If the Bible isn't from God, then where did it come from?

Is the Bible from God? In this video we'll kick around what the questions that come with supposing it's not. In the next video it'll be time to think about the obvious question if we assume the Bible is from God, and that's "How'd it happen?"
TMBH happens because people support it. Thanks to everyone who kicks in over at patreon.com/tmbh!

[@danbuter]

Great video. You are getting an audio feedback of some kind, and a little echo.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Yes, disappointingly it seems I am. I checked it on several devices and it didn't show up, but when I ran it through my TV I was able to detect it. I'll figure out how I screwed it up and make it better next time. My apologies.

[@danbuter]

Technology is great, until it has some weird bug. ;) Love your channel, though. Easily the best Christian one on KZbin.

[@joelabreo227]

I'd start by turning the microphone's gain down.

[@davidtaylorsr]

don’t hear it on mobile

[@erlandjohansen7195]

I can't not feel like I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't read this comment first

[@nickflesher7608]

This is great! You should totally do a podcast with Destin Sandlin.

[@samuelcarley7245]

It's interesting how believing in Jesus, even if Jesus is just a lie we chose to believe, changes your life and the more lives it changes the more it changes the world, I would argue, for the better. If that's not the manifestation of the spirit of salvation through forgiveness... Well that's proof enough to me that a powerful spirit exists named Yeshua or Jesus, meaning Salvation, or to save, or to deliver from. My only hope that this world doesn't have to be like this. My King. My Lord. My Savior... GOD's beautiful Son. I'm alright with that making me seem crazy in anyone's eyes.

[@brandonburrell8517]

Yes sir! Amen brother.

[@nonameyet9165]

No, it's real exactly as said in the Bible. I had a supernatural encounter and have dealt with the demonic. I have no doubts now. We live in an age of hyper skepticism. Have faith, the rest God does. I guarantee that

[@nosuchthing8]

Its not crazy. Look at comic book heros, I will leverage what they would do in a conversation tpo.

[@AlexanderosD]

And that kind of crazy is what glorifies God in the end! Keep that ambition!

[@jasongee1970]

Not saying you are wrong in your evaluation that christianity changes people but the Muslims,Hindus,jw,Mormons,new agers,chrishnas and a host of other religious and practices will say the same thing,and you could observe the changes in their lives.Are they lying,wrong,correct?,could you prove what your answer will be?

[@joebenz4494]

Hey man. I’ve been watching your channel for a few months now and I’ve been really enjoying the content! Keep doing what your doing!!!

[@cara-leighprinsloo7923]

Thank you very much. We have been watching your videos for quiet a while now and are really enjoying them. It's been so exciting to have a lot of questions answered. We're originally from Zimbabwe, and growing up in church there we were never taught this about the bible. We now live in the UK, and it's so exciting to be able to answer the questions our children have to the questions we never got answers for.

[@oogalook]

You are the greatest, Matt. I love it when you acknowledge your own bias. That'll take the wind out of detractors, alright, and it's the that humility that makes your material so palatable for all audiences. Keep it up!

[@jenniferwright8355]

Thank you for the thought-provoking, and intellectually honest content. After being away for many years, I started reading the Bible again, and this is what I needed.

[@akjkjkak]

Hey Matt, thanks for another video. You always tickle my brain muscle, and thinking about why I believe [thing] has really made me grow as a Christian.

[@the99thProphet]

Excellent video! First time viewer. I look forward to checking out more of your videos. :)

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Thank for dropping by!

[@syerra1]

You are such a great teacher. One of my few subs I look forward to for erudition and enlightenment, along with Bright Insight. Approachable and interesting. Keep it up! ;)

[@sskywarpe]

This is the type of quick, solid, thought I've been searching for. I talk with a lot of non-believers and Anti-Christians, and this "I understand your concerns, but let's break this down" attitude is a breath of fresh air. Keep up the good work, man!

[@jamesbrixey8102]

I am really enjoying watching these. These are great.

[@chrischandler9909]

Really great and helpful video! These arguments are super common and you did a great job honestly engaging them! Also, I hope you get into some competing ideas about inspiration soon!

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Next video!

[@seanfatzinger]

Just discovered you in the past couple weeks. I love your videos. Been telling all my friends. Thank you for making such great impactful (??) videos! They make you think and are full of great material. Its clear you have done your research. Curious as to where u went to bible college. Next time I'm in Lander for work, I'd love to buy ya lunch. Thanks man.

