What Does God Think of the Bible?

[Doctor Steuss]

I apologize for not really addressing the OP, and instead only the thread title, but it’s what hit me.

If there’s a personal Deity, I imagine them looking at the Bible the same way I look at drawings of me that my son made when he was a tot. I know that it’s supposed to be me, and it’s likely a representation of how he sees me. Even though it's only vaguely recognizable, it's endearing.

"Look at the book of me that the humans made. I sure love them, they are adorable."

[huckelberry]

I apologize for not really addressing the opening post, and instead only the thread title, but it’s what hit me.

If there’s a personal Deity, I imagine them looking at the Bible the same way I look at drawings of me that my son made when he was a tot. I know that it’s supposed to be me, and it’s likely a representation of how he sees me. Even though it's only vaguely recognizable, it's endearing.

"Look at the book of me that the humans made. I sure love them, they are adorable."

I think it is entirely possible that there is something to this proposal. Perhaps not exact but..

[KevinSim]

Which God?

The one that's in control of the universe. There's really only room for one deity who is in control of the universe.

Which Bible?

Any Bible, actually.

You are asking other people what your diety thinks of your scriptures and then rejecting their answers when their religious beliefs and methodologies don't align with yours.

Fence Sitter, can you give me an example of an exchange where I rejected somebody's answer when that somebody's "religious beliefs and methodologies don't align with" mine?

[KevinSim]

Well the problem is that we really only know Jesus through the New Testament.

Then we don't really know what Jesus taught about the Bible then, do we Drumdude?

If you throw that away then you just have a person named Jesus that was executed for stirring up trouble in Judea.

I'm not advocating throwing away anything. I'm just saying it makes no sense to appeal to the authority of the Bible to conclude Jesus taught something about the Bible, before we know that the Bible has any authority to begin with.

[KevinSim]

The entire Old Testament points to Jesus.

And therefore what, Msnobody? What does the observation that the entire Old Testament points to Jesus have to do with the question I asked?

[Doctor Steuss]

Which God?

The one that's in control of the universe. There's really only room for one deity who is in control of the universe.

Not if the (non-observable) universe is infinite. If it is, that would leave room for an infinite number of deities to be in control while still having an infinite amount of universe for another infinite number of deities.

[drumdude]

Well the problem is that we really only know Jesus through the New Testament.

Then we don't really know what Jesus taught about the Bible then, do we Drumdude?

If you throw that away then you just have a person named Jesus that was executed for stirring up trouble in Judea.

I'm not advocating throwing away anything. I'm just saying it makes no sense to appeal to the authority of the Bible to conclude Jesus taught something about the Bible, before we know that the Bible has any authority to begin with.

I'm an atheist so to me it's like discussing the lore of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. There may be right answers to questions about that lore, but that doesn't mean they exist in reality.

[KevinSim]

That is debatable, nobody knows.

Doughtingthomas, there is something about the observation that we live in a deterministic universe, that is in itself inherently non-deterministic.
Let's assume for a moment that each of us is deterministic, and that it's possible for us to know that each of us is deterministic. Have you ever had decisions that you agonized over, Doughtingthomas, that you spent a lot of time stressed out over because the right decision wasn't clear and because you knew that it was very important you got that decision right? Well then, if you know that we're all deterministic, then you don't have to agonize over decisions any more. After all, it will not matter whether you spend hours agonizing over it or if you simply flip a coin, or roll a six-sided dice; determinism will only let you make one decision no matter how hard you try to make the decision yourself. So what's the point of agonizing over such decisions? In such a situation it does make sense to flip a coin for binary decisions, and to roll the dice for more complicated ones.
Nobody is going to take me up on this suggestion, because down deep we realize that we are non-deterministic, deep down we realize that we do have free will. Because if we didn't have free will then my bizarre suggestion would make sense.

Who created the non-deterministic being?

I have no idea whether the non-deterministic being was created, let alone who created her/him.

And a thinking being needs a brain, wouldn't you agree?

Not at all. We haven't even established that we humans need a brain to think. My brain will stop functioning when I die, but I certainly don't believe I will stop thinking when I die.

[KevinSim]

I've always wondered what Gandalf thought of Hobbit series, I mean, he has never officially endorsed it right?

Fence Sitter, Gandalf told me! He loved the book; he hated the movies.
On a slightly more serious note, sometimes I really wish that we were as able to talk to Gandalf as we are to talk to God.

[KevinSim]

Kevin, when you say Gods word what is it you are looking for. In a sense all of creation is Gods word.

Huckelberry, you used the phrase first; I was referring to whatever you meant by God's word. You're the one who said God wants us to believe in His word.