Posted by blue on June 03, 1998 at 08:48:06:
In Reply to: I vote that Jake's contradictions are a serious problem for the Bible posted by Walker on June 03, 1998 at 01:19:04:
: I've looked at them and most of them seem like real problems.
None have yet proved difficult, but I'm not done yet. Most are about minutia. This implies that there are no substantive contradictions in the Bible, just these minute details that you have to work through to defend infallibility. Pretty amazing for a book of many authors written over thousands of years.
: I looked at rpcman's link to murder and atrocities in the Bible. Eeow! Those are awful.
Judgment is awful. The Revelation paints a much more ghastly picture than anything in the O.T.
Now it was the kids who didn't believe that Walker was really reading from the Bible, so as they challenged me I let them read to the class.
They should have been studying the whole text from the start. Would you teach Shakespeare by telling kids ABOUT Shakespeare? Have them READ IT ALL. Teens enjoy rebellion and sarcasm by nature. You will always be popular if you take this attititude in teaching them. But you will be a failure as a teacher.
One student read 15:4
: And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes,
: and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail,
: and put a firebrand in the midst between two
: tails.
: After reading it themselves, they found it difficult to swallow. So why were my kids incredulous about this story. Perhaps they've picked up on my attitude, but I believe it's also because they've never heard the real stuff before; we've been sugar coating it for so long.
And what is so incredible in this story? If you capture two foxes you can tie their tails together. Does this take a miracle? You can then repeat this little exercise as often as you like. After 150 repetitions you (and your helpers, if you invite conspiracy) have 300 foxes running around in pairs.
: I just started reading "The Demon-Haunted World". Perhaps I'm condemmed for saying this but it seems I could do more good to humankind by teaching one chapter of this book than the entire OT.
I don't know if you're condemned, but you sound foolish. Considering the influence of the O.T. for the last few thousand years, no one can consider themselves educated without a working knowledge of the Bible.