The Bible: The Disputable Word of Man 2

Like the Old Testament, the Gospels of the New Testement weren't written down as they supposedly happened either. The earliest writings began at least forty years after Jesus was supposed to have died. Some of the earliest New Testament writings are not the Gospels, but the writings of Paul ,(formerly Saul of Tarsus, a Christian persecutor), who never knew Jesus but had a "vision" of him on the road to Damascus. This is what made Paul an apostle. You have to have seen Jesus to be an apostle. The early Christian churches couldn't even agree on whether Jesus Christ was the "son of God". In 300 a.d., Constantine I, (who had just conquered Rome), wanted a way to unite his vast empire. He liked Christianity but, it wasn't united either. So, in 300 a.d. emperor Constantine I ordered all the church leaders to a meeting. The purpose? To decide if Jesus was indeed the "son of God". That's right, people decided, not God! Jesus was decided to be the "son of God" and Constantine I converted Rome to Christianity. The same Rome that had tried to eradicate it 300 years earlier.

Did you know Joseph Smith was an apostle? Who is Joseph Smith? He is the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Laterday Saints. (The Mormans). Why is he an apostle? He claims to have had a "vision" of God and Jesus. That makes him an apostle according to the Bible. The book of Mormon is just as true as the Bible. It is supposed to be the words of God and Jesus so what's the difference?

Jewish historian Josephus lived during the time and place of Jesus. He chronicled life at that time. He even mentions "John the Baptist". He never mentions Jesus. Why? Because Jesus wasn't "made" an important religious figure until the second century. I also don't believe Roman historians would have failed to mention Herod the Great killing all the baby boys in Bethleham and all it's districts trying to kill Jesus, as the Bible states, but they did. Because of the total lack of evidence concerning Jesus, I didn't believe he was a real person until recently. They have found Jesus! Yes, apparently the physical remains of Jesus Christ have been located. I saw this on a Discovery channel documentary and looked it up on the internet. It is not yet conclusive, but according to the film makers, not only were Jesus's remains found in a family tomb in Jerusalem, but also the remains of his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, Josef (identified as Jesus' brother), Mathew, Judah the son of Jesus, and four other coffins yet to be identified. Why haven't you heard more about this? The site is in Jerusalem. The Jews don't care about Jesus. To them he was just a man. On the other hand if this proves to be true it will prove the Bible is lying. Of course all Christian factors will deny that it's so. Acts chapter 1 verse 9 says Jesus was taken up in a cloud and that's the last anyone saw of him. (I never believed that one anyway).

Why are the translations of the dead sea scrolls not being made public? Because they tell a different story than the Bible. It was hoped they would corroborate the Bible but they contradict it. If all known Biblical writings were put together there would be a whole lot of contradictions. There are two apocalyptic books written by Peter, (that's right, the apostle), that are not in the Bible. Why? Because they suggest that hell is not an "eternal" punishment. That was considered heresy even if it was written by Peter. Christianity is the only main stream religion that teaches eternal hellfire damnation. Other religions teach punishment for wrong doings, but not for eternity.

The Christians say Jesus has been here just as it was prophesied in the Old Testament. Well, whose book is the Old Testament? The Christians? No, the Jews! Now if anyone knows Old Testament prophecy, it's the Jews. If the Christians want to know about the Old Testament they should ask the Jews. They would be glad to teach them a thing or two. The Jews believe the "Messiah" prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. Oh, by the way, the Sabbath is not on Sunday. I know many of you think it is but, ask a Jew. Sunday is the day Jesus was supposed to have "risen from the dead". A Christian holy day. The Sabbath is the day God rested after he made the universe. A Jewish holy day.

The Catholic church is probably the oldest Christian church in existence. They seem to go by their own rules instead of the Bible. They seem to place more importance on Mary than Jesus, so much so I'm surprised there hasn't been a woman Pope. They believe in Mary the eternal virgin. The book of Mark chapter 6 verse 3 speaks of Jesus's brothers and sisters. The Catholic church tries to say that they are Joseph's sons and daughters, not Mary's. All I can tell you is that's not what the indisputable "word of God" says. And no, the Bible does not say Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. That story gets confused with the story of the woman who dried Jesus's feet with her hair. The Bible says Mary Magdalene was a close friend of Jesus and an apostle. There is a Gospel by her that is not included in the Bible. By the middle of the fourth century it was decided what books would be included in the Bible. Not by God, but by men.

My father is supposed to be a leader in the church he goes to. I asked him about these books that weren't included in the Bible. His answer? " We have enough"! In other words he doesn't even care what these other books have to say. I don't know about you, but if I believed my eternal salvation depended on what Biblical writings have to say, I would want to know every word! Most people that say they believe in the Bible don't. If they did they wouldn't act the way they do. People argue and even kill each other over the finer details of the Bible and lose site of the main messages like "love thy neighbor" and "thou shalt not kill". Do you realize how many people have been tortured and killed in the name of God? Millions! People can"t agree on what a single verse of the Bible means much less the whole thing! The different denominations of Christianity are simply different translations of the same thing. I can't believe the "all knowing God" would put anything in his "word" that could be misinterpreted. It would only be understood one way. God's way.