Better a troll than someone who uncritically believes all the bullshit he has ever been told.
The problem there is that there is plenty of physical evidence. The bible thumpers went out in the early 20th century and pronounced every rock they picked up as something that some holy joe had pissed on. In 1908 science had few tools to dispute such "findings." Times have changed and not the least of it has been a century's worth of pottery findings which are now far more extensive and detailed and which allow archaeologists to circle in on times and places when such pottery was in use.
Doing C14 dating on cereal grains provides a much more specific date than a sample taken from a door frame which could have been in use for 150 years and then when you add the +/- of the test itself you end up with a 2-3 century spread of dates. But it was only in the 1990's that such precision dating became possible.
I agree it is necessary to dismiss the bible fairy tales in much the same way that scholars of English history pay no attention to Le Morte d'Arthur. But that is not to say that we cannot piece together a large-scale history of much of the region from the finds that have been made. (When I say "large scale" I mean advances/retreats of various peoples as opposed to the OT's absurd "Ahab said this" routine.)
Do you remember a few years ago when Ami Mazar, digging at Tel Rehov (ancient Beth Shean) came up with some bee hives? Right away the shitwits started with the "SEE!!!! THERE IS THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY!!!! routine. Of course, when Mazar published the site included altars to naked fertility goddesses which shut the jesus freaks up real fast.
Another good example was the Ebla library. When first found there were people shrieking about how Ebla proved the bible. 30 years of steady scholarship has dismissed such pious blather. Ebla was a Syrian town...it had nothing to do with any fucking "Hebrews."
But if you go out there you will still find xtian sites which trumpet Ebla as providing proof for their horseshit. As Aractus is demonstrating on a more or less daily basis there is little hope for those people.
Quote:What I am against is excusing the absence of physical evidence for any reason.
The problem there is that there is plenty of physical evidence. The bible thumpers went out in the early 20th century and pronounced every rock they picked up as something that some holy joe had pissed on. In 1908 science had few tools to dispute such "findings." Times have changed and not the least of it has been a century's worth of pottery findings which are now far more extensive and detailed and which allow archaeologists to circle in on times and places when such pottery was in use.
Doing C14 dating on cereal grains provides a much more specific date than a sample taken from a door frame which could have been in use for 150 years and then when you add the +/- of the test itself you end up with a 2-3 century spread of dates. But it was only in the 1990's that such precision dating became possible.
I agree it is necessary to dismiss the bible fairy tales in much the same way that scholars of English history pay no attention to Le Morte d'Arthur. But that is not to say that we cannot piece together a large-scale history of much of the region from the finds that have been made. (When I say "large scale" I mean advances/retreats of various peoples as opposed to the OT's absurd "Ahab said this" routine.)
Do you remember a few years ago when Ami Mazar, digging at Tel Rehov (ancient Beth Shean) came up with some bee hives? Right away the shitwits started with the "SEE!!!! THERE IS THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY!!!! routine. Of course, when Mazar published the site included altars to naked fertility goddesses which shut the jesus freaks up real fast.
Another good example was the Ebla library. When first found there were people shrieking about how Ebla proved the bible. 30 years of steady scholarship has dismissed such pious blather. Ebla was a Syrian town...it had nothing to do with any fucking "Hebrews."
But if you go out there you will still find xtian sites which trumpet Ebla as providing proof for their horseshit. As Aractus is demonstrating on a more or less daily basis there is little hope for those people.
