Why is it that Atheists criticize the Bible but never ask specific questions?

Question

I'm getting the feeling that Atheists here today are getting ammunition from anti-Christians but don't really know what they're talking about.

If you feel that the Bible is a "load of crap", can you please be a little more specific and give an example? I'd be willing to bet that the typical "educated" Atheist can't meet a challenge like this.

(Try to do it without making up stuff that isn't there, okay?)

Morgethey: If I have to correct you before I answer, I'm not going to bother. You need to reread these stories before offering up your ignorance. It wasn't a "snake", it was a "serpent", the Bible's equivelant of mythical beasts, such as Satan, often called "the serpent". For Eve's story, try counting ribs and offer some proof that the story is actually factually wrong. For Moses' story, demonstrate that the entire Red Sea was parted before you just assume that it was. See if you can find the exact point of entry.

Bad Liberal: I don't claim moral high ground. I'm asking the Atheists here to seperate themselves from common bigotry and act like intelligent human beings.

Bad liberal: I'm not going to make excuses for your poor reasoning skills. I'm actually calling Atheists uneducated bigots. I thought I made that pretty clear.

The Truth: I have to ignore yours because you've not pointed out a contradiction. Reread both birth stories carefully and give an ACTUAL contradiction.

Answer 1

Here's one, punkin.

Jesus is claimed to be the Messiah. The Messiah must be descended from David according to prophecy in the Old Testament. Therefore, we must have an accurate genealogy of Jesus. In Matthew, the genealogy of Jesus is presented as going through Joseph.

This poses two problems: 1.) Joseph is said to be Jesus' step-father only, and is therefore ineligible to pass on the title of kingship. 2.) Even if we consider Joseph's genealogy to be accurate and connected to Jesus, it goes through a line which has been disqualified by the god of the Bible for kingship. In Luke, the genealogy is different--Joseph's line comes through Heli, which is a line disqualified for kingship as it is descended from Nathan.

Those that have ignored this (or not realized it) have often said that this line of descent goes through Mary (that is, that Jesus is descended from David through his mother). This cannot be accurate, as the right to kingship and priesthood, Biblically, must be passed down through the male line. In no instance is the mother considered when the successor in the line of David is chosen.

Ok, with all of that info (you can research it if you want, it is all historically and textually accurate) - why is it then said that Jesus is the Messiah? He does not fulfill one of the most important Messianic prophecies.
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I'm waiting....

C'mon, you asked for an educated question and all you can do is bash the people who didn't ask the way you wanted them to? Did I hurt your widdle head, or just your false sense of pride?

Answer 2

You can hardly claim the moral high ground for specificity yourself with a question like that, can you?

Anyway, I don't think the Bible is a load of crap, indeed as a teacher of literature I think it's essential that everyone reads it (critically, of course - it's just a book). But since you're so provocative, the sort of answer you're probably looking for is - what's with the death of Saul? Why can't the Bible get it right? How can the infallible word of God offer two perfectly contradictory accounts? (And you know perfectly well it's not the only one.)

1 Samuel 31:4-6 - 2 Samuel 1:8-10. Who killed Saul -- himself, or the Amalekite?

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Your criticism is of those who do not ask "specific" questions, which is a judgmental generalization you make *without being specific*. THAT is to claim the moral high ground. You adopt an astonishingly superior and patronizing tone and now you talk about ignorance and bigotry... some people just can't hear themselves speak as the rest of the world does, I guess.

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Poor reasoning skills. You people are so cute.

How are you getting on with that Saul's death contradiction? Unable to rein in your exceptionally bad manners you seem to be able to mention everything but, and we're finding that pretty amusing. That would be our uneducatedness and bigotry, but hey, we do what we do. And we laugh at you.

Answer 3

Here's an example of contradictions within the bible and between the bible and history.

Everybody knows that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and Herod then massared the innocents.... Here's some of what not everybody knows:

Bethlehem was chosen as the birthplace to fulfill an old testament prophecy (Micah 5:2).

John's gospel says Christ was not from Bethlehem

Matthew says Mary and Joseph lived in Bethlehem and only left years later.

Luke says they lived in Nazareth and moved to Bethlehem in time for the birth and Caesar Augustus decreed that everybody had to go to their own cities. As Joseph was an ancestor of David (who lived approximately 1000 years earlier!) he had to go to Bethlehem - the city of David. Unfortunately history disagrees - there was no census decreed by Augustus. There was a local census but it happened after Herod's death. So it would contradict a later statement about the killing of the innocents.

Answer 4

Mahal, I see no reason to investigate the Bible. I equate it with any other holy scripture like the Qu'ran and others. I think it's no more a "load of crap" than the Odyssey or Beowulf. Historically, it's very interesting. Personally, I think it's amusing that people take it so seriously but that's their choice and right.

One thing that upsets me with the Bible is the way God's chosen people committed atrocities against other people, with God's blessing (in the Old Testament). My gut response is, "We're supposed to worship this guy?!".

There are a**holes on either side. I try not to be one of them.

Answer 5

Well, I have read it completely, some parts many times. There are loads of inconsistencies throughout, but if you haven't read it for yourself, then do so. Read the gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. They are all different, but supposedly are of the same story. Lots of other good examples, for instance the great flood was taken from previous historical texts and the israelites just stole it for their own religion.
Try this link for some real facts or arguments or points. There are more than this.

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jim_meritt/bible-contradictions.html

Answer 6

Oh please. I went to Catholic school for 13 years. I know Christianity better than most chrirstians.

Turning water into wine.
Multiplying loaves and fishes.
Ressurection.
Building an ark and ftting one of every creature on it.
Sodom.
Gomora (however the hell it's spelled).
The Great Flood.
The Garden of Eden.
Cain, wandering the Earth for all eternity, with the mark of God.

These are magic tricks. And fantastical places. And mythological stories. There is absolutly no reason to believe in any of them.

Need I continue?

Answer 7

Nice bluff. You know that if you were pinned down to a debate with atheists over biblical criticism you would come off worst. I've seen it time and time again- the Christians make the challenge to debate the issue then when confronted with the hard facts they spit the dummy and cry foul.

Answer 8

Let's see here...
talking snakes in Genesis
Woman being taken from the rib in Genesis
Moses seperating an entire sea.
ect.
Now you prove the Bible is correct!

Answer 9

before everything, the actual Christians who incredibly might choose for to stick to the religion might desire to be type to all human beings, which includes different Christians, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, etc. those human beings different than Christianity might examine the Bible cover to cover, word for word, letter for letter, and can discover some contradictions. The Christians who criticize those human beings could be so linked to Christianity and the Bible. All i understand is that there are a number of human beings around the globe who're attempting to detect the religion of fact. they might come across the Bible and reject Christianity simply by actuality that there could be contradictions. Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc., might desire to comprehend the alternative of their faith. they have the liberty to confirm on. additionally, those people who examine the Bible just to point out the undesirable factors could be extremists. they're too lots of their faith that they are so against different religions. we would desire to continuously relatively comprehend the ideals of human beings. Bottomline, they could be so linked to the Bible and hate others yet might desire to comprehend their determination simply by fact interior of each and every individual is the wonderful to confirm on the religion and ideology you opt for for.

Answer 10

Okay, let's start at the beginning, shall we? The bible says (and I'm paraphrasing) that people were created in more or less their current form about six thousand years ago. Fossils have been found of animals very similar, yet different to humans so we weren't created in our current form. And those fossils are far more than six thousand years old.