Does the Holy Bible represent Christian values?

[ZombieHorde]

By "Holy Bible", I am referring to the translations of the book(s) usually read at Christian churches. Some are called "King James Version", some are called "New International Version", etc.

By "Christian", I am referring to the group of people on present day Earth who refer to themselves as Christian, or whatever the word their language uses for the the English word, "Christian". Carter and Bush are examples of Christians.

[Birthmark]

1. God, I hope not!

That's *not* the way I want to get stoned!

[Xenotime]

21. Which way?

[Birthmark]

36. With actual stones.

They really hurt.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I'd say it's the way the "Holy Bible" is interpreted that represents

so called Christian values.

[ZombieHorde]

6. Let's say a mysterious alien being wished to learn about Christian values.

Do you believe the alien would be in the right to study the Holy Bible as his main source of information concerning this subject, or do you believe the Holy Bible would lead the the alien astray concerning this subject.

[no_hypocrisy]

10. No more than understanding how America works by merely reading the Constitution.

You get the gist but not the real workings.

[ZombieHorde]

18. I think most would agree that the Constitiution represents neither our buracracy nor

our political process.

[JerseygirlCT]

37. Study, possibly. Memorize, absolutely not.

It's not a work to take a face value. Doing that almost certainly leaves someone confused and/or willing to believe the worst about people.

Someone willing to study and think and work at it might arrive at about a place of understanding.

[pocoloco]

3. What are Christian values?

Gotta know that first.

[ZombieHorde]

9. This is more subjective, this is what my poll is about. nt

[Taverner]

4. Well some of them, but so do Hal Lindsey, St Augustine, Adolf Hitler and Mother Teresa

Christianity has been used both to commit some of the greatest atroctities and make great strides in human progress.

[MineralMan]

5. This is a nonsense poll. The Bible is used in various

ways by different sects of Christianity, with different portions getting more or less attention.

Every sect emphasizes different portions of the Bible. Almost none use it comprehensively.

So, your poll is too general to be of any value.

[ZombieHorde]

8. My poll is not too general, your complaint is too specific.

Some lovers of New Renaissance art may love da Vinci and hate Raphael, but Raphael still represents New Renaissance art.

In my analogy, New Renaissance art would be Christian values, the artists would the Holy Bible, and preferring one artist over another would be emphasizing different portions of the Bible.

[MineralMan]

14. The word 'Christian' is a very vague one.

The extremes of difference in belief and practice among "Christians" are wider than in almost any other religion humans have invented.

From Monastic orders to the most virulent proselytizers, Christianity can be just about anything you can imagine a religion being. From Quakers to snake-handlers, Christianity means entirely different things to every sect.

Christianity as a general term does not actually exist.

[ZombieHorde]

20. Then you probably do not believe the Holy Bible represents Christian values.

You seem to believe that there is much more to Christianity then what that particular book describes.

[MineralMan]

23. You misunderstand. The Bible is not a single text.

It is a collection of texts, written at different times, and much edited and modified. Various sects of Christianity focus on different parts of the tome, to the exclusion of uncomfortable parts of it.

The Bible is not a specialty restaurant, but a scrambled buffet. One may dine as one chooses at the Bible Buffet. It's hard for some people not to gorge, while others limit themselves to the salad bar.

[ZombieHorde]

26. That is the reason I used the word "book(s)", it is both several books and one book.

One may dine as one chooses at the Bible Buffet.

This does not sound like Christians are getting their values from the Holy Bible, this sounds like Christians are simply recognizing that some of their values happen to be present in the Holy Bible.

The books contained in the book the Holy Bible do not actually represent the values held by those who call themselves Christians in my view.

[MineralMan]

30. And, in their view, your view is that of a blind man.

One's view of religion will depend on whether one is a member of that religion or not.

[ZombieHorde]

31. I understand that there will be some disagreement, this is why my poll has more than one option. nt

[MercutioATC]

7. "Do modern Christian values represent those taught in the Holy Bible?"

Perhaps this wasn't the question you were asking, but it makes a whole lot more sense.

[ZombieHorde]

12. How would you answer your own question?

Do you believe "modern Christian values represent those taught in the Holy Bible?"

[MercutioATC]

25. Depends on the "Christian". For most of them, no.

This assumes we're talking about the New Testament. Since the Old Testament predates the teachings of Christ, it really has less influence on "Christianity" than the New Testament does.

