Let me begin with a short story.
When I was a fireman, a national standard was issued that affected me greatly on a personal basis. When that standard was implemented in our department, I objected, it was just a standard, not a law. So, I began to research why the standard had been issued.
I first contacted the professional organization that affects the fire service. They knew nothing about the standard; they simply copied what OSHA had published. So, I contacted OSHA.
OSHA did no studies that prompted the standard, they simply copied what NIOSH had come out with. I contacted NIOSH who told me their standard was based on a scientific study conducted by a laboratory in California. So, I contacted the lab.
Amazingly, they were able to connect me with the scientist, and I use that term lightly, that conducted the study that led to the national standard that affected me. He told me about how he had conducted the study, comparing two sets of firefighters. At the end, he found no actual data that warranted the standard. Let me repeat that, he found no actual data that warranted the standard.
So, I asked the obvious…why did he recommend that standard given the fact there was no data to back it up. His response, “It was his personal opinion that the standard was best for the fire service.”
His personal opinion.
I’ve been cynical of scientists ever since then. Is there anyone who can be objective today?
I have a problem with the Bible. I don’t believe it is a fairy tale as some might proclaim, but I am cynical about many things. The Holy Bible has man’s fingerprints all over it.
I still hold the Bible in great reverence thought, not quite as much as my parents who kept a copy on the living room coffee table, and you weren’t even allowed to put anything on top of it. But when I study the Bible, I view it with an open mind.
I had always assumed the King James Version, which is the foundation of all modern-day translations, was simply a translation of the Old and New Testaments from Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic to the English language. But after some investigation, I found out that was not true.
I overlooked the references in the Bible to the book of Jasher. But when Jude talked about the Book of Enoch, I began to wonder what these books were. And I found out that the Book of Jasher and the Book of Enoch, along with others, had been omitted from the Bible because they were not considered to be inspired by God. Which led me to further research.
Before the King James Version was published, I found, the Roman Catholics had the only Bible. Their line of thinking, not being judgmental, was “you don’t need to read the Bible, we’ll tell you what you need to know”. A part of this though, is what led to the protests which started the Protestant faith. Then King James of England, formerly King James of Scotland, assembled a panel of theologians and literary scholars to create the English, or rather Old English, Bible. And they didn’t just translate existing documents; they created a new Bible. And a part of this was decided what was inspired, and what was not.
The new Bible was compiled using a variety of references include the Ethiopian Bible, writings, and scrolls, and once they decided what should be included, then they set out on the task of translating. And because the Hebrew language doesn’t use punctuation, they inserted their own. And we all know the difference a comma can make.
After that was done, they categorized everything in the Bible. The Books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles were all one book, but King James’ panel decided they were too long, so they divided them into two books each. And originally, Chronicles was the last writings of the Old Testament, king of a summary of the history of Israel and the kings. It was moved to immediately follow 1st and 2nd Kings.
And as for most of the major books of the Old Testament, it starts with the Torah, followed by the judges and kings, followed by the books of the major prophets and ending with the books of the minor prophets. That’s why there are writings about Ezra are found throughout the Old Testament, even though it appears as though he doesn’t make an appearance until later in the Old Testament after the children of Israel returned from exile in Babylon.
The New Testament is even more strange. After the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, the books of the New Testament are arranged from the longest to the shortest, except for the Revelation of Jesus Christ which is the last book of the Bible. That is why Jude, just one chapter long is the last book of the Bible before Revelation.
Finally, let’s look at the authors of the Bible. They were human, just like you and me. They had human emotions, human experiences, human perceptions, and were subject to misconceptions. Were they totally objective in what they wrote? To read some of the writings of the Old Testament you would believe, as many do, that God is an angry, wrathful tyrant just flaunching at the bit to punish and destroy the sinners. And I don’t believe that for one second. That is not God. So why do the author’s portray Him as such?
So, to wrap things up, it was imperfect men who authored the books of the Bible.
It was man who decided what was inspired and what wasn’t.
It was man who decided what to include and what to omit.
It was man that interpreted the Bible.
It is man that tells us what the Bible means.
And unfortunately, man does not study the Bible on their own, but simply go to church each week, and take what their pastor says as gospel.
And that, is why when I read and study the Bible, I pray that God opens my heart and mind to new understanding, and that He sends His Spirit to me to teach me Himself. I pray that you do too.
The Real Meaning of Life 