I have been wrestling with the topic of Biblical Inerrancy. At a young age it was engrained into me that the Bible was the Word of God. It says it, you do it, no questions asked. I remember when I was 13 right after I became a Christian being so upset as to be in tears because I ran into a contradiction in the Bible. When I was about 14 my mom started studying how the canon came about and started to pick and choose what books to accept. I rolled with that for a while. Then came my Churchianity days where it was back to the Bible is inerrant and if it contradicts, well we just dont get it.
The real issue I have now is not so much with contradictions or the perception thereof. My faith is stronger than that, but rather the use of proof texts or as I call them "Bible bombs" to justify hideous things. In the past people used them to justify slavery. Now its subordination of women, war, capititalism, etc. That has brought me back to this.
1) Why do we accept what is in the Bible. I have no issue with the Gospels and most of the OT.
2) Who were these old Catholics who decided which books to take and which ones to leave. I have read some apocryphal books and think they are interested and Bible like. Who were these people and why do we take their word for what should be in the canon.
3) Why is Paul's every word and opinion used as doctrine. Paul was a man and was in my mind quite opinionated. He was a good man, but why should his opinion that women should not teach be authoritative anymore than something Brian McLaren or Rick Warren says. They say some good things. I am not necessarily saying Paul shouldnt be in the Bible, but I think his works are the most abused of anyone to justify things. He even said in some places "I not the Lord"
4) Why do Fundamentalists stick to the doctrine that the Earth is only 6000 years old. The Bible doesnt say that and I fail to see that in Genesis. I think millions of years passed between Gen 1:1 and Gen 1:2
5) I wanna puke when people quote the end of Revelation about adding to or taking away from this book. That refers to the book of Revelation. Do Churchianity people really believe God rained the Bible out of the sky. It must have happend in 1611 when the Authorized King James Bible fell from heaven.
I am interested in your thoughts here. I am not trying to rattle anyones faith. Most of the perceived contradictions are fairly irrelevent. I think we need a better answer than just ignore problems and they go away. I would like to hear what my new friends have to say on this topic. I have yet to have an intelligent conversation with a Church leader on this issue.
I started a topic on the Ooze about it but it digressed to mindless bickering. Though they pointed me to some good reading material.
God Bless. Peace and Love to all
3 comments:
Well, you ahve been reading my blog. You should go read Johnthree30. He just did an excellent post on the Bible
johnthree30.blogspot.com.
He talked about the bible as God's resume. You get introduced to him there and certainly there are words of hope and inspiration there. But we are in relationship with the Lord himself. How are my words, chronicling my experience of Christ less valid? We're talking about Christ speaking into my heart directly. Is that less meaningful because it doesn't have the approval of "THE CHURCH" Eh! Whatever. We are to be living epistles. Let the men in smoking jackets debate about inerrancy. What can we even know? I know Jesus lives in my heart. I know I walk with him and I cling to his garment when I am afraid. I know what you are saying. I am just so tired of division. That doesn't mean I don't have opinions,(you know I do) I just wonder how much my point of view really matters in the grand scheme of things. I don't beleive anythign that human beings touch is inerrant, but I also believe God functions flwlessly within the confines of our folly.
I think I am starting to get it. Maybe I should stop worrying about whether Luke's genealogy and Matthew's match up and realize that the Bible is there to help people know God. John Three 30 put it very well. Gods resume. Being a guy who has had to put together a resume many times, I can relate to that.
I am glad. I knew that would put things into perspective some.
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