Is Bible inerrant

Quote from kjkent1:

Why would you, as a believer in an almighty God (who by definition is capable of rendering effect by application of will alone) require a "causal theory" for the Bible's Great Flood -- or for any other miracle?

The whole point of belief in God, is that rational thought may be abandoned in favor of "faith."

This has nothing to do with the post; it was a response to someone asking about geological evidence. I pointed to one.
 
Quote from stu:

Stu:

Rule them out as credible in any substantial way without ruling the Supernatural out, and you will be the first ever so to do.

Hans:

Without ruling the Supernatural out we can make the following assertions:

All these characters ( Spaghetti Monster et al ) were invented after the fact of the coming-to-being of the Universe. This alone would seem to ruIe them out as credible Creators. Even if there weren't a Time problem they all have built-in limitations determined by their artist creators that would make them less than credible candidates for the Creator role.

A minimally defined supernatural entity - defined for the purpose of this discussion only as being that supernatural entity that brought the Universe into being and not defined as having determinable limitations, and not defined as having to come into being itself is logically a more credible candidate for Creator than any of the host of fanciful after-the-fact cartoon candidates.


***

Stu:

So all the world of progress made from explanation , proofs , evidence, information and knowledge gained through science, amounts to nought against no-progress, no-explanations , no-proofs , no-evidence no-information and no-knowledge in the Supernatural.

Hans:

It amounts to almost nought ( at this time ) when attempts to apply this accumulated knowledge to pre-Big Bang are made.

Scientist are putting forth nebulous speculations about the pre-Bang singularity but have nothing credible to offer in terms of explaining what the ultimate origins of the Universe might be.

And science is marvellous - a stupendous achievement - but believing that it can answer all questions is scientism - a religion, like any other, scientifically unprovable.


***

Stu:

Nope, you are not pushing for then, just ruling them in.

Hans:

Ruling them in as possibilities only - however skeptically.


***

Stu:

Sorry Hans, you lost me there. Please explain why time would not work in an Eternal context. Time based on intervals between events. Eternal intervals - eternal events - eternal time. Where's the problem you have with that?

Hans:

As I indicated in an earlier post Time and Eternity are incompatible because there could never be a "Now" in Eternity; any Now would have no reason to occur at any designated position in the chain of events rather than infinitely earlier.


***

Stu:

So what would make that not Natural, rather than unusual unexpected extraordinary or astonishing?
You don’t think the branch of science called Quantum Theory would be a better road to explore in this area, rather than just putting it all down to something "Supernatural".?
Lightening was "Supernatural" until the same science method for knowledge and better understanding was applied.

Hans:

Here I was proposing a Supernatural beyond the ambit of your definition of the Universe as "all that exists" - namely, an atemporal context for the Universe that doesn't exist as all that in the Universe exists, existence being Time-dependent.


***

Stu:

Only discovering a fact!! ...as opposed to what ..-only not- discovering the Supernatural?

Hans:

I retract my former response; if it were to be proven that the Universe emerged from Nothingness then this emergence could only be regarded as Supernatural, given that Nothingness entails the absolute absence of everything including any reason for the Universe to appear.


***

Stu:

If it was supernatural you haven't found it. For as soon as you do, it was natural.

Hans:

By definition you can't find Nothingness as there is nothing to find.


Stu:

Maybe.. maybe is The Supernatural.

Hans:

Precisely. Maybe as in possibly.


***

Stu:

Me too . But that's what science is.. always suspicious. I am more suspicious though of inserting in its place, strange excuses like 'the Supernatural' which have no substantive reasoning based on no facts. But at least even the most astonishing things in QT are traced back to some grounding connection to firm or proven information.

Hans:

I'm not substituting Supernatural for facts or even for possible facts; I'm only suggesting that it's possible that there are things we can never explain in spite of an undefinable expansion of our capacity to explain ( This is not a logical contradiction ) because these things are beyond inclusion in our mental 'existing' . Even if QT proves that particles are capable of jumping in and out of existence this doesn't rule out the Supernatural; it could mean that the Supernatural is a component of quantum events and thereby perhaps even part of our very being.


***

Stu:

I appreciate what you say here. However, I don’t see why you require the separation of Nothing from Nature. To me that’s like separating Outer Space from the planet Earth. Both are of Nature as indeed Nothing would be.
Also it's far from convincing that –Nothing- is insurmountable.. for instance you instantly surmount it with the Supernatural, - albeit a complete non-explanation of anything.

