re: Do you really believe stories from the Bible?

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Top 10 Longest Living People in the Bible Methuselah: 969 years Jared: 962 years Noah: 950 years Adam: 930 years Seth: 912 years Kenan (Cainan): 910 years Enos (Enosh): 905 years Mahalalel (Mahalaleel): 895 years Lamech: 777 years Enoch: 365 years (Enoch is included for his story, although he did not die, but was taken by God, as noted in Genesis 5:24)

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I am a believer who doesn't just accept things bc they are in there, I think them through from a fairly critical viewpoint, and what gets me past this is the pre flood vs post flood changes to the atmosphere

Also I've read that the Sumerian Kings list had som people on there that lived to similarly absurdly old ages for whatever that is worth BUT I did not go out of my way to confirm that on my own

Also could just be as simple as something get lost in the changes in calendars, languages, cultures, etc over a super long period of time

While you are speaking, the other person is formulating their next point, or, at best, formulating a reply to "prove" you wrong. Communication, it seems, should be easy, but in reality, it's almost impossible.

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Just checked. Still only seeing forbidden fruit. Looking for "not an apple" or fig or grape or something. Haven't found it yet though.

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You must stop trying to be a crappy lawyer like SFP.

Yes, next question. Also, if you don't believe today you will believe when you meet face to face.

Who did Cain screw?

Note taken.

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Archeological dig after Archeological dig are confirming the Bible with every find.

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I don't think you want to use archeology to defend the veracity of the stories in the holy book of Judaism.

The more we uncover with archeology and DNA, the more it becomes clear that what we call the Israelites are nothing more than a splinter group of Canaanites who, over a few generations, morphed their religious pantheon into monotheism. There's even evidence that this group, as Israelites practicing Judaism (prior to it being reduced to writing, likely) still practiced polytheism for a time.

This view that confirming certain stories (the flood) or cities from the Bible proves the Bible ignores the cross-cultural references of the same events and cities. Being Canaanites, and being from the same region, this shared cultural and geographic history will have the same stories. The Canaanites that created their own monotheistic version of the Canaanite religion would clearly use the same references from the culture/region.

So, for an example, I believe some sort of major flood event occurred in the Mesopotamia or Levant region. That in no way proves Judaism correct, nor does it prove the other religions of the other cultures from the region that reference the same flood event correct. There was a shared memory passed down over time that was co-opted by later groups of the region. Finding evidence of these shared events does not prove (or disprove) any aspects of the shared cultures.

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why is it so easy for so many to believe the New Testament miracles but then completely dismiss the Old Testament miracles?

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One reason is the shared culture issues I referenced above.

Also the format is clearly written for a simpler people. By the time Jesus roamed the Levant (and I do think there was a man in Rome around 0AD who preached what became Christianity), we had a much more complex understanding of the world (being in the Roman times and all) and much stronger implements of society (like written language and the ability to spread ideas much more quickly). That's why most of the stories around Jesus are more believable as miracles and are much more tactile in nature.

There are no silly, childish things like a worldwide flood, Noah's ark, Jonah and the fish, Moses parting the Red Sea, 800+ year old people, etc. Those are the mythologies of a simpler people who did not understand the world like people of the Roman era.

Believe what you want. All I can say is that I believe. If I am nothing happens. If you are wrong, you know.