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Haven't many of these neanderthals been declaring all along that the Bible is the immutable word of God? Now they're saying "Well, God didn't mean it that way". Color me silly, but that seems to be a variation on playing God. Sheesh.

Birdie if you look back in our archives of ponderings on subject,there has been many putting there two cents in.
maybe those wanting a change in the Bible are more self serving bastards that need better control of their flocks.

All this is nothing compared to the ruckus that will follow detection of life elsewhere in the Cosmos. The Vatican of the Catholic Church, interestingly, says that discovery of life and civilizations beyond our solar system is not incompatible with their interpretation of the Bible. And, they put their money where their mouth is. The Vatican is a major financial supporter of the LBT (Large Binocular Telescope), the 900 inch telescope in Arizona.

How soon could that discovery come? As we speak, the LBT could be confirming life on Gliese 581 d 20.3 light years away.

I believe the Bible....The King James version....yes I feel sure that parts of it has been changed...if for no other reason than people may have interpreted it wrong.....But....I do believe that God created this earth and everything in it...I think He is able to keep in tact all that we really need to know. I have enough faith to believe He can do that.

annieoak: "The King James version....yes I feel sure that parts of it has been changed...if for no other reason than people may have interpreted it wrong....."

How do you know which parts those are and how they've been misinterpreted?

the bible is nothing more than another reference book in my opinion...it was written by men.

God/Goddess is not some 'supernatural being' out there somewhere in the ethers that has a plan and will make things happen or not...God (for lack of a better word) is the divine essence of who we are. Jesus was an example of the ultimate expression of this in human form. I believe we are spiritual beings having a human experience, not the other way around. I think we have been conditioned to think in limited terms. The bible is one of the things that has been used to keep people in that limitation---of course, this is my opinion. It can be interpreted on a metaphysical level as opposed to literally. IMO this is how it is meant to be viewed--makes much more sense to me that way.

As for life on other planets, parallel universes, etc...it is completely reasonable to assume this exists. To think that we are "it" seems exceedingly arrogant and juvenile to me.

In this week's Parsha (portion)  וַיֵּרָא Vayeira (appeared) Genesis Chapter 18 view link

"(I) am but dust and ashes." (18:27) Abraham while humbly acknowledging his own mortality, still has the "chutzpah" (audacity) to question HaShem (The Name). He "handels" (bargains) with HaShem over the fate of Sodom "Will YOU destroy the city for lack of five?" (18:28)

Later we read "Akeidat Yitzchak" (the Binding of Isaac) - which we also read on Rosh Hashanah - Genesis Chapter 22 view link

What I find so remarkable is that in the first part of this Parsha, we have a very audacious Abraham questioning HaShem over the fate of an evil city and in the last part he is an obedient mortal just following the outrageous order to murder his own son. Why does he not question HaShem about this?

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There are many ways to read the bible. For me, I read the same parsha every year, and I always seem to come up with something new each time.

It does not surprise me that the Catholic Church would say that life on other planets is contrary to the bible. How long did it take the Church to acknowledge that the earth wasn't really flat, after scientific fact proved otherwise?

The bible is a book of stories...

Fictional tale about a sugar daddy who lives in the sky.. Does sound comforting?

With all the revisions made to it throughout history, it is probably unrecognizable in its current form. So I don't take anything from it literally. Those who cite chapter and verse to me inspire a big yawn and a strange sudden case of deafness.