Chosen people .....
still have free will. The Jews were the chosen nation and a special people. They had a convenent with God that they indeed did forsake. They did so time and time again, by worshiping false Gods, killing God's prophets and leaving off from following God's law (recorded in the bible) . In the end Jesus was sent to them not to bring an end to the mosiac law but instead to fullfill it. The result was that the Jews for the most part rejected Christ message and rejected their inheritance. Thus they lost their privilaged position. Soon after that God opened the christian congregation to gentiles.
The bible has a single theme that is the same from beginning to end. This is what ties it all into one book. God's purpose for mankind is laid out in its pages.
You speak about the stories that were passed down from oral tradition. To my knowledge, Only Job and Genesis record events that were to have taken place long before they were written down. This is a very small part of the bible. Moses recorded the first five - most of which are a record of the law. If you believe the story altered by human influence then why don't the stories adopt the non-jewish religious beliefs of the surrounding nations. These religions certainly had an effect on the ancient hebrews for they kept getting themselved in trouble for false worship. If the bible was altered for political purposes then wouldn't it have become a amalgum of these ideas.
Granted many religions today have done exactly what you have said, they alter religious doctrine for the purpose of maintaining political control.
Take for example the Catholic Church, It has adopted many pagan practices for this purpose. Easter, and Christmas are just two examples.
Easter:-
The Catholic Encyclopedia tells us:"A great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring... The rabbit is a pagan symbol and has always been an emblem of fertility."---(1913), Vol. V, p.227
Christmas:-
The New Catholic Encyclopedia acknowledges: "The date of christ birth is not known. The Gospel indicate neither the day nor the month...According to the hypothesis suggested by H. Usener...and accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Christ was assigned the date of the winter solstice (December 25 in the Julian calendar, January 6 in the Egyptian), because on this day, as the sun began its return to northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the dies natalis Solis Invicti (birthday of the invincible sun). On December 25, 274, aurelian had proclaimed the sun-god principal patron of the empire and dedicated a temple to him in the campus Martius. Cristmas originated at a time when the cult of the sun was particularly strong at Rome."--(1967), Vol. III, p 656.
Despite the fact the Catholic Church adopted these pagan practices they did not alter the bible. Why not? They certainly had the ability too early on when most people could not read. The answer is simple, God did not let them do so. These PC bibles floating around are known to be altered, the people who have done this will receive their judgement in due time. "I am bearing witness to everyone that hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone makes an addition to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this scroll; and if anyone takes anything away from the words of this prophecy, God will take his portion away from the trees of life and out of the holy city, things which are written about in this scroll." (Rev. 22:18,19)
Do you really believe that God will except this type of mixed worship when he so clearly stated that he desires exclusive devotion? (Nahum 1:2) |
