Toulouse
Established
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2019
- Messages
- 259
This was my answer several days ago and I believe it got lost in the thread because it was delayed.
It seems that you are using a straw man argument, or if you are British, an “Aunt Sally.” It doesn’t necessarily follow that the Bible is the best book to use to introduce someone to Christianity. The way the question is presented, it makes the assumption beforehand that the Bible IS the best book. To prove the validity of the Bible and its salvific nature in one conversation is difficult for anyone. To have the breadth and scope of all other religious texts is quite daunting, to put it mildly. I’m sure a Hindu, Moslem, Buddhist, or Sikh would have the same issue with the Vedas, the Qur’an, etc.
I have not read the entire thread, so forgive me if I am repeating what someone else may have written, but the best way to convince someone how great the Bible is is by showing them how great Jesus is. However, a good start for a person making the argument for the Bible could be to say that of all of the religious founders, Jesus is the only one who claimed to be God, was called “God” by one of his followers – who he (Jesus) did not correct, he was the only one who said of himself “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,” and he is the only religious figure who died for his followers to save them from their sins...all of which are stated in the Bible. The Buddha, Lao Tsu, Mohammed, never made such claims.
As an adjunct professor of world religion, and having many friends/acquaintances from various religions, I have enough exposure to be able to make this claim.
As a Christian, I would not suggest to someone in the religious section of a book store to read the Bible. I would, however, suggest the following: The Life of Christ, by Archbishop Fulton Sheen, The Seven Storey Mountain, by Thomas Merton, Confessions, by St. Augustine, Butler’s Lives of the Saints, or one of C.S. Lewis’ book.
It seems that you are using a straw man argument, or if you are British, an “Aunt Sally.” It doesn’t necessarily follow that the Bible is the best book to use to introduce someone to Christianity. The way the question is presented, it makes the assumption beforehand that the Bible IS the best book. To prove the validity of the Bible and its salvific nature in one conversation is difficult for anyone. To have the breadth and scope of all other religious texts is quite daunting, to put it mildly. I’m sure a Hindu, Moslem, Buddhist, or Sikh would have the same issue with the Vedas, the Qur’an, etc.
I have not read the entire thread, so forgive me if I am repeating what someone else may have written, but the best way to convince someone how great the Bible is is by showing them how great Jesus is. However, a good start for a person making the argument for the Bible could be to say that of all of the religious founders, Jesus is the only one who claimed to be God, was called “God” by one of his followers – who he (Jesus) did not correct, he was the only one who said of himself “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,” and he is the only religious figure who died for his followers to save them from their sins...all of which are stated in the Bible. The Buddha, Lao Tsu, Mohammed, never made such claims.
As an adjunct professor of world religion, and having many friends/acquaintances from various religions, I have enough exposure to be able to make this claim.
As a Christian, I would not suggest to someone in the religious section of a book store to read the Bible. I would, however, suggest the following: The Life of Christ, by Archbishop Fulton Sheen, The Seven Storey Mountain, by Thomas Merton, Confessions, by St. Augustine, Butler’s Lives of the Saints, or one of C.S. Lewis’ book.
