What If The Bible Were Written Today

By K. C. Boone, MSFE

God’s teachings were given to me quickly in five books, of which this is book two. This book offers an exploration of how our beliefs may be antiquated and in need of updating.

Generally, we either take the Bible at face value or pick out the parts that suit our purposes. Reading the Bible, time and again, brings to light that much has changed in our world since its words were originally written. Seldom do we realize that the words were either passed down verbally or at least filtered through the authors who actually put the words in writing.

The Bible is certainly the greatest document of all times. This is without question, yet it does offer an outdated view of society and does greatly offer a somewhat menacing portrayal of God. God wishes for us to have a more personal relationship with Him. If our basis of respect is purely fear, then we will not allow ourselves to freely go to God and explore all that He has to offer.

God is only love, not the judgmental and vengeful God, as is often portrayed in the Bible. If we fear God, we will never know God. If we hold fast to our fear-based Biblical teachings, we will never know the true magnificence of God or ourselves.

We must reconsider our understandings about God and all things spiritual, including ourselves. Spiritual mastery is almost impossible if we are unable to open our minds to the vastness of God’s loving potential.

• Language: English
• Publisher: K. C. Boone, MSFE
• Release date: Feb 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781939634207

K. C. Boone, MSFE

The Scribe Described This scribe did not intend to be, yet was somehow chosen. Destiny played its part, shifting me to we, from I to all. I have always had a great curiosity about God and had studied much on the subject, but my primary focus was my career. Learning about God took on a new twist when God inspired me to write the words heard. “Hearing” is not how the words actually come, for it is more of a “knowing.” When the mind is quieted, the emptiness is filled with inspired knowledge. I write as and when instructed, either with pen or keyboard. The vehicle does not matter, but the content is to be kept sacred. Always, I understand that I must keep the sanctity of the gift given. Regardless of my own judgments about the content, I understood that the content is not about or for me. The content is to be presented as received, for the benefit of those seeking to have their questions answered. I cannot profess to be specially qualified, except that I am able to simply bring the words received to print. My credentials really do not offer credence to the work, except that they are verifiable and do demonstrate the normality of my life. I do hold degrees in accounting and education and have thirty years business experience.

Book preview

WHAT IF THE BIBLE WERE WRITTEN TODAY

2000 Years of Change

Book Two

Copyright: 2003

By: K. C. Boone, MSFE

Publisher: The Scribed Light

ISBN: 978-1-939634-20-7

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced in any form, except for inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Ten Commandments

Chapter 2 - The Golden Rule

Chapter 3 - Spiritual Rendition

Chapter 4 - Spiritual Beings

Chapter 5 - Meditation

Chapter 6 - Dealing With What You Are Dealt

Chapter 7 - Choices

Chapter 8 - God's Work

Chapter 9 - Soul's Desires

Chapter 10 - Life's Purpose

Chapter 11 - A Loving Bible

Chapter 12 - Things To Avoid

Chapter 13 - Personal Relationships

Chapter 14 - Free Will

Chapter 15 - God's Love

Chapter 16 - Would You Read It

Conclusion

Bibliography

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Ms. Caler. She was an inspiration to all who were lucky enough to know her. I was blessed indeed to have her call me friend.

Acknowledgment

To the countless others who have walked before me and have inspired me with their writings. God does work in mysterious ways, as it would seem at first. Almost without notice, the perfect books have come to me at just the perfect times. The availability of written resources has made my journey one of hope and inspiration. The student of God is given exactly what he/she needs at exactly the right time.

There are far too many to list and certainly my list of life references is not the same as yours. Allow God to guide you to the perfect learning tools and you will be aware of God’s constant interactions in your life. Yours is a personal journey and should be traveled at your perfect pace. God will lead you to where you shall go.

Introduction

Even text books need updating, so why should the BIBLE be any different? More recent examples of miracles and Saints would put things into a better perspective for us. How can we relate to things that happened a zillion years ago? Sure, the BIBLE, as it is written, will remain forever the greatest document of all times and this will probably never change. I don’t know that anyone, except scholars, question the validity of the current translations of the BIBLE – we just accept them blindly as the Word of God. We either forget or don’t know that changes/deletions were made previously.