[@MaKv4l]

Best, ending, ever! Awesome vid Matt:D

[@josiahamorevazquez4770]

your videos deserve way more views. god bless you.

[@paullavoie5542]

When I seen the title I decided to bring my torch and pitchfork. I don't know if I should put them down yet.

[@thewhistleking2]

Bro! I'm incredibly inspired by your videos and your intellectual and open minded view of the Bible and Christianity as a whole, and how it's at the same time filled with so much faith and love! Thank you man for doing what you're doing. God bless!

[@shelster]

I find the content quite good! Thanks for expounding a lot on the different thoughts on the view of the Bible not coming from God. A lot that you mentioned were referencing the New Testament. Some people I talk to refer to the Old Testament and I hope you could expound on that also. Btw, there's a slight echo from the mic (kinda gives me a headache). I love Stoker's Dracula and Austin's Emma. I was torn in the middle! I might actually go with Stoker on this one because who doesn't like adventure. If you pitched Dracula against Pride & Prejudice... let's just say, I'd be reading both at the same time.

[@pingpong1138]

Can't wait for the next video :D

[@LadyPatienceK]

1. Those were very interesting and thought provoking points. 2. Looking forward to part 2! 3. Your beard is great!! 4. Thank you for your hard work and the time you put into TMBH. 👍

[@dettlins]

Matt's mom is the best

[@Irunwithscissors63]

Steve D 😆😆👍😎

[@LadyPatienceK]

@@dettlins 😂

[@jessiebullock]

Matt, do you have History Nugget on KZbin already? I can only find a "History Nuggets" podcast here on KZbin. I can't wait to see that channel too! Thanks for doing what you do.

[@jep13041987]

You talked about the "recent news" concept (absolutely loved the Gene Simmons analogy by the way), but is that really comparable to this kind of time period? I agree that if you told me some questionable "recent news" now I would probably dismiss it, but I have access to a wealth of media and communication to lay foundations of knowledge and give me confidence when I doubt something I'm told is a fact. How much of that confidence would the general population have had at this time to doubt what is told to them?Wouldn't there be an element of blind acceptance (or even just plain apathy) when information of any sort is spread? I don't know enough about this (and may have just missed the point)

[@JochemKuijpers]

Those are valid points imo. If figuring out if something was true or not requires a week of travel on foot, I wouldn't bother. If the guy spreading stories is convincing enough, most people would believe it because there's no real alternative. Just like a cat video goes 'viral', imo the Bible being a blown up story about a legendary group of people doesn't sound all that implausible. Fake news seems to convince people about a lot of things even today, while people have more access to trustworthy information sources than ever, so why wouldn't the Bible be another case of fake news? Seeing how strong someone can be convinced of utter nonsense, it should be considered at least as an alternative option, right? (I'm not trying to destroy Christianity here, just arguing for a less dismissive approach to this option)

[@jep13041987]

@@JochemKuijpers I suppose actually you have kind of answered my question but maybe not in the way you might expect... youre right, even now people seem easily convinced by "fake news", but actually in my experience when that happens it is because the fake news agrees with what the person already believes. People like being told that what they think or believe is correct and true - so while fact checking what people said or wrote would have been difficult, since it didn't confirm, and in many cases completely contradicted the beliefs of the time (a point I think Matt actually makes) then if it was accepted it must have had something more than just a really charismatic convincing story teller and a gullible general population

[@jorowi]

Thumbs up for nunchaku. Two thumbs up for a great breakdown of the arguments against the Bible without spewing vitriolic hate for people with legitimate questions.

[@erlandjohansen7195]

The commercial KZbin played before this video was for fly fishing and I feel like they knew who's video I was about to watch

[@sylvia4425]

4:45 *The most convincing part regarding living-witnesses and the analogy of Gene Simmons/Ronald Reagan part. Very cool! Gonna memorize that one when someone challenges me about the bible.*

[@wengel_eth]

Hey Matt, question. Wondering if you could possibly do a video of exploring on why a lot of hotels don't have Bibles anymore? Or at least how many hotels have Bibles? Maybe not worth a video but just a thought you could explore.

[@Pastor4all52]

Matt, I have a question: What is your primary translation? 84 NIV by any chance?

