The Disappearing Bible Challenge, read a story answer a question

I wrote this same post over at my blog i am interested to see how people answer this question. I'll post an answer myself later, after i've thought about it a while. It's not easy.
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Over at Graceshaker’s http://www.tblog.com/templates/index.php?b...atic=1969697043 blog he’s written a great post about “batman begins” and God. It’s very cool and I enjoy his writing a lot. I posed a question about the whole “Only Way to salvation” thing and requested a more personal response as to why Grace believes Jesus to be the only way. I find this whole idea very interesting.

Deadxtain responded with a long explanation of the Word of God and the Bible, and knowing the Bible to be the only way, the one etc… I’m paraphrasing here.

What’s interesting is that I even asked for the Bible to be left out of the answer to my question. I’m looking for more than “the Bible is the Word” answer because that doesn’t mean anything; it just looks like a little kid clutching a security blanket. What is there beyond the Bible?

So I have a challenge to my fellow humans, not just Christians. Read the following story and answer the question at the end.

You wake up one morning, it a morning to same as another, yesterday was the same as all your days before, nothing eventful, just a regular day. Today it exactly the same expect for one thing- your bible is missing. Or your Koran, Sutras, Gospels, all spiritual books, writings, internet sites etc… all the written words you believe in has disappeared.

Now even though this is frightening at first you soon realize that this is what God intended. Perhaps he’s left a note says, “It’s okay my son, I have done this, you’ve read my words and need them no longer, your faith is in your soul, go forth.” Or something to that effect, and No, I’m not trying to be glib, my sacred writings have faded away too.

The point is that you know deep within yourself that this wasn’t done by the devil, or aliens or terrorists. God did it. And God wanted it this way.

You sit done and attempt to write out as much of the Bible- or your sacred texts- as you can remember only to have the words fade away. You can’t write anything down about your faith any more, there are no words.

What do you do?

i live as i always have. knowing that my faith is not in words, but in my encounter with God. knowing that He has been encountered by many, and many more will encounter him. in essence i continue to preach the gospel and use words if i have to.

Perhaps something you're missing is that exclusivity is inherent to the belief system; you cannot simultaneously believe that Jesus is the son of God and that we're all trying to get off of the wheel of life (or whatever).

The cosmology presented in the Christian faith doesn't leave room for alternate paths to salvation.

Scriptural inerrancy isn't really part of it.

...

I can't, personally, address your other question, because I'm not a scriptural inerrancy kind of guy, myself.

- James

scream like a little girl...

then do my best to please God in my life.

there wasnt always a written law or scripture. Noah did alright. i would say Enoch did ok too.

it seems like the more available something like a Bible is the less it means.

back in Jesus times people would flock around someone in the street to hear them preach about scripture. now if someone does that on the side of the road they get honked at and people call them crazy.

i was sorta hoping to get more answers than i did, to this question. Lots of you ahve read it, but very few answered the question at the end. I'll pose another question,

Why? or rather why not?

Why not take the time to consider what you would do without the written word of your faith? I'll admit it i'm trying to push buttons with this question. Every post here, almost quotes the Bible. Now i have nothing against the Bible as a book, but why the tight fist to hold on to its word?

I don't understand why a book can be so important and how it's possible that a book written 2000 (approx) years ago can have answers for todays culture and society?

anyone care to explain? and please just give it a try, leave out the bible quotes.

FM

we quote the bible to answer questions or debate topics people might have. if these topics are being asked they are relevant to today. one can only used evidence prevelant to today to debate an issue prevelaqnt to today.

the Bible is indeed just a book, but through the eyes of faith it is the very revelation of God. it is more than just a playbook, or book of rules, it is God's word to men about His Son Jesus and His plan of redemption for His people. it is our christian rule of faith and life.

well the majority of the poster here are of the Christian persuasion. i am quite certain that if we had Islamic posters they would quote from the Quran, and we do tend to post a lot about theology and for Christians the Bible is the big book of theology.

I will only do what I think well suit me best, live my life in Christ and he lives in me. If the bible isnt there, then I will disipline myself very much to an extent to where I can talk to God personally, in dreams, and or thought. I will make my connection with God second from everything else.

ive thought about this for a long time FM and there are several things i would like to say. im going to start slow bc i want to develop some understanding before moving forward. i hope thats cool...

i have come to have a relationship with God based on two things and the bible isnt either of them. in fact i am ready to burn every single bible on the planet - every copy we ever had and every piece of information that quotes from it just as you have described. i am willing to utterly destroy every single written or digitized bit of it and never reproduce any of it in written or digitized form ever again. this is my starting point.

the thing is - there will always be whats known as intangible heritage

the story of creation is a constant the world over. how it happened varies from culture to culture but that it happened is a matter of intangible heritage in each distinct tribe/people. for this reason belief in God is simply a matter of accepting humanitys intangible heritage.

if you have any questions we can address them before moving on. if you are with me so far i will proceed...

