Seeing as version A has degenerated into another useless debate about existance that can't be proven or disproven and away from its original point.

and seeing as the planned flip version didn't take hold for the discussion here is its thread just for its self.

Is it possible for someone to believe in the teachings of the Bible (morality and what not) with out believing that God exists.

Now remember this is not a thread for discussing wether or not it actually exists.

But wether or not its possible to follow those teachings with out believing that the characters in the book are/were real.

I believe in a lot (not all) of the teachings and principles in the New Testament, but i do not believe in Jesus as in that he is a son of the sole creator god in the way presented. I just see him as a spiritual man who has probably been dramaticized a bit over time.

Of course part of that may have to do with being raised loosely Christian. I do not believe in them because i think they are from "God" or because of some sort of threat of hell, I believe in them because i think they are beneficial and the same philosophy as my own. But I've found the same in many texts from different systems, buddhist, islamic, kabbalist, etc.

No.

Yup.

The same way I can accept and adhear to some buddhist ideas without believing in its gods. Or shamanic beliefs without devoting my life to being a medicine man. All books, and all faiths have their fair share of knowledge about the world. Though no single faith contains absolute truth. They or their Earthly servants may take the (near) truths a faith has and use it to wedge the possibility into peoples heads. With hunderds and thousands of years worth or writing, wording, and rewording concepts to back their views (read above). But in the end this only supports their angle, their perception of things. Not their grasp on any kind of absolutes or final resolve.

Higher beings and entitys that supposedly govern existence is one of the most consistent ideas floating in faiths. A key concept in what supports them, but also what separates and creates conflicts in them. I really don't care to indulge in that part of faith because of this, because this is where I feel it turns it all into one giant set of propaganda, more silver tongued serpents, and generally turning religion into just another overly complicated political debate.

So I stick with what individual lines or thoughts resonate with me. Which from day one comes from all angles and corners of the world. From all prophets and philosophers regardless of their chosen faiths conflicts with each other. As it stands too, I still find things out on my own that I later read about in books spanning across all faiths. Though I still hold to being part of none of them.

Of course. You don't need to believe that a story happened to get the moral behind it.

I believe what lollipop described are my thoughts as well.

I completely agree that you can believe in the morality of the bible with out actually taking the stories to be true. It really wouldn't make sense that you couldn't, and I think a lot of people here have previously stated that that's pretty much what they think of the bible.

I think you can believe there is (some) wisdom to be found in the Bible without believing in God or following an Abrahamic religion with its core beleifs rooted in those scriptures.
Sure it's a possibility, and it wouldn't suprise me in least if there were people that did so. Not those parts of the Bible that were arguing for the existence of God, however, but I think you govered that when you mentioned "morality and what not". I've even heard of people like Thomas Hardy, who lost his faith, who still believed in the morality within the Bible... but that's something I heard (English teacher said it) so I don't have any sources to back that up.

I heard a preacher on the radio this past sunday, and he was talking about Jesus and then started talking from a verse in Hebrews and was like...what in the world does the book of hebrews have to do with jesus? I don't know..I guess you can draw a connection with anything.

People may say what they will about the Bible, be it good, bad or in between. But there are some very wise things one can apply to thier lives, such as do unto others as you would have done unto you, judge not lest ye be judged in kind, and one of my personal favorites from the book of Proverbs, it is better to live in the wilderness than with a contentious woman.