Why do religions have to convert people?

[janalta]

I have also studied it for many years from a believers point of view and have reviewed powerful evidence that convinces me it absolutely is the word of God. Because I will not debate this in this bible bashing forum and thus will not provide any real specifics you'll just have to take my word on it.
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First off, doubting, questioning...is not bashing.
Not believing what you choose to believe is not bashing.

But - I have always had a problem with the statement that the Bible is the Word of God.
It's not...and that is an undeniable truth.
GOD did not write the Bible.
MEN wrote the Bible. It was written based on tales, stories, memories of events that were then passed down from one man to the next over many, many years.
The Bible is the word of Man.

In my opinion - if God is indeed powerful enough to create the universe, the earth, mankind - he surely has to be powerful enough to provide more definitive proof of his existence and actions than a centuries old book of tales recollected by generations of men.

[Sneaksuit]

Nothing like having an education from that stand point. On that note, I have also studied it for many years from a believers point of view and have reviewed powerful evidence that convinces me it absolutely is the word of God.

I'm not saying YOU have to believe but just know I am convinced based on the many years of what I feel is unbiased study. Secular and religious sources.

Study of a religion from a believer's point of view is unbiased? Are believing Muslims and Jews unbiased about their religion? Should professors of history, textual criticism, anthropology, religious studies, etc be followers of a religion? Isn't that like a professor of women's studies being a misogynist? How is that possible?

[tryscotty]

My proof is found in museums and ancient texts. I am also familiar with the arguments against it and I know where they go wrong. Usually because of a faulty benchmark.

[Glacier]

I don't visit conspiracy sites. I studied the history of the bible for many years. It is not what you think it is. It is not anything like it originally was. It is not an original work or history. It is a guide book, like many other guide books. It is meant to show you a way home but it is not the only way home.

History tells us that the New Testament was written in Greek. Outside of the realm of conspiracy theorists, I do not know anyone else who says otherwise. What is your source?

Both Aramaic and Hewbrew had given way to Greek by the time Jesus came around in terms of the common language of the day.

Aramaic in the Hebrew Bible

Undisputed occurrences

• Genesis 31:47 – translation of a Hebrew place-name.
  Jeremiah 10:11 – a single sentence denouncing idolatry occurs in the middle of a Hebrew text.
  Daniel 2:4b–7:28 – five stories about Daniel and his colleagues, and an apocalyptic vision.
  Ezra 4:8–6:18 and 7:12–26 – quotations of documents from the 5th century BCE concerning the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Other suggested occurrences

• Genesis 15:1 – the word במחזה (ba-maħaze, "in a vision"). According to the Zohar (I:88b), this word is Aramaic, as the usual Hebrew word would be במראה (ba-mar’e).
  Numbers 23:10 – the word רבע (rôḇa‘, usually translated as "stock" or "fourth part"). Rabbi J.H. Hertz, in his commentary on this verse, cites an unnamed scholar's claim that this is an Aramaic word meaning "dust."
  Job 36:2a – Rashi, in his commentary on this verse, states that this phrase is in Aramaic.

[Sneaksuit]

My proof is found in museums and ancient texts.

What is it?

I am also familiar with the arguments against it and I know where they go wrong. Usually because of a faulty benchmark.

Where do they go wrong and what are their benchmarks?

[tryscotty]

What is it?

I won't play that game with you. How about you tell me something that is proven beyond a doubt that the Bible is wrong and I'll research that point for you. Otherwise I'll just be picking at straws. I have heard many so called proofs against the Bible before, but like I said they are always based on something incorrect.

[Thinktank]

JWs think they're 'God's only true religion on earth.'

That's arrogant.

And when you look at some of their arguments - there's no logic at all - they just repeat
it over and over until most JWs assume it must be correct.

But the good news for JWs is - other religions probably are only slightly better.

[Glacier]

There's one that you have correct for sure, and that's your avatar.

[Fancy]

I've yet to have any religion try to convert me. What I'm interested in - I read; what I'm not interested - I don't. Listen to the sermon lesson and utilize it or not. I stay away from pyramid schemes.

[spiritualteachers]

That's because most don't believe there is only one God they believe that their way is the only true path. In most circumstances they think they are doing good work by trying to convert you - or thinking it will give them favor to their God I suppose.

[Sneaksuit]

How about you tell me something that is proven beyond a doubt that the Bible is wrong

What do you mean by "wrong"? I don't believe the bible is "wrong". It is what it is - ancient literature that describes the beliefs of the writers. Don't you want proof to believe anything beyond that?

[cliffy1]

What do you mean by "wrong"? I don't believe the bible is "wrong". It is what it is - ancient literature that describes the beliefs of the writers. Don't you want proof to believe anything beyond that?

The question was wrong. A better question would be, "Is the bible anything other than ancient literature about an ancient peoples belief?" The bible supposedly spans a time of a few thousand years then all of a sudden like, ends. There is no further appearances or prophesies, nobody who represents, no further discussion... it all just goes silent. Did their god stop caring? Did it stop communicating? And why, in god's name, did it only communicate with a backward tribal peoples in one geographical location in one historical time frame? If god is love then why didn't it communicate with all it's children in all geographical locations in all historical time frames? This whole religious stuff wreaks of exclusivity and being "special", which as Freud would say smacks of over compensating for feelings of inadequacy.

[Thinktank]

A better question would be, "Is the bible anything other than ancient literature about an ancient peoples belief?"

Yeah - that's the question.

No one's going to answer that question - ever.

So my question is this: "Is there something valuable and important somewhere in the bible?"

[cliffy1]

Yeah - that's the question.

No one's going to answer that question - ever.

So my question is this: "Is there something valuable and important somewhere in the bible?"

A wise man once told me that the bible is like a gold mine, first you have to be rid of the overburden to get at the gems - you take from it what is useful to your life and dump the rest. Taken as metaphor and allegory, it is a useful tool to show a way of living life. It shows human developmental processes and has some good moral lesson but taken literally, as some do, it is nonsense. It is not historical fact or an insight into the mind of god. It is a book of parables written 2000 years ago by a people who had no idea where humanity were headed or would end up at this time.

[Fancy]

"Is the bible anything other than ancient literature about an ancient peoples belief?"

I think that question has been answered time and again in every church that teaches something relevant to our current lives from the bible. It's somewhat like a guideline (albet an old one) as to how civilized society should behave and the consequences when we don't get along.