[@flipletape9706]

Cucumber triangle sandwiches hahahah Whatever floats your boat, man. That was funny. Cheers

[@5BBassist4Christ]

I've heard it said that a person when examining their beliefs should, rather than try to prove them, they should try to disprove them. If you cannot disprove your beliefs, then you can have confidence in your beliefs. All the arguments you brought up, you then presented a problem with each on of them, so essentially, you were doing exactly that.

[@DanJan09]

I don't know your points in the second video. But in this one, you only addressed the New Testament. The history behind the Old and the New Testament are different and your points do not count for the OT. Maybe you could address this point. Nonetheless, good video.

[@ravissary79]

The NT is what is contested the most.

[@trevhib]

Given Jesus told us in the NT to search the scriptures (and he could only have been referring to the OT when He said this since the NT wasn't written then), and He mentioned a fair few of the scriptures Himself, that goes at least some way to validating it.

[@jesseengland456]

When is the next video coming out also your reading list?

[@anthonyrobertson7062]

One other possible occurence that one would have to consider in some of these cases, is today we know people will lie about something knowing it is a lie, even if that means getting into serious trouble or dying because of it. This is enough of a problem that law enforcement is aware that someone claiming they murdered someone can be false, and they need to proceed with caution. So someone dying for something they know didn't happen or is not true, today we have many examples that this does happen, and there are various reasons why perfectly sane people would go this seemingly irrational route.

[@mtb4thewin613]

Hi Matt, i really like those kind of Videos thanks a lot. How about one about war in the Bible.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

I went too Gettysburg and recorded an intro for exactly that.

[@TearUpYourBible]

I WANT TO BE YOU WHEN I GROW UP!!! Bro... I'm majorly impressed with what you're doing!!! I'd love to do an interview with you! Let's connect!

[@gpaine]

That was a quality video, but arguably more impressive was how long the main "take" was. ...I really hope you didn't have to shoot that too many times. Edit: Retrieved phone from crazy cross-room throw and corrected autocorrect.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Nope, this one was some thought in advance and then one long take. It was relatively painless Greg.

[@root1657]

The same can't be said for people sneaking up on you in the office.... Not well thought out, not painless.

[@rohnek2]

this is one of the greatest videos ive ever seen

[@charis128]

The bible came from the Catholic Church and the writings of the church fathers. The writings were spoken & taught in the daily Mass (Acts 2:42,46) since the 1st c. Because of the confusion the gnostic forgeries were causing, the Catholic Church made a compilation & put it in the common (vulgar) language of the people, which at the time was Latin (Latin Vulgate 382-400). The specific writings were chosen by something called “Lex Orandi Lex Credendi” (what we pray is what we believe). Pope Damasus asked St Jerome (the famous linguist even the Jewish rabbis sought help from) to translate. The word “bible” was coined by him.

[@reallifeistoflat]

Hey Matt, another question for you. You make the point that the existing cosmology of gods would have prevented Christianity from taking hold if it didn't have something behind it while seeming to ignore that it was building off of the existing monotheism of the Jewish faith. Wouldn't that be an incredible stepping stone to acceptance?

[@joshuawest6917]

I don’t know if you will cover it on your next video but what about the idea that the Bible is one group of people or regions walk with God? Where portions come directly from God but other are that person’s limited understanding of God.

Great stuff!!! (Please try to fix pitchy voice echos.)

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

I've now watch this on five different devices and I'm not hearing what you're talking about. Where are you running into the issue in the video?

[@root1657]

I'm on a regular computer with speakers in the monitor. There are times when the sound gets a bit of a metallic ping-y-ness to it as you speak. It's not overpowering, but its there. I suspect if you had used the jumping fish animation in the video, this wouldn't have happened.... I could be wrong....

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Dang it. You're right, that's what did it, it was that last second editorial decision to leave out the jumping fish. That, and mild technical ineptitude on my part. Thanks for the feedback, no pun intended, and thanks also for enjoying the video despite there being room for me to improve.

[@BrianHoch]

"Encyclopedia Brown and the Crapbag Bible Swindler" Love it!

[@joshual5758]

I love how you acknowledged you were straw-maning and then just moved past that as if it was okay.

