Is the Bible false? Specifically, the miracles written within the document

So, I’ve been thinking about all the supernatural miracles listed in the Bible, here are a few:

- The 10 plagues of Egypt
- Parting of the Red Sea
- Sampson’s superhuman strength
- Elijah being taken away in a chariot or fire
- Jonah living inside a whale for 3 days
- The virgin birth
- Jesus walking on water
- Jesus feeding 4,000/5,000 people by multiplying food out of thin air
- Jesus healing paralyzed and disabled people
- The idea that Satan and other demons go around and implant thoughts and influence people
- Jesus being resurrected from the dead

I’m starting to see all of these as not true. I’m thinking the Bible is more a collection of teachings with some historical information, but that it also contains a lot of made up legends and stories.

So, although the Bible may contain some overall good teachings about life, if the miraculous stories are made up, then might as well not even read it anymore.

Also, if these miracle stories are a lie, then that basically means Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all false religions. Because even Islam believes in the virgin birth

What do you all think about this?

Maybe the true God gave us logical thinking for a reason so we would know what is truth versus fiction and can see when something is a lie

 

What should I challenge God on? Should I pick something that seems truly impossible to me? I don’t mean that I will be able to fly or anything like that, but a life circumstance thing

alright, I’ll think of something and “pray” about it and see if anything happens

 

well, asking God to “reveal” Him/Her/Itself would be different than a life circumstance miracle taking place. Because God “revealing” to me could just be a trick of my own mind and thoughts. But a life circumstance miracle would be something external, something real

 

for sure, well I’m currently reading the New Testament and also have started going to church again. I did notice some very positive inner feelings when hanging out with this midweek “young adult” group.

so besides the miracle thing, if I just go off of “inner feelings” and “feelings of peace”, then yea Jesus is the One to look to and true joy and peace.

However, it is still too early to tell. I am challenging myself to stick with it and see the outcome, then I can see if this is all in my head or not

 

Thanks for your thoughtful reply.

Yea some of the things you mentioned make a lot of sense to me. This is another thing I think about sometimes: that yes, a lot of the stories in the Bible were passed down from word of mouth, and that there probably is a good amount of mixture between factual stories and made-up stories. The satirical view of Jonah is pretty interesting, I've never heard of that before.

Also, I read some opinions on the "miracle" of Jesus feeding the 4,000/5,000, and there is an idea out there that Jesus spoke a sermon that inspired people to share the food they already had with them on the journey. So what actually happened was everyone following Jesus that day actually had packed lunches with them, and Jesus word inspired them to stop hiding their food and everyone had enough with baskets leftover.

The idea of the Bible being passed down from word of mouth and the idea that some of the stories in the Bible were actual just stories, and not factually true, this sort of idea relates to Judaism I have read. So this is another big thing for me: I am debating between the "Jewish" view of God and the "Christian" view of God. The Jewish version of God would be that there is one God, and that Jesus was never born from a version. The Christian version of God is that Jesus actually was God in the flesh and God consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So this is actually one of the main dilemmas I'm contemplating in my mind right now.

And yea, as far as the resurrection and the different power groups present in Judea at that time, and the whole thing with the Romans and all that.... Also, that Rome basically became the center for Christianity in a way, it eventually became the national religion I think. And I am very, very, very skeptical to believe a religion that got into the hands of the Romans. I doubt the Romans would think twice about changing the writings to make them suit their own needs haha

 

How did you feel more peace walking away from it? Do you trust in any source for protection in life? You mentioned being agnostic, but what do you do? Just look at everything from a scientific standpoint? Meditation? Karma?

 

Yea, Islam fully does accept that Jesus was born without the intervention of a human father. Look it up online. Muslims don't believe that Mary was how she is described in the Catholic faith, but in Islam, they view Jesus as being born from a virgin. In Islam, they don't believe Jesus was actually crucified either. They believe it was made to appear Jesus was crucified, but he actually wasn't. Instead, he was taken up into heaven. Look these things up, I'm not making this up

 

Thanks for this response. It is an interesting point. Also, the love described in Christianity is not really present in any of the other religions I've noticed. Buddhism does emphasize compassion a lot though.

I like what you wrote here, but I am still skeptical. Especially since I grew up in a country where Christianity/Catholicism is the main religion of the nation. Also, as a young child my parents took us to Catholic church sometimes. This could have had a profound effect on my subconscious mind. So it may come more naturally to me to accept Christianity as the truth simply because it feels the most comfortable.

But either way, I just went to the Young Adults group again tonight at the same church. I wasn't that positive about being there at first, but towards the end I realized I was glad I went. Being within a Christian community does have a beneficial effect on my "soul", if I dare to call it that. But who's to say I wouldn't feel this same sense of community if I grew up in an Islamic country or a majority Buddhist country? It is a tricky situation and not all of the religions can be right, its logically impossible.

But I will continue to keep trying Christianity for now

 

For sure, thanks for the response. Yea honestly I am very skeptical of my "feelings" in general. Just because I am comfortable and it feels good being there doesn't mean it is the truth. Think about going to the dentist for a teeth cleaning: it is uncomfortable, there is some pain involved, but in the end, your teeth, gums, and oral hygiene is better for it. This could be the same thing with discovering the true religion: it might not be comfortable at first, but in the end, its the best choice. So, I am skeptical of many things because appearances and feelings are deceiving.

 

That's what I'm kind of doing right now, too. I just want to know the truth, whatever the truth really is