How can we trust the Bible if it's not inerrant?

[otseng]

From the On the Bible being inerrant thread:

How can you trust something that's written about god that contradictory, contains errors and just plain wrong at times? Is there a logical way to do so, or do you just want it to be god's word so much that you overlook these things like happens so often through the history of christianity?

The Bible can still be God's word, inspired, authoritative, and trustworthy without the need to believe in inerrancy.

For debate:
How can the Bible be considered authoritative and inspired without the need to believe in the doctrine of inerrancy?

While debating, do not simply state verses to say the Bible is inspired or trustworthy.

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Thread Milestones

• Case study of Hezekiah
• Start discussing global flood / Flood Model summary
• Recap arguments of authority of the Bible
• Start discussing Tower of Babel / Tower of Babel summary
• Start discussing archaeology / Philosophy of science / Origin of alphabet / End of discussion on archaeology
• Start discussing cosmology / Concluding cosmology
• Start discussing Shroud of Turin / Summary top TS imaging theories / Created DefendingChristianity.com and TS subforums / Shroud of Turin summary
• Start discussing Bible and resurrection
• Start discussing the Messiahship of Jesus / Messiahship of Jesus wrap up
• Start discussing Old Testament ethics
• Summary argument of atheism and morality / God basis for objective morality
• Start discussing genocide / Genocide summary argument
• Start discussing slavery / Slavery summary argument
• Start discussing homosexuality / Homosexuality summary argument
• Old Testament ethics summary argument

[William]

[Replying to otseng in post #1060]

I am of the persuasion that what is written was taken from much older sources which were themselves fireside stories told to entertain and instruct and give insight and inspiration through analogy and by the time they were placed into written form, the stories themselves had come to be believed to be true accounts of historical significance, mixed in with actual true accounts of cultural heritage, to become almost indistinguishable from actually.

[otseng]

[Replying to otseng in post #1060]

I am of the persuasion that what is written was taken from much older sources which were themselves fireside stories told to entertain and instruct and give insight and inspiration through analogy and by the time they were placed into written form, the stories themselves had come to be believed to be true accounts of historical significance, mixed in with actual true accounts of cultural heritage, to become almost indistinguishable from actually.

And what evidence do you have to support this hypothesis?

[William]

[Replying to otseng in post #1060]

I am of the persuasion that what is written was taken from much older sources which were themselves fireside stories told to entertain and instruct and give insight and inspiration through analogy and by the time they were placed into written form, the stories themselves had come to be believed to be true accounts of historical significance, mixed in with actual true accounts of cultural heritage, to become almost indistinguishable from actually.

And what evidence do you have to support this hypothesis?

Hypothesis - a proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth.

It is a reasonable proposition, given what we know about human culture and flare for story-telling.

[otseng]

The Israelites were to take a lamb/goat under one year of age and to sacrifice it. Then they were to take the blood and put it on their doorposts and to also eat the meat.

Ex 12:3-7 (KJV)
3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth [day] of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of [their] fathers, a lamb for a house:
4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take [it] according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take [it] out from the sheep, or from the goats:
6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike [it] on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.

And what we find in the archaeological record in Avarice are several sheep and goat burials during the time of the abandonment of the city, many of them under one year old.

A large number of animal burials was found in the palatial precinct, dating to a time during or after the abandonment.

The burials include a few dogs and cattle, but the majority consisted of sheep and goats, with more than 30 such burials found in the limited excavations of 200 m north to south in Areas H/III and H/VI.32 Some of these sheep and goats were adults, but most of them died in their first year of life.

https://www.academia.edu/3219636/_2013_ ... th_Dynasty

They also were dated to the period of the early dating of the Exodus and not to the late dating.

The fill in the burial pits contained only a few potsherds, probably demonstrating the brief nature with which the burials were performed. However, all of these potsherds date exclusively to the Thutmoside period (Strata d-c, Phases C/3-C/2), as "not a single sherd from the Amarna or Ramesside periods was found" in any of the burial pits.

These carefully but quickly performed animal burials support an abandonment of the site during the reign of Amenhotep II. Therefore, all of the datable, archaeological evidence points to an abandonment under Amenhotep II.

https://www.academia.edu/3219636/_2013_ ... th_Dynasty

[William]

[Replying to otseng in post #1064]

Out of interest, what was the number of individuals who were part of the alleged exodus?

[otseng]

[Replying to otseng in post #1064]

Out of interest, what was the number of individuals who were part of the alleged exodus?

In several passages, the number of Israelites that left Egypt is in the range of 600,000 men. Adding in women and children, probably in the millions.

Exod 12:37
And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot [that were] men, beside children.

Exod 38:26
26 A bekah for every man, [that is], half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for every one that went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty [men].

Num 1:46
Even all they that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

Num 2:32
These [are] those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts [were] six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty.

Num 26:51
These [were] the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.

[William]

[Replying to otseng in post #1066]

That amounts to a large number of sacrificed sheep and goat offspring.

[otseng]

[Replying to otseng in post #1066]

That amounts to a large number of sacrificed sheep and goat offspring.

Yes, it would be. Are you suggesting it's not possible? The text does not exactly say how many sheep/goat offerings there were. How many do you think there would be and why would it be a problem?

[William]

[Replying to otseng in post #1066]

That amounts to a large number of sacrificed sheep and goat offspring.

Yes, it would be. Are you suggesting it's not possible? The text does not exactly say how many sheep/goat offerings there were. How many do you think there would be and why would it be a problem?

You mentioned burial areas;

And what we find in the archaeological record in Avarice are several sheep and goat burials during the time of the abandonment of the city, many of them under one year old.

Why would the dead offspring of lambs and goats be buried when the instruction was to drain the blood and use said blood to mark doorposts, [pagan-like ritual] but for the household to eat the meat?

Large evacuations/abandonments of cities and large burial grounds where intact bones are seen, point to other possible reasons - such as viral disease.

Are we informed as to how many cities were involved in relation to the 600,000 - "probably in the millions" who became part of the alleged exodus?

[brunumb]

In several passages, the number of Israelites that left Egypt is in the range of 600,000 men. Adding in women and children, probably in the millions.

Many of those would have died over the decades they wandered around, so where are the graves/bones of all these people? Have none ever been found?