Does The Bible Contain Errors And Contradictions

TagliatelliMonster said:

What about the millions of christians who deconverted from christianity after studying the bible?

They don't count I bet?

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I know a lot of atheists on this forum and from previous forums I have posted on. With very few exceptions, all of those atheists were raised as Christians.

I would say the the primary reason for atheism in the Western world is Christianity and the Bible.
I would most likely be an agnostic if I had not become a Baha'i. Either that of I'd be a deist.

Charles Philips said:

The Holy Bible has proven to be the Word of God, to every single One of Gods Elect Saints as we have a personal relationship with the Living God. It is foolishness to the rest of humanity as God has hidden the truth from them

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So you can't prove it.

Surprise.

TagliatelliMonster said:

What about the millions of christians who deconverted from christianity after studying the bible?

They don't count I bet?

Or the millions of both christians and non-christians who became muslims after studying the quran? They also don't count I bet?
Personal testimony is only "convincing" when you can use them to support your case, I bet?

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I predict a No True Scotsman in your future

Charles Philips said:

It's evident you're not aware of the conspiracy to destroy Gods Word

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I believe reality is God’s word and cannot therefore be destroyed. The Bible is just a book.

Charles Philips said:

With all due respect, there are about 8 billion private opinions out there, all competing for attention, while opposing each other. It's a sea of confusion with ships full of fools on it

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That sea of confusion is exactly what Baha'u'llah said we would see in these latter days and He stated it a lot better than I can.

“As to the words—“Immediately after the oppression of those days”—they refer to the time when men shall become oppressed and afflicted, the time when the lingering traces of the Sun of Truth and the fruit of the Tree of knowledge and wisdom will have vanished from the midst of men, when the reins of mankind will have fallen into the grasp of the foolish and ignorant, when the portals of divine unity and understanding—the essential and highest purpose in creation—will have been closed, when certain knowledge will have given way to idle fancy, and corruption will have usurped the station of righteousness………

What “oppression” is greater than that which hath been recounted? What “oppression” is more grievous than that a soul seeking the truth, and wishing to attain unto the knowledge of God, should know not where to go for it and from whom to seek it? For opinions have sorely differed, and the ways unto the attainment of God have multiplied. This “oppression” is the essential feature of every Revelation. Unless it cometh to pass, the Sun of Truth will not be made manifest. For the break of the morn of divine guidance must needs follow the darkness of the night of error. For this reason, in all chronicles and traditions reference hath been made unto these things, namely that iniquity shall cover the surface of the earth and darkness shall envelop mankind. As the traditions referred to are well known, and as the purpose of this servant is to be brief, He will refrain from quoting the text of these traditions.”
The Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 29, 31-32

McBell said:

I am not about to delve into your claim denialism.

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Nor am I, but I will post the difference between a belief and a claim because I have it handy, saved in a Word document.

I make no claims. I only state what I believe. Baha'u'llah made the claims and I believe His claims.

Claim: state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof.
claim means - Google Search

Claim: to say that something is true or is a fact, although you cannot prove it and other people might not believe it: claim

Belief:
1. an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
"his belief in the value of hard work"

2. trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.
"a belief in democratic politics"
https://www.google.com/search

Belief:
the feeling of being certain that something exists or is true:
His belief in God gave him hope during difficult times.
Recent scandals have shaken many people's belief in (= caused people to have doubts about) politicians.
belief

An acceptance that my belief is true is not a claim that it is true.
I believe that my belief is true. I never claimed that my belief is true.

As nouns the difference between claim and belief is that claim is a demand of ownership made for something (eg claim ownership, claim victory) while belief is mental acceptance of a claim as truth regardless of supporting or contrary empirical evidence.

What is the difference between claim and belief? | WikiDiff

Baha'u'llah made a claim to be a Messenger of God so he claimed ownership of the title Messenger of God.
I believe His claims but I am making no claims because I have nothing to claim.

McBell said:

Yes.
You claim the god they describe does not exist.

But at least you admit it is based solely on your own personal beliefs.
I can respect that.

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I do not claim it, I believe it. A belief is not a claim, not unless one is claiming that what they believe is true.
I am not claiming that what I believe is true, I am saying that "I believe it is true."

SkepticThinker said:

So you can't prove it.

Surprise.

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He said "The Holy Bible has proven to be the Word of God," but he doesn't say how that was proven.

