What is so hard to comprehend about the Bible?

I do not understand. What is so hard to comprehend about the Bible?

Genesis 1:26: "Then God said, 'Let us make Humankind in Our image, in Our likeness...'

From this statement alone, there are three facts:
1) There is a "true" God.
2) There are other Gods and Goddesses (hence, why the world has females).
3) Humans are NOT inferior to God, because, otherwise, that would contradict this verse. Inferiority would not be in the Gods' and Goddesses' image.

So I really don't understand, why can't anyone comprehend these simple truths?

But, let us drop one more Bible verse.

Ecclesiastes 7:29: "This only have I found: God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes."

Then, why is it that humans continue to call themselves sinners and inferior to God? Why is it so hard for humans to fathom that the true God would incarnate as a Man?

Finally, Ecclesiastes 1:9 "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."

In other words, humankind has already discovered electricity in the past. God knows of this potential to re-discover it. I really just don't understand why 18,000 children under the age of 5 --and that's just under the age of 5-- will have died by the time I lay my head down to sleep, so help me understand where the break-down is coming with you and the Bible...

What is so hard to comprehend about the Bible?

Why anyone takes it seriously.

And with that, I'm out of this one. Have fun.

a reply to: iosolomon

Frankly, it's hard to understand how words written by men could or should be construed as the word of God.

I can't comprehend an alleged 'loving' God when you consider the atrocities, infanticide, genocide, and all the rest of it claimed as 'true' in the Old Testament. But then I think rationally.

...I'm also out of this thread, just replied to subscribe and have a good chuckle catching up with it later.

originally posted by: iosolomon
I do not understand. What is so hard to comprehend about the Bible?

Whoever said it was difficult to comprehend? It's just mostly BS is all. Why anyone would believe what it says just BECAUSE it's "in the Bible" is what is difficult to comprehend. And quoting verses from the Bible is equally incomprehensible. What does that do, precisely? You're quoting nonsense, for the most part. That anyone would believe this stuff is completely nonsensical. It's like they left their brains at the door when they opened the pages.

And it's not that it is all complete lies. As a part of the historical record of a few wandering desert tribes it contains some stories and lore from long ago. It's interesting as far as mythology and folklore go. Some of its stories are probably based loosely on historical events. For example, there was probably some sort of migration out of Egypt. It didn't take forty years or anything because you can walk across the Sinai in a couple of weeks max. It simply is not that big. And the flood story probably recounts a real coastal flood from long ago. No, it didn't flood the earth, probably wiped out a few seacoast villages. It's not that the Bible is 100% wrong; it's just that the idea "God did it!" is and absurd superstitious belief of a pre-literate, uneducated group of people just trying to eke out an existence in a harsh land.

People who breathe more into the Bible than that act completely hypnotized. They seem unable to distinguish between fairly tales and reality. Other than that, it's a great book.

Uncovering the dualism of the authors contained within. Finding out that two world stories are told and we now live in a place where the two are sandwiched together. As per the op i agree with it.

Being made in the "likeness" of something isn't necessarily being made "identical" to or "equal" to something. Also, "us" doesn't have to be the plural of "I". Royalty, and other authorities use "we" and "us" when speaking solely about themselves. Being that this is the King James translation it is very likely that God's written word would use common authoritative and royal queues of the day... such as referring to the self as "us" or "we". It is a common formal way of speaking for English Royalty and Authorities.

Further to that, If you read one verse forward, to Genesis 1: 27, you find "So God created human beings[c] in his own image." God created humans. Not Gods.

a reply to: iosolomon

"Genesis 1:26: "Then God said, 'Let us make Humankind in Our image, in Our likeness...'

From this statement alone, there are three facts:
1) There is a "true" God.
2) There are other Gods and Goddesses (hence, why the world has females).
3) Humans are NOT inferior to God, because, otherwise, that would contradict this verse. Inferiority would not be in the Gods' and Goddesses' image"

I'm not seeing the facts... link to source?

