Why Do People Still Believe The Bible?
Why does the Bible continue to exist and persist?
It's prescient nature.
Prescience:
/ noun /
- the fact of knowing something in advance; foreknowledge.
Every group of people throughout time held onto ancestral ideas.
From past narratives identity has been formed, some complimenting, some contrasting the identities and narratives of others.
The very unique and evident difference between the Hebrew heritage and that of all other peoples is their history.
Their history contains prescient information that has stood the test of time, and continues to be reaffirmed with growing archeological and historical discoveries.
Some could say that modern history is revised to fit the past, especially what the Bible has stated.
However, this accusation goes silent when facts are matched with the ancient biblical writings.
Why?
Because those performing the research and coming to affirming conclusions are not only religious or biased individuals.
The affirmations are from secular ideologues and people from varying backgrounds regarding beliefs or the lack of such.
Very often someone may claim themselves to be very 'learned' while generally dismissing the Bible's information.
Often times they have not conducted thorough detailed research, but have simply repeated opinions.
Popular sentiments very often cloud the clarity that scholarship provides.
This shouldn't be surprising when the world is in a current state of shock to the truth of all matters.
To speak historical fact to people, or fact of power and how or why power and influence is in the hands of certain people and not of others, is to offend.
To argue facts in scholarship is to be vilified as insensitive or hateful or some other wild accusation.
The truth usually offends those not aware.
Offense is a common reaction that usually includes polemic overtones from people who are not accustomed to either interpreting facts on their own, or are accustomed to a soft delivery of facts seasoned with copious amounts of deniable opinion.
It is easier to simply go along with popular sentiment instead of deeply consider things.
Easier to be swayed with popular emotion than hold fast to logic.
For difficult to pursue a method of critical analysis and keep emotions aside.
Very difficult to accept accurate information when it challenges current perceptions.
When current perceptions are challenged to be false or inaccurate in certain ways, the mind (and heart) is tempted to recoil.
Cognitive dissonance.
When someone's identity, heritage, and pride in things is their source of 'truth' is shown to be incorrect, the mind (and heart) is troubled.
However, the closer the past is studied and origins of ideas are found, the adoption of such ideas can be seen contrasted with other ideas.
All of humanity has expressed common ideas.
However, unique ideas have sprouted from unique places.
The meeting of widespread and common ideas with unique and specific ideas has occurred.
The unique ideas are the prescient proclamations of things that were yet to come... and they have arrived.
One such notable mention is mentioned here.
From a historically insignificant people (Hebrews) living among much larger, stronger, and more culturally influential peoples, came a narrative that has overridden all the rest.
From a people that had historically become subject to more powerful nations, came the claim that One of their own would become King... not only over them, but over the entire world.
Quite the bold claim.
What is more, this Individual would be, not only considered King, but worshipped as God!
This flies in the face of the many previous peoples and nations that have held similar claims to divinity in their kings or leaders.
Almost every past peoples have legends and narratives also claiming a connection with the divine.
This is the common idea, which should be accepted and considered in context with the unique ideas.
Because but from a certain time, and into the future, there would be One who would rise above the rest... and such has obviously happened.
Consider what was written several centuries before the common era (A.D.).
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His Presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
- Daniel 7: 13-14Notable highlights:
- one like a son of man
(understood to be a human being)
- He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His Presence
(understood to depict unity with God)
- He was given authority, glory and sovereign power
(authority and sovereign power relates to a kingship, glory possibly given to humans by humans, but usually only reserved for God)
- all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him
(a son of man - human being - will be worshipped as God)
(who is worshipped as, although being a human being, was also God? - Yeshua the Messiah)
What other human being is believed by thousands upon thousand for nearly 2,000 years as being God?
Does a mass consensus, or a great amount of people believing something make that something true?
No.
Many people have made such claims... but they have eventually been shown to be pretenders, whether during their lifetime or shortly after their death.
There did appear someone who claimed to be this son of man as previously mentioned.
This same man also claimed to be the Son of God.
Does a mere claim by someone or their follower's make such claims true?
No.
How were such claims substantiated or proven?
Here is one written account regarding the evidence supporting such claims:
For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.
- Acts 17: 31A man previously dead was risen to life.
This particular death is referenced in secular historical sources, so the fact of a particular man's death is unquestionable.
That man's death was witnessed by several people, and that man was later witnessed by at least 500 people to be alive.
The testimony is that the dead man rose to life, and this is what is unverifiable since the tomb is empty; there is no body.
The testimony claims the man's body rose into the sky and was hidden by the clouds.
Sure, these may be claims from certain written documents not having contemporary verification; something a modern mind would desire to have.
The following is what makes these claims believable.
Miracles were, and continue to be, realized in that man's Name.
Testimonies of miracles have grown throughout the centuries in that man's Name.
Now in the age of information, such claims continue to be made by people the world over even Today.
One can also research the past testimonies that had been recorded.
Such claims are readily available and easily found online.
People from various walks of life, from various backgrounds (all nations), have somehow experienced this man who rose to life.
People believing in this son of man and believing Him to be the Lord have experienced things that no mere myth or legendary story has brought forth.
What myths have brought forward miraculous events, or what legends have manifested miracles that cannot be rationally explained?
What other son of man has been continually and growingly worshipped as God?
What other Name has been believed to be God's Name for nearly 2,000 years?
The miracles made in that Name affirm it is the Name of God.
These are a few of the factors why the Bible's message is as relevant and factual Today as when it was recorded throughout the past ages.
A specific outline (what we read in Daniel) was mentioned, and that specific outline has been manifested on earth, despite opposition and deniability to the facts.
This is why the Bible's message continues to speak into the future, for it has predicted both past and present.
No other collection of testimonies, of prophecy, of humanity's experience provides such remarkable evidence.
Many groups and religions make great claims, but no where is their real-world evidence to support them.
We see that God has made the relatives of this son of man to be rulers over many aspects of temporal manners on earth.
We also see that God has made those who believe and follow this son of man to be coheirs and hold dominion over all aspects of spiritual and temporal matters on earth.
These realities are self evident, and are also considered hostile to the unlearned, the unknowing, the unwise.
This truth is offensive to those opposed, but it is the crowning achievement of those who shall inherit the earth and who have been promised eternal glory beyond the material world.
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