The Rich Man and Lazarus from the Gospel of Luke

[billvon 3,132]

>It is the Bible that claims it is flawless. This is either true or its not.
>If it is not, then why would you bother believing any of it.

Newton's Principia contains errors. Shall we discard Newton's laws of motion and gravitation then, since they are flawed?

The Bible was written, and translated, and re-translated by men. Men make mistakes. Such mistakes do not invalidate the entire work.

[JackC 0]

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Newton's Principia contains errors. Shall we discard Newton's laws of motion and gravitation then, since they are flawed?

The Bible was written, and translated, and re-translated by men. Men make mistakes. Such mistakes do not invalidate the entire work.

I can pick up any undergrad physics text book and find the corrected and revised works of Newton. Where is the corrected and revised version of the bible? By what standard do you test the bible for its correctness?

[maadmax 0]

I can pick up any undergrad physics text book and find the corrected and revised works of Newton. Where is the corrected and revised version of the bible? By what standard do you test the bible for its correctness?

[billvon 3,132]

>I can pick up any undergrad physics text book and find the corrected and
>revised works of Newton.

Not really. You can read the Principia, and you can read derivations of his work in undergrad physics texts. Likewise, you can read the Bible, and read interpretations of it in the catechisms of a dozen different churches.

But I think that if you tried to mark up a copy of the Principia and pass it off as a "better" version of the original, you'd get a lot of flack for altering a masterpiece of science.

[JackC 0]

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Not really. You can read the Principia, and you can read derivations of his work in undergrad physics texts. Likewise, you can read the Bible, and read interpretations of it in the catechisms of a dozen different churches.

OK, so if I want to know which version of Newtons work is correct I can simply check it against empirical observation. How do I check any given interpretation of the Bible to see if it is correct? I want to use science and history but you wont let me. I want to use logic and reason but you wont let me. So what can I use? Give me one single objective test I can use to verify the contents of the Bible or any interpretation thereof?

If I have no way of ascertaining which interpretation is correct, and you would rob me of all the tools I would normally use, then I am in exactly the same position that I would be if I knew absolutely nothing at all. In that case, what use is the bible? Seriously, exactly what use is the bible?

[Royd 0]

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OK, so if I want to know which version of Newtons work is correct I can simply check it against empirical observation. How do I check any given interpretation of the Bible to see if it is correct? I want to use science and history but you wont let me. I want to use logic and reason but you wont let me. So what can I use? Give me one single objective test I can use to verify the contents of the Bible or any interpretation thereof?

Are you saying that there is no historical correctness written in the Bible?
You will accept a history book that gives a geneological account of of Abraham and his prodigy, the stories of various Pharaohs, the Persian king, Nebuchadnezzar, or Ceasar and his minions, but totally reject everything in a parallel book simply because it mentions God?

[JackC 0]

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Are you saying that there is no historical correctness written in the Bible?

No, I'm saying that much of what is in the bible does not stand up to scrutiny when compared with verifiable historical fact.

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You will accept a history book that gives a geneological account of of Abraham and his prodigy, the stories of various Pharaohs, the Persian king, Nebuchadnezzar, or Ceasar and his minions, but totally reject everything in a parallel book simply because it mentions God?

I'll reject anything that doesn't stand up to scrutiny. If the bible stood up to close inspection I'd accept it, god included.

[jakee 1,611]

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You will accept a history book that gives a geneological account of of Abraham and his prodigy, the stories of various Pharaohs, the Persian king, Nebuchadnezzar, or Ceasar and his minions,

Which books are you talking about?

Do you think any historians take primary sources at face value?

Do you want to have an ideagasm?