[@freaky-frank]

Very fascinating

[@freaky-frank]

Cant wait for part 2

[@nosuchthing8]

Excellent show, very mind bending. There is one important thing you dont consider. Wonder if people dont really have that much control over the religion that gains control. Suppose a new religion springs up that gives the believers an advantage over the previous religion. A girafe with a longer neck doesnt choose the neck; the adaptation gives it a better chance to survive and spread its genes. Christianity might be an adaptation that helps its believers prosper.

[@Wordsnwood]

I usually read your book titles. Or at least try. So I just spent five minutes trying to find that Encyclopedia Brown book...

[@jasonpratt5126]

I forget the exact episode, but it's about versification in the Bible. The EncBrown tie in had me laughing until I was crying!

[@rulosingmymind7635]

Is that Encyclopedia Brown as in the kid detective?!

[@jasonpratt5126]

It is! -- with Bugs Meany and everything! Also {spoilers}!

[@generisknamn8964]

Hi Matt. Found your channel through no dumb questions, and subscribed to your 10 minute bible hour podcast because I felt I could learn some things from you from the way you listen to people and seemingly care for people. It is because of this respect I found for you that take the time to write a reply to the last podcast I heard on the 10 minute bible hour about wheter the bible is from god, instead of just ignoring it and moving on. Firstly, you really don’t really address whether the bible is inspired or not. You address whether the core stories of the gospels happened or not. They could easily be true without the bible having to be inspired or holy. If I read in a credible newspaper that smoking is bad for my health, or I read a book of history detailing the events of the holocaust, or I read a science textbook describing how Marie Curie performed the experiments that won her the Nobel price, all of those could be accurate without having any divine power or inspiration. Personally I believe the stories of the gospel to be true, but I am not sure that the Bible quite deserves the worship it receives. Especially because people tend to cling to every word, phrase and rhyme as if we understand why the author chose this word for love instead of this word for love, our entire understanding of the gospel could change. Secondly, I think we have enough recent examples of individuals or groups starting religions that people are willing to go to great lengths, or even die for, within a generation of them forming. From Islam, to Mormonism, to scientology as «big hits» and smaller sects like Jonestown or Waco, we see people’s desperation for meaning driving them to disregard what we would call common sense, and instead fully committing to their belief/delusion. The possibility that a cult of personality could have formed around a charismatic individual such as Jesus, or Paul, or Peter is not such a long shot. I would certainly not blame people who think the burden of evidence should be on the bible. I would want people I care about to approach any newly formed sects with caution, and seriously consider if the evidence for their claims are OVERWHELMING, before joining anything. Why should we expect people to treat Christianity any differently? I understand that 10 minutes is not enough time to address these issues fully, but then instead of mentioning lots of fairly half-hearted objections to the bibles authority, I wish you had taken the time to look into objections that people actually have and deal with at least one of them fully. I’m sure other people can come up with even better arguments than I can, because like I said, I am also a Christian, and come with my own biases into this conversation. Anyways, I hope you see this and respond in some way.

[@ericlink2828]

Matt... you have to read Eaters of the Dead. It is so good at fake found references. What makes it so good is that the real and fake mix to create a wonderful fiction of a story you heard before... but go into it blind if possible. Its awesome.

[@DINSDAY77]

I would love to see the evidence that the authors were writing closer to the time of Jesus than previously thought. What Journals or books could you direct me to on that? ....love the videos

[@StephanthePelted]

your videos are really great, was hoping to see how you'd compare Islam with several topics from your videos, especially this one in particular.. cheers!

[@calebneff5777]

When you said “work” at the beginning, I was picturing a bunch of Bibletubers together. Therefore, the person who heads this finer things club must be Dr Jordan B Cooper. It just makes sense. You bring up Dracula, Dr Cooper responds with Sense and Sensibility and talks about the importance of preserving high culture, and how Dracula was a work of low culture. This all just works out too well.

[@reallifeistoflat]

Regarding your point about the chronology of the religion existing as a form of control, you're assuming that it was invented whole hog for that purpose. It makes more sense to assume that early Christianity was a cult of personality, not unlike modern day cults, who collected people who got value out of the community irrespective of the validity of it and then later it was seen as a system that could be aided by powerful groups or people to control the masses. Monotheism is a much stronger position to control then pantheism since people can't shop around for other gods. Especially when your monotheistic teachings ban paganism.

[@seekfind9531]

Killed it!

