|
|
Problems People
Have With The Bible Recently
I read an article about a man suing Tyndale House Publishers, Zondervan
Publishing, and Thomas Nelson Publishing for using the word “homosexual” in
1 Corinthians 9.6. In the King James
Bible the term “abusers of themselves with mankind” is used.
In the New American Standard, English Standard Version and others the
word “homosexual” is used. Bradley Fowler sued, claiming emotional duress
and mental instability caused by the Bible condemning homosexuality.
The suit was thrown out by the judge on a technicality.
This
got me to thinking about some other problems people have with the Bible.
Just this last week I read a paper, “The Bible and Public Schools:
Report on the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools” written
by Mark A Chancey, for the The
Bible is explicitly characterized as inspired by God.
Discussions
of science are based on the claims of biblical creationists. Jesus
is presented as fulfilling “Old Testament” prophecy. Archaeological
findings are citied as support for claims of the Bible’s complete historical
accuracy. The
Bible is said to consist of the “Old Testament” and the “New Testament”. There
are 66 books in the entire Bible 39
in the Old Testament 27
in the New Testament The
divisions within the Old Testament are History Law
Poetry Prophets
(Major and Minor) These
are the divisions of the Protestant Christian Bible; the fact that the Jewish
Bible is different is not even mentioned. Referring
to the period between the Old Testament and New Testament as “Inter-testamental,”
or “Intertestamental,” or “Intestamentary” period.
The
10 Commandments in Protestant Bibles is different from that listed in the
Catholic Bible. The
report goes on to criticize the curriculum, but again I want to focus on the
problems the writer had with the Bible. The
Bible does claim to be the inspired word of God. “All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of
God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2
Timothy 3:16-17). Individual writers
of the Bible claim to have been inspired by God.
In one’s study of the Bible they must understand the claims the Bible
makes for itself. The Bible does
claim to be the inerrant and complete word of God. The
Bible was not written as a science book, but it does claim to tell us how the
world was created. In Genesis 1 we
read of God creating everything in the universe in six days.
The design of this article is not to argue whether this is to be taken
literally or figuratively (although I believe it is literal) but what the Bible
does say. There are certain facts
stated in the Bible that have been confirmed in the field of science.
For instance, Isaiah 51.6 states that the world is wearing out.
In 1850 the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the Law of Entropy, was
written. This states that the world
we live in is deteriorating. Science
has confirmed many statements found in the Bible such as the world being
circular (Psalm 89.36-37) and hanging on nothing (Job 26.7), currents in the
ocean (Psalm 8.8), lightning is connected to rain
(Job 28.25-27), and many others. Archaeologists
as a general rule do not start out to prove the Bible to be true.
Yet on many occasions they have found the Bible to be true.
The destruction of the Philistines was foretold in Amos 1.8, “I will
cut off the inhabitant from Concerning
the division of the Bible into Old and Testament and the individual books of the
Bible, a lot of the argument is of little importance.
What we call the Old Testament is what the Jews call the Tanak, or Mikra.
The Jews recognized the first 5 books of the Bible to have been written
by Moses and was called the Torah. The
Septuagint
Bible existed at the time of Jesus and consisted of what we call the Old
Testament. The division of the books
is not the same as our Bible, but the material is the same.
Books such as Judges, Ruth, I & 2 Samuel, and 1 &2 Kings were not
separated in the Septuagint Bible. Malachi
is recognized as being the last book written before the birth of Jesus.
This period covered 400 years of time and ends pointing toward the birth
of Jesus. Frankly it does not matter what one calls the period between the
testaments. That period did exist.
Four hundred years is a good bit of time to distinguish the two
testaments. The New Testament begins
with His birth. Yes, the Jews reject
Jesus as being the Messiah and therefore reject the writings of the New
Testament, but those writings do exist and were recognized by the early
Christians as being inspired. Mark
A. Chancey points out that the “Protestant Bible’s 10 Commandments” are
different from the “Catholic Bible’s 10 Commandments.”
The reason for this is not because of differences in early manuscripts or
translations, but because the Catholic Church deleted the prohibition of making
images representing God; this left 9 commandments.
In order to get to ten they separated coveting into two separate
commandments. Those being, thou
shall not covet thy neighbor’s goods and thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s
wife. But the Jews understood the
prohibition of making idols to be one of the 10 commandments.
As
a practical matter, many of the problems people have with the Bible is not based
on textual evidence or the way it is divided; but what it teaches.
Skeptics do not want the Bible taught or read because it condemns sin and
speaks of a future judgment. Instead
of being honest and admitting such, they make false arguments.
– Dennis Tucker |