Will Christians accept that there is a chance that their bible is flawed?

Question

The bible is full of stories written by many men, including people who followed Jesus as his disciples. They can hardly be considered impartial. It also has lots of parables in it.

It was also originally written in a language which is very obscure and not used anymore, it was also written 2000 years ago.

Finally - the only one of Jesus's miracles which Matt,Mark Luke AND John all write about is the FT5K.

Therefore, putting all of that together, is there not a rationale arguement, which christians have to accept that says the chances of the bible being 100% accurate are as slim as the latest winner of "Ethiopia's Next Top Model".

Could even the FT5K be a parable which has been taken too literally, could for example Jesus have bartered his way from having 5 loaves and 2 fish, into a situation where he enough house: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5167388.stm

Sorry that last paragraph should read:

Is there not a chance that the 'miracle' of jesus with the FT5K was the fact that he worked hard to barter / trade his 5 loaves and 2 fish into enough food to feed 5K -like that canadian bloke who traded a paper clip into a house.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5167388.stm

I find it very typical that many of the people who have answered have accused my of ranting, or of attacking christianity - I am simply asking a question based on what I belueve is a logical approach to explaining the bible.

It is pleasing that some (a small handful) of responders have the intellect to explain their feelings and to put forward an alternative angle for me to consider, but I have to say, most responses are typical of the sorts of 'we are right you are wrong' type replies many christians post.

I have given christians a good opportunity to put forward a solid theory as to what they think, or to perhaps even agree that their could be the odd flaw, just a shame most of you messed up that opportunity.

Answer 1

First of all, I agree with you that it is logical to assume that the Bible has some flaws in it. Like you said, the biblical writings have been passed down for thousands of years. It has passed through the hands of many editors and redactors. Although I strongly believe that the biblical writings were inspired by God in their original form, I do not believe that they have remained, in all cases, unchanged since they were first written down. I think this is especially true of the Old Testament. There are too many hands that the writings have passed through for me to believe that there are no errors, additions, subtractions, and other changes (intentional or not) that have made it into what we have today.
However, that doesn't shake my faith in the overall reliability of the texts. I strongly believe in the details of the Bible, such as the FT5K, as you mention, and other miracles performed by Jesus. I believe that Christ had power from God to do those things, and that no "practical" explanation is necessary.
I do not feel the need, nevertheless, to accept the biblical texts as "100% accurate" in all things. It would not be impossible for God, but I don't think it's possible for man to not make some mistakes.

Answer 2

Good question! No harm in doubting something that you are not familiar with. By your comments, you have not read the Bible yourself, and seem to be regurgitating words I have heard for years.

1) The parables in the New Testament were stories told by Jesus Himself to drive home a point. Just because there are parables in the Bible doesn't add up to "flaws". Why does no one question the "flaws" in any of Homer's work or "The Art of War" or even the Koran? Why is the Bible such a target for disputing?

2) The languages are NOT obscure. That's the beauty of it! The Old Testament was written in Hebrew (still spoken today) with the exception of a few parts in Aramaic, which is not common, but there are people who speak it fluently. The New Testament was written in Greek, and the last time I checked, people in Greece still speak Greek.

3) You must look at the Gospels (Matt., Mark, Luke & John) as having different "audiences" to whom they were written. Matthew addresses Jewish believers, hence always making the connection of Jesus to Abraham & David. Mark focused alot on miracles, thus for new believers. Luke was a historian and a physician, notice the detail he gives in specific instances. John focused on the Divinity of Jesus Christ as well as the love He displayed.

Yes, you are right, there could be flaws...but are there really? I will acede to your position there could be flaws, but in all intellectual honesty, you must also acede to the possiblity that there are none. Just because something cannot be explained doesn't mean there is a flaw, only a flaw in our thinking.

Keep asking and looking...the answers are there. Peace.

Answer 3

If there are any flaws in the Bible, it can only be from translation or translator's error. That's why if you read it with an open mind, realizing what the writer was trying to say or come across with each chapter, you'll find the stories amazing.
You might consider some of it flawed, and throw the whole thing out the window. However, I think of it as only possibly a mosquito bite at best.
Meaning, I wouldn't dump my husband over a mosquito bite - and I won't stop reading the Bible over a possible flaw here and there in translation.

