Do Ex-LDS have issues believing the Bible?

[_huckelberry]

I am an evangelical, and have noted there are several Ex-LDS on the board. My wife and her family are LDS and I have discussions with them from time to time about our differing faiths. One thing I note, is that there isn't a lot of stock put into the Bible....(its mistranslated, books missing, etc..) I am not saying they don't hold is Scripture, that would be a gross misrepresentation of their beliefs...but I do believe they see it much differently than I.
There are many, like myself who have a different opinion of the Bible.
Are there many ex-LDS who leave the church, because they no longer maintain LDS beliefs but yet maintain the belief that the Bible isn't credible in and of itself?

I have not been suprised by exLds responses though some of the responses made on this thread are interesting in their simple directness, I was suprised at the phrasing in this original question. I would have expected it to be... are there any exLDS who leave because they no longer maintain LDS belief but do maintain a belief in the Bible.

That would be the unusual situation. It is hardly represented here at all. I do know of a few people who have left LDS belief and followed some other form of Christian belief. They would have some substantial belief in the Bible. I may be an example but for myself after leaving LDS beliefs I spent a good number of years being skeptical of the Bible.

I really want to ask the obvious. How can one not have doubts about the Bible? Really Mudcat, it would be fair if in joining this discussion you would say why you would hold any view so strange as not to view the Bible with reservations.

I notice that many LDS view the idea of the Bible as the creation of human thougth imagination and experience as a picture in oppostition to the view that the Bible is the word of God. I can only think that the Bible can be a part of faith if these two poles are seen as unified. If they are not unified the human authorship with human limitations is overwhelmingly obvious and wins without much struggle.

[_Mudcat]

I really want to ask the obvious. How can one not have doubts about the Bible? Really Mudcat, it would be fair if in joining this discussion you would say why you would hold any view so strange as not to view the Bible with reservations.

Hello Huckelberry,

To answer your question, I suppose my expectations of the Bible are not what they are for some.
I expect the Bible to lead me to a closer relationship with Jesus. It does.

Where do you think I should have reservations?

Mudcat

[_Gadianton]

As I've said many times, the biggest blow to my testimony as a member, actually as a missionary, came from reading Bible commentaries.

[_KimberlyAnn]

But I'm willing to be suckered by an angel, a deity, or a genuine, grade-A miracle. Give me a corpse raising or a reattached limb, and I'm your guy. Better yet, let me see you heal my sister so she can walk and see normally again, and you can have not only my eternal allegiance, but a 100% tithe (extra-virgin olive oil and the priesthood sure couldn't do it).

What can I say? I'm a seeker after a sign.

I'm so sorry to read about your sister's struggles, Krose.

I hope the best for her.

Kimberly Ann

[_The Nehor]

I'm afraid I would, タルスキーさん.

If seeing one means I've been neurologically compromised, then what's the point of trying to be rational? Of course, I don't think anything supernatural exists that could visit, so I'd say the likelihood of that happening is nil.

But I'm willing to be suckered by an angel, a deity, or a genuine, grade-A miracle. Give me a corpse raising or a reattached limb, and I'm your guy. Better yet, let me see you heal my sister so she can walk and see normally again, and you can have not only my eternal allegiance, but a 100% tithe (extra-virgin olive oil and the priesthood sure couldn't do it).

What can I say? I'm a seeker after a sign.

What if a supernatural being appeared and told you to preach there is not God (a.k.a. a Korihor situation)?

[_sunstoned]

You're x-treme if you can dunk or ride your mountain bike down a set of stairs for Jesus.

LOL! I was watching some MMA the other night and one of the fighters had a banner beside him with a website name on it: jesusdidnttap.com. Hilarious. MMA fighters for Jesus!

I'm an X-treme X-mormon because I drink Mountain Dew and drive a Nissan X-terra.

I was in Moab a few years ago, and while on a trail I ran into a group of Mountain Bikers. They witnessed to me and gave me their card and contact information. They belonged to an organization called Extreme Sports for Jesus ( EX for J).

[_huckelberry]

I really want to ask the obvious. How can one not have doubts about the Bible? Really Mudcat, it would be fair if in joining this discussion you would say why you would hold any view so strange as not to view the Bible with reservations.

