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I think the scriptures (the Bible consisting of the Old and New Testament) are completely accurate. 100%. That is not to say that there are not figures of speech, non-technical descriptions, or passages that are difficult or impossible for us to understand, but that is different than errors.
If the Bible has even one small error, there is no reason to trust anything that it says at all. If a date or a measurement or a number was wrong, then how do we know that a word wasn't left out here and there? Perhaps the JW's have it right, and the book of John says "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was A God".
When you start looking at the Bible as a fallible book on par with any other book you are saying, the Bible cannot be a standard of truth. It has errors so it can't be. The same way that a ruler drawn by hand from memory can't be the standard for measurement. When you say the Bible has errors you are saying, the Bible is not the standard of truth, I am the standard of truth, as it is me who is determining what passages are correct or incorrect. I think that also opens up very dangerous ground because it just starts a chain of doubt going. If there was a misinterpretation of these things which I can double check (dates, times, numbers, translation details) then there might be hundreds of errors that I cannot check on (errors made about the nature of God, of sin, and salvation). If you can label some verses and error, why not any verse. What stops you from saying "Well I know the gospels say Christ died and rose again, but the literal translation is Christ was almost dead, went into a coma and then woke up again" (that is not so far out there as you might think; a lot of people who dispute the Bible hold that idea).
God is complete in his truthfulness and any error in his Holy Word is a contradiction of his very person. Titus 1:2 says "God cannot lie", John 17:!7 says "Your word is truth". If you believe that, then you have to think well why are there errors then? Is God not powerful enough to preserve his word the way he wanted us to read it? Did some errors slip past him? Why would God who is infinite in his perfection, knowledge and truth, give us as the standard for our lives an imperfect and problematic book by which we should use as a standard of truth and knowledge of Him?
If I thought for a second that the Bible contained even one error I wouldn't continue living a Christian life. The way I see it, if the Bible contains a single error, there is no God. How could there be? He would either have to be A) a liar, or B) not all powerful (which would also make him a liar because he said he was all powerful). Either way, he wouldn't be much of a God then.
I am not blaming you for think about these things. On the contrary I think anyone who accepts any teaching or idea or religion at face value without asking any questions or doing any research is foolish. But I think you should go back and take a second look at the Bible.
I think the scriptures (the Bible consisting of the Old and New
Testament) are completely accurate. 100%. That is not to say that there
are not figures of speech, non-technical descriptions, or passages that
are difficult or impossible for us to understand, but that is different than errors.
If the Bible has even one small error, there is no reason to trust
anything that it says at all. If a date or a measurement or a number was
wrong, then how do we know that a word wasn't left out here and there?
Perhaps the JW's have it right, and the book of John says "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was A God".
When you start looking at the Bible as a fallible book on par with any
other book you are saying, the Bible cannot be a standard of truth. It
has errors so it can't be. The same way that a ruler drawn by hand from
memory can't be the standard for
measurement. When you say the Bible has errors you are saying, the Bible
is not the standard of truth, I am the standard of truth, as it is me
who is determining what passages are correct or incorrect. I think that
also opens up very dangerous ground because it just starts a chain of doubt going. If there was a misinterpretation of these things which I can double check (dates, times, numbers, translation details) then there might be hundreds of errors that I cannot check on (errors made about the nature of God, of sin, and salvation). If you can label some verses and error, why not any verse. What stops you from saying "Well I know the gospels say Christ died and rose again, but the literal translation is Christ was almost dead,
went into a coma and then woke up again" (that is not so far out there
as you might think; a lot of people who dispute the Bible hold that
idea).
God is complete in his truthfulness and any error in his Holy Word is a
contradiction of his very person. Titus 1:2 says "God cannot lie", John
17:!7 says "Your word is truth". If you believe that, then you have to
think well why are there errors then? Is God not powerful enough to preserve his word the way he wanted us to read it? Did some errors slip past him? Why would God who is infinite in his perfection, knowledge and truth, give us as the standard for our lives an imperfect and problematic book by which we should use as a standard of truth and knowledge of Him?
If I thought for a second that the Bible contained even one error I wouldn't continue living a Christian life. The way I see it, if the Bible contains a
single error, there is no God. How could there be? He would either have to be A) a liar, or B) not all powerful (which would also make him a liar because he said he was all powerful). Either way, he wouldn't be much of a God then.
I am not blaming you for think about these things. On the contrary I
think anyone who accepts any teaching or idea or religion at face value
without asking any questions or doing any research is foolish. But I
think you should go back and take a second look at the Bible.
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