Has anyone seen the tablets on which the Ten Commandments are written? No, but the movie RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was an awesome depiction of the search for them. Did anyone ever think that perhaps, after all those years, the tablets would have turned to dust? Hmmm, that really was a brilliant thought, which had never crossed my mind. What of the other documents from which our current BIBLE is taken?

Has anyone ever seen the complete original BIBLE? No, nor will you ever. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, was a great find and did offer enlightenment to the people of this century. Consider that the BIBLE was written as an evolving history book, most of which was based on stories passed down over the centuries. Let’s consider that Adam and Eve probably didn’t keep diaries of their daily thoughts and activities, so how do we know if the apple story even happened? We simply trust what is written. Having never seen Noah’s Ark, how do we know that it really existed or that the story is not just a wives’ tale passed down through the generations?

Geologists believe that a great flood did happen based on soil and fossil examinations. Almost everyone believes that the Ice Age happened, but it was never mentioned in the BIBLE. Why the disparity – why include one huge event and not the other? Why even care if either happened? We sit and ponder things that we may never be able to answer, so why not move along.

If you look at the Big Picture, there really is very little on which we base our faith and lives. God hasn’t really given us very much on which to stand. Think of all the books and documents produced, yet the BIBLE is one simple book that you can hold in one hand. It is the most respected document of all times. Wow, talk about verbal efficiency.

If we took the BIBLE and replaced old stories with new ones, which accurately reflect the concepts conveyed by the original, then would the BIBLE be more or less effective? Take the major Biblical players, such as Jesus. Ok, so He would be one that couldn’t be modernized as He is a one of a kind. The other players, such as the Apostles – could they be modernized? I think so. What about them individually? If we consider the characteristics of each, we can see that they are much like people we know today.

Clearly, the Apostles were ordinary folks like us who were given the unbelievable opportunity to be in the presence of and learn from the greatest teacher of all time. Which Apostle would you most emulate? Please don’t let your dilutions of grandeur cause you to liken yourself to Christ Himself. We don’t want to make ourselves feel too good and have to uphold such high standards, or do we? It should always be our goal to be the best that we can be, so having such a great role model can never do us any harm. The latest trend to inspire us to behave more appropriately is to ask, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? You’ve seen the bracelets, bumper stickers, etc. What an innovative concept which is such a simple message and with such great ramifications. If everyone acted as if they were Jesus, would not the world be a better place?

As I can aspire to be the greatest basketball player of all time, I do realize that I never will be, barring an extreme physically transforming miracle. I realize that Jesus was in a league of His own, so I won’t kid myself into thinking that I can be as forgiving and kind as He. I can learn by His example and live my life by simple rules of humanity which will benefit me and those around me. There’s certainly no harm in that, or is there?

What if I decide that I will not store up worldly possessions and will wonder the towns as Jesus did? Have you ever seen one of those Jesus look-alikes walking beside the road carrying a cross and apparently talking to himself? Your immediate thought is, There’s one of those Jesus freaks. What does he think he is accomplishing – granted, we respect his right to follow his beliefs, but do we stop to talk to him and perhaps glean some pearls of wisdom from someone of such conviction? No, you speed up the car and get away from the crazy person. You are absolutely sure that the person has slipped over the proverbial edge and is two steps away from being institutionalized. What if Jesus walked the streets today? How long would it be before He would be taken away to a padded cell? Can’t you just see it now – the headlines read, He says he’s Jesus, but is schizophrenic.

He would be discredited so fast that it would make your head spin. So, would Jesus, like the BIBLE, need an update if He were walking the streets today? I’m sure, so let’s ponder what the Jesus of today would need to appear as. Hmmm, Wall Street broker - not. Business tycoon - no. Biblical scholar - maybe, but how many of these do you know? Genius - the world would have a hard time relating to His concepts. Common person as He was previously, I’m not sure. If He went on TV and announced that He is Jesus, oh, how quickly would He be laughed off the air. How would He best be portrayed today for maximum effectiveness?

In our skeptical times, no one is held with such esteem as to command the respect given to Jesus. I’m not even sure that it is possible today for one person to make such an impact. I can’t even imagine such a person who could command the respect of people today. I guess, if we look back, Jesus didn’t get much respect during His own time, so why would today be any different? What would it take for you to be impressed if Jesus were alive today?

What are recent examples of Job, Moses, Abraham, etc. like persons? Surely, persons so influential may not be possible during our times, but we can find examples which portray enough likeness to be convincing.

