The Holy Bible an Unreliable Source
Andrew Stutts
The
Bible contains law, mythology and even some verifiable history. However, seldom should a literal interpretation
be used for any reason. The Holy Bible,
in its entirety, has way too many inconsistencies to be reliable for any
endeavor including history, science, and even theology. Despite this fact, the Holy Bible is a grand
achievement in literature; adding to the tapestry of human knowledge,
experience, and development. The Bible,
when interpreted too literally loses much of its grandeur. Therefore, any interpretation of the Bible
should be strictly reserved for a personal gnosis. A literal interpretation of the Holy Bible is
not in the best interest of humanity because it is way too inconsistent for any
reason such as history, science, or theology.
There
are some proponents that believe the Holy Bible gives a credible account of
ancient history. However, the Bible is
not a reliable historical document on its own merit and needs other sources to
verify it. It is full of unverifiable
mythologies and it is culturally and religiously biased. There are those that believe the Bible can
accurately detail historical events but it has too many mythologies to be
trusted as a single source of historical data.
One
major inconsistency between those who take a literal view of the Bible as
historical fact and scientists /historians is the subject of the creation of
Earth. Those who attempt to take a literal
interpretation of the Bible “view the human race and the universe as having
existed for a relatively short period, probably no more than several thousand years. In fact, for many centuries the orthodox
Christian position - to doubt which was to risk damnation - was that the
creation took place sometime between four and six thousand years before
Christ’s birth.” (Sommer) Scientists and
historians, however, have differing views on the subject. “Historians
and scientists give a much longer historical record. They say the universe is between 10 and 20
billion years old, the earth’s age is approximately 4.6 billion years, and
humans evolved from ape-like ancestors during the last few million years.” (Sommer) These differing views are the topic of much
controversy between Christians and scientists/historians. When the Bible is given historical viability,
religious bias overrules scientific fact and logic.
Religious text can never be trusted to give
an accurate rendering of history because of their biased views and
accounts. Additionally, the Bible has
the unique problem of a cultural and religious bias; it is written from the
perspective of the so called chosen people of God. For example, “The book of Exodus claims to
contain a historical record of the escape of the Israelites from slavery in
Egypt. However, historians and
archaeologists have been unable to verify any of the events described in the
book. No known Egyptian records refer to the biblical Moses, the devastating
plagues God supposedly inflicted on the country, the escape of the Hebrew
slaves, or the drowning of the Egyptian army.
Furthermore, “records contained on Egyptian monuments show that the
pharaoh ruling at the time of the alleged escape of the Jews was certainly not
overwhelmed in the Red Sea.” (Sommer) One can only speculate if there is any
truth to the account at all. When
reading the stories of the Bible one thing is obvious, the stories are written
from a strong religious and cultural bias.
However,
this is not to say we cannot acknowledge, or even appreciate, a religious or
culture perspective when studying history.
Both are important when studying humanities’ experience through
time. Religion has long been a driving
force in control of people, the construction and deconstruction of kingdoms and
civilizations, and the prevailing religions of an era paint a picture of
humanities’ morals, values, ethics, and life styles of the times. Religious texts are useful when studying
history but the views and accounts they contain are only one small piece of the
puzzle historian must use to reconstruct the past. If, however, religious texts are interpreted
literally they must be critically validated by complimentary historical
research. It should further be stressed
that when studying history for any academic pursuit that it is important to
strive for an unbiased evaluation.
It is fascinating when the exploration of
history and archaeology can actually validate people and places in the
Bible. When historical information
coincides with literature, religious or otherwise, a wonderful collaboration
occurs. However, an unbiased
multidimensional approach must be maintained when studying and analyzing
history. Additionally, the biggest
problem with blending together both religious and academic study is when one is
bent to accommodate the other. We tread
dangerous ground when history is used as a vehicle for apologetics. Throughout history there are numerous examples
where mixing religious interest with academic study has slowed the accumulation
of knowledge and the advancement of mankind.
Probably
one of the most repressed areas of academic study due to past dogmatic and
literal interpretations of the Bible was the sciences. This was especially true in regards to humanity’s
knowledge or perception of how the physical world is structured. For centuries, religious leaders and
theologians, who wielded much power and authority, promoted and even forced
false notions on the composition of the physical world. A stationary Earth as the center of the
Universe, a flat Earth resting on pillars, and the sky being a solid dome
containing windows were just a few of the incorrect ideas about the physical
world forced upon mankind for centuries because of the literally interpretation
of the Bible.
