if i wrote a book saying Al Roker was the king of men, and in 2000 years people all over the world believed and lived by my book, would it be any less credible than the bible?

Discuss.

It depends. Was this book a work of fact or fiction?

The difference is it's supposedly true.

Cheers,

Lost

Asumming in two thousand years the events in your book and the Bible are equaly hard to verify there would be no real diference. It would just be a matter of advertising, the Bible is popular because word of mouth advertising has convinced people they will burn in Hell for all eternity if they don't do what the characters say. It also has fan clubs.

Yes, because (as one man or woman) you do not have the capacity, intelligence, nor fortitude to write a book so seemless and spiritual.

The lack of mistakes, and the generational gap between authors is what makes it so incredible. (not to mention the prophecies)

Unless you are adequately adept at seeing into the future, I would venture to say that your book would be missing a very definitive feature, in comparison to the Bible.

God makes it spiritual, which anyone can experience if read with an open heart and mind.

There aren't any books on Al Roker that stir spiritual emotions. *lol*

quote:Originally posted by MasterPython:

Asumming in two thousand years the events in your book and the Bible are equaly hard to verify there would be no real diference. It would just be a matter of advertising, the Bible is popular because word of mouth advertising has convinced people they will burn in Hell for all eternity if they don't do what the characters say. It also has fan clubs.

Matthew 28:19 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...

Matthew 10:27 - What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.

We believe the Bible to be the inerrant word of God. We also believe that it contains the instructions on how to obtain eternal life.

1 Peter 1:23 - ...you have been born again...through the living and enduring Word of God.

James 1:21 - ...the Word...can save you.

God also tells us that His word is perfect, and that it can never be compromised by man.

Matthew 5:18 -

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

We spread the gospel because it is what God commanded us to do.

2 Corinthians 10:5 - We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I am not a big fan of persecution and mockery.

Please don't send me any entry forms to Christian Fan Clubs. *shivers*

[This message has been edited by Digital_Savior (edited 01-09-2005).]

quote:Originally posted by Digital_Savior:

Yes, because (as one man or woman) you do not have the capacity, intelligence, nor fortitude to write a book so seemless and spiritual.



What's your opinion of the Book of Mormon? Unless it really is God's word it was written by one person. It has a huge fan club and it had not been around nearly as long as the Bible. Maybe thoughatwork is as good a writer as Joe Smith and his book could be just as influencial as the Bible.

Python - "Influencial" is much different than "credible".

People are influenced by all kinds of idiotic things...such as ABC World News Tonight. *lol*

As we know, some of what is said on said news show is not exactly credible.

I believe I have sufficiently proven that Joseph Smith was a fraud, and therefore could not have represented God (of all the people on the planet, God would have chosen someone that didn't claim He wasn't always God, which He clearly states that He is throughout the Bible).

If you'd like me to do it again (such as, if you missed it), I would be more than happy to. Just ask.

You can be the greatest literary genius the world has ever known, but it will not make your works PERFECT. WITHOUT FLAW.

Unlike the authors of the Bible, the "prophets", compilers, and abridgers of the Book of Mormon frequently state explicitly the dates when they worked, their purposes in writing, and the sources from which they drew, thus clarifying many compositional and interpretive issues; furthermore, academic and archaeological studies of the Book of Mormon are more limited than in biblical research because the earliest extant text is Joseph Smith's 1829 English translation and the precise locations of Book of Mormon settlements are unknown.

"The book's self-declared main purpose is to testify of Jesus Christ, through the writings of ancient American prophets. It asserts that its principal author was the prophet Mormon, who compiled most of its contents in the 4th century A.D., and that Smith later translated the record by divine inspiration via a Urim and Thummim. Other authorship theories propose that the book was an original or derivative work of fiction by Joseph Smith or one of his associates." Wikipedia.com

A lot of doubt there...I haven't heard anything even remotely CLOSE to such doubt about the writer's of the Bible.

*shrugs*

[This message has been edited by Digital_Savior (edited 01-09-2005).]

quote:Originally posted by Digital_Savior:

God makes it spiritual, which anyone can experience if read with an open heart and mind.



I have to agree with you to a degree on this. Scripture is profound and beautiful. However, I prefer to take each book separately. That is how they were written and I think that is how they should be read.



[with exception of the 'historical' books of the OT which are often repetitive although they focus on a different aspect of the events that are chronicled.]...

The beautiful poetry in scripture is inspiring to me.

The point of this thread was to discus if thoughtatwork could start a religion based on lies that would some day have loyal followers who would take his book as the word of God, you can't get much more credible that that. As everyone should know there are many religions that have texts. And in each religion there will be people who say that their texts are infalible, a literal record of history and inspired or even written by God. If you believe not all of them can be right that means that it is posible to create a religion based on lies or distorted facts and have people believe it the best thing in the universe.