If the Bible was so false and easily disproved, why hasn't it become irrelevant?

People will always cling onto religion. It has been passed down through the generations through indoctrination. Until recently pretty much every child was forced into a religion. Both my parents were forced to go to Sunday school. Luckily they didn't do the same to me.

No one would openly criticize the holy books because of all the trouble it would cause. It isn't as relevant as it once was. Most people admit that it is flawed in some areas.

I'll tell you why........

because the IDEAS behind it..........are what holds society together.

Schmucks, who think if they act good, they will go to heaven.

But look at the world..........and see who's really "winning". Who's really got the POWER......the WEALTH............

do you think those people are going to mass and saying prayers, and believing they will go to "Hell" for all their liefstyles of debauchery and wretched excess?

Hell no..........they are ENJOYING every blessed second of it......because it's effing GREAT to be them, with their yachts, and fancy toys, and best of clothes, and everything.............

while schmucks and schmoes, are cowering before some priest.......begging forgiveness for their sins, so they can get a good seat in "Heaven".

The same priest........who is molesting little boys.

and they give all THEIR money, to the Pope........who lives in gold gilded palaces and eats like a KING-

BUT if the charade ever FULLY dropped............

think about it..........then what incentive.........would ANYONE have, to do good?

We would all devolve into savages.........just looking out for ourselves, robbing and pilliaging with impunity..........with no fear of any consequences.

True.....less and less people seem to really believe these days..........but the game is still very much afoot...........with 4 or 5 major religions still slicing up a very lucrative pie.

Think of all the churches and temples and shrines out there, that rake in the $$$$$$$$$$$$$.

SOMEBODY is getting all that money............it's not going to GOD. God doesn't need our pocket change...........so SOMEONE is getting and spending all that money, at the end of the day.

That's the incentive to keep religion going. Mo' Money, Mo' Money Mo' Money.

Does the Pope look poor to you? So they will keep selling their eternal afterlife......and fools will keep believing a fiver will wash away all their sins.

PT Barnum could not have been more correct when he said there was a sucker born every minute.

That continues to be true, as long as we keep the human race going.

Very Good point. The bible is the most widely distributed book in the world. It has survived critical analysis by many learned men and has a solid foundation of Science, History and prophesy. So why then the criticism?. There are several reasons.

For centuries the bible has been a message of hope as well as providing sound advice in every day matters to it's readers however, to some, it is a book of condemnation. The bible says:

(Amos 3:7) . . .For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets."

No matter what God does, he always sounds the warning before he acts but also tells people why and how they can repent and turn around (Rev 2:21,3:3). To some, they simply do not want to change, they like to live a debauched life or the like and the bible pricks their conscience. It is easier to condemn something than to make changes, especially if you don't want to. This has lead some to build up a hatred of the bible and vocalise their personal views with an "I am right, you are wrong therefore you must think my way" attitude because it is my right not to believe.

Another reason is that Jesus fortold apostasy would corrupt Christianity. Sadly, this criticism has come from within it's walls. During the 18th and 19th centuries, such ones developed a method of studying the Bible known as higher criticism. Higher critics taught that much of the Bible was composed of legend and myth. Some even said that Jesus never existed. Instead of being designated the Word of God, the Bible was said by these scholars to be the word of man, and a very jumbled word at that. While the more extreme of these ideas are no longer believed, higher criticism is still taught in seminaries, and it is not unusual to hear clergymen publicly disavow large sections of the Bible.

For example: On National TV during a debate with a well known Atheist, Cardinal George Pell has described the biblical story of Adam and Eve as a sophisticated myth used to explain evil and suffering rather than a scientific truth.This thinking is a product of higher criticism.

It is hard to think that this would happen but sadly it is true. Interestingly, the bible says that few would be on the road to life (Matt 7:13, 21-23)

Following his greeting, Peter writes 3 times in his first chapter of 1 peter the importance of having accurate knowledge of God and his Son is essential.—2 Peter 1:2, 3; John 17:3. The “false teachers” about whom Peter goes on to warn about in chapter 2 use “counterfeit words” to deceive Christians. In this way they try to seduce them back into the immorality from which they were delivered. The results to any who have been saved through “an accurate knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” and who later succumb to such deception are disastrous. (2 Peter 2:1-3, 20) Evidently in anticipation of discussing this problem later, Peter stresses at the very outset of his letter the role of accurate knowledge in maintaining a clean standing with God.

Even though many Criticise the bible, we can be sure that through gaining accurate knowledge we can find satisfaction and contentment that God will not allow this to go on indefinitely, things will change.

(2 Peter 3:3-7) . . .For you know this first, that in the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: “Where is this promised presence of his? Why, from the day our forefathers fell asleep [in death], all things are continuing exactly as from creation’s beginning.” For, according to their wish, this fact escapes their notice, that there were heavens from of old and an earth standing compactly out of water and in the midst of water by the word of God; and by those [means] the world of that time suffered destruction when it was deluged with water. But by the same word the heavens and the earth that are now are stored up for fire and are being reserved to the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men.

Because most of the followers choose to ignore that fact...

and find nonsensical ways to try and explain them away...

Not much nourishment in the 'food'... most Christians I have talked to, have never really read the Bible nor have any plan to do so. They don't want to know anything about it... except what they want to 'believe'...

EDIT: Alchemy 'evolved' into Chemistry... which is far from gone in our lives... man learns... a component of that is the tool and process called science... Religious 'faith and beliefs' have no such tool, just dogma... which,ironically, changes with discoveres in science... i.e.: Flat Earth and center of the universe... to name a couple...

IMHO

but in America, most people believe in the Bible and most of them are Christian

- And as Einstein said - the two infinites are the universe and human stupidity, but I am not sure about the former.

many children are indoctrinated by their families.

It becomes a core belief of who they are.

When you challenge that core, they go into denial. It is difficult to rebuild your sense of self when suffering such a loss of core. It is possible and can be done. It just isn't easy.

Why did people believe in roman gods, egyptian gods, greek gods, norse gods for as long a time as judaism has been around?

What is irrelevant, are all those who dont believe in the Holy Words of Theos.

Parents know that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are lies but they tell their kids anyway. To feel better about lying to their kids they call them stories or traditions. The bible and Christianity is merely a lie that grown ups tell each other.

"Think about it. Everything else that people used to believe in has mostly faded away."

I've thought about it and I don't agree with that statement at all

Additional details: So your example is pseudo-science being replaced by actual science? While that is a good thing, pseudo-science is abound in the modern world. Now buy my perpetual motion device!

Only gullible people believe in gods.

Jack: “Christians start to believe their god is actually talking to them and sending them messages and guiding them through their every day life. They think their inner thoughts are God talking to them, and every simple thing that happens is a miracle. They refuse to listen to the flaws about their religion and simply say "Doubt is from the devil".”

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201211...

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