Jesus Without The Bible...?

Thoreau

Thoreau

Valued Senior Member
I have a relative whom claims she has a "personal relationship with Jesus". Furthermore, she claims that "He talks to her".... and yes, in the literal sense. After discussing religion for about half an hour with her, I started questioning her lack of biblical knowledge as a Christian. So, I obviously asked "Have you eve read the Bible in it's entirety?"

The answer was this:

"No. I don't like to read the Bible. A lot of it doesn't make sense to me. Instead I just talk to Jesus directly and allow him to lead my life, not the bible."

Christianity is a scriptural based religion. Had the bible not ever been created, it is likely that no one would be Christian (or at least a VERY small number would be).

I'm trying to wrap my head around her comments.

How can you be Christian but not understand the Bible? How can you be believe in the claims of Jesus if you've never even read the Bible?

To me, this equates no more than to having an imaginary friend.

It also has lead me to question her sanity.
 
MZ3Boy84 said:
I have a relative whom claims she has a "personal relationship with Jesus". Furthermore, she claims that "He talks to her".... and yes, in the literal sense. After discussing religion for about half an hour with her, I started questioning her lack of biblical knowledge as a Christian. So, I obviously asked "Have you eve read the Bible in it's entirety?"

The answer was this:

"No. I don't like to read the Bible. A lot of it doesn't make sense to me. Instead I just talk to Jesus directly and allow him to lead my life, not the bible."

Christianity is a scriptural based religion. Had the bible not ever been created, it is likely that no one would be Christian (or at least a VERY small number would be).





I'm trying to wrap my head around her comments.

How can you be Christian but not understand the Bible? How can you be believe in the claims of Jesus if you've never even read the Bible?
E]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I don't need to know the whole bible to be a Christian !!!!!
I need to know the 10 commandments and follow the teaching of Jesus , and that is very simple ( Low thy God with all your hearth and Lowe thy neighbor as thyself ) THAT IS ALL.

Religious ceremony are man made ,
Click to expand...
 
yaracuy said:
MZ3Boy84 said:
I have a relative whom claims she has a "personal relationship with Jesus". Furthermore, she claims that "He talks to her".... and yes, in the literal sense. After discussing religion for about half an hour with her, I started questioning her lack of biblical knowledge as a Christian. So, I obviously asked "Have you eve read the Bible in it's entirety?"

The answer was this:

"No. I don't like to read the Bible. A lot of it doesn't make sense to me. Instead I just talk to Jesus directly and allow him to lead my life, not the bible."

Christianity is a scriptural based religion. Had the bible not ever been created, it is likely that no one would be Christian (or at least a VERY small number would be).





I'm trying to wrap my head around her comments.

How can you be Christian but not understand the Bible? How can you be believe in the claims of Jesus if you've never even read the Bible?
E]//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I don't need to know the whole bible to be a Christian !!!!!
I need to know the 10 commandments and follow the teaching of Jesus , and that is very simple ( Low thy God with all your hearth and Lowe thy neighbor as thyself ) THAT IS ALL.

Religious ceremony are man made ,
Click to expand...

Um, no. A non-Christian can follow the teachings of Jesus (some of them anyway). I think you misunderstand what it means to be a Christian.

To be one, you have to believe in the divinity of Jesus - that is to believe that a) he was born of a virgin, b) that he was resurrected and c) that he ascended to Heaven. In other words, you have to believe that the physical laws of the universe were suspended - an impossibility.

Secondly, if you want to follow the teachings of Jesus, might I recommend you acquire a few slaves and beat the unruly ones. See Ephesians 6:5-9, Timothy 6:1-2 and Luke 12:47-48.
Click to expand...
 
Thats something, you have a lot of aunts and uncles and you all sit around and talk about Jesus.
 
MZ3Boy84 said:
yaracuy said:
Um, no. A non-Christian can follow the teachings of Jesus (some of them anyway). I think you misunderstand what it means to be a Christian.

