Is the Bible trustworthy?

Question

Yes or no
Please explain your reasoning and be civil, thanks for your opinion.

Answer 1

Yes!
And thanks for your question.

The Bible is incredibly old. No book of comparable age is so widely read, but that's not why it's trustworthy.
The Bible is and has been for more than a thousand years the most popular book on Planet Earth. Whole Civilizations (including ours) have been built from it, but that's not why it's trustworthy.

If you look at contemporary documents from the neighboring cultures, or from almost any culture in antiquity, you will see that basically the kings write what goes on the monuments and in the sacred scrolls, etc., and it's all very vague and inflated and self serving, i.e.

'The great Lord Mesalim, son of the gods, beloved of Enlil, I shut up Mari in its gates, I subdued so and so, I led the such and such in chains, I put my foot on the neck of what's-his name...'

And the fellow after that steals all these deeds and ascribes it to himself. The gods always endorse the king and his priests, who in fact invented them, etc.

When you look at the Bible, you see a strikingly different picture. First of all, the 'Great Man' theory of History, that the kings are the only ones that matter or should be talked about goes right out the window. It's very ordinary people who take center stage in the history of the Bible, particularly at the beginning, and later, the kings themselves share the stage with ordinary people, nor is their any moral distinction made between the two.
Second, the people in the Bible are real people, they make mistakes, they choose dubious actions, they suffer, repent, are humiliated and then redeemed. Even the kings were criticized for their misdeeds and sometimes denounced by the historians. This was, quite simply unthinkable elsewhere in the ancient world and, in fact, rare enough even today. The reason for this is that all of the books of the Bible were written by Prophets, and these prophets were absolutely dead set on recording the truth, no matter how painful it was. So inflammatory and controversial was this approach to history that the Prophets who wrote these books were often persecuted and even executed for their deeds. They wrote the truth at the risk of their lives, and often paid the price. But the other side of that coin is that their followers and sympathizers recognized the truth of their words, and made sure it would be preserved. They made copies, hid them in caves, distributed them among secret networks of followers to ensure they would be preserved for later generations. This continued right through the days of the New Testament, when Jesus' followers suffered persecution and martyrdom for proclaiming the truth, just as the prophets who went before them suffered at the hands of corrupt Hebrew kings.

The idea that all human life is valuable, that widows and orphans matter as much to God as the King comes from the Bible. The idea that God will not turn a blind eye to the sins of even rulers and kings comes from the Bible. The idea that we are here for a reason, that History has a purpose comes from the Bible. The idea that God cares about all of us, not just a select few, comes from the Bible. The idea that all of us can know God, and be transformed by the knowing, comes from the Bible. It really is a miracle that any part of the Bible has survived at all. That so much of it has is, I think, no accident.

Answer 2

No...

It uses, lies, falsehoods and mythology as a means of control. People become so entrenched in religion that they can no longer determine fact from fiction when it comes to their beliefs. Religion is usually a family tradition thing, passed down from one generation to the next. The problem is that it is often passed down to children at a very early age, when they are still developing their learning skills... so when they are learning how to read, how to add and subtract, they are also being told bible stories... and to me that is like brainwashing. When a young child is told something over and over and told that it is TRUE without a doubt and not to question it... they don't question it, they believe Noah's Arc and Moses parting the Red Sea just as much as they firmly know that 2+2=4. Now if the bible told us that the word of god was 2+2=5 and children are taught that from a young age and their pastor/preacher tells them that math is a lie... what do you think the children will say the answer is to 2+2 is? Mathematically, it's easy to prove 2+2 is 4, but if you fear that by saying 4, you will go to hell... 5 might start to seem like the correct answer.

As a book, it gives you a basis structure of living a good life and I cannot find it within myself to disagree with anyone living a good life. On the other hand, when a book that uses mythology and lies starts to become the basis of truth, then that starts to become a problem. I cannot trust a book that is supposed to be the word of an almighty creator, that is filled with such inaccuracies that anyone with the courage to question will start to see the truth... then how can I follow those teachings?

Do I need the bible to live a good life or to have morals? Absolutely not... Do others need the bible for that? Yes! It's one thing to live by teachings... it's another thing to think that the bible is historical facts. So in one basic sense it's trustworthy, but overall it is not.

Answer 3

If by trustworthy you mean completely accurate and true in all respects then I think no. It would take a lot of space and typing to answer this fully as to why. I can recommend "Misquoting Jesus" by Bart Ehrman and "The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man" by Robert Price if you are interested in reading more on the skeptical of Biblical accuracy/reliability scholarship. It is also suspect to me in that it shows signs of much revision. The Bible wasn't codified until 325 and even after that things were added and taken out. It was very much in part a political process although believers will say it was guided by God, how do you know though. How would one feel about another religion that looked like it was assembled by humans in a very politicized way but claim perfection guided by God. What about the fact that a lot of what people take as Jesus's views in the Bible are written by Paul? Paul never met Jesus in real life but claims to get his information in divine revelations or visions. Is that really trustworthy? Its all too far out and suspect for me personally. Each person must examine the evidence and decide for themselves though.

Answer 4

There are nuggets in the bible ripe for cherry picking that are trustworthy. To call them a source of morality when it is easily demonstrated that human reality has another, internal source, is not intellectually honest.

