My change to Atheism from Christianity (I'm 14)

[Justtristo]

Your opinion may be that the reliability of the bible is a non-issue. Your opinions unfortunately do not have the power to shape factual reality. The idea that internal consistency (a quality which the bible does not possess, no matter how many times one might say that it does) even implies veracity would make the Twilight series of books an accurate representation of reality. They present us with a consistent narrative, there are millions of "well preserved" copies, all of which match word for word.

I agree fully with you about the bible's internal consistency (lack therefore) and also it's contradictory nature. I was just stating that as far as possible for ancient texts the Bible preserved what the original authors (plus later editors to a minor degree) wrote in the first place. Also I was evaluating the bible as an ancient literary work like for say Julius Caesar's The Gallic Wars.

---

You live under the delusion that there are not Archeologists who believe in the Bible, you also seem to ignore the fact that National Geographic had an entire series a few years ago supporting the historical accounts in the Bible, they are hardly a Christian organization. So you just resort to calling me names, which is one reason I was so shocked to find out you were so old. Act like it for once.

One should never rely on documentaries if you want to know say how historically accurate The Old Testament among other things. Much better sources would be works by legitimate archeologists, who have had their findings published in peer reviewed journals.

---

Then, I'll offer this one: Dever does a great job demolishing the fucking Conquest story.

http://books.google.com/books/about/Who_...kbUkKeqcoC

This book addresses one of the most timely and urgent topics in archaeology and biblical studies -- the origins of early Israel. For centuries the Western tradition has traced its beginnings back to ancient Israel, but recently some historians and archaeologists have questioned the reality of Israel as it is described in biblical literature. In "Who Were the Early Israelites and Where Did They Come From?" William Dever explores the continuing controversies regarding the true nature of ancient Israel and presents the archaeological evidence for assessing the accuracy of the well-known Bible stories.

While it is news for the lay public, biblical archeologists have known about the doubtful historicity of the exodus, the conquest and the united kingdom of Israel for some time now. Since the Bible is supposed be one of the most important pieces of Western literature, you would expect more reporting of the findings of contemporary biblical archeology.