Throughout history many pagan
civilizations had theorized a round earth and left convincing evidence for
other civilizations to follow up on. Greek
philosophers and scientist theorized a round earth as early as the third
century. “The first individual to
accurately calculate the circumference of the Earth was the Greek geographer Eratosthenes
(circa 276 - 194 BC). Eratosthenes calculated the equatorial circumference to
be 40,233 kilometers using simple geometric relationships. This primitive
calculation was unusually accurate. Measurements of the Earth using modern
satellite technology have computed the circumference to be 40,072 kilometers.”(Pidwirny)
However,
many Bible theologians still held to the belief that the earth was flat many
centuries later. “In the sixth century,
a Christian monk named Cosmas wrote a book, titled Topographia Christiana,
describing the structure of the physical world. Basing his views on the Bible,
Cosmas said the earth is flat and surrounded by four seas. The prophecy at Revelation 1:7 was a basis
for his conclusion. It states that when
Christ returns, ‘every eye shall see him.’ Cosmas reasoned that if the earth
were round, people on the other side would not see Christ’s second coming. Further support for the idea of a flat earth
is contained in the verses mentioning the ‘four corners of the earth’ (e.g.,
Isaiah 11:12; Revelation 7:1) and the ‘ends of the earth’ (e.g., Jeremiah
16:19; Acts 13:47). Because of such
Bible teachings, most of the early church fathers thought the earth was
flat. In fact, the view of the world
contained in Cosmas’ book was accepted for several centuries as orthodox
Christian doctrine.” (Sommer)
Also,
accepted centuries later was the concept of the sky being a solid dome with
windows. “The Bible promotes the idea
that the sky is a solid dome covering the earth. In the creation account given
in the first chapter of Genesis, verse 17 says the Lord set the sun and moon ‘in
the firmament’ to provide light for the earth. The Hebrew word translated as
firmament is raqia, which means ‘hammered metal.’ More support for the notion of a domed earth
is found at Job 37:18 (where the sky is described as like a ‘molten looking
glass’); Isaiah 40:22 (God ‘stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and
spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in’); and Revelation 6:14 (‘And the
heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together.’).” (Sommer) Furthermore, many theologians, including
Cosmas believed in “the related idea that the firmament has windows - which are
opened by angels when God wants to send rain upon the earth.”(Sommer) The basis for their belief “was the
statement, at Genesis 7:11-12, that at the time of the Noachian flood the ‘windows
of heaven were opened’ and the rain fell.” (Sommer) “This concept of the sky was common in the
ancient Near East and taken for granted by the Bible writers. Based on the Bible, most of the early church
fathers accepted the notion of the firmament.
The same position was supported by Cosmas, and thus was part of orthodox
Christian doctrine for several centuries.” (Sommer) Clearly a literal view of these passages is inappropriate,
on the other hand, a metaphorical view of the passages is both meaningful and
an appropriate use of the Bibles intent.
A
prime example of the pitfalls of interpreting Biblical scripture too literally
is the Catholic Church’s suppression of Galileo’s scientific
proof of a heliocentric, or sun-centered, Universe in the 17th
century. In
the sixteenth century, a Polish astronomer named Nicolaus Copernicus proposed the
theory “that the Sun is at rest near the center of the Universe, and that
Earth, spinning on its axis once daily, revolves annually around the Sun.”(MSN
Encarta) In the following century,
Galileo’s telescope proved that Copernicus had been right. However, “To oppose the Copernican doctrine
and show that the Earth remains stationary while the Sun moves around it, the
Catholic Church pointed to the tenth chapter of the book of Joshua. There we are told that Joshua, in order to have
a longer period of daylight in which to carry out the Lord’s command to
slaughter the Amorites, ordered the sun to stand still – not the earth.” (Sommer)
Furthermore, the Catholic
Church used various other passages from the Bible to enforce this incorrect view
of cosmology. “Other passages
demonstrating that the earth remains stationary include Psalm 9:31 (‘The world
is established, that it cannot be moved.’); I Chronicles 16:30 (‘The world also
shall be stable, that it be not moved.’); and Psalm 104:5 (The Lord ‘laid the
foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever.’) Because of Galileo’s support for the
Copernican doctrine, the Inquisition threatened him with torture, forced him to
recant, and subjected him to imprisonment.
Additionally, for nearly 200 years the Catholic Church’s Index of
Forbidden Books condemned all writings that affirmed the double motion of the
earth.” (Sommer) Many religious branches that
held onto literary views of the Bible dejected the Copernican doctrine.
For generations, the “major branches of Protestantism – Lutheran, Calvinist,
and Anglican denounced the Copernican doctrine as contrary to scripture.” (Sommer)
The
literal interpretation of the Holy Bible only served to stagnate humanity’s
development through the sciences. Furthermore,
it delayed mankind’s accumulation and application of scientific knowledge. To
summarize Andrew Dickson White in his book A History of the Warfare of Science with
Theology in Christendom Vol. 1,
"There were developed, in every field, theological views of science
which have never led to a single truth – which, without exception, have forced
mankind away from the truth, and have caused Christendom to stumble for
centuries into abysses of error and sorrow." (Vol. I, 325) It is
plain to see the overall effect a literal interpretation of the Holy Bible has
on science; especially mankind’s view of the physical world.