Surprise.

Trailblazer said:

Nor am I, but I will post the difference between a belief and a claim because I have it handy, saved in a Word document.

I make no claims. I only state what I believe. Baha'u'llah made the claims and I believe His claims.

Claim: state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof.
claim means - Google Search

Claim: to say that something is true or is a fact, although you cannot prove it and other people might not believe it: claim

Belief:
1. an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
"his belief in the value of hard work"

2. trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.
"a belief in democratic politics"
https://www.google.com/search

Belief:
the feeling of being certain that something exists or is true:
His belief in God gave him hope during difficult times.
Recent scandals have shaken many people's belief in (= caused people to have doubts about) politicians.
belief

An acceptance that my belief is true is not a claim that it is true.
I believe that my belief is true. I never claimed that my belief is true.

As nouns the difference between claim and belief is that claim is a demand of ownership made for something (eg claim ownership, claim victory) while belief is mental acceptance of a claim as truth regardless of supporting or contrary empirical evidence.
What is the difference between claim and belief? | WikiDiff

Baha'u'llah made a claim to be a Messenger of God so he claimed ownership of the title Messenger of God.
I believe His claims but I am making no claims because I have nothing to claim.

I do not claim it, I believe it. A belief is not a claim, not unless one is claiming that what they believe is true.
I am not claiming that what I believe is true, I am saying that "I believe it is true."

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I am not about to delve into your claim denialism.

Charles Philips said:

Truth and wisdom are not something one can learn about in a text book

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The Bible is a book.

Sgt. Pepper said:

As a former devout Christian, my experience of forty+ years with other Christians is that the doers are the exception rather than the rule.

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I'm sorry that you experienced Christians like this. I have a better experience but still far from being the light of the world. It's a shame because Christianity has so much potential. If only people were so much concerned with love in their hearts as they are with theology, dogmatics, rituals, supernatural stories, pseudoscience...

Charles Philips said:

God doesn't want the whole of humanity to spend eternity in paradise with Him, so He chose to save certain people from hell.

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I don’t respond well to pettiness.

Charles Philips said:

He offered his daughters, to save the Angels from being analy raped.

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Two characters had superpowers and two didn’t. It’s not a fair trade.

Charles Philips said:

He punishes them because they lived a life of sin, (which means the rejected God and served Mammon - Devil).

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You said God isn’t fair. Job hits you over the head with His unfairness. That means you can’t trust what He claims about His victims.

Charles Philips said:

You're not exempt from what God said about mankind, He said we are created to worship

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No. Priests did, because that’s how they are paid.

Charles Philips said:

How can Jew practice his religion without a Temple and without blood sacrifices

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The same as they did prior to the first being built?

Charles Philips said:

It's based on statistics and personal testimonies of those who set out to discredit the Bible but became devout believers instead

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The ones I know of made a living by selling books about it. (McDowell for instance.) That isn't really the issue though.

I encourage all Christians to stop treating the canon like it must be waxed like a car. Put McDowell in the attic where he belongs next to Nostradamus. Let science do its thing, and let God do his: assuming God can do things and assuming scripture actually has power. That is kind of the point isn't it that God can do things and that scripture has power in it.

I think Christians should: 1. let God defend God. 2. Not treat scripture like it has to be protected from scratches 3. Not look for signs and proofs in it or for it or about it.

Charles Philips said:

A god is "something you hold in the highest esteem", some people's god is sex, others may have heroin for a god, other may have a dog or some statue

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Or a book or egotistical men calling themselves saints.

McBell said:

I am not about to delve into your claim denialism.

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Good, because there is no denialism.

You cannot make a belief into a claim because by definition a belief is not a claim.
I am making no claims.

Only I know if I am making a claim or not.
Whenever people insist that they know what 'someone else' is thinking or doing that is arrogant.

Trailblazer said:

Good, because there is no denialism.

You cannot make a belief into a claim because by definition a belief is not a claim.
I am making no claims.

Only I know if I am making a claim or not.
Whenever people insist that they know what 'someone else' is thinking or doing that is arrogant.

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I am not about to delve into your claim denialism.

McBell said:

I am not about to delve into your claim denialism.

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Good, because all you have is a subjective personal opinion and you can never prove I am making any claims....
You are not going to try to prove that I am making claims because you know you cannot prove it. Smart.