[RaleighNCDUer]

11. There is no such thing as 'christian values'

and the bible represents them perfectly.

[cdsilv]

15. Um, the New Testament, .....

or more accurately, the words of Christ define 'Christian Values'.

Or how else does one define them?

[MineralMan]

22. Oh, my. The Gospels are much out of favor with a number

of "Christian" sects. Instead, many focus on the various letters of Paul. Some have chosen to make the final, most cryptic book of "Revelation" the focus of their sect.

In many churches, the only time the Gospels are used in services are at Christmas and Easter. Aside from those two times and the associated verses, the Gospels are virtually ignored. Especially ignored by many fundamentalist Christian sects is a good portion of "Matthew," which creates difficult conflicts for them.

The definition of values depends almost entirely on the sect.

[ZombieHorde]

24. "Or how else does one define them?"

Some Christians believe the Holy Bible supports their own views concerning abortion, even though the Holy Bible never mentions that procedure.

Some Christians do not believe they have to sell everything they own and give the money to the poor in order to go to Heaven, even though Jesus Christ states this rule.

I believe Christian values come from the individual as opposed to any other spiritual authority, such as the Holy Bible and the words attributed to Christ.

[Xipe Totec]

13. Which one?

King James (KJV)

New King James (NKJV)

English Standard (ESV)

New American Standard (NASB)

Revised Standard (RSV)

New Revised Standard (NRSV)

Updated NASB

Amplified Bible

New American Bible

New International (NIV)

New English Bible

Good News Bible

Phillips Modern English

Living Bible (LB)

New Living Bible (NLT)

Jerusalem Bible

Modern Language

Contemporary English (CEV, "The Promise")

Today's English

Worldwide English

"The Message"


And that's just the ones in English...

[MineralMan]

19. It's all about the 'emissions of horses' I say.

one may judge the various translations based on that passage.

Ezekiel 23:19,20:
"Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses."

[ZombieHorde]

27. I addressed this in the OP. nt

[dhpgetsit]

16. Only in part.

Christian values can be found in the Bible, but just because something is in the Bible (New of Old Testament) does not make it representative of Christian values.

[ZombieHorde]

35. How should one decide whether or not something in the Holy Bible

represents a Christian value?

[wryter2000]

17. Other

Some things do. Others don't. Separating the New and Old Testaments helps, but it doesn't really solve the problem that the book was written thousands of years ago in societies that were mostly non-literate and it's been translated several times since then. IMHO, there's nothing in there that is a literal representation of Christian faith. To be truthful, there really is no one Christian faith but many.

[ZombieHorde]

28. "there really is no one Christian faith but many"

I agree, which is one of the reasons I voted, "No,..."

[wryter2000]

33. Absolutely

:hi:

[stuball111]

29. Nope

They use it as a reference to interperate their own twisted version to suit their agenda

[David__77]

32. I have no answer, but they're not my values in any case.

I would think, though, that the Bible represents Christian theology, and hence values. But progressive Christianity, for which I have respect, has abandoned literalism and broadened its perspective, recognizing the demarcation between spiritual and temporal affairs.

[rd_kent]

34. Yes, it does, 100%

Oppression, brutality, hypocrisy, slavery, misogyny.....you name it, its in the bible. Xtians believe the bible to be the word of god, so yes, it DOES represent their values.

[rrneck]

38. Which Christians are we talking about? nt

[ZombieHorde]

39. The ones I described in my OP. nt

[rrneck]

40. Mmmmm. So many people

do so many things with it I can't make an accurate evaluation.

[ZombieHorde]

41. This leads me to believe that the Holy Bible does not represent Christian values.

[rrneck]

42. Or used

to support values that existed apart from exposure to the text.

Right human behavior has been an ongoing project since there have been humans. The Bible could be considered a work of fiction regarding how various characters, some entirely fictional and some based on actual individuals, deal with the moral dilemmas of their times. Good art lasts a long time. The Bible has proven to be very good literature, although it has gotten a pretty big boost by hooking itself to secular money and power.

Everybody concerns themselves with right and wrong, either how to do right or how to do wrong (and not get caught at it). Joining the "Christian club" is not significantly different from joining a bridge club. You just get to play christian in a lot better places.