Why do Christians tell atheists that verses in the Bible must be in context in order to make sense....but then

Question

they turn around and throw their silly biblical versus at us?(Out of context)

When ever a Christian can't justify all the horrible verses found in the bible, they say that you must read the whole bible, and that it is taken out of context. If that is the case, then why do you pick and choose a verse from the bible and throw them at us? Aren't you taking them out of context?

Answer 1

"Bible Only" Christians do that to us Catholics as well. But it's never just the Bible, it's their personal interpretation of it. If you don't read it the same way they do, then you aren't reading it correctly (ha!).

Answer 2

Do an experiment. Open any book and randomly select certain words or phrases. write them down on a sheet of paper. Then, with the book closed, put them in an order that makes grammatical sense. Anybody can take any thing out of the Bible and make it mean anything they want it to, but that does not change what the truth is. I do not believe you know what the meaning of a context is. Just because somebody quotes one verse of the Bible instead the entire passage does not mean he has altered the meaning of the verse. When someone is UNSURE of the meaning, THEN consult the rest of the passage to get the whole flavor of the context. If someone is MISINTERPRETING the verse, THEN consult the rest of the passage to get the whole flavor of the context.

How do you think voice recordings can be cut and edited to change the meaning of conversations? You cannot pick out random sentences from a newspaper, string them together to make a paragraph, and then pass it off as truth. It doesn't work that way. Your argument is flawed. Nice try.

Have YOU read the Bible? How do YOU know if the verse is taken out-of- context?

Answer 3

Let me say two things:

1. Context is king. You really do have to understand the context, not just of say a verse in question, but the larger social and cultural context as well, in order to understand the message for ANY written work.

2. Why do they then take verses out of context? It's a long-standing practice that goes back to the rabbinical era, that believes that the words themselves have power regardless of their context. Here's news (get ready for the thumbs-down)... JESUS took verses out of context! But he did it (as did the rabbis) within a context of speaking to people who already knew the plain-sense meaning of the texts and could use it to evoke deeper meaning or to make a wholly different point. He never used scripture to argue his case to unbelievers. His message to unbelievers was basically, "Hey, let's have dinner!" Honestly, I can't see what's the point of using scripture to argue a case to people who don't believe it in the first place?

Peace to you.

Answer 4

Just what is it that you want? Do you want someone to send you a Bible so you can read the whole story to get your answer? Maybe it would take 5 to 10 pages in the "Your Answer" section to give you a proper answer and explain it. You want an answer and when one is offered you don't like that either. Don't blame a Christian for YOUR misunderstand. Just read the Bible for yourself if you feel the answers you are offered aren't enough to satisfy you. Maybe you should start doing some of your own research.

Answer 5

It is because of the writing style of the Bible.
A book that is inspired of God but written by 40 different men over 1500 years.
some of them did not even understand what they were writing down.
Just like Daniel.
(Daniel 7:13-14) “I kept on beholding in the visions of the night, and, see there! with the clouds of the heavens someone like a son of man happened to be coming; and to the Ancient of Days he gained access, and they brought him up close even before that One. 14 And to him there were given rulership and dignity and kingdom, that the peoples, national groups and languages should all serve even him. His rulership is an indefinitely lasting rulership that will not pass away, and his kingdom one that will not be brought to ruin.

This is the Kingdom we pray for in the Lord's Prayer. Matthew 6; 9,10

(Daniel 8:15-17) Then it came about that, while I myself, Daniel, was seeing the vision and seeking an understanding, why, look! there was standing in front of me someone in appearance like an able-bodied man. 16 And I began to hear the voice of an earthling man in the midst of the U′lai, and he proceeded to call out and say: “Ga′bri·el, make that one there understand the thing seen.” 17 So he came beside where I was standing, but when he came I got terrified so that I fell upon my face. And he proceeded to say to me: “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of [the] end.”

Daniel did not understand his own vision, because the understanding would not come until a long time had passed.
The time of the end is now.
(2 Timothy 3:1-5) But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.

Answer 6

Because most of them haven't READ the entire Bible. When they say someone else is taking a verse out of context, it usually means that THEY haven't READ the context, and therefore didn't know the verse even existed.

Answer 7

The out of context excuse is just a lame way of saying they can't justify the violence demanded by the OT God. Of course the same folks will quote the Quran "out of context" to say how horrible Islam is.

Answer 8

There is a lot of horrible judgments in the Bible. Maybe someone should just tell you to try to understand what it is teaching. You see, we believe that Jesus Christ came, and full filled the old testament. The old testament was tough, very very tough. No person could live up to the standards of God, without a blood sacrifice. Then Jesus came, and become our blood sacrifice.

Now if you really want to get down to the nitty gritty, what about the pagans at the time. They were even worse.

Answer 9

In context or out is not the question. It's how you can twist it to make sence!

Answer 10

Because if we were to post the entire contents of the Bible, it would take up too much room.

So instead, we opt for typing out (or copying and pasting) a verse or two, and then explaining what they mean from what we've read of the rest of the Bible. Make sense?