To be one, you have to believe in the divinity of Jesus - that is to believe that a) he was born of a virgin, b) that he was resurrected and c) that he ascended to Heaven. In other words, you have to believe that the physical laws of the universe were suspended - an impossibility.

Secondly, if you want to follow the teachings of Jesus, might I recommend you acquire a few slaves and beat the unruly ones. See Ephesians 6:5-9, Timothy 6:1-2 and Luke 12:47-48.
Click to expand...

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


1 We are in a society were slavery is not accepted , so I don't need slaves.

2 I believe we all are children of God, I don't have to push the issue about his birth, I don't care. Jesus was the son of God , he was inspired by the spirit of God
I don't understand ? what physical laws were suspended ?
Do you believe that there are other planets ? that might be a heaven.
Do believe that we are sending signals across the earth and on the other side they have a receptor and the signal can be transformed into action ?
If you do so why should I not to believe that the spirit ( signal ) can not be send to heaven ( other planet )
Click to expand...
 
MZ3Boy84 said:
I have a relative whom claims she has a "personal relationship with Jesus". Furthermore, she claims that "He talks to her".... and yes, in the literal sense. After discussing religion for about half an hour with her, I started questioning her lack of biblical knowledge as a Christian. So, I obviously asked "Have you eve read the Bible in it's entirety?"

The answer was this:

"No. I don't like to read the Bible. A lot of it doesn't make sense to me. Instead I just talk to Jesus directly and allow him to lead my life, not the bible."

Christianity is a scriptural based religion. Had the bible not ever been created, it is likely that no one would be Christian (or at least a VERY small number would be).

I'm trying to wrap my head around her comments.

How can you be Christian but not understand the Bible? How can you be believe in the claims of Jesus if you've never even read the Bible?

To me, this equates no more than to having an imaginary friend.

It also has lead me to question her sanity.
Click to expand...

same thing with me you know. the holy spirit/jesus communicates to me directly and teaches me via life experience. then i can understand the bible.

i really don't understand why people don't understand this. i mean, i can see not believing it if you think the bible's hogwash, but then again myself and your family member are testifying to exactly what the entire bible is about.

even if you're only vaguely familiar with what the bible says, surely you must realize that the whole book is about a direct communication between god and man via the holy spirit. it's jesus's testimony, it's what he preached, and there is account after account after account after account of the holy spirit communicating directly with individuals or groups of people and those people acting on what they were told or taught or asked, including jesus.

i mean, where do you people get the idea that the bible is about people reading a book and following rules, or some philosophy? i'm sorry, but that is not what it's about.
 
Last edited:
MZ3Boy84 said:
I have a relative whom claims she has a "personal relationship with Jesus". Furthermore, she claims that "He talks to her".... and yes, in the literal sense.
....
It also has lead me to question her sanity.
Click to expand...
She needs anti-crazy meds.
 
MZ3Boy84 said:
I have a relative whom claims she has a "personal relationship with Jesus". Furthermore, she claims that "He talks to her".... and yes, in the literal sense. After discussing religion for about half an hour with her, I started questioning her lack of biblical knowledge as a Christian. So, I obviously asked "Have you eve read the Bible in it's entirety?"

The answer was this:

"No. I don't like to read the Bible. A lot of it doesn't make sense to me. Instead I just talk to Jesus directly and allow him to lead my life, not the bible."

Christianity is a scriptural based religion. Had the bible not ever been created, it is likely that no one would be Christian (or at least a VERY small number would be).

I'm trying to wrap my head around her comments.

How can you be Christian but not understand the Bible? How can you be believe in the claims of Jesus if you've never even read the Bible?

To me, this equates no more than to having an imaginary friend.

It also has lead me to question her sanity.
Click to expand...

That makes sense; if you follow Christ teachings, you cannot possibly be a Christian. Becoming a Christian is very easy when you are ignorant, but it is impossible if you have a little understanding of the Jesus papers.
 
