Christians: Can you see why atheists don't buy this stuff?

[vorlon13]

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Yeah. That would be weird.  

Thanks for your reply. Really, I think it's pretty dangerous to take any book as absolutely true and beyond questioning. I mean, I could produce documentation of Christian cults for whom abuse of their members was justified by Biblical passages, but I don't think those instances apply to mainstream Christians. But take any book... say Plato's Republic... a favorite of mine. If you read the book and try to unearth the nugget of moral truth within, it will serve as a great benefit. But to literally follow it as if it were unquestionable truth would be horrible.

I know that Methodists don't push the idea of inerrancy. One of the main reasons for their doing that is that they feel the different books of the Bible are better understood in context. And that's true of any piece of writing. To understand it in context is to better understand it--period.

The problem I have is that I've known fully grown adults who have repeated the claim that everything in the Bible is true, but hadn't really considered or given much thought to the fact that the Bible was written and compiled by people throughout history. There are people who literally think that God wrote it himself. It wouldn't be such a problem for me if so many people who "believe every word" of scripture weren't so malinformed.

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I do believe in Biblical inerrancy, however; I am not without error.   Which is where I think that some go wrong. Your video makes me think of the quote from Augustine that “you should never judge a philosophy by it’s abuse”. As well as the academic principle of charity. That is that you should contend with the best possible version of an argument, and not judge an idea by some crazy or extreme adherent.

(emphasis mine)

Asserting the Bible is inerrant is heresy:

2 Chronicles 18  (KJV)
22 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.

Jeremiah 8  (KJV)
8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

Ezekiel 14 (KJV)
9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

The Bible itself contains errors, deliberately dictated by the Lord God Almighty.