| Biblical infallibility (2) | Friday, Dec 1, 2006 11:13 am |
Most Christians believe the Bible is the infallible, inspired word of God. If that's true, it gives credibility to the beliefs of millions of people and essentially proves Christianity to be true. If it's false, it pretty much destroys the claims of Christianity and the faith of its believers. So it's no wonder why it's a big issue in Christendom.
Here's my one little example that doesn't necessarily prove anything but merely illustrates a point: Let's say I ask a New York Giants fan to repeat the following statement: "The Philadelphia Eagles will win the Super Bowl this year." It's quite possible to successfully repeat this phrase verbatim, without hesitation and without a second thought. However, there are at least 3 factors that could introduce error:
- For a football fan, any talk of the Super Bowl is a touchy subject, especially at this point in the season, and especially if your team hasn't been doing well lately.
- Giants fans hate the Eagles, so any statement in favor of the Eagles will have a tendency to be skewed.
- It's almost certainly an untrue statement. Based on the Eagles' current record (and recent performance), they have almost no chance in the world of getting to the Super Bowl, much less winning it.
So right there we have the fact that it's a sensitive issue, it's a positive statement about an enemy, and it's a lie. Yet, I'm absolutely certain that a person could repeat these words exactly as I say them, without introducing any error.
Linked: Puzzle pieces, Subtle insults
Dave,
I get what your saying, but to play devil's advocate, how sure are you that your sentence could be transmitted from person to person over a thousand years or so including a translation or two without its meaning being changed.
As a text there's no doubt that the Bible has held up well over the centuries, and if we compare side by side editions from different eras the text is basically intact, but anyone who wants to go after the bible isn't likely to attack using the "errors introduced over time argument." They're much more likely to use the "made up from the very beginning argument." Which brings us back to your statement about the eagles. Just because your statement can be repeated accurately doesn't imply that it was correct in the first place.
You're absolutely right, which is why I didn't even attempt to address that point. I pretty much try to avoid these discussions at all costs because almost all arguments against God, Christianity, and the Bible make valid points. I just try to intersperse little tidbits of logic or information to prove minuscule points that have almost nothing to do with the bigger picture.