[@jasonpratt5126]

More seriously, this video isn't about whether "the Bible" "isn't from God". It's about whether the canonical Gospels are historically accurate (to at least some importantly sufficient degree) about Jesus. I agree, they are, but it's a rather distinct question.

[@IamGrimalkin]

I think you're right in that this video isn't about the possibility of the bible not being "inspired by god" (which Matt, incorrectly IMO, mentions in the video). It is in some sense, however, about the possibility of the the bible being from God; because the canonical gospels being historically accurate implies that (parts of) the bible was written in response to an action by god. Whether the writing process itself had god in the mix, or it was only people recording what they saw and heard about God doing and nothing else is a different question; but either way, if the gospels are historically accurate, they were written because of the actions of God, and "the bible is from god" is true in some sense.

[@jasonpratt5126]

Agreed. I expect (or at least hope) Matt will get into the overlapping nuances as he transitions into Part 2.

[@apeman2035]

@@jasonpratt5126 Watch the Documentary Called, CAESER'S MESSIAH The full video ...not the little clips

[@charliexoxox]

Did Andy try to get in to the finer things club too?

[@JochemKuijpers]

I think you can do a better job at trying to be unbiased and really consider some of the stronger arguments against 'god' being behind the Bible. The strongest question that raises, for me, is whether Christianity can exists without acknowledging the existence of God, or whether everything depends on the answer to this question. What does Christianity mean if God is an abstract concept vs a 'real' entity. That could be an interesting video on its own I figure. Anyway, as a non-Christian, these videos are really interesting. Thanks Matt :)

[@IamGrimalkin]

I'm not Matt, but I'll give my opinion anyway, I hope you don't mind. :-) I suspect much of it will be similar to Matt's but probably not all of it. I don't think Christianity means anything if God is not a real entity. Sure, perhaps the moral systems you see coming out of Christianity might mean something in when thinking of God as an abstract concept; but Christianity in my opinion mostly isn't about what moral codes you can follow for God, it's about what God does for us and how we can get to know him. Sure, that process will make you *want* to act morally, and God can help you with that; but it's something that flows out of the actions of a real god, not a moral code or aspect of yourself you can see "god" representing. In terms of whether you can come to the conclusion Christianity exists without first acknowledging God though: I would say yes, you can. In relation to something I was replying to another commenter here: to come to the conclusion that the gospels (and other biblical books) are historically accurate you don't have to assume that God is a 'real' entity a priori. But if you find that the gospels are historically accurate (and I think they are), that naturally leads to the conclusion that god is a 'real' entity. Similarly, Matt has made an argument a few times on this channel that the fact Christianity didn't get killed off by persecution in its early stages indicates that perhaps a 'real' God was backing it. You don't have to assume that God is real to decide this argument has merit, but if it does then it indicates God is more likely to be 'real' as well as that Christianity is true. You could also say that yes, this argument makes it more likely Christianity is true and God is 'real', but you still, on balance, think God is more likely to be an abstract concept (and this also applies to other reasons people might give that God is real). That's fine. An argument doesn't have to be conclusive to have some merit, just keep remember that shift in position fr next time so you can make a decision with all ideas in play. Of course some Christians do try to take the approach of establishing that god is a 'real' entity first before discussing whether Christianity is true, but I find this approach rather odd. To me, the best evidence that God is a 'real' entity is the same evidence that Christianity is real; so arbitrarily deciding to ignore that evidence and use other evidence to establish God is a 'real' entity first doesn't seem terribly helpful to me.

[@chupie3085]

There is a very awful and biased video from the Bible project that has a valid philosophical argument against this. They are very opinionated about their viewpoint on this subject matter but to summarize: if God does not exist then where do your morals come from? If they do not come from God then it must come from each individual in which case one could say murder is acceptable and another say it's not and one cannot argue one side over the other because it is all based off of the individual.

[@laserwolf65]

It claims to not be entirely man made? Where? I mean, sure you have "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..." but that doesn't specifically refer to the Bible, as there wasn't even a Bible canonized until the 5th century. That simply means if you accept a book as scripture, then you accept that it is "inspired of God," but since the Bible does not actually contain a list of criteria for determining what is and is not scripture, it's not actually claiming anything about itself. The Bible does not claim itself to be the "word of God"--Christians are the ones claiming that.

[@MSP106]

Nice reference to The Office

[@chrisjwilson]

The Office references acknowledged.

