ark and the plagues of Egypt. Fascinating stuff if you read between the lines.
But how about the truth behind the 'headlines?'
Any one conversant enough with the bible to give an opinion, using todays ideas, on what the writers were trying to discribe?
An Atomic explosion...('The walls of Jericho falling at the sound of trumpets')..The arrival of spacemen...(Beings in chariots of fire with faces like pigs) [gasmasks?]
All a load of rubbish....?

PLease Kew, this is the same league as Asterix and Obelix!

Kew, do you honestly believe that the Bible is factual ?? That it really does have a historical angle ??

Well now, the heading I used was 'Factual Fiction'. Why pick-up on only one side of it? If no-one believes at least some of what was written and which has certainly stood the test of time...then can anyone suggest WHY the bible was written?
Ketchup, the topic is religion??? (...you mean obelisk?)

No; the French BD

Well, the great flood, it seems, was the pouring of the Med into to the Balck Sea about 11,000 years ago as sea levels rose after the great thaw of the ice age. Before that, the Black Sea was a freshwater lake, only about half the size it is today (they have found the remains of freshwater life). The ice caps melted, the sea rose and the pressure became too great on the Bosphorus, which basically collapsed.

The bright star was a comet and the 3 wise men came from Peckham.

Quote:

Kew, do you honestly believe that the Bible is factual ?? That it really does have a historical angle ??

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If it's not a history book, then what is it?

I think it's a combination of history, religious tracts and teaching stories.

5% history.
20% teaching.
75% bs.

0.1 % smudged history
99.99 % bs to make people scared so they feel obliged to support a parasitic organisation (pay now receive later !)

It's a philosophy of life, a set of values. Nothing factual or historic in my view.

I just can't believe that over many centuries people sat down and wrote purely from imagination. The plagues of Egypt, for instance, actually did happen but almost certainly happened due to natural events and were probably grasped on and 'used' for a religious purpose. That then is a 'story' from thousands of years ago based on historical fact. People have discussed and argued about the bible since it first went into print, but, although it's a religeous book, there's some fascinating 'other' reading in there. I'm having another look at 'Revelations', again. Spooky.
(Revelations; An enlightening or astonishing disclosure. Communication of knowledge to man by a divine or supernatural agency.)

Quite a lot of the people in the Bible actually existed, King Herod for example, and Pontius Pilate. The disciples of Jesus as well, I believe. It's a bit farfetched to assume that such a document is entirely fictional, especially considering the length of time over which it was written and the various authors. I think it's a mixed bag of historical/cultural record, spiritual/religious musings, and teachings.

Today I read that the star of Bethlehem could have been a supernova (an exploding star) like the one Johannes Kepler saw in 1604, a phenomena which has not yet again been detected.

I think that a lot things described in the Bible did happen the difficulty though was that science was still in its beginning so there was no scientific way of description. So people had to resort to imagery.

Well, it's a fact that all the water we drink has already been through the inside of someone else, this being the case, I have probably drunk the same water Jesus did. I don't really feel any holier tho'. Should I?

Of course you should ! Try drinking some neat water, without mixing it with all that beer & whiskey !!

You homeopath, you!

I wonder how today's events will be described in 10,000 years time.

"And so it came to happen that the great profits (latter-day spelling) Bush and Blair did rid the earth of Satan's disciple Saddam and verily did they drink from the cup of the black gold..."

"And the Taliban tribe was driven from its home in the name of world peace and the quest for the Laden Bin. And Bush did promise them a rebuilt land and off he pisseth ne'er to be seen in those lands again"

"And sayeth the Bush to the Blair that all thy citizens will have an image of their fingers made and they will consume goods of our making and the Blair sheepishly replyeth 'baaaah'..."

...And so passed to the kindren the thoughts and actions of their fore-fathers, without whose wisdom the world and all creatures, beings and even the likes of man would surely and sorely suffer the blights of past generations. The Lord of the lands did speak loud to nations, and the living creatures, beings and all mankind trembled even unto death.

Blah, blah, blah!