Comment please.

Bible is a fairytale written by man to brainwashed uneducated fools

It is neither, 80% of that book was probably written by a bunch of drunks.

The Bible is the revelation to humanity of who God, Our Father, is. So the next time people be crying that God is a mystry or He has abandoned us just give them The Bible to go sit in a corner and read!

There are those before us who knew God and wrote about Him e.g. King David. The words in the Bible were written by man under God's inspiration. God inspired them to write

Natasha,,:

^you didn't have to comment on the thread

and you didn't have to comment on my comments! Mind ya business oh, I don't want any Nairalander to spoil my mood tonight .

God's the Author of the Bible, but He's used His men as writers.

work of men

Natasha,,:

It is the word of God which he made known to everyone through chosen people who were filled with the Holy spirit

Natasha, you're only 16 and belive that crap FFS wake up, its not too late. The bible was written by man!!! So was koran and other religons books. Have you ever read the bible ?? Anyway bible is a great fairytale to read and again, IT WAS WRITTEN BY MAN!!!!!!!

PAGAN 9JA:

work of men

100% agreed with you!!

Bible was a book of God subjected to revisions which included extractions, subtractions and addition by some incorrigibles. Therefore it is now book of man just like "eze goes to school" and "kole the superstar"

Just curious natasha,


How did God inspire them?

Dreams, visions and signs?


How can you ascertain that they are God's vision?

I am genuinely asking as I want further enlightenment on this inspiration.

Natasha,,:

and you are over 40 yet you reason like this of cos it was written by man BUT GOD WAS THE ONE WHO INSPIRED THE WRITERS roger that

im not 40 lol Im 18. How did God inspired them? :O

islam & christianity wer d works of 2 misleading men, unlyk their predecessing Pagan & traditional faiths which were the works of the God and nature and did not have any[i] human founders[/i].

the bible is the words of men trying to make sense of thier surroundings during a time when mankind was still very primitive

jesus was more primitive than those gentiles around him. without Great Pagan scholars lyk Artistole, Archimedes, Pythagoras, Euclid, etc we would be nowhere.

PAGAN 9JA:

jesus was more primitive than those gentiles around him. without Great Pagan scholars lyk Artistole, Archimedes, Pythagoras, Euclid, etc we would be nowhere.

True my brother I think Jesus was a genius. One of the greatest brainwashing person that ever lived. More than 2000 years after his dead, people still praise him. hahah, i really wonder if my african brother know how many africans that die in the name of God!

Rgp92:

True my brother I think Jesus was a genius. One of the greatest brainwashing person that ever lived *1. More than 2000 years after his dead, people still praise him *2. hahah, i really wonder if my african brother know how many africans that die in the name of God!

*1 >>> This is a mere assertion that needs evidence

*2 >>> people still praise Einstein, Aristotle, Newton and Darwin long after their deaths. Never mind that Darwin had some wrong notions about the driving forces of evolution

@ topic >>> It should be the word of God. Here's my thinking:

God existence is a logical a priori given the principle of cause and effect (Every effect is preceded by an independent cause) This should lead one, at least, to be a deist. But then I ask myself ? Shouldn't a cause have its attributes ? This is what I believe is the undertaking of all religions in the world (and even the scientific method). We want to find out the attributes of this being behind the universe I believe its vital to read the Bible to see that Christianity best answers this question.

Uyi Iredia:

*1 >>> This is a mere assertion that needs evidence

*2 >>> people still praise Einstein, Aristotle, Newton and Darwin long after their deaths. Never mind that Darwin had some wrong notions about the driving forces of evolution

what bro ? People praise them because of their knowledge. They did something to bring humanity forward. What have Jesus do to the human race other than reglion that have cause many war??

Rgp92:

True my brother I think Jesus was a genius. One of the greatest brainwashing person that ever lived. More than 2000 years after his dead, people still praise him. hahah, i really wonder if my african brother know how many africans that die in the name of God!

jeses and muhammad were certainlyy geniuses in brainwashing the people around them. it jus took a handful of people/disciples to brainwash the gentiles, who then went on to brainwash the rest and forcefully convert those Pagan peoples who refused to convert. The world was a much better place before the advent of christianity. it was a time when wars were fought for more sensible reasons such as land, food ,etc. there were absolutely NO RELIGOUS WARS back then. everyone worshipped their own version of the Gods and no one dared interfere or convert someone else.

because of jesus and muhammad and their wrong ideas, the very beautiful concept of religion has been shattered by their false propaganda. these days everyone fear or hate the very idea of religion. instead of instilling right faith in God, their actions are leading to a complete backfiring against religion

the Pagans might look foolish and illiterate in their approach towards God through the appreciation of his creations, what with their masquerades and nature worship,  but come to think of it,   we are wiser than all of you senseless mockers of faith. 

