Does the Bible really contain all the answers to life's questions?

Normally I tread cautiously in this category, not wanting to give offense to the Christians.

However, the thing which bothers me about the Bible isn't so much what's IN it (except for some pretty nasty things in, say... Deuteronomy), but what's NOT in it, and that goes right to the heart of your question.

What's NOT in the Bible that should be there? A lot:

1- Serious precautions about the dangers of self-righteousness about one's beliefs. This is the cause of a lot of conflict and confusion in Bible-based religions, as each faction thrashes the others because they hold their particular interpretation as absolute truth.

2- Instructions on how to wake up. By "wake up", I mean "disentangle oneself from the maze of ideas and conditioning which distort perception of life, generate confusion and paradox, and place the experience of wholeness out of reach". The Bible simply doesn't touch this topic at all, as far as I've been able to see. This is central to Asian religions, it's a glaring and egregious omission from a book purporting to guide the spiritual lives of humans.

3- Serious warnings about identifying with one's group to the exclusion of the rest of humanity. Jesus was a humanitarian -- he didn't say "Up with us, and down with them". But folks who came along after weren't so wise... and modern Christians are often quite proud of their exclusivity and distance from "the world". That is one very dangerous and harmful posture to take. There is only one kind of human being: us. No matter what views or religion you hold, you cannot escape simple humanity, and to hold yourself separate is to be deluded about the nature of being human.

I think it's true that people who use the Bible as their guide can and do find these messages between the lines there, but I think they should be in bold print in the table of contents, with clear and explicit text in the least ambiguous terms possible. :)

nope, just instructions on how to be a slave to it, and to confuse your mind.

Course it does. Only some of the words and some of the letters in some of the other words ahve got jumbled up. What you need is scissors and glue (and lots of patience)

no, I looked, there is nothing about changing the transmission on a '64 Falcon

Nah.

It can't answer the What's this pill and Johnny Depp questions here ;)

The answer is yes if you can find the answers to the following questions in the Bibe -
1) what colour is my hair?
2) what am I having for dinner tonight?
3) why do I love my girlfriend?

Otherwise, the answer is a big fat NO.

No to all questions but yes to all questions relating to God and man's relationship with Him!

The most important ones.
eg Why are we here? To love God and love others

How do I relate to God? Through Jesus (Jesus said: No one comes to the Father but through me". John 14:6)

What is truth? (Jesus said :I am the Truth John 14:6)

Where does evil come from? (All have sinned/rebelled and have fallen short of the glory of God Romans 3:23)

How will the world end? (when Jesus returns Matthew 28)

and all sorts of questions humans need to know the answers to. It also gives great ideas on how to relate to others (Do to others what you would want them to do with you/A new commandment I give to you: love one another as I have loved you). Most of all, it is a book of relationships: God with us, and us with God, us with each other....so much to learn in a relationship.

It raises more questions than it answers. One could do worse than to live by the teachings attributed to Jesus.

Yes, the Bible answers questions about the past, the present, and the future.

It tells us where we came from, what the meaning of life is, how we can find happiness, and what the future holds for us.

No other book in history has been as influential as the Bible; nor has any other book survived so many attacks.

Through his inspired Word, Jehovah God gives satisfying answers to life’s most important questions.
He offers comfort and hope to those who are troubled. And he shows us how we can draw close to him

 
No!
 

The Bible is a book of history and guidance for peoples of certain times. The Old Testament was meant for the societies and peoples of ancient times. The New Testament was meant to change much of the Old Testament law and to guide the society and people of two thousand years ago.

The Bible worked during the time periods it was meant to cover. Its guidance protected the people and gave value and purpose to their lives.

The problem is that the Bible was meant for past eras and was successful therein. It, however, did not keep up with the times and technologies during the advancement of mankind.

There may still be some lessons that can be learned from studying the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. But, the lessons must be tempered with the knowledge that exists in the current time period.

