I've been talking with an atheist who believes the Bible is full of contradictions (and therefore, it is just some pulled together stories of past religions and false gods). I am not going to post what he wrote, but here is my reply:
I appreciate the response. However, these were exactly what I thought they would be which is obvious logical problems. Problems that support the idea that the Bible is not "innerant." I realize most Christians believe in the complete innerrancy of the Bible. I do not. My view is quite original, so I can't simply say "I follow this line of thinking." My view of Scripture is like my view of Jesus. Tradition teaches that Jesus was 100% human yet simultaneously 100% divine. I believe this to be true of the Bible. It is 100% the work of men with the ability to error in details and memories. I also believe it was inspired by the Spirit to pour out the truth of God in human terms (explains anthropomorphism). However, just like Jesus never sinned, the Bible never makes a moral error. That is to say, just as Jesus made mistakes in the sense of "dropping things," etc. so to does the Bible make these types of mistakes (ultimately irrelevant mistakes).
This is the website he referred me to.
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jim_meritt/bible-contradictions.html#father_of_joseph
I noticed a few of the verses were taken out of context, by the way. The writer slaps 3 verses up there which were written about 700 years apart and takes them completely out of context to say, "look, these don't match." The Bible is a human book about a divine being. We aren't divine just because he is. My view of the Bible is the application of a novel theological concept called "Spirit Christology." This is basically the idea that Jesus was purely human and was a real baby. He grew up as just a kid. However, the Spirit of God was in him. When the Son left the Father, he laid down (did not lose his power but chose to not use it) his divine power. Where you see him "knowing things" or "healing people" is actually the Spirit of God on him. Why does this matter? Well, this makes Jesus truly human. He only knows what the Spirit tells or impresses upon him. Therefore, he truly can be an example for us because he isn't just denying evil as a powerful God. He does so as every human does. The difference is his relationship with God the Father via the Spirit. The Spirit works in his life so closely that after his baptism, the Spirit does miracles and inspirers speeches. The Spirit can similarly work in our own lives.
The errors that were listed are irrelevant to this picture of Christ. They’re just historical details which don't effect the truth of God. I could argue all day about how God is true, but I know from experience that he can only be real once he is believed. Once you stop fighting the belief and actually accept him. Then, and only then, can one realize how much of life's questions become answered. How God can't be put in a box. All these logical problems are attempts to say, "God has to be THIS way." Well, that is the charge of Ludwig Andreas Feuerbach...that religion is the inverse of man. God is not forced to be any certain way. We don't create him; we serve him. We love him despite the problem of evil because we have faith that he is ultimately good.
No comments:
Post a Comment