Hello Huckelberry,

To answer your question, I suppose my expectations of the Bible are not what they are for some.
I expect the Bible to lead me to a closer relationship with Jesus. It does.

Where do you think I should have reservations?

Mudcat

Mudcat, it is not so much that I think you should have reservations but the opportunities for reservations are so plenteous that not having them is remarkable. Seeing the remarkable occasions draws the question, how is it this person is not laboring with reservations?

Just taking your comment, brings you closer to Jesus, it may be straightforward how Luke does that. It would be somewhat less clear how Hebrews does that. It is considerable less clear how Genesis would do that. Genesis may be fairly easy compared to Joshua which even I might wonder how in the world that would brign you closer to Jesus (aside from the names being the same)

Many people observe a variety of stories in the Old Testament which appear to be longer on folk tale imagination than on sober fact. People then feel that uncertainity about facts becomes a barrier to hearing or experienceing closeness to Jesus, (or trust of Jesus)

[_Sethbag]

I don't believe in the Bible. I think the Old Testament is a bunch of partially historical ancient Israelite mythology, and the New Testament was written mostly by Jesus groupies who never even met the guy, who recorded their stories of him long after the fact, as retold by someone they'd met before, or even just read about. And there were quite a few similar books, letters, Gospels, Apocalypses, etc. which were rejected as the version of Christianity of the proto-orthodox won out and became just the orthodox. I'm really liking Bart Ehrman's books on the subject. It's all so obviously manmade, and Ehrman's books help explain it and put it in context which helps the manmade explanation make sense.

I don't believe there's even a shred of credible evidence for the existence of any God, much less for the Christian version of him.

Mudcat, if you don't believe that the ancient books of Hindus and Buddhists are really, literally true, then you will understand that this is about the same way I feel about the Bible. There are lots of religions that are and have been in the world, and Christianity is just one of the latest, and best recorded in words. But it's no truer than any of the others, which is to say, it's not true at all.

[_Gadianton]

You're x-treme if you can dunk or ride your mountain bike down a set of stairs for Jesus.

LOL! I was watching some MMA the other night and one of the fighters had a banner beside him with a website name on it: jesusdidnttap.com. Hilarious. MMA fighters for Jesus!

I'm an X-treme X-mormon because I drink Mountain Dew and drive a Nissan X-terra.

I was in Moab a few years ago, and while on a trail I ran into a group of Mountain Bikers. They witnessed to me and gave me their card and contact information. They belonged to an organization called Extreme Sports for Jesus ( EX for J).

That's hilarious. The LDS church has only slid in my assessment of religions in general over the years, but pentacostal type Christianity will always take a backseat, no matter what Smith did with those 14 year olds. The charismatic stuff is just so freaking lame and beyond annoying I can't even deal with it.

I'm sure that the humble son of a carpenter, with a face no one would desire, who taught against pride and all that would be outrageously impressed by guys breaking chains in his name, or BASE jumping, or kicking someone's ass in a cage match - oh for HIS glory of course - because you know, when Satan tempted Jesus to prove what a bad ass he really was by jumping off a cliff and tempting fate, and Jesus refused the display of hubris and consequent proof of his divinity, Jesus is now going to turn around and when some dumb ass born-again Christian jumps off a 90 foot cliff with a parachute yelling "John 3:16!!!!" Jesus is all over showboating his tremendous powers in the service of useless risk-taking or displays of strength.

[_krose]

But I'm willing to be suckered by an angel, a deity, or a genuine, grade-A miracle. Give me a corpse raising or a reattached limb, and I'm your guy. Better yet, let me see you heal my sister so she can walk and see normally again, and you can have not only my eternal allegiance, but a 100% tithe (extra-virgin olive oil and the priesthood sure couldn't do it).

What can I say? I'm a seeker after a sign.

I'm so sorry to read about your sister's struggles, Krose.

I hope the best for her.

Kimberly Ann

Thanks. But that's the reality of life, isn't it? Sh-- happens all the time for seemingly no good reason other than someone happens to be in the right place at the right time to be exposed to something deadly or debilitating, and sometimes there's nothing we can do but hope (or pray, which is the same thing, really).