AlphaNumeric said:
She needs anti-crazy meds.
Click to expand...

is that right? are you a doctor? do you know this girl? have you ever met her? do you know anything about her other than what mz has posted here?

people who spout stuff like this are so full of shit.

but this brings up a point...

MZ, i'm assuming since this is a family member you know a thing or two about her, and are familiar with her, is that right? you say you question her sanity, but is there or has there ever been any other reason to question her sanity? is she otherwise a stable person? does she hold down a job? does she have an education? does she maintain a home? have a family? or is she a completely erratic, dangerous person who can't handle responsibilities or social situations?

my guess is that you really don't have a legitimate reason to question her sanity.
 
MZ3Boy84 said:
How can you be Christian but not understand the Bible? How can you be believe in the claims of Jesus if you've never even read the Bible?
Click to expand...

In my own work, I have emphasized that a "religion" is "what people believe in common" and not what their scriptures say. It is a Muslim doctrine to read the Koran but not a Christian one to read the Bible. Only the Fundamentalists actually read the Bible anymore. In fact, it was even forbidden for Christians to read it until the Reformation!

It's unnecessary anyway. Its four main components are clear enough and don't require sinking into the scriptural mass (or mess). One is our origin ("created") and our tribal history(!), another is the goal of being "saved" and the moral means to achieve it (the Decalogue). Finally, it listed what stands in our way ("Satan"). In its now archaic manner, it provided simple answers to the questions people asked. Those who accepted those answers gained the sense of community people normally need.

To bad we don't hold in common a more scientifically advanced set of answers so we can replace their old "community" with a world-wide one and help us build a better world.

brough
civilization-overview dot com
 
yaracuy said:
MZ3Boy84 said:
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


1 We are in a society were slavery is not accepted , so I don't need slaves.

2 I believe we all are children of God, I don't have to push the issue about his birth, I don't care. Jesus was the son of God , he was inspired by the spirit of God
I don't understand ? what physical laws were suspended ?
Click to expand...

1. So society dictates your moral code?

2. Would you say that the virgin birth did not follow natural laws of conception? How about the resurrection....would you say that it is a natural physical occurance that can be put to a test? Ascending into Heaven - a natural phenomenon? I think you get the point.

Do believe that we are sending signals across the earth and on the other side they have a receptor and the signal can be transformed into action ?
If you do so why should I not to believe that the spirit ( signal ) can not be send to heaven ( other planet )
Click to expand...

Worst analogy EVAR!!!!!
Click to expand...
 
MZ3Boy84 ,

The human brian is a complex thing. The phshycology of it all intrigues me. I am always curious as to why we feel the need to believe in anything.

~LB
 
MZ3Boy84 said:
I have a relative whom claims she has a "personal relationship with Jesus". Furthermore, she claims that "He talks to her".... and yes, in the literal sense. After discussing religion for about half an hour with her, I started questioning her lack of biblical knowledge as a Christian. So, I obviously asked "Have you eve read the Bible in it's entirety?"

The answer was this:

"No. I don't like to read the Bible. A lot of it doesn't make sense to me. Instead I just talk to Jesus directly and allow him to lead my life, not the bible."

Christianity is a scriptural based religion. Had the bible not ever been created, it is likely that no one would be Christian (or at least a VERY small number would be).

I'm trying to wrap my head around her comments.

How can you be Christian but not understand the Bible? How can you be believe in the claims of Jesus if you've never even read the Bible?

To me, this equates no more than to having an imaginary friend.

It also has lead me to question her sanity.
Click to expand...

Well the first Christians had no bible for a good number of years. The where guided directly by the Holy Spirit.

Paul never read a bible before becoming a believer. Actually God did talk to Him in an abrupt manner.

So it is possible for someone to come to believe in Jesus independent of the Bible and Christians.

But. Part of one growing in their relationship with God is through hearing the words of the scriptures. Not understanding many things in the bible is normal for new believers. But through their relationship with God they are given the understanding they need.