Hans:

Earth and Outer Space may be of a oneness but are still differentiable from each other; the very fact that you can name them is proof of this.

If Supernatural is a non-explanation then in what way did I surmount anything here? In any case, Supernatural isn't a non-explanation; it's just a minimal explanation - an explanation that provides no specifics.


***

Stu:

Don't you agree, the 'Nothing' we used in this, is an abstract term? It can be argued philosophically (mind you, anything can be argued philosophically) that there cannot be 'Nothing' , as, in any event, it has the property of itself.

In physics there is no meaning for Nothing, as there is stuff always going on at Quantum Mechanical or vacuum level . So in both these regards, Eternal Universe is argued as confirmable , which would corroborate a wholly Natural state.

Hans:

There's an implication of something in the fact that there's a "philosophy of science" but no "science of philosophy". I should think the Meta-study is of the higher order.

Nothingness may be an abstraction - a 'reification' - but still a pretty fascinating challenge to thought. Just because science doesn't deal with it doesn't make it meaningless; IMO it just means that science may be limited in what it can deal with.
 
Quote from rcanfiel:

This has nothing to do with the post; it was a response to someone asking about geological evidence. I pointed to one.
Actually, it has everything to do with the post.

It was suggested to you that there is no geological evidence for a worldwide flood. You provided evidence suggesting a localized flood from the Black Sea. Such evidence does not support the Bible's inerrancy, and in fact is evidence demonstrating that the Bible is errant.

The obvious response from anyone of "faith" should have been that evidence is unnecessary, because God doesn't operate within the confines of nature. Yet, you chose to blow up your own argument.

I was just pointing out what a waste of time it is to try to "prove" God's action in the world. Once you choose to believe, the concept of "proof" is rendered meaningless.
 
Quote from Hansel H:

Without ruling the Supernatural out we can make the following assertions:

All these characters ( Spaghetti Monster et al ) were invented after the fact of the coming-to-being of the Universe. This alone would seem to ruIe them out as credible Creators. Even if there weren't a Time problem they all have built-in limitations determined by their artist creators that would make them less than credible candidates for the Creator role.
In the end, all Creator characters fit that description. Some were just created by those artists at much earlier dates than the others..
Quote from Hansel H:

A minimally defined supernatural entity - defined for the purpose of this discussion only as being that supernatural entity that brought the Universe into being and not defined as having determinable limitations, and not defined as having to come into being itself is logically a more credible candidate for Creator than any of the host of fanciful after-the-fact cartoon candidates.
There is nothing logically credible about an entity not defined other than, - It doesn't exist but created the Universe. It 's Assertion based on imagination only and not with any supporting logical credibility.Made more apparent when compared against stuff which does appear to exist and could have kick started the Universe..
Quote from Hansel H:

It amounts to almost nought [science] ( at this time ) when attempts to apply this accumulated knowledge to pre-Big Bang are made.
[ my edit to the reference }
So your argument is, science amounts to nought because although science proves stuff, there is a piece(s) of information or knowledge science has not affirmed ?There is NO information about 'the Supernatural' it is not defined past non-existent, it proves not a thing, so for that you do not account the Supernatural as nought, but rather science instead. Logical credibility?
Quote from Hansel H:

Scientist are putting forth nebulous speculations about the pre-Bang singularity but have nothing credible to offer in terms of explaining what the ultimate origins of the Universe might be.
No Hans, that's a description of what some proponents for religion often do. Big Bang Singularity is Science. Pre-Big Bang speculation is not.
Quote from Hansel H:

And science is marvellous - a stupendous achievement - but believing that it can answer all questions is scientism - a religion, like any other, scientifically unprovable.
Religion is not Science. Using the word science in a religious title , does not science make.
Quote from Hansel H:

Ruling them in [ Zeus FSM] as possibilities only - however skeptically.
[my edit to the reference ]
Ruling them in to rule them straight out again because they. "were invented after the fact ".Ok, . but so was 'the Supernatural.'
Quote from Hansel H:

As I indicated in an earlier post Time and Eternity are incompatible because there could never be a "Now" in Eternity; any Now would have no reason to occur at any designated position in the chain of events rather than infinitely earlier..
It's sounding to me as if you only have a purely philosophical response to this. The "Now" you describe is Time as a conceptual relativity from the point of known consciousness, is it not?. Should the Earth Collide with Mars (is that a song?) , there is no reason that "Now" would not occur at the same designated position, as part of an Eternal Universe,.without any conscious reference to time..
Quote from Hansel H:

