[Traveler]

Originally Posted by prisonchaplain

How to validate truth? The Bible, of course, is a huge validator of truth, for most Christians. However, not only can you rightly ask about faith before the Bible, but you might also ask, how do we know the Bible is true?

To your first question, before the word was published, it was spoken and taught orally. Adam and Eve passed on instructions to their children, and their children interacted with God and continued to pass along information. Moses began his writings somewhere between 2000 - 1400 BC or so, though it's been suggested that Job predates Moses. So, there was the spoken word, there was the wisdom of the elders, and people had their personal interaction with God.

2. Today, we rely heavily on the Bible because it has proven itself over the course of centuries. Additionally, we continue to rely on oral proclammation, upon the counsel of our elders, and upon our personal interactions with God.

Again since there are many ancient oral traditions that make the same claim of origin with Adam and Eve and that also claim to have been proven over time (for example Judaism, Islam and Zoroasterism). How do you validate your interpretation of things over their claims or even the claims of Nestorian Christians – all of which claim to have maintained their traditions and scriptures (exception of Islam who have published their scriptures just slightly longer – but have not modified their versions since their first publication) longer than you have based on Western Christianity?

I have seen some of the debates between Dedot (Islam scholar) and Western Christian Scholars and to be honest Islam makes a much more compelling case for validity and consistency of scriptures for the last 1500 years. Also the argument the Pharisees and Scribes used to question the validity of Jesus was the same as yours. I do not say this because I do not understand your argument and your validation – it is my perception that to a hammer everything looks very much like a nail or something similar to a nail.

If someone’s arguments are as compelling as yours – do you validate their claim by your standard and expect them to not validate your claim by their standard? The golden Rule you previously spoke of? Has G-d left us with means (spiritual or otherwise) to seek truth – including scientific (physical) truths?

The Traveler