[@M4TT4TT4CK]

Reading Dracula practically gave me nightmares when I read it in eighth grade

[@Morna777]

Even as a Christian I don't think the recent news option checks out for all of the early church. Maybe it does for the earliest believers in Judea but the average member of the church at Rome couldn't really check the biography of some carpenter who lived hundreds of miles away and 30-50 years before.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

True, but very little of the New Testament was written to people in Rome.

[@Morna777]

@@MattWhitmanTMBH Very good point. Im actually studying for ordination and trying to think critically about these kinds of questions. Thanks for helping me do that. Have a great day.

[@jessephillips1233]

I feel like there was one option that wasn't well addressed. It's perhaps a form of "well intentioned but deluded people" argument but here's the take: The bible - the new testament in particular - is a social response pushing back against the dominant cultural authority (the Jewish church in that place and time) in an attempt to modernize while reaffirming pre-existing beliefs. Or something like that. That is to say that the rise of Christianity as a whole is more like the Protistant Reformation or the formation of the Mormon church of latter day saints. These variations of Christianity recast and reassess christianity according to different norms and in the case of the Mormons add a bunch of story that wasn't in the previous book. Similarly Buddhism and Islam (to name the other biggies) also have sects and revolutions within each of their cultural and religious contexts. These historical tendencies demonstrate that this is a thing people do and so to view Christianity as an update to Judaism seems sensible.

[@heiseverywhere6471]

Are your thoughts yours or gods?

[@at_brunch3836]

I hope you have read Taylor Caldwell's books The Great Physician and Lion of God.

[@nezumi6554]

Oh boy, a two parter

[@Sewblon]

9:00 I honestly think that the synthesis theory sounds pretty persuasive, because the synthesis isn't actually that cohesive. God is one. But God is also 3. Its this mixture of monotheism and polytheism that people have tried to make sense of. But I am not sure that they ever quite succeeded. But the Martrydom hypothesis makes sense knowing how costly signalling works, that is how religion works in general. That is why the more extreme sects grow faster. I am in favor of a combination of the synthesis and martyrdom hypotheses. I imagine that this is how most ideologies are formed, if not all of them.

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

People die for lies all the time. But how many people die when they know it’s a lie

[@arsene4440]

Your claim is true to an extent. But for christians they weren't just executed during the roman empire, they were fiercely persecuted and suffered. They were subjected to unthinkable torture by the romans who wanted to eradicate christianity. Maybe some people are willing to die for a false belief as you say but not in mass numbers as the christians and not the extreme suffering they endured.

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

@@arsene4440 I think you misunderstood. People die for a lie all the time. Throughout history it has happened more times than we can count. People are lied to and manipulated to do things for others selfish reasons. But I have never seen or heard of anyone willing to die for a lie when they know it's a lie. Its been a year or more since I saw this video so I don't remember all the details but by the title I can guess context. If Christianity was made up and was a lie to manipulate the masses or whatever lame excuse has been used before, that would be a sorta plausible explanation. However nearly every founder of Christianity including the apostles met with some sort of violence. If it was something they just made up and for their own gain it would not have taken long for most to abandon their new lifestyle.

[@josephpope9634]

So, I want to preface by saying that I liked the video. And Matt openly admits to have a bias. And before I could turn into a keyboard warrior, he cut me off and said exactly what I was going to say about the straw man claims. So good on him for that. The last claim for why the Bible is not from God was the strongest one presented here. I don't think I agree with Matt 100% on the Bible and the history around it, however I do call myself a Christian, use the Bible as a compass for my live, and really like Matt's videos, so I'd like to think we could have a good conversation over a beer sometime haha.

[@jeffrewbob]

The new hat looks very. . . New.

[@saboabbas123]

ok, so who wrote it? why are there no original documents? Why are there 30 Gospels extant and only 4 are included in the NT?

[@jrwilfing]

so is that book really Encylopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret Pitch?

[@jrwilfing]

oh, and thank you for giving us your time and knowledge. You are a blessing to have on the KZbins.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Thanks Joe!

[@austingergen]

I get this from a New Testament perspective, but what about the Old Testament and the validity of that?

[@trevhib]

Given Jesus told us in the NT to search the scriptures (and he could only have been referring to the OT when He said this since the NT wasn't written then), and He mentioned a fair few of the scriptures Himself, that goes at least some way to validating much of it.

