Should Errors in the Bible Cause You to Lose Your Faith in Christianity? #shorts #bible #faith

[willx]

The problem is that many people identify Christianity with a peculiar and novel sets of beliefs that were invented in the sixteenth century and later and had and continue to have a major impact in the USA and areas of the world under the influence of US churches. These beliefs include peculiar and novel beliefs about the Bible that were not held by Christians up until that time and are not the beliefs of the vast majority of Christians even now.

[Apostate]

I think Bart severely underestimates the degree to which his learning about the Bible contradictions, mistakes, etc. planted the seeds for his much later rejection of Christianity.

[Mere_Christian]

I agree with Prof. Ehrman on this point. You really don’t need to accept that the Bible is inerrant to be a Christian. Nowhere does it claim that. C. S. Lewis, one of the most famous and beloved Christian apologists, accepted that there were errors and contradictions. Prof. Bruce Metzger, one of the most influential New Testament scholars of the 20th Century *and* Prof. Ehrman’s mentor, was a Christian who not only held the same view as Lewis, but that 2nd Peter was a forgery! Prof. Douglas Campbell is a Christian who accepts the consensus of skeptical scholars that many of St. Paul’s epistles are forgeries. This view is also held by Prof. Aaron Higashi, who is still a Christian. You don’t need to believe the Bible is inerrant to be a Christian. You really don’t.

[charliemoody]

There’s a vast distance between faith in Jesus & faith in Christianity; the “inerrancy” hypothesis reduces it to idolatry of a book, which says it is written by the creator & therefore CANNOT be wrong.

Knowledge of biblical insufficiencies didn’t end my faith. Knowledge of the Bible AND a life in the evangelical world were MORE than enough; but what did it were the destructive effects on my psychological & emotional well-being, resulting from years of sincere effort to live the life Christianity prescribes and - turn against the way I was made: in God’s image, they said.

The *image* is what they care about. It gives them cover, and “plausible deniability”

[yalex]

I used to go to church but nobody there ever told me that every word in the Bible is scientifically or historically true. They said the Bible is a story its writers wanted to tell about God, but the point is what you think about God. There is no way you could be expected to maintain a religious view with verbatim adherence to a story written 2, 000 years ago. People of faith in Roman times debated constantly about the Bible in its formative stages and there is no reason for one now to refrain from doing so, even if one professes this religion.

[Abuhamza-abdullah]

Absolutely.. because my whole belief has to be based on the fact that it is indeed the Inerrant, Perfect words of The Creator and the Bible is clearly not that.. that’s just me

[EinarGrondal]

I am quite well aware that many "errors, typos, misunderstandings, and lies" fill the "Good Book", a.k.a. the bible. It certainly tested my faith. I have noticed other folks at Church having visceral and nearly violent reactions to any discussion of such heresy. I suspect that my "heresy" will see my faith demolished in due course. But I think Bart is right in that it aught not be that way. If faith and religion can't hold water when challenged by truth, then it ain’t worth much. 🎉

[timothygibney]

It lead me to fall away. I noticed the errors were the ones cited the most by church! How can I trust any of it?!

[caulcampbell]

Some people are not worshipping God but they are worshipping the Bible, the scriptures in the Holy Bible is to edify the believer about God, in scriptures of the Bible it is written worship God and only Him we should serve, to worship the Bible is idolatry.

[aaronpolichar]

I grew up Jewish, not Christian, so I can't really speak to Christianity. But I went through a similar process with the Hebrew Bible. However, because my religious identity was not purely based on faith, I continued to identify with Judaism even after I was no longer a theist.

[trinsit]

In a way, it was the inerrancy, because it's based on us believing that what was written IS what people saw and witnessed, which means we are believing that unbelievable things happened. If unbelievable things did not happen and it isn't inerrant, then how can you tell what to believe and what not to believe? Because people use the same book to justify horrific atrocities. No. Throw the whole book out because something being true does not depend on who said it. Just focus on what is true and what works. If it doesn't work, throw it out. Facts are base reality. Reality is truth. Empathy is truth. Inerrancy is impossible. Acknowledging mistakes is humble truth.

[Optidorf]

As a European it's a bit funny to see that so many Americans think the bible is the inerrant word of God. I wonder if that same culture would persist if protestants didn't pull away from roman catholicism where the pope is the replacement of Christ.

[Dizzinator]

It was right to say a lot of people hold that view I know I certainly held it and so did the church I attended. I was able to remain a believer even knowing somethings were wrong but that was the beginning of the end

[salmansami]

The contradictions and errors should be enough to tell a human being that its false

[mattr.]

Former diehard fundie here. Biblical inerrancy was always taught as the hardline norm to me. No exceptions. Not even a single letter had ever been wrong. I heard this not from just one out-there pastor alone, but every pastor and Bible study leader I ever sought out. If you suggested there was even a simple mistake, you might as well have been a Satanist.

It's all behind me now. But honestly, if Christianity was true, then WHY SHOULDN'T the Bible be completely inerrant from day one? Interesting that Bart dismisses this so easily.

[davidallhusen]

Errors merely reflect a fallible human condition; not a universal spiritual reality.

[retribution]

If you reject Christianity what are you going to put in its place. How will you fill the void in people's lives. As Augustine said " Our hearts are restless until we rest in thee"

[terregales]

Thanks for sharing Bart . I find cannabis, the holy ghost, proof of what was promised, “ the filling of the Holy Ghost” The gospel of Philip “ It’s thee all

[mollymuch]

What has not changed is the gospel message from genesis to revelation
The bible message is a progressive successive revelation of God, s rescue plan for broken humanity

[faithrada]

If one wants a better understanding of the Bible, Jesus, and religion in general ... they may well find Elaine Pagel's book.. GNOSTIC GOSPELS, and also her book dealing with the Gospel of Thomasto be very helpful. Two real eye openers with much to contemplate.