As an historical or dogmatic tome, it is not at all trustworthy. Despite blind believers sticking their heads in the sand to deny the obvious contradictions, the bible is replete with internal errors.

In one book, depending on whether you believe Chapter 10 or 15, you can know ALL about the capture or the NON-Capture of Jerusalem, in the same story. Which was it?

Which god made King David take a census? Their god Yahweh or their god Satan? Chronicles and Samuel have different accounts of this.

Do we stone adulterers or do we love and forgive unconditionally?

I know which action MY OWN morality would have me take.

Policed morality is false and based on fear, not love. Freely chosen morality is genuine and worthy of the word.

Answer 5

No, because it is self-contradictory.

It is impossible for two mutually exclusive statements to both be true, so at least one of them must be false.

Started with the conflicting versions of Genesis, and proceeding through all the stories, there are at least one thousand known contradictions. Further, there has never been any archaeological evidence to support Exodus, or even the existence of a person named Jesus. that is remarkable because there is abundant archaeological evidence from that era for other things. It is also remarkable because it would be impossible for thousands of Jewish slaves to live and wander in a desert for any period of time without leaving an obvious trail of artifacts.

So far, these points only refer to the so-called "historical" material in the Bible. It is difficult to count the logical fallacies of philosophical ideas it contains. Suffice it to say that it is impossible to have a "creator" who is simultaneously all-powerful and good, yet allows evil to exist. For that single reason alone, we have enough cause to doubt every other assertion in that confusing collection of fiction.

Now, does that mean that everything in the Bible is bad?
No... There are some beautiful stories too, some nice lessons, and some decent morals. The difficulty is separating the good from the bad.

You don't need fear to inspire ethical behavior. Common sense is plenty motivation for morality. It also is not sullied by lies.

For that reason, I submit that even when there is something of positive value in the Bible, it still is untrustworthy and it confuses real ethics with fiction.

Answer 6

The older versions that were not written by publishers to make money are the most trustworthy.
The translations of the King James, and the New King James are the best English translations from the Greek. They are accurate, and no doctrine is made impure.
An Almighty God is certainly able to preserve His words and their meanings for a mere few thousand years' time, and quite frankly, anyone that doesn't believe that, doubts God's ability and His promise.
There are problems with some of the new versions, like the NIV does not have all verses, for example.

Answer 7

Yes of course the Bible is trustworthy! have you heard the description of the ostrich in job? 13 "The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
but they cannot compare with the pinions and feathers of the stork.

14 She lays her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the sand,

15 unmindful that a foot may crush them,
that some wild animal may trample them.

16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
she cares not that her labor was in vain,

17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of good sense.

18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
she laughs at horse and rider.


this accurately describes the ostrich so some doofus tell me the Bible doesn't have accurate facts

Answer 8

I'd like to add to Q&A Queen's comments

-on prophecy being fulfilled -
The destruction of ancient Tyre, the fall of Babylon, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the rise and fall of the kings of Medo-Persia and Greece were foretold in great detail in the Bible. The prophecies were so accurate that some critics tried, in vain, to say they were written after the events took place.—Isaiah 13:17-19; 44:27–45:1; Ezekiel 26:3-6; Daniel 8:1-7, 20-22.

The prophecies that Jesus gave about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. were accurately fulfilled. (Luke 19:41-44; 21:20, 21) And prophecies about “the last days” given by Jesus and the apostle Paul are being fulfilled in detail in our very own time.—2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13; Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21. [Check these out, they are right on the button.]

No human mind, however intelligent, could so accurately predict future events. Only the mind of the all-powerful and all-wise Creator of the universe could, as we read at 2 Peter 1:20, 21: “No prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.”

While the majority of ancient writers reported only their successes and virtues, the Bible writers openly admitted their own mistakes, as well as the failings of their kings and leaders. Numbers 20:1-13 and Deuteronomy 32:50-52 record the failings of Moses, and he wrote those books. Jonah 1:1-3 and 4:1 list the failings of Jonah, who wrote those accounts. Matthew 17:18-20; 18:1-6; 20:20-28; and 26:56 record poor qualities shown by Jesus’ disciples. Thus, the honesty and candor of the Bible writers give support to their claim of being inspired by God.

Answer 9

I don't think so.

I mean the anecdotes and stories have value because they ring true and seem righteous in some ways. But do the gospels for example even belong in the Bible, they are the words of men, not of God, yet they're presented right alongside the supposed word of God.

Over time many hands have had the Bible and have surely been able to manipulate it. Some ancient Kings I'm sure relished the idea of making woman subservient to man in the various ways.

Moral of the story, don't believe everything you read, and certainly don't live by it.

Answer 10

I would say yes, depending on how you look at it. It is blind to say there are no contradictions in the Bible. I used to think that way, but my eyes have been opened and I can accept that it is not the infallible word of God, as many Christians hold it. However, if view from the viewpoint that it is a collection of accounts on how the various authors viewed their relationship to God, it becomes a lot more trustworthy. Not as "this is what yuo have to do" but as "this is one way of experiencing a relationship with God".

Blessings in the Light of Christ!
~Embracing my Pangelism