Answer 4

Ok so the points you made were verry good, im not gonna pretend that i havnt thought them before too.
your right, alot of what jesus said was parables and should not be taken literally, but attacking a religion based on a theory that is no more valid than theirs doesnt help anything, stating your opinion is one thing,attacking people asking them to convert is another.
Christianity is based on a system of beliefs and you choose wether or not to take what the bible says literally, just because you dumb it down does not make it any less valid, anything can be dumbed down when you think about it, its all about what you want to believe.
but i do agree that your theory on the FT5K has a point, but trading 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to feed 5 thousand in the middle of the desert isnt bad either.

Answer 5

Actually atheists are split up on the Bible as far as it's literary quality. From a poorly written and translated bunch of fables to great literature that blames God for the sins of the Jewish people. In the first verse of the bible several things are established in seven Herew words which are ten words in English. time God creator (aspect of God) matter space Look at it for yourself; "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Then the bible explain in the next verse that matter had no form and God begins the "creation process". Not only but also "waters" has a special meaning throughout scriptures. Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (In the last book of the bible the waters flow from God...) Do you not wonder that what God wrote to us has meaning on and in more than one way? In the third verse "energy". Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. _______ The first chapter of the bible explains more than most know. The first three verses explain more than science came up with for 5000+ years of human history. Atheists are blind and read without knowledge or knowing. So do many Christians or they would not bother with such as God calls: Psalms 14: 1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. 2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. _______ And those that seek and understand are gone? And those left filthy? Perhaps the link:

Answer 6

Prove it wrong. If you can do it, I'll be more apt to listen.

However, I've debated many, many men about the Bible, and not ONE has even caused me to have even a shadow of a doubt, much less a real doubt. But, you can try...

The Bible was written in 66 books by over 50 men during a period of over 1000 years and not one verse truly contradicts another! That is NOT coincidence!

There are indeed several men and websites devoted to disproving the Bible, but I've been able to provide reasonable and plausible answers to each and every issue brought up, along with the help of some pastoral and theologian friends of mine. I highly doubt you could do better.

Answer 7

The bible is the divinely inspired word of God; since God is perfect, the bible cannot be flawed. Jesus spoke in parables because God will only reveal His truth to those who have ears to hear it.

The bible was written in THREE languages: Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek, because it was written over a span of MANY centuries and by people of various backgrounds. This is NOT uncommon, illogical, or irrational. Example: Nobody spoke "ebonics" fifty years ago, and nobody speaks "Olde English" like they did when the U.S. was founded ("thee", "thou", "come hither", etc) , so why would the bible reflect the exact same dialect throughout centuries of writings from people of different backgrounds - especially since some were formally educated, but many weren't?

Ask ANYONE in law enforcement: MANY people can witness the SAME crime, but ALL will have a different perception of what happened...and will remember different features of the criminal(s) involved. That doesn't necessarily mean they are wrong.

Answer 8

I thought most of the Bible was in Hebrew, and the New testament was Greek. As far as I know these languages are still alive. The Bible was given error free to the men that penned it. There may be some problems of translation into other languages, but these are minimal, and the main message holds true. The Bible is accurate in history, and what it says about science. This was written many years before this knowledge was revealed.
So I believe the Bible, and I don't understand why everyone doesn't.

Answer 9

No, Christians won't even though they don't follow the Bible to the letter. For example, how many women speak in church that are Christian?

1 Corinthians 14:33-35 (New International Version)

33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.
As in all the congregations of the saints,
34women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.
35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

Since this is the written word of God, then why do women speak in church? Because it is an archaic rule.

Answer 10

#1 Jesus spoke in parables for the reason that it simplified His Word so that the crowd could understand. #2 In second peter chapter 1:20-21 tells us that no part of the bilble came about by man's interpretation, but the Holy Spirit. Men of God spoke/wrote by the divine authority of God. In the bible there is an answer of Truth for every lie the devil hurls to try to get man to come to His side. #3 The only thing that is flawed is man and their patheticly low view of God. I know my Redeemer and He has never been and will never be flawed.