[@Faithful1]

People who had extreme religious experiences wrote the bible a lot of the authors had experiences I think, just look at the burning bush that Moses came across that is very similar to a religious experience encounter you hear from someone's testimony today if I were to see the same thing standing next to Moses I would of saw it differently. I don't know if I'm making any sense

[@carlaoverbee7626]

Because of this God is sprit and those who seek the lord with all there heart follow his commandments and cry out and the lord sprit will fill you nothing like the sprit of our lord God

[@magatism]

Bible is a human compilation, but God in his eternal wisdom works through it.

[@saviofernandes7859]

WHICH IS BEST STUDY BIBLE AND BEST COMMENTORY

[@judeemert3406]

I WANNA LEARN NUNCHUCKS!!!🤣😂

[@LifeJourney37]

Proverbs 14:12 you have a seem right religion

[@LyricalLacerations]

Okay, so I have a few questions. This is largely because my uncle wants to convert me but it never goes over well because my questions are well. Starting with the concept that god is not real it comes across as antagonistic. I respect my uncle and he is a lovely guy. He only does it out of love but its difficult you know.The bible shares similarities with other religions of the time. Now if you are a christian you have to say, well the bible predates all religions. However you may have to consider the possibility that the bible is not of god but an amalgamation of other religions of the time because they a similar in nature? I also think Christianity was an appealing idea for poor people. The idea that your suffering in life would be rewarded in heaven is consoling. Is this why Christianity spread so fast, well maybe? Why is Jesus needed? If God exists, he is all powerful. It seems like a lot of busy work for something you can do anyway because you are God. It just contradicts with an all powerful God. This happens multiple times. Satan rebelling against God, that guy is not even a tiny portion of gods power. Yet he is allowed to mess up gods plans for humanity. The tree of good and evil, put that anywhere else in the universe. In books like Dracula you expect the odd plot hole or contrivance here and there but I would not have expected that from a book made by God. I only ask because there are so many people suffering with illness, poverty etc. This could have been avoided by putting the tree where no one could find it.

[@savannah138]

Not sure if your interested but I've had alot of these questions to maybe some of these suggestions might help .its some channels that answer this kind of stuff and hopefully it can help you .its helped me while seeking . mike winger Alisa Childers Whado you meme ( not about memes) Melissa Dougherty Got questions Lion of fire ( someone actually suffering chronic illness his names Matt Mason ) Revealing truth Frank turek David wood Anyways hopefully you check them out .most of them are Christian apologists

[@timverma]

It’s also possible to think god had no hand in the creation of the Bible but the events of the Bible are true. I know “evolution” didn’t write On the Origins of Species, but I still believe it contains valuable information about evolution. I personally don’t believe the Bible, but if I believed the text I still wouldn’t think god had a hand in writing it, I would think theologians wrote based on their own interpretation of the actual events.

[@sartoriusrock]

You got a frequency ringing in your mic at about 290Hz. This is probably a standing wave due to the rectangular shape and hard surfaces in your room. Time for room treatment!

[@sartoriusrock]

Also, do you have the sound of your microphone playing in your room when you record? That can be a surefire way for feedback. If so, I would recommend either using headphones when recording, or if you're feeling brave just set your levels and dont monitor while recording.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

No, there is no playback going on, but I've been gradually chipping away at treating those corners and surfaces. I think it's getting better.

[@antonralph3491]

Dracula is a great book. And written by an Irish man .

[@RIOTMAKERS]

Did u watch the movie? Not bad

[@grainofsaltministries4836]

The Office ❤

[@johnbutler7321]

Hey, don't be hating on Jane Austen! 😀

[@papahajek5383]

So some believe that our currently living society is the most highly evolved example of human existence while, at the same time base this belief on our ability to argue against the writings of far less evolved individuals that lived 2000 years ago and even against the accurate prophecies of even less evolved men who lived thousands of years before that? That doesn't speak well for evolution. Mocking the incredibly humane ideas of ancient beings can hardly be called higher morality. Just saying...

[@adude9442]

Jesus is the greatest!