PS. How do you know "Inferiority would not be in the Gods' and Goddesses' image"? For one you're putting words in their mouth based on your own opinions. Annnd secondly, how do you designate God from the others if we're all equally as important?

Personal Opinion: Religious nuts will destroy the world with their biased and illogical thought process.

The bible isn't really hard to comprehend, it is the interpretation that is hard to comprehend in my opinion. The bible talks about us, interpretation has muddied the waters to include an outside force called god. We are the image of God in which we are made in. The image we are made in is the image of light that reveals the world around us.

a reply to: AfterInfinity

Not sure if you are aware, but the OP thinks he's Jesus.

Sort of wondering if he's this guy:

Man thinks he's God, smashes truck into TV station

a reply to: iosolomon

Well,

The Bible is clear about how prayer is supposed to work. In Mark 11:24 Jesus promises:

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Really? I have never had a prayer answered, even when my brother was dying of Cancer. Wait you say, maybe it was not Gods will?

Common sense says that you are deluded in thinking there has to be a reason. Well, my reason is the verse I quoted above. God did not say.... " Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours BUT only when I'm having a good day becuase sometimes I just don't answer prayers.

C'mon, the quote above is quite clear, pray and your prayers will be answered. No, they were not and they still are not.

" God is omnipotent, so nothing is impossible for God. "

Well, it seems it was impossible to answer the prayers of mine when I prayed for my dieing brother.

I could quote many mistakes about your God but no, Ill leave it hear. To emotional to continue to be honest.

God is real? Yea so was my brothers death!!!!

a reply to: iosolomon

Comprehension is not the issue. The Bible is easy to comprehend. Is your question "Why don't people Believe"?

That is a separate issue.

And if that IS your question, you should be specific about which Bible you are referring to.

What I find hard to comprehend about the bible is how the words written by men can be trusted as truthful. Let alone how it can be trusted as truthful when the damn thing has been edited many times since it's creation BY MAN. I believe in a god, not any other mans idea but my own.

originally posted by: iosolomon
1) There is a "true" God.

Yes.

2) There are other Gods and Goddesses (hence, why the world has females).

Not necessarily. It could easily refer to the Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And when God made humans in His image .. he meant SPIRITUAL image, not physical image. God is pure spirit and therefore isn't physical.

3) Humans are NOT inferior to God, because, otherwise, that would contradict this verse. Inferiority would not be in the Gods' and Goddesses' image.

No. I can make an artistic rendering of myself, but that doesn't mean the artistic rendering is 'equal' to me .. the creator.

a reply to: iosolomon

Namaste, friend. It is with most gladness that you are beginning to see through the darkened glass of the illusion that most people can't see past. As you said, we are individual incarnations of God, experiencing the dense physical world through many perspectives. However, we are still all part of the ONE True God. And one day, we will return to Source, which is where we came from after our journey together in the "lower dimensions."

You are correct that we are all God. But the Creator is still greater than us. Hence, this is why Master Jesus said that his Father is greater than he. To better illustrate this, suppose you go to the Pacific Ocean with a styrofoam cup. You dip the cup into the Ocean, and the result is that you have a very small amount of water from the Ocean inside the cup. Let's say the Pacific Ocean is God, and the water inside the cup is you. The water came from God, but comparing this to the Pacific Ocean, it's minuscule. But regardless, within this tiny amount of water, there lies the Power and Essence of God.

So yes, our True Potential (although most people have long forgotten who they really are) is quite vast and without limit. Mankind have fallen quite a few times in the past. This is why you see remnants of technology thousands of years ago that can be more advanced than today. Comparing the technology today to our ancestors, we are living in very primitive times. There are civilizations out there today that are many, many times more advanced than we are since they haven't fallen in recent times. So please don't think that human beings are the greatest thing in the Universe. We are still quite young and have much to learn.

a reply to: iosolomon

I'm not sure the English interpretation...oh, I'm sorry...translation. corresponds with the original Old or New testament (I don't actually know it by verse. I just read it. As in read it all.)

