Atheism and the Bible

The Holy Bible, opened to the Book of Isaiah.

Concerning atheism and the Bible, atheists and skeptics have been disputing the reliability of the Bible for centuries, but the Bible's reliability remains firm and the evidence for its reliability keeps increasing. Christian apologist JP Holding rightly states that Bible exegesis and Bible exposition is a multi-disciplinary pursuit and often critics of the Bible have not done a fraction of the due diligence required when making an allegation regarding the Bible. JP Holding states the following:

“  |  Having now been engaged in apologetics for eight years actively and more years than that on the side, I have long since come to a conclusion that I have shared with others, but will now present in a systematic form here for the first time. My conclusion is a warning that is appropriate for any new readers (hence I link this article from my front page) and will be familiar to veteran ones.

I'll sum it up to begin: Whenever you run across any person who criticizes the Bible, claims findings of contradiction or error -- they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. They have to earn it from you. Here's why.

It doesn't take very long to realize that a thorough understanding of the Bible -- and this would actually apply to any complex work from any culture -- requires specialized knowledge, and a broad range of specialized knowledge in a variety of fields....

Not even most scholars in the field can master every aspect -- what then of the non-specialist critic who puts together a website in his spare time titled 1001 Irrifutible Bible Contradictions? Do these persons deserve our attention? Should they be recognized as authorities? No, they deserve calculated contempt for their efforts. (By this, I do not mean emotional or behavioral contempt, but a calculated disregard for their work from an academic perspective.) They have not even come close to deserving our attention, and should feed only itching ears with similar tastes.[1]

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Christian theologian and apologist Bernard Ramm wrote regarding the Bible and its critics the following in his often cited work Protestant Christian Evidences:

“  |  A thousand times over, the death knell of the Bible has been sounded, the funeral procession formed, the inscription cut on the tombstone, and committal read. But somehow the corpse never stays put.

No other book has been so chopped, knifed, sifted, scrutinized, and vilified. What book on philosophy or religion or psychology or belles lettres of classical or modern times has been subject to such a mass attack as the Bible? With such venom and skepticism? With such thoroughness and erudition? Upon every chapter, line and tenet?

The Bible is still loved by millions, read by millions, and studied by millions.[2]

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Christian apologists have responded to the various biblical errancy and claims of contradictions by atheists with an array of well known websites. Some popular ones include: Tektonics, A Christian Think Tank, Apologetics Press - Alleged Discrepancies, Inerrancy.org, and many more. See also: Bible apologetics website resources

## Contents

* 1 Biblical Statements Regarding Atheism
* 2 Atheist objections to biblical morality
* 3 See also
* 4 Notes

## Biblical Statements Regarding Atheism[edit]

See also: Bible verses relating to atheism and The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."

The psalmist David wrote: "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'"

The writers of the Bible considered the existence of God to be self-evident and Moses simply wrote: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1:1).[3]

Accordingly, the psalmist David wrote the following:

"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." - Psalms 14:1 (KJV)

The psalmist David also stated that "The heavens declare the glory of God..." - Psalms 19:1

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans that the creation testifies to the existence of God when he wrote the following:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse..." - Romans 1:19-20 (NKJV)

## Atheist objections to biblical morality[edit]

See also: Atheism and morality

* The New Atheists and the Old Testament

* Is Yahweh a Moral Monster?

* Critics of the Bible and the argument by outrage

* The Morality of God in the Old Testament

* Atheism and slavery

* Slavery in the Bible

* Religion and morality

## See also[edit]

* Resources for leaving atheism and becoming a Christian
* Atheism
* Bible
* Literalist Bible chronology
* JP Holding

v • d • e

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## Notes[edit]

1. ↑ http://www.tektonics.org/af/calcon.html
2. ↑ http://www.why-the-bible.com/bible.htm
3. ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/existence1.asp