The Problem of the Bible: Inaccuracies, contradictions, fallacies, scientific issues and more.

Note, this is my first debate - and I'm only doing this debate because I'm studying systematic theology at the University of Austin Presbyterian Theology Seminary. So, personally, I believe, that I have a fair bit of knowledge on the topic addressed. "A lot of people claim the Bible is perfect and without error. Most of these people have never actually read the Bible, other than cherry-picking the few verses they think are nice. " Moving forward, I have read the entire Bible; twice. Once religiously, once scientifically. So this doesn't apply to me, I believe. "I. Which Bible? .. .numerous manuscripts. " While some manuscripts might not agree with the terms of "language", mostly all manuscripts tend to correlate with each other. As a noted philosopher, James R. White, writes, "The largest portion of textual variants in the NT comes from simple scribal errors, not from purposeful "corruption" of the text for theological reasons. " [1] "II. Availability - current estimate is that 2,251 languages, representing 193 million people, lack a Bible translation" The Bible is the most translated book in the world, so I don't understand if this is supposed to be backlashing Christianity or if it's supposed to be factual - because if they're trying to imply either, they're both wrong. I'd recommend looking at this link, providing better factual information about Bible translation numbers, growth, etc. .. 1. . http://resources.wycliffe.net... "Prove that the bible is not a book of inaccuracies, contradictions, fallacies, scientific blunderings, is readable and is easily understood to get a general consensus. " If this is all I have to prove, then I'll be ignoring the rest of your argument. Although I will be addressing a few things mentioned in the doc, you provided, that need some explanation - this will be at the end of my argument; note, the explanations from the doc are about other subjects of theology, and, hence, should not be included in the vote. To begin, posing the question, "Does the Bible have inaccuracies, contradictions, fallacies, and scientific issues? " is posing a false question based on "bad theology". John Piper, an American Reformed Baptist continuationist pastor, described bad theology as: "Bad theology will eventually hurt people and dishonor God in proportion to its badness. " In case of my personal bias, David Madison, an atheist, rightfully pointed out, "Bad theology assumes the validity of personal opinions and feelings about God(s). But personal opinions and feelings count for nothing when we're trying to figure out how the Cosmos functions. Individual believers and worshippers are even more prone to bias, emotion, and guesswork than the theologians. " [2] This is valid. So, with this in mind, you can't say "God is stupid" or "God is evil" because it's a personal bias - which is a logical fallacy, and I'll be ignoring it if you mention it in the debate. I'll be basing my argument on the commodity of a grapefruit. Surely that seems absurd, but this is how my teacher described it to us: 1. If I say, "I hate grapefruit" and then turn to someone else and say "I love grapefruit," I am contradicting myself. 2. If I said 20 years ago "I hate grapefruit" and now say "I love grapefruit," I am not contradicting myself. Rather my view of grapefruit changed over time. 3. If I say "I hate grapefruit" but my son says "I love grapefruit," that would not be a contradiction. We are two different people voicing our opinions. The word contradiction, as described by Merriam-Webster, states: "a proposition, statement, or phrase that asserts or implies both the truth and falsity of something. " [3] The Bible works well with the second and third examples, not at all like the third. We create problems for ourselves when we assume the first example is relevant - it isn't. However inspiration works (and I defy anyone who thinks they have a handle on it), the following is demonstrably true: 1. The Bible is written by real live people over a long period of time (2nd grapefruit example). In some cases, the effect of time and circumstance can be seen in one person (more closely in keeping with the 2nd grapefruit example), namely Paul, whose letters show differing tones, emphases, and even shifts in thinking. [4] 2. The Bible records the voices of different people who have different points of view on the same topic (3rd grapefruit example), including what the Law of Moses says, how God acts toward outsiders, how many gods exist, whether the reign of Manasseh was positive or negative, when Jesus cleansed the Temple, what Paul thinks of the Law, and on and on. [5] Peter Enns, a noted biblical scholar, states that the writers of the Bible spanned centuries, writing in different time periods, facing political and religious problems - where each responded to those circumstances from their point of view during their settings in life. [6] If you have anything you want me to respond to specifically, I'd be happy to oblige - but I'll not be critiquing all their interpretations. You can point a few that you have questions about, but not all; unless you privately email me. Also, to make it very clear, the rules never deemed me to go over all their interpretations, and I plan not to. I'll now be addressing a few issues about "Dossier of Reason". Daniel Henson, the writer of "Dossier of Reason" was an ex-youth pastor. To me, his logic is fallacious on the Cosmological argument and the Teleological argument. The problem, as I see it, is that he provides no backup, sources, or evidence to support his claims on Cosmology or Teleology. I also just don't agree with him in general. His language seems attacking more than informative - another thing I've noticed when talking to Atheists. Sources: 1. . http://www.equip.org... ---> Modern Bible translation's corruption explanation 2. . http://www.debunking-christianity.com... ---> Provides examples of what "Bad theology" is 3. . https://www.merriam-webster.com... ---> Definition of "corruption" 4. . https://peteenns.com... ---> Provides an explanation that there are no Bible contradictions 5. ibid 6. . https://books.google.com... - The Bible and the Believer: How to Read the Bible Critically and Religiously (p. 29) I'll be intrigued by your next argument.