Views on the Bible

It’s amazing how perspectives change when one moves from Christianity to being an apostate. While I’ve never particularly liked the word “apostate,” I suppose I now fit the term. I have mentioned in previous posts that during my Christian years, I engrossed myself in apologetics so I could then have “a reason for the hope that lives in me.” Well, in all actuality, I know that for quite some time I was pursuing apologetics that I might buttress my own faith in the Bible and Christianity.

Now, I find myself in the interesting position of reading blogs that I could have written as little as three years ago. There is no shortage of blogs expounding the virtues of the bible, defending its “truths,” and urging people to believe. I understand this, and I understand the point. I also understand the feeling that many Christians have that they need to “witness” to the “lost” (another term I hate, I hated it when I was a Christian too). I’ve had no shortage of comments on my blog written with the intention of getting me to re-convert, admit my sins, and let me know that god still loves me. That’s all well and good, but please remember, a blog isn’t going to change anyone’s mind on spiritual matters (see my entry on apologetics).

Here’s my take on the bible. For many of you, this may be old news; for others, you may be surprised. I believe the bible is pretty accurate! (and a great hush fell over the room) I am speaking in terms of historocity. I do not see it as accurate when describing creation or any of the supernatural events, but in terms of locations, archeology, etc… yeah, I can see it being a pretty reliable source.

I have had many bible conversations with Christians over the past couple of years. Usually, when it comes to trying to convince a person of the inspiration of scripture, the accuracy of the bible is the first point to be brought up. The fact that archeology confirms the scriptures to be true is often emphasized. Just on my blog alone, I have had more than one person take this route to “proving” the bible to be inspired. I don’t believe anyone can prove the inspiration of the bible. I think that’s too tall an order for any human. I do think there is a lot of archeological evidence pointing to the historical accuracy of people and events in the bible, but this evidence does nothing for me in proving the inspiration of it. There is a problem finding evidence that Pontius Pilate existed at one time, as Prefect of Judea, and using that evidence as evidence not only that Jesus existed (which I believe he did) but that he was also the son of god. I realize this is an extreme example, however, this is the type of leap that is often made when considering the archeological evidence of the bible. There are a number of findings showing certain biblical characters and cities existed, but this is a far cry from inspiration.

Another area often cited to prove the inspiration of scripture is in the area of science. Again, there are a number of citations that make the bible sound very accurate in its scientific knowledge, however, then there are so many more that are off. Yes, Isaiah talks about the “circle of the earth,” yet Genesis refers to the sky as a “dome.” Isaiah 11 talks about the “four corners of the earth,” presumably indicating the belief in a flat earth (which makes sense when you consider the “dome” sky from Genesis). In addition, Genesis, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Matthew all speak of the moon being its own source of light. One last area, Genesis talks about Woman being formed from the rib of the man. Perhaps this is metaphorical, I don’t know. However, my understanding is that the female sex is the default sex at conception. It is not until later that the Y chromosome comes into play after around 40 days. When this happens, the male testes begin developing. If this doesn’t happen, those sex organs will become the ovaries of the female.

Please remember, I don’t claim to have scientific expertise, however there are a number of places in the bible that make scientific sense while at the same time there are many places that we know are scientifically ludicrous. I also know that one can argue that some of these examples could be literary device rather than scientific statement in the bible, but which ones do we believe? Jesus himself talked about the moon not giving its light Matthew 24. Sure this was prophecy, but come on.

I don’t write this entry to change minds. That won’t happen. I am instead writing to say that when archeological and scientific “proofs” are made, there are many others that aren’t nearly as friendly. Also, the point is that if the creator of the universe decided to use this collection of books (bible) as its revelation to humanity, one would think that there would have been much more focus on accuracy. Sure, the bible was written by 40+ authors over 2000 years, so I understand the argument that they didn’t know how to explain some of their visions. However, my argument is that these authors were “inspired,” and to me inspiration means there should be a pretty heavy focus on accuracy.

Exploring Non-Religious Child Rearing

I have a seven month old son who is the light of my life. He is our first child, and now, just like many parents, it’s hard to even remember my life when he wasn’t a part of it. How things have changed; how life is exponentially better! It’s absolutely amazing what one’s child can add to life, and it’s also amazing the choices one needs to contemplate with this life transformation.

I must give credit to the blog that started my wheels turning for this entry. You can find it at Raising Children Without God

This post really got me thinking again about the issue of how I want to raise my son.

Those of you who are familiar with my blog know that I left Christianity a couple of years ago. The transition from Christianity to philosophical Deism was not an easy one, nor was it made lightly. All previous entries in this blog have been centered around my thoughts as they pertain to religion and humanist views, however, now with a child thrown into the picture, I must also evaluate how I want to raise him.

Firstly, he will not be raised in the Church. While I will not do anything to dissuade him from exploring this later, as he is old enough to make his own decisions, I will not force him to attend a service every Sunday simply for the moral benefit. I have had family members ask me “When are you going to baptize/dedicate _ in the Church?” My answer is that I won’t. I was raised going to church every Sunday morning. Every Sunday morning my mother had to fight to get us all up and out the door in time for Sunday School. Once we got to church, I spent my time drawing, people watching, or imagining strange things coming out of the person’s head in front of me. I couldn’t wait for it to be over. I participated in Sunday School, learned the Christian story, and really didn’t care overall. This was just what Sundays were about.

Now that I’m a parent and non-Christian, it makes no sense for me to raise my son in the Church. So, what does this mean when it comes to raising him outside the Church? This is new territory for me, but here are my thoughts on it:

1. I will teach him and encourage him to learn about the religions of the world. They play such a crucial role in understanding humanity and people of different cultures. I believe it’s extremely important to learn about the different concepts of God or creator, and how people behave according to their own concept.

2. I will do everything I can to teach him the value of human life. This is not just in regards to the act of murder, but also respect for others, respect for property, responsibility, and accountability. I will show him how important it is to help people, and be a defender of those who can’t defend themselves. To respect human life is to value what it means to be human.

3. I will teach him to think through ideas, not just blindly accept mine or anybody else’s opinions. There is a difference here between what I expect of his actions and what he thinks. I am his father, so I will have expectations of behavior. However, when it comes to the big ideas of life, I want him to think for himself. I will gladly tell him my thoughts, but I don’t want him to necessarily adopt them as his own. This is possibly the most important gift I could ever give to my son, with the exception of my love and devotion to him.

4. Never minimize the values of others. Talk to others of different values, beliefs, and situations. But never belittle them for what they believe. What a person believes is a large part of who that person is.

5. Notice your emotions, but follow your reason. Emotions tell us if we’re on or off track from our values. They are the markers of how we’re doing on the inside. They are not, however, an accurate map of how to live life.

This is what I have so far. I know that as he grows and matures, there will be many more life lessons that will come up. To raise one’s child outside of religion is not going to be easy, I can already see that. But I think it’s extremely important for him to come to his own decisions. Not only will they be his, but they will be much more heartfelt.