But there is one funny thing about all this.

Now imagine, there is a guy called Jesus, an agent, who is sent to this world to bring culture to the Earth tribes.
He's got his training, a sense of justice and smart attitude towards socio-political aspects of the current ara and towards what should and should not take place on Earth. Killind is bad. Stealing is bad. LOL You don't say! And etc. He spills it all out to his pupils and they gey most of it conspected. Now we've all been students. And we all know how bad conspects are, compared to what the professor has in mind. Sost important things are missing, because the humans of that era simply couldn't comprehend them. So the guy will come back and continue. I am most sure that it already happened. We just don't know about it. But that's not the point.

Don't take the bible far too serious. Expand on it. Just be good and help humankind prosper. You don't have to be catholic, jewish, buddist...whatever...just trust in good and in adequate forward movement. Don't be an asshole, don't be violent for no reason. Simple things. Just be good to yourself and the people around you. DON'T BE AN ASSHOLE. That is the bible in short.

The people that wage wars, kill, rape, rob and so on just don't follow these principles. Not all people follow the bible.

Anybody's 'personal' interpretation of the bible is easy of course.

Trying to find the one that is actually correct is the hard part.

Considering if you haven't read the bible in it's original language you probably don't really know what it says.

Things do not translate as easy as some believe.

The problem with the Bible is that it was written by man, decades after the death of Jesus and contains many inconsistencies in it's tenants.

I myself, always liked Jesus. I'm an atheist in all honesty, but Jesus had it right. I don't think you need to be the son of God for that.

~Tenth

I dig you

You can only learn to comprehend stuff by experience, making mistakes, get up and go on, gather knowledge, be critical on all things...

Eventually, if you use the biggest gift of all, like you should. It gets easier to comprehend.

Lots of folks won't use their brain though... Which is like giving God the finger saying, I will not use the greatest asset man kind got created with.

Well. Why would that brain be part of you ?

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Right argument on the "original language". But translation has done miracles. 8-) Hell, reading Tolstoi, a torture for a human patience and mind, is possible because of that. Although, if you are referring to a "cosmic" language, it is not right too. The Jews Joshuah, Isiah, Judas...Peter understood the languge and wrote in this language, therfore what you are referring to is either "lost due to translation" or misenterpreted, in which case, all can feel free to learn the old tongue and translate it as they must. And many have. The result is in evry motel night stand.
We have one too many interpretations of the bible, but those are all interpretations.
I only hope that the people get the main Idea of the book. Be GOOD. That's all. We all know what good and evil is, right? LOL. DO IT!

originally posted by: grainofsand
I can't comprehend an alleged 'loving' God when you consider the atrocities, infanticide, genocide, and all the rest of it claimed as 'true' in the Old Testament. But then I think rationally.

...I'm also out of this thread, just replied to subscribe and have a good chuckle catching up with it later.

I know! If God loved us he would not give us free will. Any time a child is about to be harmed, a humongous god hand should come out from the clouds and protect that child! And why draw the line at children? Old defenseless people should not be harmed either! Or anybody. If I'm about to stub my toe, god should save me. If we decide to go in the middle of the freeway and play freeze tag, god should just move the cars around me.

In fact why learn anything? why learn to hunt or farm and feed myself? if God loves me he wouldn't let me starve! he should all sit around picking our noses and master bating all day long and never bathe... If God loved us he won't let us catch any diseases from unsanitary practices. humanity could just roll around in the mud like pigs never having a reason to better ourselves or create a society with a justice system or advance in any way. No need to because God can just do everything if he really loves us.

Why even have bodies? Or planets or stars? If God loved us he should just let us exist in an eternal state of bliss, doing nothing forever.