PAGAN 9JA:

jeses and muhammad were certainlyy geniuses in brainwashing the people around them. it jus took a handful of people/disciples to brainwash the gentiles, who then went on to brainwash the rest and forcefully convert those Pagan peoples who refused to convert. The world was a much better place before the advent of christianity. it was a time when wars were fought for more sensible reasons such as land, food ,etc. there were absolutely NO RELIGOUS WARS back then. everyone worshipped their own version of the Gods and no one dared interfere or convert someone else.

because of jesus and muhammad and their wrong ideas, the very beautiful concept of religion has been shattered by their false propaganda. these days everyone fear or hate the very idea of religion. instead of instilling right faith in God, their actions are leading to a complete backfiring against religion

the Pagans might look foolish and illiterate in their approach towards God through the appreciation of his creations, what with their masquerades and nature worship,  but come to think of it,   we are wiser than all of you senseless mockers of faith. 

couldnt agreed more brother

This thread is meant for brutish people like you, so what do you expect from a fool, than a foolish and a senseless words from a dark and empty brain. So go ahead,

Image123:

God's the Author of the Bible, but He's used His men as writers.

Where in the bible did any God say he is the author of the bible?. . . . .WHERE did any God claim authorship of the bible?. . . . After all Allah is the author of the Koran but he also used men as writers, no?. . . .How does that sound?. . . . .

njira:

The Bible is the revelation to humanity of who God, Our Father, is. So the next time people be crying that God is a mystry or He has abandoned us just give them The Bible to go sit in a corner and read!

There are those before us who knew God and wrote about Him e.g. King David. The words in the Bible were written by man under God's inspiration. God inspired them to write

And when did any God tell you personally that he inspired any body to write the bible?. . . . .Pls answer dare2think questions. . . .

so the world was much better before the advent of christainy ? wat about pagan customs like killing of twins

wat an absurd claim. first of all, the killing of twins was practiced only by the Igbo people of Onitsha (not all Igbo). second, even this can be debated because most of this information on twin killing comes from colonial and missionary sources. Third, Igbo peoples of Onitsha who might have practiced it, did so as soon as the baby took birth and was basically a living vegetable that could neither think properly or have any purpose in life. it was still not entirely developed. Fourth, Pagan religion usually say something but mean something entirely different. they say the birth of a twin brought bad luck but if you see from the point of view of the people who say so, maybe they might be right, however primitive this idea may be. twins can prove a problem later, when for example, you must have read the story by Alexandre Dumas, i.e. The man in the iron mask, wherupon when the Queen of France gives birth to a baby boy as heir to the throne, there was much rejoicing. However as soon as the King of France learns that the Queen has given birth to another twin of the heir, he becomes scared instead of excited. For he say, that with two Kings and no elder, the throne would be disputed. the two rightful heirs would then squabble against each other for the throne and finally the entire Kingdom would be in a state of civil war and foreign powers would take advantage of their situation and take over them. the name of the royal family would be in the dust and many people would have died as a result. So the King of France decides to take the simple step of killing the twin when it still cant think for itself or make descions or have a proper conscience. (however in this case, the King imprisons the twin for life, since by law, royal blood  could not be shed).

so therefore, in the same way, the people of old must have thought that twins could lead to family disputes, property disputes, dishonor and even deaths. so they culled one of the twins. that was their view on how things should work in order to simplify life. sounds brutal to you, but the direction of thinking is different in different people. it all about how you look at it.

now, the missionaries even accused the Yoruba people of twin-killing. However NOTHING COULD BE MORE UNTRUE. the Yorubas, on the other hand, revered twins. They thought of twins as bringers of good luck and very important beings The twins even acquired the status of Orisha Ibedji. The Yoruba believe that twins are the bearer of magic power and might, and need a special kind of attention from the family and the society of the village.

