Hello again!
Did you ever do an experiment in school, can not remember what it is called, but it involves a group of people, you tell one person a sentence or two, and than that person passes it on to another, until it has been told to every person, than the last person tells the whole group what they heard. It is never exactly the same as what was told to the first person.
That is one of main problems I have with religion. Sure most have good intentions, but their "Bible" has been passed down for centuries. They have been edited, translated, altered for the current time. One word changed, can make a difference in a sentence. Names spelled differently. I bet the original authors would shudder to see how their work has been transformed.
What I really do not get is how different religions can use the same Bible, but not believe in the same thing.
It is because one person reads something, than another reads it and says it means something else. It doesn't help that what they are reading has been translated so many times, one mistake in the first translation, a different one in the next because the first mistake was taken at face value etc etc etc.
People claim that the Bible has not changed but that is not true. We all know that. How many people alive today can read the original written words of the Bible? Without mistakes? Without doubt? I would say none. Even the books that teach you to read the language have mistakes. Plus the way we look at life, differs from how the original author looks at life.
Every thing in their lives was different from ours. How and when we slept, worked and even played. They did not have phones, TV, radio, newspapers or even books (when the could afford a "book" chances are most could not even read). Most did not go to school or college. They were educated through their family and village. Those who did have education, would feel very inferior to our system. (Although I bet they could teach us a lot about their remedies for everyday illness and aches & pains).
Even their illnesses where different. Cancer was probably rare, and chances are most died before they where old enough to feel the effects of it. We have many diseases today that where not even around than!
What I am getting at is that even if we could fluently speak the original languages of the Bible, we would not have the frame of mind (thought process) of the authors.
Every religion seems to have branches, why? Because they disagreed with a change or even requested a change and it was denied. So their religion changed for human reasons.
Some of the "books" in the bible were stories, passed down or given by divine direction. Maybe in their time these "books" were not allowed to be viewed but stored for safe keeping. Hundreds of years later these "books" are found and people claim that they must be the truth or someone would have spoken up and said they were not. Really? How could they speak up if they were never seen?
I read a story (well actually a few) that had a very good point. Years ago, when there was emperors, kings and pharaohs, they had complete control over their subjects. They could change and alter things to anything they wanted, even destroying the originals, so that future generations would take the altered writings at face value or on faith. Rulers than were treated like gods and were never denied (openly anyways), after all, they were all powerful. They also would have had control over the books (scrolls etc) and could do what ever they wanted with them, including destroying them.
That is why I have trouble with bibles and religious writings.
What happened to love thy neighbor? Honor thy Mother and Father? Do not covet or do not steal?
Do not kill? Just to name a few. These are basic in many religions, but everyday you hear terrible stories of pain and death. Did changing these religions change the basic rules of life?
Many young people, people in general, do not care for others, only themselves and what they can get or control. Even some children do things that are cruel and demeaning. They have no respect for others, not even their own family. How many old people have children who live close but they never see them? Yet these children do not think twice to take from the parent(s) without considering that they are putting a hardship on their parent(s)
Many of these people claim to be religious. I just do not see it. Say one thing, do another.
Than they do not understand why some people turn away from religion.
To me I believe the Creator wanted us to learn and grow. To love and live a wonderful, fulfilling life.
Somewhere along the way, we got lost. Instead of dreaming of a paradise when we die, why can't we create one here? Instead of hatred and war, why can't we spend our time and energy on fixing the damage to the planet and finding cures for the illnesses killing us? Instead of violence and prejudice, we have a world where all are equal and safe to walk down their street or learn to read.
Something to think about.
So remember to cherish Life!
It could be all we have, we can make this world a paradise!
Alice M
Did you ever do an experiment in school, can not remember what it is called, but it involves a group of people, you tell one person a sentence or two, and than that person passes it on to another, until it has been told to every person, than the last person tells the whole group what they heard. It is never exactly the same as what was told to the first person.
That is one of main problems I have with religion. Sure most have good intentions, but their "Bible" has been passed down for centuries. They have been edited, translated, altered for the current time. One word changed, can make a difference in a sentence. Names spelled differently. I bet the original authors would shudder to see how their work has been transformed.
What I really do not get is how different religions can use the same Bible, but not believe in the same thing.
It is because one person reads something, than another reads it and says it means something else. It doesn't help that what they are reading has been translated so many times, one mistake in the first translation, a different one in the next because the first mistake was taken at face value etc etc etc.
People claim that the Bible has not changed but that is not true. We all know that. How many people alive today can read the original written words of the Bible? Without mistakes? Without doubt? I would say none. Even the books that teach you to read the language have mistakes. Plus the way we look at life, differs from how the original author looks at life.
Every thing in their lives was different from ours. How and when we slept, worked and even played. They did not have phones, TV, radio, newspapers or even books (when the could afford a "book" chances are most could not even read). Most did not go to school or college. They were educated through their family and village. Those who did have education, would feel very inferior to our system. (Although I bet they could teach us a lot about their remedies for everyday illness and aches & pains).
Even their illnesses where different. Cancer was probably rare, and chances are most died before they where old enough to feel the effects of it. We have many diseases today that where not even around than!
What I am getting at is that even if we could fluently speak the original languages of the Bible, we would not have the frame of mind (thought process) of the authors.
Every religion seems to have branches, why? Because they disagreed with a change or even requested a change and it was denied. So their religion changed for human reasons.
Some of the "books" in the bible were stories, passed down or given by divine direction. Maybe in their time these "books" were not allowed to be viewed but stored for safe keeping. Hundreds of years later these "books" are found and people claim that they must be the truth or someone would have spoken up and said they were not. Really? How could they speak up if they were never seen?
I read a story (well actually a few) that had a very good point. Years ago, when there was emperors, kings and pharaohs, they had complete control over their subjects. They could change and alter things to anything they wanted, even destroying the originals, so that future generations would take the altered writings at face value or on faith. Rulers than were treated like gods and were never denied (openly anyways), after all, they were all powerful. They also would have had control over the books (scrolls etc) and could do what ever they wanted with them, including destroying them.
That is why I have trouble with bibles and religious writings.
What happened to love thy neighbor? Honor thy Mother and Father? Do not covet or do not steal?
Do not kill? Just to name a few. These are basic in many religions, but everyday you hear terrible stories of pain and death. Did changing these religions change the basic rules of life?
Many young people, people in general, do not care for others, only themselves and what they can get or control. Even some children do things that are cruel and demeaning. They have no respect for others, not even their own family. How many old people have children who live close but they never see them? Yet these children do not think twice to take from the parent(s) without considering that they are putting a hardship on their parent(s)
Many of these people claim to be religious. I just do not see it. Say one thing, do another.
Than they do not understand why some people turn away from religion.
To me I believe the Creator wanted us to learn and grow. To love and live a wonderful, fulfilling life.
Somewhere along the way, we got lost. Instead of dreaming of a paradise when we die, why can't we create one here? Instead of hatred and war, why can't we spend our time and energy on fixing the damage to the planet and finding cures for the illnesses killing us? Instead of violence and prejudice, we have a world where all are equal and safe to walk down their street or learn to read.
Something to think about.
So remember to cherish Life!
It could be all we have, we can make this world a paradise!
Alice M
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Please remember these are my beliefs and I am not forcing them on anyone so please be respectful if you make a comment.