Fear can keep a new Christian from reading the bible. They have a simple faith and they don't want to risk things or come to feel vulnerable in the security of their relationship with Jesus by coming to too many knowledge’s they do not understand.

Fear is a bad thing in regard to having a relationship with Jesus. Trust in the Love of Jesus should overcome fear. The existence of fear can indicate a lack of trust in the Love of Jesus.

This Christian you talk of may have other reasons in seeking to avoid growing in the knowledge of salvation. What ever the actual motivations, the lack of deeper knowledge exposes them to the very real danger of deception and cunning attacks upon their faith.

A relationship with God should never stagnate. Followers of Jesus should always be seeking to know more to secure their foundations and build up their defences against the battering that can come upon people of faith.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days
 
Lori_7 said:
my guess is that you really don't have a legitimate reason to question her sanity.
Click to expand...

Her having conversations with an invisible being seems like a legitimate reason to me.
Schizophrenia comes to mind.
 
Last edited:
Enmos said:
Her having conversations with an invisible being seems like a legitimate reason to me.
Schizophrenia comes to mind.
Click to expand...

well it doesn't to me. and i love how everyone ignored the legitimate points i made about the subject matter of the bible, and the legitimate questions about this girl's behavior.

then again, i know that when it comes to atheists, it doesn't have to make sense and they don't require any proof or even legitimate evidence to play the mentally ill card as long as they get to believe what they want.
 
Lori_7 said:
same thing with me you know. the holy spirit/jesus communicates to me directly and teaches me via life experience. then i can understand the bible.

i really don't understand why people don't understand this. i mean, i can see not believing it if you think the bible's hogwash, but then again myself and your family member are testifying to exactly what the entire bible is about.

even if you're only vaguely familiar with what the bible says, surely you must realize that the whole book is about a direct communication between god and man via the holy spirit. it's jesus's testimony, it's what he preached, and there is account after account after account after account of the holy spirit communicating directly with individuals or groups of people and those people acting on what they were told or taught or asked, including jesus.

i mean, where do you people get the idea that the bible is about people reading a book and following rules, or some philosophy? i'm sorry, but that is not what it's about.
Click to expand...

When you say "Jesus Testimony" could you possibly implying he wrote it? By the way, when he speaks to you, what language is it in?
 
Lori_7 said:
is that right? are you a doctor? do you know this girl? have you ever met her? do you know anything about her other than what mz has posted here?

people who spout stuff like this are so full of shit.

but this brings up a point...

MZ, i'm assuming since this is a family member you know a thing or two about her, and are familiar with her, is that right? you say you question her sanity, but is there or has there ever been any other reason to question her sanity? is she otherwise a stable person? does she hold down a job? does she have an education? does she maintain a home? have a family? or is she a completely erratic, dangerous person who can't handle responsibilities or social situations?

my guess is that you really don't have a legitimate reason to question her sanity.
Click to expand...

I know someone who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. A major part of his symptoms were detailed auditory and visual hallucinations. However, he was highly accomplished, married, supported his family, has children, went to work everyday. But clinically he is still considered mentally ill. MZ has a legitimate question. By you jumping all over him, what if he doesn't seek help and his relative's condition worsens, do you want to take responsibility for that.
 
LIGHTBEING said:
MZ3Boy84 ,

The human brian is a complex thing. The phshycology of it all intrigues me. I am always curious as to why we feel the need to believe in anything.

~LB
Click to expand...

I understand your objection to the now unscientific beliefs or, as we say now, myths, of the old religions, but surely you don't think what we "know" is not belief, far more accurate belief, sure but belief even so. We in science cannot know anything as definite, provable "truth"---meaning that at somepoint in the future we won't know more about it and conside the old "truth" to be "false."

Anyway, I got your point and I do agree that the old religions which were "advance knowledge" a few thousand years ago are no longer so!

brough
civilization-overview dot com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top