After birth of twins, the Ifa oracle is consulted about the health and the faith of the children. At the oracle the parents try to determine to which divinity the children should blessed. Upon the death of one of these blessed, magically powerful children (a common occurrence because child mortality is very high in Africa), as a sacrifice for the child, blood must be shed on a tree so that the child's soul can enter it, the tree must be cut, and a figure carved from it's wood. This figure has to be wrought by a carver chosen by the Ifa oracle. The carver creates a female or male (significant intimate characteristics) "Ere Ibedji", and with exception of the regional regalia of the tribe, he has plenty of freedom to create his own interpretation of the twin. There are only a few rules for proportions, the size of the head to the body, etc. In a special ritual the soul of the dead child will be transmitted to this figure. The parents of the dead child treat the figure like a living child and decorate the figure with necklaces or rings. They attend to the figure as if it was their child, they feed and wash it. The headdress will be constantly rubbed with Indigo and the body will be rubbed with red wood powder. And as a sign of dignity (in wealthy families), some Ibedji get pearl cloaks. These ceremonies should honour the decedent, to underline it's significance and to protect the family from disasters.

The death of a twin in A Yoruba household was thought of as badluck and people wanted to keep twins alive, so much so, that they carved these Ibedji idols to transfer the soul of a dead twin (natural causes) into the idol. since twins were considered to be two people with one soul and so the soul would remain intact until the death of the other twin.


Practice:

Traditionally, when twins were born, the parents would visit a Babalawo, meaning, "father of mysteries", to find out their wishes. The first of the twins to be born is traditionally named Taiyewo or Tayewo, (which means 'the first to taste the world'); this is often shortened to Taiwo, Taiye, or Taye. Kehinde, "the last to come", is the name of the last-born twin. These are what could be called "celestial" Yoruba names; names due to birth circumstances. The child after the twins is called "Idowu" regardless of the sex, a boy or a girl. "Alaba" is the one after Idowu, either a boy or a girl, which is usually followed by Oni and Ola or "Idogbe", etc.

It is said that Kehinde sends Taiyewo to check out what life is like on earth and to tell him (or her) whether it is good. Therefore, Taiyewo goes as sent by Kehinde, and becomes the first child to be born. He then communicates to Kehinde spiritually (believed to be from the way he cries) whether life is going to be good or not. The reply determines if Kehinde will be born alive or stillborn. Both return to where they came from if the reply from Taiyewo is not good enough for both of them.

The Yoruba traditionally say that Kehinde is the true elder of the twins despite being the last to be born, because he sent Taiyewo on an errand, a prerogative of one's elders in Yorubaland. Kehinde is therefore referred to as Omokehindegbegbon (which means, 'the child that came last becomes the elder'). However, the first-born twin is also sometimes referred to as Taiyelolu or Tayelolu, which is short for Omotaiyelolu and means, 'the child that came to taste life excels'.

Since in Yoruba tradition, each person is one soul in the long line of ancestral souls, twins are complex, sharing the same soul - but one of the two is thought to have the spiritual half of the soul while the other has the mortal half. Since there is no way to determine which has the mortal soul and which the spiritual soul, if one twin should die, a carving is commissioned to represent the deceased child. Only the sex and the lineal facial scarifications (if the child had any) are specified and are faithfully recreated in the carved figure. Taiyewo is believed to be mostly the quiet, calmer, and introverted of the twins, while Kehinde is mostly believed to be the extroverted one.

Ere ibeji:

As stated above, the Yoruba believe that both twins share one soul, so if one twin dies at a young age, the balance of the soul is thrown off or disturbed. The death rate of children is very high in Africa, and on account of this, a ritual is carried out to put the twins’ soul back into balance. The Ifá priest chooses a well-established carver to create a small figure that symbolizes the dead child. The carver is free to create a figure of the twin in his own image of what he felt about the twin. If both twins die, then two figures are made. The soul is then spiritually transported into the figures. These figures are called ere ibeji. Ibi means born, eji means two, and ere means sacred image. The figure remains as respected and as powerful as the person it represents. The children’s parents must treat the statue as if it were real, so it is bathed, fed, and clothed just as it would be in life. The figure is particularly special to the mother, who keeps the figure close to her bed. She rubs the figure with red wood powder to maintain the look of slickness, and she caresses the figure in a loving manner. Rituals and prayers are performed for the child’s birthday and other celebrations or festivals.