“In view of
the Bible’s numerous mistaken beliefs about the physical world, there is no
reason to think its writers were any more correct about unseen and abstract
matters. Being so greatly in error regarding the tangible and observable
universe, the Bible cannot be considered a reliable guide for spiritual and
ethical issues.” (Sommer) Furthermore, one has to contend with much
inconsistency when the exact interpretation of the Holy Bible is the whole
premise for their theology. There are
numerous theological inconsistencies in the Bible, everything from the nature
of God to which moral precept to follow.
Theologians
and advocates of the Holy Bible conclude that it is entirely accurate and they
base this premises on the conclusion that the Bible is the error free word of
an omnipresent just and loving God. They
contend that the one and only God exists and that his word, the Holy Bible,
exist. Furthermore, these individuals
make the assumption that the truth of one is dependent upon that of the
other. They assert that God is perfect
therefore his word is perfect because to have an infallible god would destroy
the very foundations on which their religions are built. However, a close observation of the Bible
reveals multiple contradictions to the “word of God.”
The
bible cannot be relied upon as the literally word of a one perfect, omniscient,
benevolent, and loving god. This fact is
independent of whether a person actually believes in the existence of such a
deity. Furthermore, the literal interpretation
of all the scriptures in the Holy Bible does not support that assumption. When one centers their theological beliefs
upon the Bible, they have to pick and chose which scriptures to ignore and
which ones to interpret literally to support the premise of there being one
perfect God.
To increase the complication of the
scriptures, the God described in many passages of the Bible is not the only
deity in existence and is far from perfect, omniscient, benevolent or loving. In fact, God is given many names in
scripture. However, if this entity
really does exist as the Bible claims, it is a violent god of force and majesty
but it is only one god among many. There
are multiple passages in the Bible that make reference to multiple gods. Furthermore, it is even debatable whether or
not Elohim, one of God’s names, means more than one god. Here are some examples in the Old Testament that
attest to this, “Now I know that the LORD is greater
than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel
arrogantly."(NIV, Exodus 18:11)
Additionally, in the first verse of Psalm 82, God is referred to as a
god “among gods.” “God rises in the
divine council, gives judgment in the midst of the gods.” (NAB, Psalm 82:1) In the New Testament, one of the newest of
the world’s scriptures, there are still more examples of multiple deities. For example, in 1 Corinthians, chapter 8,
verse 5, Paul of Tarsus writes that “there are, to be sure many gods and many
lords.” (NAB, 1 Cor 8:5) Furthermore,
Jesus also mentions multiple gods in the New Testament. Here is one example, “The
Jews answered him, saying, ‘For a good work we stone thee not; but for
blasphemy. You, a man, are making
yourself God.’ Jesus answered them, is
it not written in your law, I said, ‘You are gods?’” (NAB, John 10:33, 34) Finally, the Holy Bible when interpreted
literally does not support the premise of just one god.
Furthermore,
a literal interpretation of the Holy Bible does not portray God as omnipresent. Take for example the story of Cain and Abel
in Genesis. Accursed and marked for
fratricide “Cain then left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod,
east of Eden.” (NAB, Genesis 4:16) The
phrase "left the Lord’s presence" implies that the god in the Bible is
a local deity, and is not omnipresent.
There are further examples of men fleeing the presence of God in the Bible. In The Book of Jonah, Jonah tried to flee to
Tarshish in the far west to escape God.
Here is the exact passage, “But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish
away from the Lord.” (NAB, Jonah 1:3) If
God was truly omnipresent Jonah would not bother trying to run away. The exact description of God throughout the
Bible is not one of an omnipresent God.
There are numerous
passages in the Bible that don’t portray God as benevolent nor loving. This merciful god will kill even the children
of sinners as noted in the following passages, “If then you become
defiant in your unwillingness to obey me, I will multiply my blows another
sevenfold, as your sins deserve. I will unleash
wild beast against you, to rob you of your children and wipe out your
livestock, till your population dwindles away and your roads become deserted.” (NAB,
Leviticus 26:21-22) The next passages demonstrate that the only
benevolence God has is toward rape and baby killing. “Everyone
who is caught shall be run through; to a man, they shall fall by the
sword. Their infants shall be dashed to pieces
in their sight; their houses shall be plundered and their wives ravished.
I am stirring up against them the Medes, who think nothing of silver and take
no delight in gold. The fruit of the
womb they shall not spare, nor shall they have eyes of pity for children.”(NAB,
Isaiah 13:15-18) When the entire Bible
is translated literally it does not paint a pretty picture. Finally, more often than not, God is
portrayed as crazed, cruel, and malevolent dictator.
