"the Bible Actually Contains Lies"

[HisChildForever]

What is the Christian rebuttal to this?

 

It's a quick read, should only take about five minutes to get through - click here for the full article.

 

 

 

But good Christian scholars of the Bible, including the top Protestant and Catholic scholars of America, will tell you that the Bible is full of lies, even if they refuse to use the term. And here is the truth: Many of the books of the New Testament were written by people who lied about their identity, claiming to be a famous apostle -- Peter, Paul or James -- knowing full well they were someone else. In modern parlance, that is a lie, and a book written by someone who lies about his identity is a forgery.

 

 

And that's what such writings are. Whoever wrote the New Testament book of 2 Peter claimed to be Peter. But scholars everywhere -- except for our friends among the fundamentalists -- will tell you that there is no way on God's green earth that Peter wrote the book. Someone else wrote it claiming to be Peter. Scholars may also tell you that it was an acceptable practice in the ancient world for someone to write a book in the name of someone else. But that is where they are wrong. If you look at what ancient people actually said about the practice, you'll see that they invariably called it lying and condemned it as a deceitful practice, even in Christian circles. 2 Peter was finally accepted into the New Testament because the church fathers, centuries later, were convinced that Peter wrote it. But he didn't. Someone else did. And that someone else lied about his identity.

 

(Edit to fix quote tags.)

Edited June 1, 2013 by HisChildForever

[CatherineM]

Peter was a fisherman. We really don't know what his level of literacy was. We don't know exactly how old he was when these documents were written. After a life on the water, he might have had cataracts or just needed reading glasses. It's not hard to imagine him having an administrative assistant who might have written things for him. He might also have only begun to write down Peter's words after he died. In the beginning, they thought Jesus was coming back soon. Writing the stories down only became important when people realized the Apostles were dying and maybe Jesus wasn't coming immediately.

I have to remind doubters that the Bible isn't a history book, or a science book, a diary, or a blog. It is a theology book.

[HisChildForever]

Peter was a fisherman. We really don't know what his level of literacy was. We don't know exactly how old he was when these documents were written. After a life on the water, he might have had cataracts or just needed reading glasses. It's not hard to imagine him having an administrative assistant who might have written things for him. He might also have only begun to write down Peter's words after he died. In the beginning, they thought Jesus was coming back soon. Writing the stories down only became important when people realized the Apostles were dying and maybe Jesus wasn't coming immediately.

I have to remind doubters that the Bible isn't a history book, or a science book, a diary, or a blog. It is a theology book.

 

Thanks for this perspective!

[Guest]

Are any of the Old Testement stories even true ? Did they happen in real world history ?

Edited June 1, 2013 by Guest

[4588686]

Are any of the Old Testement stories even true ? Did they happen in real world history ?

 

 

2 Kings 2:23-24

“From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. “Go on up, you baldhead!” they said. “Go on up, you baldhead!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.”

[Guest]

Being a bald man who takes a razor to the dome everyday I'm 100 percent down with E calling this curse down on those little punks...Ride or die homie....

[cartermia]

Are any of the Old Testement stories even true ? Did they happen in real world history ?

Read the Babylon Rising series by Tim LaHaye.  It is a piece of fiction (adventure book) but Tim LaHaye is a preacher and he tries to make people understand the Bible in a different way.

[Guest]

I will have to check that it out...I think its better if the Old Testement is actually understood as fiction...I'm not saying this is the case before people start asking "why is delivery boy church militant ?!?!" lol But honestly it was when I really found out some of the stories about the old testement that I questioned the goodness of God...About all of the killing and stuff...And even rape...If these stories never even happened then in my opinion that's a good thing...It would actually strengthen peoples faith I think...Anyhow this topic is confusing for me...I don't know what I believe...Although the more I take in it seems to me that a lot of the stories in the Bible might not have actually happened....Does that make them lies though ? I don't think I would say that...Although it becomes a thin line when you are raised to believe these stories are 100 percent true...Your natural instinct when finding out that they aren't or may not be true is to say they are a lie...Especially when they are presented to you as actual world history...

Edited June 1, 2013 by Guest

[Socrates]

Try actually reading the Bible, rather than atheist websites.

[Guest]

I have read almost the whole Bible...

[Basilisa Marie]

Are any of the Old Testement stories even true ? Did they happen in real world history ?

 

The events don't have to have happened exactly as described for the text to contain truths.  What's important about Noah's story is that he and his family were faithful to God even though those around him were not, God punished those who were evil, and God made a covenant with Noah and his descendants.  Whether or not there was a giant flood that covered the ENTIRE world after raining for exactly 40 days makes no difference.  In fact, numbers are usually highly symbolic, especially in the Old Testament.  40 is usually supposed to mean "big number."  

DB, I've you've brought this topic up many, many times.  Have you ever thought about discussing it with a priest, or someone else learned in the faith in person? 

 

And for the Bible to contain lies, you'd have to prove that there's an intent to deceive from the authors.  If there's no intent to deceive, there aren't any lies.  The Bible isn't a history book or a biology book or a natural science book, and treating it like it is is a gross misinterpretation of the text.  If you want an old history book, read Tacitus or Livy.  You don't read the Old Testament.   :)

Edited June 1, 2013 by Basilisa Marie

[Guest]

I find the book of Job hard to believe....Like I find it borderline hard to believe its Divinely inspired....As well as other violent stories in the Old Testement....Note though me finding it hard to believe doesn't mean I'm saying its not Divinely inspirsed...But I guess I have doubts...

Edited June 1, 2013 by Guest

[CatherineM]

The Old Testament isn't fiction or nonfiction. It's allegory. It is oral tradition passed down, eventually written down to teach us how we should live our lives.

[Guest]

Catherine M I never said to murder abortion doctors or how I would do it in case you didn't read the other thread...You got me mixed up with someone else....Peace to you...

[Basilisa Marie]

I find the book of Job hard to believe....Like I find it borderline hard to believe its Divinely inspired....As well as other violent stories in the Old Testement....Note though me finding it hard to believe doesn't mean I'm not saying its not Divinely inspirsed...But I guess I have doubts...

 

It's definitely okay to have doubts.  If we never had doubts, having faith would be easy and everyone would do it. :)  Have you ever thought about trying to find a good study book of the Old Testament, by a Catholic author? That might help answer a lot of your questions.  Even the Jews didn't read the scriptures without help interpreting from their Rabbis.  If they didn't read them on their own, why should we expect to be able to do it? :)

 

Some scholars think Job is actually a play - like a melodrama.  All it's missing is the dame on the train tracks and a villain with a big mustache. God may not have actually made a bet with the Devil - what's important is figuring out what the story is trying to tell us about our relationship with God. Job was faithful in all things, the story tells us that we owe everything to God, and that evil doesn't happen unless God allows it.  The story tells us that God is completely in control of everything.  It also might be one person's take on why bad things happen to good people (and the story is good biblical proof to show that you can't expect only good things to happen to you if you're faithful).  

But like I said, it'd be good to go find a study book for the Old Testament written by a Catholic author.  I'd recommend one, but I can't think of one off the top of my head.