[@mccalltrader]

I dont think its fair to call them straw men, when those views and arguments are being used..Ive heard them..yes you are biased...so is the other guy arguing the opposite

[@jancerny8109]

So, Christians were held in slight regard in the first generations of their faith, and that makes Christianity true? I think you missed a step. Also, Christianity does NOT flow naturally out of the OT. Christians play connect-the-dots with verses in the OT and make an arrow pointing at Jesus--but rabbis by and large don't think that's right. The NT was written by people who were familiar with the Tanakh. You have to ask yourself which is more likely: that a deity who insisted that "God is one" changed His mind and said, "I [an itinerant preacher] and the Father are one," or that the authors of the gospels printed the news to fit.

[@jasonpratt5126]

AHHHHH THE ECHOEY FEEDBACK AAAAAHHHHH!!!

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

I've listened to this on multiple devices and I'm not hearing any feedback. Where are you noticing the issue?

[@NarsisAusian]

I noticed it throughout, but around 2:13 for an example.

[@alaboutfood2326]

Matt, Brother I love what you do & thank God for you. Hopefully you can figure out the 'feedback' idea before the next video. Yes, I hear them as well & it goes in and out throughout the video too. From 5:00 - 5:30+ is another example. It is kinda like high pitch squelch when a microphone gets near speaker, though quieter. Again love the message and the ministry, look forward to more.

[@jasonpratt5126]

It's pretty subtle -- I had to pause occasionally to confirm it was coming from the video. It sounds like a low electronic flute or coke bottle, so to speak, not entirely sure what's causing it. It first shows up at around :10, though quieter there than in some other places. (Ack, my obsessive focus want me to methodically tag every spot in the video!! -- but Narsis and Al both provide good examples.) I've never heard it in one of your videos before, so possibly it's reacting to a different setup this time?

[@tichu7]

I was going to comment on the sound, but I don't think it's feedback, since he isn't likely listening to himself from separate speakers. I think it's more the reverb of the mic stand induced by Matt's voice. Matt could probably wrap the mic stand in some noise-absorbent materials to dampen it.

[@braydenshanley7435]

Warlords and Shepherds

[@maxcap60]

vestigal

[@LifeJourney37]

Do you believe the Bible buddy 😊

[@Apathetish]

So how can we say that Christianity is the real religion when there are 2 other religions that believe in basically the same god but have their own book(s) and traditions? Are all of the people in the big 3 Judaic religions going to heaven?

[@Qenton]

So next time, presuppositional apologetics?

[@TheAaronRodgersTao]

Or,,, Jesus is the Son of God, and the people that wrote the Bible got that part right, which is the absolute most important tenant of Christianity. BUT, the rest is partly marred in human error and powerful people’s added distortions. There’s so much in the Bible I love, with Jesus being the Son my most favorite part that I hold dearest in my heart. However, there’s SO much going on in that wild Bible that makes no sense today like wearing clothing of two materials, or sitting in the wrong chair, or not having a beard (I can’t grow one). Might just be my feeble human understanding and I’m willing to entertain that idea, but there’s so much truth out there in other holy books around the world, why not God’s truth be contained in part by all of them, for all the word’s people?

[@yakovmatityahu]

Dracula story??? Read Paul's words to Timothy...in the end days people would turn their ears away from the truth(God's word) and give heed to legends(like Dracula) and would gather lots of teachers for themselves due to their itching ears.

[@root1657]

I think you completely misunderstand the video. He isn't saying that Dracula should be given heed as in believing it is true, he is totally saying that it is a work of fiction written by a known person (name of the person visible on the cover of the book he holds up). Do you take his expert use of nunchuks at the end to mean he is a ninja? (shhh, don't tell anyone....) The actual thing he is saying here is that the bible, by different lines of thought, does NOT seem to be fiction. He is showing that even while something like Dracula might be a well crafted creation of FICTION, the bible seems to be from God.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

You understand me.

[@yakovmatityahu]

@@root1657 I am just confirming the authors video that's it... with scriptures...

[@yakovmatityahu]

@@MattWhitmanTMBH thanks very much.shalom.

[@urasam2]

The bible is anything but cohesive. If it were, then there would be total agreement about what it says and there wound not be the hundreds of different denominations, sects, religions etc

[@CAT-2323]

A fellow Christian who enjoys psychological horror and ARGS! (I might be in love 😍)

[@liorlawford5096]

The Bible is pure of wisdom that even men fail to grasp fully. A mere mortal (like us) will not be able to write such thing with dedication.