Pretty boring. Sorry, I’ve seen these before. Instead of being a shining example of contradictions, it reveals to anyone who has read and understood scripture, that atheists don’t understand what they are reading.
Well, I’m not going to counter every single instance. If you genuinely want to find the answers, I challenge you and any other atheists to actually join a bible study or ask a saved pastor.
But I will list three examples that show atheists really need to sincerely try and study the bible, to purposefully and willfully want to find answers. The truth shall set you free.
Thanks for making my answer better.
Jesus saves.
5 comments
Well, he did actually list three examples. It’s pretty standard fundie stuff really, but I’ll list them anyway.
His first example is the interpretation of the Deuteronomy/rape passage - he thinks that it is not decreeing that a victim must marry her rapist. I think it’s quite obvious that it does decree exactly that, so we disagree.
His second example being the apparent contradictions in the description of the manner of Judas’ death, I have no problem with his explanation and have even offered a similar explanation on the internet myself.
His third example being whether or not John the Baptist was Elijah in some way, is kind of bizarre and not terribly relevant, nor have I heard it mentioned before.
However, as he’s talking about people taking things out of context, we shouldn’t be quoting him out of context.
atheists don’t understand what they are reading.
Actually they do. The problem is the same core problem of theology. Theologians and all religious people always interpret their holy writings in a way that supports their beliefs. No matter how negative, bad, or evil a passage may be, it will be twisted and turned until a way is found to interpret it in a positive light. Somehow an explanation is always found, no matter how much of a stretch is necessary to reach it and how ostensibly it contradicts the obvious meaning of the text.
Atheists are not bound by this urge, need, and desire to whitewash, smooth, and transfigure the primary meanings of scripture. They can take it at face value and call a spade a spade without upsetting their brethren or making a “faith” unpleasant to adhere to. Yes, God murdered children. Yes, a rape victim must marry her rapist. Yes, yes, yes to all the nasty things in the Bible.
Atheists don’t understand what they are reading? Sure they do, they just don’t cover it with whipped cream and a cherry and call it God’s mercy.
Interestingly enough, young earth creationists and atheists will interpret Genesis in the same way: the Bible states clearly that God created the earth (universe, etc.) in six 24 hour periods. Basta. The only difference is that atheists don’t believe it happened.
I recently had a terrible discussion with a friend of mine who is also a Jehova’s Witness. I didn’t want to convert him or anything, I just wanted him to understand why I don’t believe in the literalist interpretation of the bible (and its use as a literal guide book for how to live your life), why I’m an agnostic universalist etc. He just couldn’t understand it. He implied that I was simply ‘too lazy’ to accept the bible’s literal authority because it would inconvenience me (being gay and all) and that I just didn’t read it thoroughly enough, else I would become a witness as he was (he excluded himself from the witnesses because of his own homosexuality, but still believes everything they do pretty much).
I was frustrated afterwards and talked with my boyfriend, who is a theologist after all, about it. He told me something that I should have realized much sooner: Don’t try to win such an argument by going into territory that they are obviously more knowledgable about. Biblical exegesis is after all not what I wanted to talk about. Apologetics is a millenia old profession, any contradictions in the bible itself have been ‘solved’ by someone (though the solution needn’t be satisfying at all and often aren’t very logical). And literalists will never listen to such arguments anyway, since all they hear is you denying the supreme authority of the bible, not a logical argument.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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