Why do some Christians believe the Bible is without error...?

Question

when there are literally thousands of liberal Theologians who accept the fact that the Bible is a composite document, made of different traditions, myths, and allegories repleat with contradiction... yet their faith in God and Jesus remains constant and unshaken?

If you can "feel God's presence" and you can look at rock formations and see "evidence of God's handiwork" and believe that everything must have a cause except for the "First Cause" then why is it so important for the Bible to be 100% accurate in it's every word?

I'm not looking for a show of hands from people that disagree with this worldview I've presented. I'm looking for honest answers from people do honestly believe the Bible is without error. And their rationalization for believing it.

Here is a short list of 384 contradictory statements in the Bible for those Christians that apparently have never studied the bible.

http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/by_name.html

Almost all of these are irrationally rationalized by Apologists on http://www.lookinguntojesus.net

The liberal Theologian would say, there are contradictions because multiple traditions with multiple authors were combined into a single Bible. Moses' father in law is called by two different names because the story was written by two different authors, neither of whom probably knew Moses' father-in-law's real name.

But some Christians prefer to made absurd rationalizations, saying such things as "lot's of people have two names..."

The liberal Christian believes in God and says the story of Job is an allegory. Job didn't really exist. Satan didn't really torture him. It's story that teaches people about faith in God.

The fundamentalist Christian believes in God and says that Job did exist, the entire story is to be taken literally, and then makes rationalizations for why Satan appears with the other "sons of God".

Are both Christians going to Heaven? Or is one going to Hell?

Answer 1

The bible is full of contradictions? The standard "Christian" reply is, in the first instance, No; in the second, Yes; but they are put there to "try our faith." Argue any point, basing your position on the literal words of scripture. The reply is firstly quotation of the passage of Holy Writ which contradicts the one you just quoted, and secondly a reference to the Temptation on the Mount, which illustrates that even the Devil can quote Scripture. (You are the Devil, of course.) This position is unassailable. But it's only wasting energy to level a rational argument at a Christian anyway. If you could ever convince a "true believer" of anything, it would almost certainly NOT be because your arguments made any kind of sense. It would be because you happened to trigger the correct emotional response, which is the regular function of religion.

Answer 2

As a former fundamentalist who is now theologically liberal, I can tell you that most of the time those who think Job is something other than an allegory from Oral Tradition think such from pure ignorance. Many fundamentalists have been taught by fundamentalists who are afraid of education. However, there are many evangelicals who would agree that Job did not exist, but do not dare suggest that Joseph didn't either. Fact is, he also was a literary tool to make the birth narrative work without moral scandal. This is why he drops from the scene after the they drag Jesus back from the Temple at age 12 or so.

Answer 3

Because God was the one who had inspired man to write the books. God wouldn't allow for there to be mistakes because if there is, then first of all He wouldn't be God anymore. God is perfect, he can't make mistakes. Secondly, the Bible guides us on how we should live. If there were mistakes then we'd all be either wasting our time.

I do believe that there may have been slight errors when the Bible was being translated but I don't think that it's for me to judge. As long as I live the best I can according to the version of the Bible then it's enough.

About your first question... I think it's because the Christian faith is more than just based on a book, it's a spiritual thing. For me personally if there are contridictions then I just accept them and believe that it's because God sees the whole picture while we can only see what's in front of us. There must be a reason for it if it is what God has ordained.

Answer 4

I'm not an expert in the field of quantum physics so if I were to pick up a book on the subject it would seem confusing to me and from a layman's point of view I might be able to identify what appears to be contradictions. I think it's much the same with the bible. there are many apparent contradictions in it but are they contradictions because it isn't true or are they contradictions because from my level of understanding they simply appear to be. The more I read and study the bible the more I find that what earlier in my understanding were apparent contradictions are becoming a theme with a common cause.

Answer 5

Your argument is philosophically flawed. If you accept the existence of a supreme being, God, then if that being has stated that He has revealed Himself through the inspired prophets, these revelations must in fact be true.

By inerrant I mean the autographed copies of the original manuscripts written by the prophets. Yes, through the ages, transcription errors have crept into the versions of the bible we now have. Yet, careful analysis shows that these existing writings exceed 99% accuracy.

Investigation will also reveal that there exists NO SINGLE SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY that has been shown to prove error, factually or doctrinally, in the Bible. There is lots of speculation and hypotheses, but not a single verifiable fact.

To make this claim alone is quite a feat for ancient texts, but when you add to it the fact that the Bible was written over more than 1,500 years by forty vastly different writers, yet every book in the Bible is consistent in its message. These 66 books talk about history, prophecy, poetry, and theology.

No other holy scritures can make these claims.

Accuracy of bible:
http://www.carm.org/questions/trustbible.htm
http://www.carm.org/demo2/bible/reliable.htm

Answer 6

It is all a matter of faith. The King James Version Bible openly admits to adding words for clarrification in the English language. These words are in italics in the bible. In the original scirptures, there were words that have no English translations.

The idea the bible is wrong because it was written by man is like saying the text books in school are wrong because they were written by man.

Answer 7

Willful denial of the facts. I honestly actually sent someone an email giving some of the exact passages where there are contradictions, and the person totally ignored them and insisted that there were no contradictions. Christians don't like fact and will deny it if denial serves their religious belief.

Answer 8

I'll let the bible answer for me.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17) . . .All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.

(2 Peter 1:20-21) . . .For YOU know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. 21 For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.

(Romans 3:4) 4 Never may that happen! But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, . . .
*** Marginals ***

(Numbers 23:19) God is not a man that he should tell lies, Neither a son of mankind that he should feel regret. Has he himself said it and will he not do it, And has he spoken and will he not carry it out?



(Hebrews 6:18) in order that, through two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to the refuge may have strong encouragement to lay hold on the hope set before us.

Answer 9

Well those of us who believe in the bible "believe in the bible" and just as that is true, so is it true that not all things are going to be cut and dry and easy to understand just by reading them... we have to study it by a pastor and the holy spirit gets it to make sense to us .... in time.... somethings are easily understood and some things take more of an effort such as the parables and the cross referencing which ultimately takes a great deal of time..yet if you love the trinity you really get eager to learn more and more each passing day. And... if you love it, he will make it, make sense to you.
Everything in it.

Answer 10

It's a doctrine devised to get rid of pesky things like thought.