The
Holy Bible is not a good document to use for moral guidance. With the numerous inconsistencies in the Holy
Bible, it is extremely difficult to know which morale precepts to follow. One would have to use the Bible for morale
guidance as a lawyer uses case study and precedence to interpret the law. First, there are inconsistencies as to
whether or not all sins are forgivable. One passage says all sins can be
forgiven; “You must know, my brother,
that through him forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, and in regard
to everything from which you could not be justified under the law of Moses, in
him every believer is justified.”(NAB, Acts 13:38-39) All sins can be
forgiven. Wonderful, this shows God’s mercy and that all sins are
forgivable, but wait in Mark 3:29 it says cursing or blaspheming the Holy
Spirit is unforgivable; “But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will
never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”(NAB) There is countless reason why one should not
use literally interpreted Bible scriptures as a moral compass. Consider these passages in
Exodus 21:7 (‘When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go free
as male slaves do.’) (NAB) or Deuteronomy 22:28 & 29 (‘If a man happens to
meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are
discovered, he shall pay the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver. He must
marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he
lives.’) (NIV) Those last passages
should never be taken literally and it horrible to think that they ever were. Finally, The Holy Bible is far too inconstant
to be used as a literal and all encompassing source of moral guidance.
Too
many people look for a single source, whether from religion or religious
scriptures, to guide their lives and provide a moral compass. To quote the words of the renowned spiritual
teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti, “Why do you want to be students of books instead of
students of life? Find out what is true
and false in your environment with all its oppressions and cruelties, and then
you will find out what is true.” (Krishnamaurti vii) Furthermore, one can draw spiritual
inspiration from a variety of sources.
The following quote by Krishnamurti summarizes the perspective one
should maintain when reading or studying any scripture, including the Holy
Bible, “To be a theist or an atheist, to me, are both absurd. If you knew what truth is, what God is, you
would neither be a theist nor an atheist, because in that awareness belief is
unnecessary. It is the man who is not
aware, who only hopes and supposes, who looks to belief or to disbelief to
support him, and to lead him to act in a particular way.” (Krishnamaurti
December 21)
While
it is true there are many inconsistent aspects of the Bible, there are some
redeeming qualities. Most religions
would agree that humanity has at least a spark of divinity in him and thus it
would be natural for some of that to be reflected in art and literature. The Bible adds to the tapestry of human
knowledge and experience. However, the
Bible, when interpreted literally, is no longer a beautiful work of art. In
fact, many sections of the bible interpreted literally are repulsive. Mark Twain said “Most people are bothered by
those passages of scripture they do not understand, but the passages that
bother me are those I do understand.”(Twain)
Furthermore,
a metaphysical, or beyond the physical, interpretation provides the most
benefit for humanity and the individual. The Holy Bible interpreted from a
metaphysical or metaphoric point of view provides the most literary beauty. Also, the Bible should remain free and open
for individual interpretation. To do otherwise creates dogma and destroys the
real benefit of scriptures, whether the Bible or some other religious text.
The Holy
Bible is full of law, mythology and a little bit of verifiable history. However, rarely should a literal
interpretation of the Bible be used for any endeavor. This is especially true concerning history,
science and even theology. Despite this
fact, the Holy Bible is a great achievement in literature that adds to the well
of human knowledge, experience, and development. Moreover, the Bible losses its intent when
interpreted too literally. Therefore the
bible should only be interpreted from an intuitive perspective. The Holy Bible is way too inconsistent be
used for history, science and theology if a literal interpretation of this book
is used.
Works Cited
“Hebrew
Scriptures." The Bedford Anthology of World Literature The Ancient
World, Beginnings-100 C.E. Eds. Paul Davis, Gay Harrison, David M. Johnson,
Patricia C. Smith, John F. Crawford, and THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO. Boston,
MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2004. 134-208.
Unites States
Catholic Conference, ed. Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible.
New York, NY: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1991.
Davis, Paul, ed. The
New International Version Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishers,
1973.
Krishnamurti,
Jiddu. The Book of Life Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. New York,
NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1995.
Sommer,
Joseph C. "Some Reasons Why Humanist Reject the Bible." Humanism
and Traditional Religion : 26 July 2009
<http://www.americanhumanist.org/who_we_are/about_humanism/Some_Reasons_Why_Humanists_Reject_the_Bible>.
Johnston,
George S. "The Galileo Affair." Catholic Education Resource Center
( ): 26 July 2009
<http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/history/world/wh0005.html>.
"Nicolaus
Copernicus," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2009
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Pidwirny, M. (2006). "Introduction to Geography".
Fundamentals of Physical Geography, 2nd Edition. Date Viewed.
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/1a.html
White,
Andrew D. A History of the
Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom, Vol. II New
York: D. Appleton and Co., 1910
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