Does the Bible Contradict Itself?

[spockrates]

[I'd say that you both make a good point, and either of you might be correct. The texts are simply too ambiguous to say either way. Perhaps you should both agree to disagree on this one?

Yes perhaps you're right Spockrates, it is getting down to nit picking and "angels on a pinhead" territory. I have enjoyed this thread and learning about (what some people say are) biblical contradictions.

From my atheist viewpoint, what I see is that christians who make a presupposition of the existence of god defend "their" bible against charges of not being the word of God using some quite imaginative reasoning to "shoehorn" the conclusion of inerrancy into their thinking.

On the other hand I could be charged with only being interested in nay-saying the bible because I have a presupposition that there is no evidence to suggest it is anything other than an ancient book written by ancient and fallible men.

In other words I'm don't believe in God, but others do - we sort of knew this already.

Regards

Grimesy

Incidentally, I have just finished watching all the Star Trek films in order, finishing with the latest re-tread version. Brilliant !! The Star Trek universe is heaven for some atheists.

Yes Grimesy, Star Trek 2009 is an excellent film! Looking forward to the sequel, which I believe is coming out later this year. For a kick, you might try watching the 52 episodes of the original TV show online. Much of the humor and character development has its origin in that series. Hulu.com offers this, as do some other websites.

Regarding contradictions, errors and ambiguities of the biblical texts, I actually find it fascinating there are not more, considering that the Bible is not one book, but more than 60. It was written by more than 40 authors, of different backgrounds, living in different nations, over a period of thousands of years. I mean, put 40 scientists in a room, and you're likely to witness some lively arguments about String Theory, or some other hot topic. Use a time machine to gather scientists from different centuries and ask them a question on a hot topic, I doubt there would be much agreement among them!

Such disagreements, for the most part, seem absent from the Bible. Sure, Luke might have thought that Jesus' last words were different from what John, who witnessed the crucifixion knew them to be, but John never disagrees with Luke that Jesus said what Luke quoted him as saying. So I'm thinking that the flaws examined so far in our investigation are not so great as to give a believer good reason to doubt that Jesus said, or did anything these authors claim he said or did. I suppose they don't give any person who has already decided to not believe any good reason to change her mind either.

Perhaps the Bible alone is not enough to cause one to decide either way. But I hope that those of us who have already made their decisions have a greater appreciation for those who have made the opposite decision. I hope we agree there are thoughtful and reasonable people on both sides of the question, even if we think they're mistaken!