Yeah, sure, no problem.

Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) puts out 3 good, scholarly publications. In my opinion, they are relatively unbiased, even though they present many views that I heartily disagree with.

Here is the actual review that I referred to by Dever which was published in Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR).

Fire Jack was correct, Richard Carrier apparently wrote a letter to the editor of BAR which is at the end of the SecWeb review of the book. I have to say that my own opinion is that Carrier's letter seems to me to be an overreaction of his own and I think he overlooks some things (especially the fact that Finkelstein and Silberman misstate Dever's position in their book). I won't go into detail, however, and let you make up your own mind.

Fire Jack is wrong, however, in implying that BAR is a Christian publication. Far from! The chief editor, Hershal Shanks, is Jewish, I believe (though the magazine definitely does not lean that way either). It is a scholarly publication with a wide range of scholarly views presented. Believe me, Christians won't like most of the articles found there (especially fundamentalists!).

If you want to see a good Christian archaological magazine, look up Biblical Illustrator.

Otherwise, try NEA, or Near Eastern Archaeology (used to be Biblical Archaeologist).

Finally, I stated that some of Finkelstein's views are not mainstream. There is a website out there in cyberland somewhere that I have seen a couple of times that compares scholars' positions on the particular issue I mentioned. If I find it again, I'll post it, otherwise, maybe someone else will find it (no, I don't think it is a biased Christian site ).

Ish


[This message has been edited by Ish (edited April 06, 2001).]

bella,

I recommend asking your friend why s/he believes the bible is holy, then you'll know what to shoot down.

The "internal consistency" argument is the most popular, since a "holy" book "inspired of God" is presumed to be flawless. All you have to do is reference a handful of the hundreds of inconsistencies readily available on the web.

Let's see...why else do people think the bible's holy? "Because it says it is." Circular reasoning.

"How could it have survived intact for so long if it wasn't?" (Not a common argument, but I've heard it.) The "intact" bit is assumed, as well. My shortest and sweetest answer to this one is because the world is and always has been peopled by superstitious suckers (P.T. Barnum was right).

If you'd like to read something that'll point out some of lesser known biblical flaws, read Forgery in Christianity by Joseph Wheless (available online, just do a search).

"Because millions of people can't be wrong" is the "reason" most people seem to have, although I doubt most of them realize it. Silly when you put it in words, though.

I wouldn't bother pointing out why I think the bible is a collection of ancient myth and primitive superstition. I'd leave it to your religious friend to explain why s/he believes it's something more.

diana

Diana:
"How could it have survived intact for so long if it wasn't?" (Not a common argument, but I've heard it.) The "intact" bit is assumed, as well. ...

LP:
The same think can be said of the sacred books of other religions.

Diana:
"Because millions of people can't be wrong" is the "reason" most people seem to have, although I doubt most of them realize it. Silly when you put it in words, though.

LP:
The same can be said of other religions.

lpetrich,

Exactement. For some reason, I often forget the "can't other religions say the same thing" perspective, which is a difficult one to shoot down. Thank you.

If you'd like to read something that'll point out some of lesser known biblical flaws, read Forgery in Christianity by Joseph Wheless (available online, just do a search).

Actually, i think Is It God's Word?, which is downloadable from the II Library, is a much, much better work. IIGW is (a) devastating; (b) hilarious (c) comprehensive. Indeed, it is so comprehensive you will probably get bored with it before it is finished. The chapter on the miracles of exodus had me in tears, I was laughing so hard at his sarcasm.

Michael

Thanks for the tip, Michael. I just read one chapter so far--the one pertaining to the exodus. You're right. Very funny.

"Forgery in Christianity," I noticed, covers a rather obscured problem with the Bible. If you haven't read it, I strongly recommend it. It's stuff you wouldn't know unless you speak/read Hebrew or someone who does points out to you. He's just as exhaustive and sarcastic, and you have more damning stuff to add to your arsenal.

diana

Is It God's Word?

Verrry Interesting..... But ya know a christian has an easy answer "God Led them there".... I know, but try to resist the urge to vomit.

David