The head of the figure is associated with the child’s destiny, which measures the success or failure of the child. The size of the head is one-third the size of the body because the head is where the spirit resides. The head must be big in proportion to the rest of the body. The figure is very detailed, but it is only a symbol of the child and is not intended to be a realistic likeness but rather a resemblance of a human. The child is shown as an adult, which is common in African sculpture. The features of the child are more mature, including scarifications on the face, and full-sized bosoms on female figures. The surface of the figure is very smooth. The figure is motionless to represent discipline, serenity, and confidence. The figure is sometimes made to hold symbolic items. Shells or beads may invoke certain gods or indicate wealth.

Different Ibedji Twins:

[img]http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/176-ODO-OWA_-M-pair-(Ekiti).gif[/img]







[img]http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/hommedia.ashx?id=9631&size=Small[/img]

MORE INFORMATION ON OTHER PAGAN RITUALS PRACTICED BY OTHER TRIBES OF WEST AFRICA:

Most ethnic groups in Cameroon and Nigeria have had some kind of reaction to the birth of twins. They are considered Gifts of Gods. Twins are also often seen as a double edged sword. They are indeed gifts from Gods but also posses divine powers with the ability to harm those who cause them displeasure. The parents especially must be careful in how they treat their twin for the twins can either die or cause illness to befall those who cross them wrongly. MANY TWINS ARE SPOILED AS EVERYONE LETS THEM DO AS THEY WISH. (does this look lyk they stand a chance of being killed!!!)

Traditionally there were several rites and rituals performed when twins were born. With the introduction of christianity, these rituals were frowned upon and nearly stopped. the Grassfoelds have only really been influenced by christianity for the last 40-60 years, so many of the traditional practices are still remembered. This area is also reported to have an indigenous written language so these practices would have been carefully recorded. It has been observed in the last decade, many tradiional rituals have been revised as so many twins were actually dying! The people noticed that only when twins were treated with utmost respect and fed salt and palm oil, did they grow healthy and strong.

The Bangolan people:

In this culture the twins are are seen as children of God and a mother of twins is called a Manyi. A father of twins is called a Tanyi. It is traditional to plant two rows of plantain directly behind the house in which the twins live. The twins would also be buried in the same fashion AS A FON ( A KING), SEATED UPRIGHT ON A THRONE, but without a staff. The first twin is called 'Mumeh'and the second twin 'Ndueh'. These names are used for boys or girls. There are 6,300 to 15,000 Bangolan speakers around the village of Ndop.

The Bali People:

The Bali people have a custom of erecting a fence in front of a house where twins are born. This fence will remain in place until the twins start to walk. The intent is to ""protect the twins"" from any evil from the outside as they are magical beings and vulnerable to evil intent as infants. Two bells are placed in a room where the twins sleep and must be quietly rung befor a person enters. If they are not rung, the twins may be startled and cause unintentional harm or sickness to the person.

In Bali, when a twin dies in infancy, the body is taken far into the bush and left sitting on a rock with props to keep the twin in place. The bearers then run as fast as they can from the place without looking back.

Twins in this language are called 'Sama'for a boy and 'Nah'for a girl. Two boys are called 'Samjella'(first twin) and 'Samgwa'(second twin). For two girls, it is 'Nahjella'(first twin) and 'Nahgwa'(second twin).

The Oku Kingdom:

In the Oku tradition of the Western Grassfields, twins are highly regarded as magical beings with the ability to play tricks or even harm others if not treated appropriately. Twins are fed a mixture of ritual brown salt and oil at birth and a special ritual is performed. A mother of twins must carry a long neck calabash ( a gourd) when she goes out in public. This is corked with a dracaena plant leaf, this plant is often associated with twins in Cameroon.

Twins are not given any masks or sculptures in the Oku Kingdom but they have some traditional items. They are not given anything separately but share each ritual object. They are given a single bag, a single clay soup pot and a decorated clay wine pot. The pots are painted are painted in the middle with a large eye,black in the centre surrounded by white. Three horizontal white lines are drawn with a finger at its mouth. The white colour is made from kaolin ( a chalky white clay also known as Calabar chalk). This pot sits on a circular base of banan leaves with a garland of kefu feyin creeper tied around the mouth of the pot.