Man and his technology has evolved considerably since Biblical times. The Bible has not evolved accordingly. It is therefore the province of man to interpret the whole Bible and attempt to allow its relevant parts to fit into the lifestyles of the current era.

As long as they do not infringe on the rights of others, men are free to follow the teachings of the Bible for themselves. Your rights and beliefs end where mine begin.
 
 

From my chosen path i stray,
Yet my God ne'er turns away;
For i have learned -- and understand,
That where God is -- is where i am!

Nope. There are people who would say that the Bible really contains all the answers to the IMPORTANT life's questions, though.

Indirectly it does... but you have to know where to look. You have to comprehend what Jesus was talking about in the Sermon on the Mount. He was speaking about a complete TRANSFORMATION of the person and he was also speaking about the light of God in that same sermon.

To back up what I am saying, look up what Jesus said about "Sacrifice" and about "Light." He was negative with reference to the first and completely positive with reference to light. So he was bringing LIGHT to the world and all the answers are in that Light of God.

This will explain what I am talking about: http://gospelenigma.com That ebook is a revival of the Kingdom Gospel (not the popular Pauline gospel we hear these days).

So yes, all questions are answered in the light of God.

The bible contains deep wisdom oftentimes written in parables and metaphorically. The reader must be mindful of the language variations of the age. If you were given a book on economics and algebra, a topic unfamiliar to you, you would not have any direction as to theories and formulae for solving the given sums.

Similarly religion requires a faith and love to be completely understood. Not having a love of the creator for the creator or regard for the writers imbues man with a scorn and disdain. If you were to approach a biography of Elvis with a negative attitude you would not understand why he was such a phenomenally loved figure. Generally.

If one believes it so.

if you want it to it could. but i think that you can find an answer anywhere. personal truths are very subjective and rely on many variables that are difficult to compare to each other. "the line that defines is easily swayed" if you are looking for answers you will find them, but you decide your own reality.

Not all the answers but certainly Solomon's Proverbs and other bits contain some pretty good advice...

I haven't read it in depth enough to answer this question. Maybe you could find the answer in the Bible.

The Bible plainly states: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Granted, the Bible was not written as a self-help manual.
Its primary purpose is to reveal God’s will for mankind. Even so, the Bible has much to say about how to cope with the problems common to us all, and it promises that those who follow its direction will learn to benefit themselves. (Isaiah 48:17, 18)

Here is a nice article:

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20070401/article_01.htm

No, just the ones of eternal importance.

On all lesser matters, it guides and arguably trumps all worldly wisdom with the simple dictum: "Do the right thing." ... which is all too often also the hard thing.

Yes

Best Place to Start: Proverbs..young and old ....

I am not sure, but the answer is 42.

I know this, when it is bad, and it has been many, many times, I don't know what I would of done if it had know been for knowing HE WAS THERE...

yes, the major ones...to God and your wife and children..wise decisions ...
you have to want the Bibles answers and help and lots don't...
Proverbs is the best place a man can start...wise insight...

Hell yes! Consider the following conundrums...
Your army is camped near someone's country. Some of your soldiers nick off and shag a few of their women. Do you:
a) Admonish your soldiers, telling them to keep their ephods zipped?
b) Execute your soldiers for breaking their god's law?
c) Slaughter all the country's men, all their women, all their young boys and enslave all the virgin girls?
The bible's answer is, of course, c).

Or.
A family member steals some gold from an islamic mosque. Do you:
a) Tell him to give the gold back and apologise?
b) Stone him to death. Stone his wife to death. Stone his children to death. Stone his pets to death. Drag all his belongings into the front yard, pile the bodies on top and light the lot?
The bible's answer is, of course, b)...

Only to those to whom it is given.

It answers questions principly. That is to say it might not address an issue directly, but it will address the human flaws and dynamics of the question. Did you have a particular question in mind???

depends how you interpret the bible as everyone interprets it differently which has caused huge conflict.
if you are open minded and can ask questions then that will help.

