Atheists, Agnostics........Event from the Bible?

Question

Is there any event in the Bible, that if discovered as historically accurate with proof, would make you reconsider its accuracy, and in turn reconsider God?

My hubby is Agnostic, and a very intelligent and educated man, who was raised in a hard core religious home. We were having a discussion last night, and one of the things we talked about prompted the question. (I dont want to change him mind, or yours, simply curious)

For example, if there was proof of an event, such as the flood, Noahs ark was really found, and I mean really, not just some pic somewhere, or the ArC of the Covenant, or proof of say the 10 plauges, would you re-think your belief?

Proof of what event would be significant to you?

Again, curious only, not the kind of girl whose going to go find some half truth propoganda and throw it at you!

Answer 1

You ask a very good question, and firstly let me say "Good for you" for marrying an agnostic man. It shows that both of you have a religious tolerance that is rare among the Human Race. I'm sure that people have questioned you for this, but you've obviously listened to your hearts.

As for your question,

As an agnostic, the answer would be Yes. Say we discovered a hair from Jesus, and found it to be not of normal genetic makeup, but of a unique, divine makeup. Or say any of the current preachers or men of God in our time was proven to heal people...if we had modern-day miracles that could be proven.

Some of your examples would not be sufficient, because even most atheists look at the bible not as a bunch of lies, but as a historical text with religious undertones. Most archaeologists and atheists agree that there was a flood, and that there may have been an arc. The flood is documented in many other religious texts as well, such as those of Islam.

The exact same thing goes for the 10 plagues, and they are also documented in other religions. For the most part, we do have proof of these plagues.

The question is not that of the bible's historical accuracy, but the question is whether those who wrote it truly were guided by God.

As with many other religions, this is a difficult thing to prove, which is why religion will always be a matter of faith.

Answer 2

I do not live in some simplistic world of black and white where one event would validate the truth of an entire set of claims found within a book. Finding proof of one event would prove only that event and identical events, if indeed the proof described the event in the manner of the Bible, and it was an event only describable by the supernatural. Look at science for example. Each and every claim is backed up with evidence in order for it to even be considered a theory. Not just one event, but each and every claim. I would require a proof of each and every claim in the Bible, in the same manner, and not take one proof as a validation of all others.

You have to remember that the Bible contains many easily identifiable inaccuracies, such as the Earth being flat and the center of the Universe. How would such huge discrepancies as that be accounted for?

Answer 3

It will change nothing. People will believe what they want even if they are in the middle of life changing proof. Hell how many of us are there that have seen signs and proof everyday yet are blind to believe in them. Then one day it will happen and everyone will not understand why did he not send a sign or how did this happen with out him giving a sign telling us he is real and not imagined. Understand logic, science all are a part of the whole. God sends signs everyday yet they go unnoticed, ignored or whatever may be the case. Nothing will change the mind of an individual unless they are willing to listen and at least attempt to understand why. My beliefs and everyone Else's beliefs are moot. Does not matter, things don't happen to chance. There is something that drives things to happen. Just because you don't understand them does not mean it did not happen. This is the reason we as a whole are children. Someone out there will find offense to what I have said. There is always someone out there who is unhappy and cannot believe in anything other then what they know of the five senses. There is a 6th sense perhaps more I know for a fact there is a 6th and everyone has it but ignore it with a passion.
My tuppence(which means nothing to everyone but myself)

Answer 4

In the Gospels it says that after the Crucifixion, the graves were opened and the dead were seen wandering around the city (Matthew 27:52-53). Such an event is not only miraculous, it would *NOT* have escaped the notice of disinterested parties (i.e. those not following the new Jesus cult). No such record exists outside the Gospel, but if it were somehow verified that would be extraordinary enough not to be explainable by known phenomena.

Answer 5

You could try a different approach (this is a Catholic forum discussing the "Why not amputees?" question - scroll to the top, and read at least the second post there's a picture):
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?p=1732645

It starts like this:
Here are some examples of miraculous restoration of limbs. These are very rare--similar to bilocation and raising the dead--and have only been worked by the greatest of saints.

St. John Chrysostom's,hand was lost. Through his prayer and the intercession of the blessed virgin it is restored. That miraculous hand over 1700 years later is to this day incorruptible while the rest of his body was not (his tongue may be too, I forget ). See here:

Answer 6

There is no event in the Bible that could have turned me from being an atheist into a believer. None. I spent 31 years as an atheist, completely denying the existence of God, yet wanting to believe that something more was out there.I begged for a sign that something greater than us existed, and I was very specific in my request as to what I would accept as proof. Finally, after 31 years of asking, I decided no one was listening, and that there really was no God. How I had hoped I was wrong. I no sooner came to this conclusion when I received the very sign I had been asking for. Something greater than us is at work in this world. That I truly believe.

Answer 7

Proving a few historical event from the bible still doesn't prove the theological stuff. For example proving that Noah's flood happened doesn't prove the divinity of Jesus.

The bible is a mixed bag of stuff written over a long period of time by a lot of different writers. Just because somebody decided to put this stuff into a collection and call it the word of God does not necessarily make it so.

Answer 8

No, even proof of any of the big events from the bible happening wouldn't make me reconsider the possiblity of a god. I need hard proof, here and now. The bible was written 2000 years ago - who knows, they might have gotten SOMETHING right we don't know about yet. But all of it? I highly doubt that.

Answer 9

Well obviously there are places and events in the Bible that are true. There really is an Egypt. The Jews were *probably* slaves there at some point. Jesus probably (although not certainly) existed, and he was probably executed.

But, that doesn't make everything in the Bible truth. It's not take-it-or-leave-it. It's take it with a grain of salt for what it is: weird, bronze age literature.

Answer 10

There is proof of the 10 plagues, now if you can find some event that could only be explained by the supernatural, then I might look into it as the plagues can be explained away.