There are people today who have made tremendous contributions to society. One of my favorite examples is Bill Gates – not that he is an example of great humanity or religion, but he has made a profound impact on the world. Mother Teresa, another of my favorites, did make a great impact on the world with her kindness and simplicity. There are great people alive today who can offer us great inspiration. There are people today who have made tremendous impacts on the world in a less than positive light. But each have, regardless of motives, been able to change the world and its history. The fact that I’m typing this in a Bill Gate’s Windows program inspired by thoughts offered by Mother Teresa is evidence of their contributions to society. What Biblical persons could these two portray?

Hitler, Castro, and Hussein are but some examples of those who have evidenced greed and can surely be equated to Biblical persons. Not all leaders in the BIBLE were of a kind and gentle nature. The old saying that history repeats itself is true in relation to the BIBLE. Do we ever get any smarter and do we ever learn from our mistakes? Apparently not, as we just keep falling into the same old habits. Should the world not have been more astute than to allow Hitler to run rampant in Europe? Really, did we not know better at the time? Even in the 21st century, we allow the same things to happen as did in Biblical times. Why can we not seem to learn?

So, the lessons of the BIBLE can be relative today. So, why do we not allow ourselves a more modern version, which will further bring the light to more masses than ever? Why do we hold onto customs and teachings from eras long gone which are surely not relevant to us? The Jewish customs are deeply rooted in history and are held in the highest regard. But, does celebrating Passover really help us today? Could we not better serve our purposes by celebrating the miracles of today? We pretend as if miracles are not still happening today. Take a moment and look at all of the miracles around us which are far greater in comparison to the scope of the event known as Passover. Do we prefer to celebrate the past rather than the present? Why do we hold so tightly to the past and ignore the present?

Heritage is important, but is it as important as we think? People spend countless hours searching for their roots, while losing sight that they and what they do now are the roots of others in the generations to come. Does anyone ever think about what their future relatives will think of them when they look back? Do we consider the mark that we are leaving or do we choose to focus on the past? Would we not be more wise to concentrate on the present, so that we can affect the future and hopefully make things better for the others to follow? We simply see our history as more important than our present and lose sight of us and our possible contributions to the future.

And no, I’m not bashing those who appreciate the past and choose to follow years of tradition. Realizing that we cannot change the past, should we not be more future oriented? If the BIBLE were written today, would it serve the past or the future? Think ahead. The movie PAY IT FORWARD was very insightful and did offer a great perspective on this issue. Look to the future and the possible benefits of an updated BIBLE with lessons learned from the recent past.

The scholars would go nuts trying to figure out what should be included. All religions would be arguing over the importance of rituals and traditions. Everyone would be out to get their views included, as we all believe that our way is the right way. What if the BIBLE were written in accordance with the concepts conveyed in CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD, that God is only love? Hmmm, now that would indeed give us reason to put on our thinking caps.

If you take the simplest concepts conveyed and put them into a format of easy to follow instructions, would this not be more effective than to expound limitlessly on the examples and issues raised? Think about the simplicity of the Ten Commandments. If everyone followed these simple rules, would not the world be a better place? We seek always to complicate and explain when so little is required. We want God to be more complicated than He really is. We envision the majesty of Him and just know that only an extremely complicated document can represent the Almighty.

How many people do we fail to attract due to the complexity of our conveyances? Using words like conveyances seems cool, but may cause some to scratch their heads and wonder what is really meant. Like math, there are many ways to get the message across, with some being very complicated and some being very simple. The success of the DUMMIES books indicates this concept to be very true. Have you ever decided to buy a book about a computer program? The books are usually very large, and I have never been able to get through even one chapter. There’s a lot of wasted paper in all those programming books. Ick – talk about a perfect alternative to sleeping pills. We choose to be so pretentious that we forget that our message can just as easily be conveyed using the simplicity offered in the Ten Commandments. One of my college English teachers once said, It is better to use a two letter word correctly than a fifteen letter word incorrectly. We should take the hint. Is it not better to write for the understanding of many than to write to impress scholars? If you truly want to change the world, use God’s example of simplicity - the Ten Commandments.

Chapter 1 - Ten Commandments

Let’s take a minute to look back at the only words written by God, the Ten Commandments:

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before thee.

2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt