The Rose-Colored Glass is Half Full

Before engaging in a debate with an educated or intellectual opponent, there are a few questions you should consider asking:

1. Is knowledge accessible to someone without his degree/level of education?
2. Is knowledge accessible to persons of other faith or to persons of no faith? (If the opponent is religious.)
3. What would cause him to change his mind about his beliefs or ideas?

The answers to these questions will help you to know if discussion will be productive. If the answer to the first or second question is “no,” conversation will be futile if you do not hold the same title or degree as your opponent. He will attempt to teach you, but will not be open to a meaningful exchange of ideas.

If he does not provide at least one concrete, testable answer to the third question, conversation will be futile. A reasonable person will allow his mind to be changed by facts and truth. An ideologue will maintain his belief in spite of evidence to the contrary.

The third question is equally useful when beginning a dialog with an uneducated opponent. Discussion is meaningless unless each party recognizes the possibility of error and is willing to alter his position to fit the facts.

Finally, you should answer each question above for yourself. Do your answers reveal you to be a seeker of truth or an ideologue?

This post will provide a list of books that helped me remove the blinders of Christian fundamentalism and accept a more realistic view of the Bible.

The Bible

Preachers have often said that the Bible is its own best commentary, and I agree. I began to question my faith when I found unanswerable contradictions in the pages of the Bible itself. You can find the contradictions in many places, including:

• Matthew 1
• II Kings 8:25-26 vs. II Chronicles 22:1-2
• Matthew 10:10 vs. Mark 6:9
• I Chronicles 21:11-12 vs. II Samuel 24:13
• I Samuel 8:4 vs. I Chronicles 18:4
• Ezra 2:65 vs. Nehemiah 7:67
• Mark 14:12-Mark 15:25 vs. John 19:14-16
• Matthew 27:6-9 vs. Zechariah 11:12

Available at http://www.blueletterbible.org

How to Read the Bible

Author: James Kugel

This book explains the two primary methods of  Biblical interpretation, and reveals how (and why) modern conservative Christians choose the wrong one. A great guide to understanding the minds and methods of the people who created and preserved the Bible.

Available at Amazon.com and Google Books

What Did the Bible Writers Know, and When Did They Know It

Author: William G. Dever

This book is heavy reading, but the result is worth the effort. Dever is a world-renowned archaeologist, and has been conducting digs in Palestine for many decades. His insights into the physical world of ancient Israel help to put the Biblical story in context.

Available at Amazon.com

Misquoting Jesus

Author: Bart D. Ehrman

The book’s subtitle says everything you need to know: “The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why.” This is a must-read book for those who want to know if the Bible is the preserved word of God.

Available at Amazon.com and Google Books

Biblical Archaeology Review

Publisher: Biblical Archaeology Society

BAR is a bi-monthly magazine written by archaeologist and scholars which attempts to “bring the ancient world to life.” The publication provides current information on the findings of modern archaeology and examines those findings against a background of scripture.

Available at http://www.bib-arch.org

A More Sure Word

Author: R. B. Ouellette

When I first began to discuss the Biblical contradictions with Bible believers, Pastor Jim Talbert of Derby, Kansas recommended this book to me. He said that I would find the answers to many Biblical contradictions within its pages. I purchased and read the book, and found that it contained not a single reference or answer to any Biblical contradiction. It did, however, help to reveal the mindset of the fundamentalist defenders of the faith.

The book is primarily a defense of the KJV-only position. The author writes: “The position of this book is simple: The King James Bible is the right translation for English-speaking Christians to use because it is a literal translation of the correct and pure Greek and Hebrew texts.”

Then, on the same page, he makes this stunning statement: “I must plead guilty to circular reasoning. My position on the Bible did not start with manuscript evidence, study of books written on the translation issue, or other scholarly offerings. It started with the Word of God.” (By which he means the King James version of the Bible.) He goes on to say: “I want a Bible that is available and trustworthy. I do not have the access nor the time to compare thousands of manuscripts to determine God’s Word. For that matter, neither does the rest of Christendom!”

These statements are eye-opening to me. R.B. Ouellette wrote an entire book dedicated to proving that the King James translation is better than the other English translations, but did not take the time to actually study any of the manuscripts on which the controversy is based. He clearly does not need facts to support his position. By using circular reasoning, his thinking can lead him to only one place: his original starting point. Finding the truth is not his primary goal; his focus is on defending his own position. I have found that this type of reasoning is commonly used by those who defend the accuracy of the Bible.

Available at: Amazon.com and Striving Together Publications

There are many, many more books that have been helpful to me. This list will provide a good starting point, and I will be happy to make specific recommendations if you need something different.

– George Cummins