Do you fear your children becoming atheists when they find errors in your inerrant Bible?

Question

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If the only way to remain a Christian is to accept the Bible as word-for-word true,aren't you concerned that when your children are shown errors in the Bible, they will become atheists rather than deal with the cognitive dissonance such belief will engender?

Wouldn't they have an easier time continuing to accept Christianity if they were able to see the Bible as inspired, but not error free?

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mypublicident:
I don't see this as belittling. I am simply building on a question that I asked earlier that showed some Christians had difficulty considering a hypothetical question about the Bible being partially true. I'm trying to state it in a different way that doesn't question their faith but instead have them consider their children's thought processes.

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Answer 1

I agree with you, absolutely. This WAS my experience and was one reason that I turned away from religion for so many years.

Not only does it cause educated young people to turn away, but it keeps people from seeking deeper Spiritual meaning. Those who accept literal meaning are accepting surface meaning and are limiting their own spiritual growth.

I’m not sure that it is so much error as the inability of the literal reader to understand metaphor.

Answer 2

Are you asking because you are a conservative Christian or are you asking because you are a non-Christian trying to understand the way Christians think?

Most Christians I have talked to believe that the way to continue being a Christian has more to do with relationship with Christ and accepting him as personal savior.

On the subject of the inerrancy of the Bible there is much debate and disgreement among Christians. For those I have met that believe the Bible is inerrant, they seem to ignore any errors that others try to point out to them and claim that God protects his word from any errors in translation, etc. Many (I think more reasonably) believe that the Bible was Divinely inspired but subject to human perception of that inspiration for the original writing and the interpretation of what we have to read today.

Personally, I will be encouraging my children to think for themselves and decide for themselves what belief system is right for them.

The link I attached below is for a great site that has lots of articles on this subject.

Answer 3

In answer to your question, I have no fear of this. First of all, the original context of the Bible was error free. There are some small typo's depending on the bible you buy. Also, some of the more modern day bibles, have indeed changed the bible and twisted it. As far as typo's goes, the context of the bible as a whole still tells, overall, the same message. For other bibles that have been changed, well, yes they have been twisted badly. These include bibles that have a religious groups name attached to it, also, the new versions put out in the stores have messed with the message. I stick to the KJV and NIV. My son is aware of all this as well.

The main thing in Christianity is putting your faith and trust in Jesus and having a personal relationship with God.

Answer 4

actually what you say cannot be true. I consider myself a believer still, even though i know there are errors in theology of christianity itself. There are historical lies that can be proved.
and the bible does not contain 100% the words of God.
between the protestant covers of the bible you find RED Letter editions that only have about 30% of the words of Jesus. All the epistles of Paul are not clearly all the words of jesus, but the words of HIS "gospel" according to a verse in the book of ACTS.
In many of the pages of the history the book, there are ARGUEMENTs of the apostles, words of satan, and words of kings who rebel against God and even that are neither prophet or God. So to say the bible is 100% perfect is a deceitful theory at best.
but stand up in any church or religion and declare the imperfections, you are immediately BRANDED a Heretic, and the truth is not in you.
BTW Jesus was rejected by his own religious leaders. Called several different types of names as being like an enemy of God.
But those that reject him are so wrong!! So likewise it is among the church(es). Rejections and Dissfellowship or Excommunication. Being shunned was also a popular practice.
but ifyou compare the protestant KJV and the catholic NIV bible you will find discrepencies among entire missing books as well as redefined verses and popular beliefs.
If you consider that in the days of constantine that the Gospel of Thomas was either not known or just plainly rejected, or that the Appocryphal of Paul was more popular than the book of revelation, you have a formula for POLITICS forming the bible rather than the spirit of God.

Answer 5

You find it in you to e-mail me and whine about me hurting people's feelings, so why not let me know where the errors in the Bible are? The Bible is the infallible Word of God, not just inspired. As to your other nonsensical question: No, I do not worry that my children will become godless atheists. The Word of God tells me to bring my children up in the way that they will go, and they shall never depart from it. God said it, I believe it, and that ends it. You believe whatever you will. I moved my family 350 miles, away from the filth and evil of a big city to the country. No neighbors. Same school from K - 12th grade in a small farming community. Don't let others raise my kids so that I can get wealthy and retire early. I raise my children. I do not send them to church, I go to church with them. In short, I do not shove them off on anyone that I can. I'm there. I try to be a father and raise my kids instead of letting MTV and cable raise them. It makes all the difference. They know God. They know Jesus. They love going to church, and they are happy. Can you make the same claims?

Answer 6

No, I'm not worried. I don't have children yet, but I'm still not worried about it. I was raised in Christianity, and my mom was kind enough to keep our conversations open. When she couldn't answer my questions, she did her best to direct me to books that could. Because of her patience, I'm a better person today, I think. I searched for twelve years, and now I think I'm pretty well-equipped to deal with questions they might have.
Also, I've looked at the so-called "errors" in the Bible, and within a half hour, I was able to disprove about twenty of them.
However, I'm not going to PUSH Christianity on my children. I'll make sure that I'm open-minded enough to talk to them about other religions as well.

Answer 7

The Bible doesn't have errors.
Good Christian parents will actually point out anything that the kid doesn't understand about the Bible. They patiently explain it.
The parent doesn't really have anything to do with "the kid becoming an atheist" though. If the kid becomes an atheist, he wasn't saved in the first place. Being a fake "christian" and being an atheist are almost the same thing. But if they are a true Christian, they will never become an atheist.

Answer 8

well i have a faith builders list, and one miraicle on it is:

i was going to a new church and i was very upset because i didnt have any friends there.

i was strongly thinking about not going one sunday.
but i just knew that God made it
clear in my heart that if i went that Sunday, i would have friends.

and i went, and after sunday school, i was hanging around, and some people came up to me and introduced themselves.

and that's how I met four of my closest friends. and i also met MANY more people and became friends with alot because of God's blessing that day.

To understand how this was a miraicle, you must understand that i was EXTREMELY shy,
and only talked when i HAD to and even then said very little.

there are many other miracles that happened.

my testimony alone probably will not be enough to lead you to Jesus, but there is this text i would like to share with everyone that reads this, I would copy it in here, but its easier to read on its website because of text formatting.

it is not spam, i dont even think there are any ads on the site.

http://www.everystudent.com/features/ist...

God bless you.

Answer 9

Talk about a chip on your shoulder. Please, as a fellow Atheist, provocation is not the route to helping the religious!!! Education is the way. Belittling the religious will not help educate them.

BTW, I like the part of the Bible where Satan gives knowledge and God is the worlds worst murderer. Funny how the bible works! Satan, a teacher that never murdered a soul, and God that sends people to eternal damnation,

Answer 10

I've found errors and I'm not an Atheist... the Bible has errors no one denies that... the problem of translation