When a twin dies, it is buried as fast with two leafless neck garlands. If one is living, it is given salt and oil and the twin rite is performed. If both die before the ritual, then they are buried with no ceremony, the Oku do not believe in reincarnation and once a child is dead, it is gone. At birth, the placentas are buried in two separate but adjacent graves, if the twins die at this time, the placentas are still buried but are at the twin specialist's home while the twins are buried at the father's home.

Small reptiles and insects are considered the animals of twins, they can transform into these and must not be killed by the parents of twins.

The Kedjom:

Among the Kedjom, twins are considered to be children of God and are treated as such. The Gods are worshipped at conspicious places such as waterfalls, pools or the base of striking and unusual trees. People join at these places to feed the God on a shrine that cosists of a large, flat stone, approximately 18-24 inches in length. Planted on either side is the nkung plant, a type of dracaena. This is a fast growing green plant that remains such in times of drought. The plant seems to be associated with twins all over the Grassfields. these shrines are placed in the village at the entrance of the father of twins' compound. They are identical to the one made for Gods. If there are two boys, the shrine is placed on the right of the path leading to the compound, two girls means the shrine is on the left and one of each allows this shrine to be on either side. he plants are placed in the same position as at the God's shrine.

A striking and prominent shrine is also found within the ktichen of a twin mother. This consits of a collectioc of large and small clay pots and calabashes, a rattle and two snail shells. These are used for mixing medicine and food used by the twins, their parents, their siblings and any other parents of twins who visit.

As twins are associated with fertility, a garden space is dedicated to the twins. Parents of twins also plant two beds of plants in the centre of the farm abd a dracaena is planted on either end. the special status of these beds is marked by four corncobs tied together by the twins' mother and left at the site. the corn harvested from these beds is kept aside and used as seeds for the next year's crops.


The Nsei:

The Nsei people confine the mother and twins behind a fence for several years. When the fence is taken down, there is a great feast. A twin pot decorated with a large red spot surrounded by a black circle is put in the mother's house. This pot contains palm wine mixture with some large snail shells. This is noteworthy as generally cowri shells are used for rituals.


The Kpe of Coastal Cameroon:

These are Bantu peoples. Here, twins are considered a difficult thing and rituals are performed when a pregnancy is discovered to prevent twins (probably for the reasons stated in the prev. post).
The twins are often sickly, they are difficult to nurture and it is believed if the twin does not like the house t is born into, the it will die. Twins are welcomed if born, but are viewed with apprehension.

Twins and  first-born children dying in infancy are buried with no coffin, in mwendene leaves ( grow to large size, upto 1ft. 6in. in length), the reason for this being to prevent such children being born again. Some children are said to belong to the underworld and are born just to vex their parents by dying in infancy again and again. When such children are identified by a diviner or the parents themselves ( the parents will recognise them each time this child is born it stays for three months and the dies), to prevent this from happening, the above rite is used or in the South-West province, they will cut a limb, or finger or toe off the deceased baby so that the underworld will reject its return and it will be forced to be reborn to the parents and LIVE. One account of a girl in Kumba holds that she had been born and died five times to the same parents. They cut her left arm off just below the elbow before her final burial. The next child born to these parents was missing an arm below the left elbow. This applies to twins as they are also considered children of the underworld. This accounts for the mystical and majical powers accredited to them.


Fertility and Metalworking:

In metal working, the forge is often referred to as the body and the process of making metal like a birth. If a forge is very successful a double bloom will be produced, like twins. Smithing is generally considered a male activity although among the Gbaya, a woman born a twin, may take take up working the forge. Clearly the status of twin-ship outweighs any cultural gender roles in this case. Among the Ekonda, only smelters, hunters specialising in Elephant traps and fathers of twins may consume rhe prescrbed menu of chicken, fish, palm oil, cane rat and bananas.

In many cultures, the firing of the forge is associated with the fire it takes to make a baby. Twins are often thought of as the result of excessive firing in the uterus and therefore have excessive power. In the We cultural traditions, the firing is definitely associated with birth. When a double bloom is produces, it would then be considered that the furnace had delivered twins and then the smelters would perform the same birth celebrations as for twins, with twin dances and songs. They would slaughter a goat and the whole village would rejoice. Just as twins represent ultimate human fertility, a double blood was considered 'divine favour'to be celebrated.