Yes, it does. It answered all of mine.

the bible is a gift from God and he answer this question, read 2timothy 3:16,17

The Bible contains principle's that can be used to make good decisions.
It also answers some of the more important questions, such as:

Why are we here?
What is the purpose of life?
Why does God permit suffering?
Is this life all there is?

But it's not a rule book. Principles are the ideas on which laws are based. Such as, treat others as you'd like to be treated.

one time i was looking for a recipe for a spinach quiche, and the only book my friend had available was the bible. nothing in there about a quiche of any kind. so, no.

No, it doesn't. The Bible primarily serves as a moral guidebook for a particular faith. Some questions have nothing to do with ethics, so the Bible doesn't provide an answer for them. One example is, "What kind of job should I have?" Unless you are considering being a bank robber, a prostitute, or a hit man (which is against the 10 commandments), then the Bible really can't offer you any career advice.

Yes it does. 1Corinthians 4:14 But the natural man receiveith not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

No it doesn't on a note like you are in a situation and you don't know what to do. If you have an option A and and option B, you are undecided which to do. Both could be good options, but you can't open the bible look it up and it tell you to choose option B. That is not how it works. The bible gives us words of encourgment and builds our faith in God then we must pray to God and seek Gods will for us to get the answer to our question. So therefore I say no not the bible, however God does, but you have got to have a relationship with him and talk to him and seek his guidance in order to recieve his answer to your troubles.

No otherwise there would be no point in Answerbag.

Yes.

Yes, Seek and you shall find, and knock and it shall be opened unto you.

Where can I find good pizza in Seattle? I checked cover to cover and the answer isn't in there.

no

Yes but unless you are born again and have the holy spirit interpreting you will never be able to make sense of the bible.

Yes, but you have to know where to look.

The Sermon on the Mount has the secret in it. Generally speaking, the Original Kingdom Gospel is about how to increase the light of God. (light coming into the world) And when this light increases, then life becomes easier... and life makes more sense. The light of God solves problems.

But of course, I am speaking about the Kingdom Gospel, rather than the Pauline gospel that is so popular these days. This resource will explain the difference... http://gospelenigma.com And will explain how to brighten up with God's light for real happiness.

Simply put, No. People's lives are vastly different from one another, there is no panacea in life. Look inside yourself, the answers you are looking for come from inside your head and inside your heart only.

The bible does contain answers for many people. For many others it does not. Like many teachings or books the answers vary with the seeker and their level of understanding. For me, I sought answers from a variety of sources not just the bible. If individuals were able to find every answer they ever needed from one source then there would be no need for other spiritual/religious works or even this website. A true seeker is not intolerant or judgmental of another's beliefs or of their doctrines for there is no us and them, only us.

Nope.

I doubt your'll find any worth knowing.

Not to my life questions...

ir you're a christian, i think it would make sense for it to have the answers to the main questions in life.
if you're not, then no, it doesn't.

Yes,These are some of the most important questions you can ask. Yet, many people have given up trying to find the answers. Why? Does the Bible have the answers? Some feel that its answers are too hard to understand. Others worry that asking questions could lead to shame or embarrassment. And some decide that such questions are best left to religious leaders and teachers.
No doubt you sometimes wonder: ‘What is the purpose of life? Is this life all there is? What is God really like?’ It is good to ask such questions, and it is important that you do not give up until you find satisfying answers from the Bible. The famous teacher Jesus Christ said: “Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you.”—Matthew 7:7.

The Bible was written by people and people's judgements are often faulty and there's a bunch of knowledge which hasn't been uncovered yet (as can be attested by constant new discoveries). If it really contained the answers to all of life's questions, people would've stopped asking newer and newer questions and regurgitate past questions ages ago (due to the obvious lack of the former and the complete and thorough understanding of the latter). It's one thing to be religious and spiritual, etc, but it's dumb to honestly believe, with the core of your being, that something is the word of God (and thereby shouldn't be questioned) and not even have the concrete evidence for such a thing in the first place in order to entail rational understanding in that regard.