nope no que8stions, go ahead and post more,

FM

another matter of intangible heritage (IH from now on) is the flood. every major ancient culture had a flood story within their IH. some eventually wrote down their accounts of it - so we have the gilgamesh epic and the biblical narrative etc. that these stories were written down does not take away from the validity of the event. that a massive flood occurred is still a matter of accepting humanitys IH - whether written or passed down orally thru tradtitions.

so we can accept that there is a God and that there was a massive flood. but since each culture gives different accounts of these things how can we understand them? if we accept the idea of truth as revealed by IH then we are faced with some truth in the midst of some problems and we are forced to make a judgment of how we will approach understanding these things. in a basic but very real sense:

islam looks to the quran.
xianity looks to the bible.
judaism looks to the torah/tanakh.

these 3 different sources represent the overwhelmingly vast majority of humanitys IH. tho they offer some conflicting ideas i think there is some measure of truth in all of them.

still with me? we can pause here if you have any questions or thoughts.

yup i think so. though i'd like to see where you are going with all this... I'll probably have questions after all is said and done.

FM

so humanity has in its most dominant religions an intangible thread of commonality. woven between the three are some very basic principles that each attempts to answer in practical terms. lets look at those:

~ there is only one God.
~ God created everything there is.
~ God intervenes in the affairs of man (the flood is an example)
~ God will judge man at the end of his life.
~ eternal life with God is available to all but restricted by (a variable)

these are some very basic commonalities among the three religions. as such they would easily fall under the idea of IH. all beliefs that fall outside of this would be variant to the norm of humanitys collective IH.

i know this seems to be taking forever but i want to make sure that you understand each concept before moving on. rest assured the end is near. any questions about the stuff above?

So far I'm with you. lets keep going, then we can really get into it!

What an utterly facsinating question. Thanks FM.
Personally I'd be fine. My personal Christian upbringing was based more on learning the 'stories' and the inherent wisdom of the Word as passed through them. Much similar I think to the ways such teachings were passed on orally until the books were written down and assembled into what we know as the bible today. Which is truthfully why I don't focus so much the exact words on the page when I read a text. Language is such a tricky thing especially when it's being translated from one to another. This is seen by the numerous translations of the bible that are out there. I've seen some pretty nasty and hostile arguments about the validity of one over the other and it actually always makes me laugh because even with just translating it into English changes it. (I've always wished that I was fluent in ancient Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic so I could get even closer to how it was written in those times)

So my point before going rambling off is that the Bible is indeed a sacred text where one can find God and one can find God through the good news of Christ found in the Gospel. God is found within in the words...between them...though them...around them.... Sorry I'm finding it difficult to explain in mere text. How does one explain how wisdom is revealed and taught? At one time in this world the majoity of people did not have words to read and study and faith was able to prosper. God does not live in a book. To think as such, is for me at least walking the line of idolatry. How can one so powerful, so wonderful, so beyond our mere abilities to concieve in his fullest form be only dependent on words on a page. This by no means lessens (at least for me) the holiness or import of the Bible for Christians and non-Christians. I liken it to a window or a lens though which we can find our relationship with the divine.

With Love,

Jade Spring

FM - if you understand what ive stated so far and have no objections then accepting the gospel account of Jesus claim to be the only way follows naturally - even if it had never been written down.

GS. I was following your line of arguement right to the end and all of a sudden to me it seemed like this was making a giant leap between agreeing to understanding a statement of commonalities to be true, which is essentialy agreeing to an academic arguement the ergo that means acceptance of the gospel Jesus is the single way.
I must be missing something in there.
Also your arguement is only based on the commonalities of 3 major world religions though you make a statement that every culture holds similar stories in their IH. How do all the other major relgions fit into this line of thinking in your opinion? This isn't meant as a criticism I actually am interested in the whole line of reasoning and where it leads to. Though I'm not sure it's expansive enough yet to come to such a black and white universial statement.

A list of major religions in descending order of population.

1. Christianity
2. Islam
3. Hinduism
4. Buddhism
5. Sikhism
6. Judaism
7. Bahá'í Faith
8. Confucianism
9. Jainism
10. Shintoism

Jade Spring

Were this unlikely scenario to occur, the true believer and follower of Jesus Christ - one whose entire life and faith is in Christ - would already be prepared. The bible itself even tells us what would be proper preparation for such an event :

Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.
Psalm 119:11

And for those who don't have the word dwelling in them and flowing out of them, the next verse offers hope in the form of the proper response :

Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
Psalm 119:12

The real Christian's relationship is not with a book, it is with the Author of that book. Were the book to disappear, the true Christian would not be anxious - just seeking in eager anticipation for the Author's direction. Either in further written expression or in personal contact (which should be on a daily basis anyway).

The short answer? Continue in prayer.

the connection is that the overwhelmingly dominant IH of monotheism is split primarily into three main faiths. judaism calls for a messiah. xianity proclaims Jesus is messiah. and islam admits Jesus is messiah.

the bit about every major culture is fairly simple. even in cultures that have polytheistic beliefs - almost all understand at a very basic level that deity created us and desires sacrifice/compensation to appease for wrongdoing.

pick a belief and you will find that it tries to offer something from man to God to sacrifice/compensate. but in Christ - God takes this model and completely turns it on its ear by offering his own son.