All this shows that the Pagans show the highest respect to twins, a respect so profound that at times it even leads to devotion. In such a case/cases, the killing of twins can only be counted as a myth, and nothing more.

@mazaje

Where in the bible did any God say he is the author of the bible?. . . . .WHERE did any God claim authorship of the bible?. . . .

It's rare to see many books that you'd see who authored the book right inside it. You may see it often say at the back of the book or just before the contents. It's amazing, the level of paranoia some still show though despite so many internal claims in the Bible that it is the word of God, i'll give three.
Joel 1:1  The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
Jonah 1:1  Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying.
Acts 18:11  And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Then God Himself talked of His words
Jeremiah 25:13  And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
Ezekiel 3:4  And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
Zechariah 1:6  But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

After all Allah is the author of the Koran  but he also used men as writers, no?. . . .How does that sound?. . . . .

And what's the point here?

And when did any God tell you personally that he inspired any body to write the bible?.

i don't think njira mentioned that God told her anything personally, you're trying to obfuscate things 'as usual'. The Bible though mentions that all scripture is inspired.

2Timothy 3:16  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The Bible does not just contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God.

Pls answer dare2think questions

i guess you're referring to njira or perhaps natasha, let me contribute though incase.
[b]How did God inspire them?[/b]
By inspiring them na, what more do you want to hear. ok, That word 'inspiration of God' in the 2Timothy passage just quoted is 'theopneustos'. It means 'Theo'-God and 'pneu'-breath/life. That is divinely breathed into. All scripture is divinely breathed into. It means they had the special influence of God on their minds and lives that enabled them to record divine truths. Inspiration is to guarantee truth and give life, not to ensure neatness in handwriting or sameness of statement. It's similar, not equal to though, to someone under influence maybe of alcohol or drugs or a mentor or a circumstance. Something great or terrible can happen and someone composes say a song or poem, or someone can be influenced by the life or style of a sportman, or someone can think different under some induced condition. The blued is just an attempt by me to explain it to you, there are better explanations.

[b]Dreams, visions and signs?[/b]

There were different methods at different times. God ordered the writings without distorting the individuality or literary styles of the writers. What i imply is that if God Himself had done the writing, it would still have the same authority and inspiration. It's like He signed it as His.
Some words were the direct words of God e.g Matthew 3:17  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. and Deuteronomy 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.
Some words were put into the mouth of people e.g Numbers 23:5  And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. and Acts 3:21  Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Some words were written as the writers were inspired by God e.g Exodus 34:27  And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. and Revelation 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Those are examples of direct communication and vision, God spake to Joseph in a dream.
Some words were individual expressions and recollections that were breathed upon by God thereby resulting in inspiration e.g Luke 1:1-4
 God still inspires today. You might take the same song or hymn or verse, and you pray and it suddenly comes alive to you. The words make more sense as it were, gives new focus and drive, maybe someone sings it and you're so broken down or so lifted up whatever.

[b]How can you ascertain that they are God's vision?[/b]
One, is because the writers said so. The writers of the Bible were not just anybody, they were holy, righteous, sincere, honest, reliable Jews.
Two, is because Jesus endorsed it as so. Jesus freely quoted the Bible as God's Word and as scripture. You don't want to be disagreeing with Jesus if you're wise/smart eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?
Three, is because it is alive. The Word of God is alive, holy and powerful. Something is powerful when it's influencing billions of people in different countries and over centuries i think.
Many other reasons, i think that's enough for me. But to add though, they are God's Word because i see everytime that i'd be dead without them.

The Bible is not the word of God to say it is, is a symantic error rather it is more correct to say that the bible contains the INSPIRED word of God amongst the several other details that are not in themselves "sayings" of anyone one. Be that as it may though, we are always informed of the source of every information that has been chronicled and documented for us in it. Consequently, we have included in the document called the bible we have the words of God, the words of men, the words of devils even the words of an Ass or a donkey

2 Timothy 3:16
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness"

Romans 15:4
"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

2 Peter 1:20-21
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. {in old time: or, at any time}"