Determining a book's truth.

What do you mean by true? Is every word chosen by God?

Sophisticated reasoning there. This means all creation stories must be from God (and true) since no one was there to record it. The bible stories are borrowed myths from Gilgamesh. Was Gilgamesh "from God".

A city of the same name rebuilt in the same location does mean the same city.Furether the prophecy claims Nebuchadnezzar specifically which did not happen. This refers to a physical geographic location not some essence of Tyre as no city maintains its essence thru the ages and inevitable conquest.Interesting even the NT refers to Tyre in several places. What do you mean by "near"?But moving right along there are other problems in Ezekiel such as... Any thoughts on this prophecy?

Agreed the city was besieged and taken numerous times thru history as most (all) ancient cities. However, there is a city today in the same place as the ancient city. Please explain different location and I will stop. Here is a good aerial map of Tyre showing the mainland and island part of the city...Account SuspendedI can understand why you want to move on from this but you are hanging on to this "different location" and some testimony of a friend of a cousin. The prophecy states Nebuchadnezzar was to destroy the City not someone else over 2 centuries later. This a failure of the prophecy.Concerning Egypt... Not safe at all. The prophecy is specifically against the Pharaoh, king of Egypt. The Pharaoh's are long gone and people of Egypt have been mostly replaced with another people.

Look this is not some artist rendering or simulation but a aerial image of the city of Tyre. The causeway that Alexander built is now expanded so that the Island city of Tyre is a peninsula.http://www.earthspots.com/ExploreEarthSpot.php?NID=1211&MT=1 You most certainly have been deceived!There is no more island of Tyre! If you can find any information that it is not then please present it and overturn all that we have shown you. Please scan and post your photo. I will humbly capitulate if you can show this to be true. Psalm this point is not really debatable. Do your own research. You are really proving the point I often argue - personal testimony is not reliable.

Psalms the whole philosophy of the Bible is contradiction with itself.Apologists have been working overtime for centuries to explain a way the numerous contradictions, typos, redacted and merged stories, obvious later additions, and opposing philosophies. You now have the internet to quickly look up and find these long and often unsatisfying "explanations" why, for example, Matthew clearly misquotes the OT scriptures in several places.In general and higher level terms, the Bible is contradictory in major themes of philosophy and clearly demonstrates an evolution of thought over its length of composition.As an example, consider the "evolution" of the major features of the Christianity such as salvation and its relationship with heaven and hell.In the OT these ideas are pretty murky and not well developed. In the OT, salvation was the saving from the troubles of this worldly life such as from mortal enemies, foreign domination or poverty and famine. In the NT, the concept changed to mean salvation from eternal condemnation and suffering. A very significant shift in philosophy on a fundamental issue.In the OT, paradise is a lush garden. In the NT heaven is remodeled, and is described as being paved in gold with walls of gemstones. This most likely reflects the transition of the prevailing culture from an agricultural to urban existence.In the OT, hell is not defined. There is mention of "the grave", "the realm of death", a dark gloomy place of the underworld; but pain and punishment is not associated with hell. In concept the OT view of hell of the afterlife is very similar to the Greek vision of Hades. Now in the NT we have a newly outfitted hell with lakes of fire and gnashing of teeth. Hell is now specifically a place of punishment, a staggering and monumental, if not inventive shift, in philosophy.These ideas evolved because extreme reward and punishment are very good recruiting tools and have durable value for specifically that reason.These philosophical transformations are so radical that I believe they are themselves contradictions. Consider also:

Love your neighbor (in the context of your fellow male Hebrew tribal member) and kill and vanquish your enemy as opposed to love your enemy and turn the other cheek.

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Salvation by works or faith - take your pick, there is definite support for each.

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Wealth and prosperity in the OT is a good thing as a reward for the righteous. Contrast this with Jesus who repeatedly emphasized not laying up treasures in this world and gave specific teachings on the snares and evils of wealth/possessions and value of giving all away.

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The position and value of women in society and in the spiritual realm.

Yup Matthew does misquote. So for those looking for a contradiction and maybe a clue that the Bible is not "God Breathed" or inerrant there it is. The concept of hell as punishment, with all the accessories, and eternal suffering is very well supported by the NT alone (outside of Revelations). We also can't blame Constantine for this one. There are numerous and vivid descriptions of Hell in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.The major point is this... The ideas of Salvation, Heaven and Hell morphed or evolved over the time period of the writings of the Bible. These are memes, if you will, that have durability because they are successful marketing tools and capture the imagination. Successful concepts for conversion of the unwitting maybe, but a very obvious clue that the Bible is not Godly inspired. To claim that the Bible is God thoughts is blasphemy. I dunno, I suspect that you are not an adulterer or a murderer? David was. Well this is hardly a fact.However this is yet another contradiction. The text of the OT clearly says Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven" A good point I suppose, but the Bible is not clear! We can argue all day long with scripture and counter-scripture. The fact that we can debate this or faith/works or others features of the religion is proof in itself that the Bible is inconsistent message!The Bible is exactly the result of what one would expect of various authors writing about "spiritual" things that you cannot measure - each has their own bent, bias and predilections . Edited by iceage, : No reason given.

There are several. But the clearest is where Matthew incorrectly attributes a prophecy by Zechariah to Jeremiah...

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Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value
  —Matthew 27:9

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While it sure looks like he was off a prophet or two and was referring to Zechariah....

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And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
  —Zechariah 11:12-13

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An easy mistake as Matthew did not have Google to help out That is a possibility. However this raises more problems than it solves. Christians often claim the sacredness of the OT because the Apostles and Jesus referred to it on many occasions. If the NT references other missing works then this implies that the Bible is incomplete. Look'm up - lake of fire, hell fire and unquenchable fire, very graphic. A contradiction that solves another contradiction. I like it Sure let's examine that thought

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suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

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If it said "into the heavens" I may buy that explanation. Yes, maybe all the Bible interpreters got it wrong and confused. Unless someone can show otherwise, I will take the interpretation given literally. To say he was just being transported via air mail sounds very contrived and out of character. No no no, the writings in the bible are not consistent! That is whole point.The ideas I mentioned are explicitly and literally based on the "writings in the bible" - not traditions. Or are you saying the "writings in the bible" are based on tradition? If so, thank you we agree. No it is not.The best evidence that it is not clear, is the 1001 Christian denominations that adamantly hold they have the right doctrine all backed up by ... "scripture" of course, and led by the spirit. When I was child I read the bible with the preconceived notion that it was true and word of God. When I became an adult and became more aware about the universe, other religions and philosophies and human nature the true message of the bible was obvious.

First note that when it comes to religion, emotion is much stronger and persuasive than reason.So what you find incredulous is a bit more comprehensible when you read the accounts of intelligent and sane people committing group suicide in order to catch a spaceship on the far side of a comet (ie Heaven’s Gate).Or even better read the account of Jim Jones where a large number of people died (both suicide and murder) for a leader that had *many* obvious and well known faults.Jim Jones - WikipediaThese people died and even worse, killed friends and family members, for something that was knowingly false.Second, I am assuming that you are referring to the apostles. What reliable sources do you have on the fate of the apostles?BTW it sounds like you have been reading Josh McDowell. I remember reading his books when I was younger. I was at first excited but quickly became disappointed with circular reasoning, false dichotomies, logical strawmen, omitted and contrived evidence, etc.Edited by iceage, : No reason given.