Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Chris Weimer · 03-31-2007, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visionary7

That the word of God is divinely-inspired and inerrant.

No atheists believe those two things.

Chris Weimer · 03-31-2007, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gooch's dad

Which bible? And since the write of Jude quotes from both the Book of Enoch and the Assumption of Moses, are those books also considered to be part of the canon? Why or why not?

Why would they?

Wayne Delia · 03-31-2007, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visionary7

As an Orthodox Christian, I treat the holy bible as a treasure chest and a book for guidance and instruction in the lettters of scripture.

My daughter did pretty much the same thing with the comic section of the Sunday newspaper when she was four years old.

WMD

Craigart14 · 03-31-2007, 08:38 PM

All you believers better drop the inerrant crap. It has internal contradictions, and errors of fact in nearly every possible field. Dare I say "human errors"?

Craig

DBT · 03-31-2007, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visionary7

What do atheists believe about the Bible?

. . .

Regarding the bible - as some of its content and claims can be verified, and some cannot - what does the material evidence suggest we should 'believe?'

Ruiner · 03-31-2007, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David B

How does the alleged inerrancy of the bible fit in, do you think, with a 50,000 year old Varve sequence?

VARVES!

*sigh*

I really miss DfT, he was always a source of entertainment, in a :headdesk: kind of way.

As for my beliefs about the bible - it is errant and written by nomads/lunatics (ie not god).

Fortuna · 04-01-2007, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Visionary7
What do atheists believe about the Bible?

Well, I'm of the Agnostic. sometimes Deist, sometimes Pantheistic persuasion.
Anyway, I would best describe the bible/Tanakh as ;

A book that contains legends, myths and some history by many different authors and spanning at least 500 years (perhaps more). It is difficult to discern a unified theology from it, but it looks like an evolving one.

But that said, I'm sure even Atheists can find some parts they agree with. For example, from Koheleth (Ecclesiastes) 9 ;

Quote:

Koh 9:2
All things come alike to all: there is one event to the both righteous and the wicked, to the good and to the clean as to the unclean, to him that sacrifices and to him that doesn't sacrifice. AS it is to the good, so it is to the sinner
...
For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
...
5 For the living know that they willl die, but the dead know nothing, nor have they any more a reward for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also as their love and as their hatred and as their envy is now perished; neither have they any more a part for ever in anything done under the sun.

7 So off you go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a light heart because for now [while living] God accepts your works.

8 Let your garments always be white and let your head lack not ointment.
9 Live joyfully with the wife you love all the days of the life of vanity which he has given you in the sun, all these days of thy vanity: for that is what is yours in this life, and in your labor which you do in the sun.

10 Whatever your hands find to do, do so with your might; for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, where you are going.

I think that speaks for itself. The Bible/Tanakh here tells us that we are mere mortals, that there is no afterlife, resurrection, re-incarnations, so you had better enjoy yourself while you're here. Because "there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, where you are going." !

Quote:

All you believers better drop the inerrant crap. It has internal contradictions, and errors of fact in nearly every possible field.

Better ask what this one means by "inerrant". But, yea, compare Koh (that's Koholeth, not potassium hydroxide ) to some of the late OT and NT texts. Koh says there is no afterlife/ressurection while the NT says something different.

And this is not a theologically trivial issue !

JPOnion · 04-01-2007, 02:02 AM

It's a book. Not the word of the Mob-Boss-In-The-Sky, it was written by men using the knowledge they had at the time. And by "they", I mean the authors, and not the society the author lived in. It's basically a compilation of different writings by different people through many years on what they believed to be true. They aren't even entertaining...

I think some of the historical perspective may be somewhat accurate, but it's so hit and miss I see no way we can figure out what events written about in the bible happened and which didn't without having enough evidence from outside the bible to show either way. That makes using the bible for historical perspective iffy, for me at least.

Anyway, that's what this atheist thinks about the bible. We're all different in our beliefs, and any similarities have nothing to do with our atheism, just that there's only a finite amount of things we can believe about the bible.

Welcome davidc. Enjoy your stay, and don't worry about your first post, which wasn't bad. I dont have many posts myself, and I doubt many people remember my first. Heck, I don't even remember my first.

Berthold · 04-01-2007, 03:41 AM

A text written (and re-written frequently) by people, subject to all influences known about similar texts of human cultures worldwide.

Visionary7 · 04-01-2007, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Weimer

No atheists believe those two things.

Obviously.

I've been a Christian for the last 24 years of my life.

Big difference.

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03-31-2007, 08:38 PM	#24
Craigart14 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Georgia Posts: 718	All you believers better drop the inerrant crap. It has internal contradictions, and errors of fact in nearly every possible field. Dare I say "human errors"? Craig

04-01-2007, 02:02 AM	#28
JPOnion Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Reno Posts: 350	It's a book. Not the word of the Mob-Boss-In-The-Sky, it was written by men using the knowledge they had at the time. And by "they", I mean the authors, and not the society the author lived in. It's basically a compilation of different writings by different people through many years on what they believed to be true. They aren't even entertaining... I think some of the historical perspective may be somewhat accurate, but it's so hit and miss I see no way we can figure out what events written about in the bible happened and which didn't without having enough evidence from outside the bible to show either way. That makes using the bible for historical perspective iffy, for me at least. Anyway, that's what this atheist thinks about the bible. We're all different in our beliefs, and any similarities have nothing to do with our atheism, just that there's only a finite amount of things we can believe about the bible. Welcome davidc. Enjoy your stay, and don't worry about your first post, which wasn't bad. I dont have many posts myself, and I doubt many people remember my first. Heck, I don't even remember my first.

04-01-2007, 03:41 AM	#29
Berthold Veteran Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Vienna, AUSTRIA Posts: 6,147	A text written (and re-written frequently) by people, subject to all influences known about similar texts of human cultures worldwide.

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