Here I was proposing a Supernatural beyond the ambit of your definition of the Universe as "all that exists" - namely, an atemporal context for the Universe that doesn't exist as all that in the Universe exists, existence being Time-dependent..
So it's "All that exists +1" . I really am not being facetious here ... but have you heard of Gilbert? But anyway, who says you are not already in a Universe that is not Time dependant ?. From a personal view time is important. But The Universe, and time dependant? Why? t=0 through n billions of eons to t=0 through n billions etc ...Eternally ...is not time dependant....
Quote from Hansel H:

I retract my former response; if it were to be proven that the Universe emerged from Nothingness then this emergence could only be regarded as Supernatural, given that Nothingness entails the absolute absence of everything including any reason for the Universe to appear.
Assuming all things have to have a reason is, I suggest most respectfully, a very big mistake.
Quote from Hansel H:

By definition you can't find Nothingness as there is nothing to find.
Quite, so Nothing would not be something Supernatural ..
Quote from Hansel H:

Precisely. Maybe as in possibly.
By your definition above for Nothingness, 'maybe' is not a possibility.
Quote from Hansel H:

I'm not substituting Supernatural for facts or even for possible facts; I'm only suggesting that it's possible that there are things we can never explain in spite of an indefinable expansion of our capacity to explain ( This is not a logical contradiction ) because these things are beyond inclusion in our mental 'existing' .
...Isn't that usually referred to as the unknown? Making the unknown sound more exotic with words like 'Supernatural' still does nothing but leave things exactly as they were. Unknown .
Quote from Hansel H:

Even if QT proves that particles are capable of jumping in and out of existence this doesn't rule out the Supernatural; it could mean that the Supernatural is a component of quantum events and thereby perhaps even part of our very being.
....which would inevitably confirm, what you were calling Supernatural, was never there at all . .A component of quantum events would be an explanation of Natural occurrences The Universe - all that is and all that happens in and of it.
Quote from Hansel H:

Earth and Outer Space may be of a oneness but are still differentiable from each other; the very fact that you can name them is proof of this.If Supernatural is a non-explanation then in what way did I surmount anything here? In any case, Supernatural isn't a non-explanation; it's just a minimal explanation - an explanation that provides no specifics.
You surmounted what you said was insurmountable ("Nothing") to the satisfaction of your argument.... by your assertion of "the Supernatural " ..
I would suggest though , Minimal definition that provides no specifics is at best conjecture, not explanation.

Quote from Hansel H:

There's an implication of something in the fact that there's a "philosophy of science" but no "science of philosophy". I should think the Meta-study is of the higher order.
The implication would appear to be, thinking on its own doesn't prove anything.
Quote from Hansel H:

Nothingness may be an abstraction - a 'reification' - but still a pretty fascinating challenge to thought. Just because science doesn't deal with it doesn't make it meaningless; IMO it just means that science may be limited in what it can deal with.
I agree, but we were not discussing whether it is meaningful to speculate or not, we were looking at on what grounds such speculations are considered to be logically credible.
We seem to agree the meaning of "Nothing " is abstract .We don't seem to agree the "Supernatural" is abstract .

But it is, (you declare it to be but do not accept it is) , and furthermore it is meaningless in this context, because everything that there is, whether it be these abstract definitions of 'not existing' whilst contradictorily being (existing) 'a-temporally', would in any event were they ever known of , be Natural occurrences...

From what you have said about it having no definitions , the Supernatural remains no more logically credible or any more possible than when we started, and really, it is not explained as being anything much more than the conjoining of two separate words. The purpose of prefixing an existing word with another , one might hope, would result in something at least , which had an intention of being definable.

Super-Natural surely is actually nothing but an expression for the unknown parts of the Natural, in all its magnificent glory.. Supernatural is predominately a useful word to encompass everything extraordinary and imaginable...But to associate ' the Supernatural to anything more, to an entity, or as something non-existent, does the entity nor the word any justice, nor attributes any possibility or credibility to it any better than assigning a comic book character does.. Possibly Superman is more to do with "the Supernatural" than the White Rabbit in Alice's Wonderland, because he can do superhuman things, but that says nothing about any logical credibility , nor does it explain anything at all.

If a Creator is to be Supernatural , then It will certainly have to share a non definability you gave It, with a myriad of non existing indefinable entities through to a single other... the non-definable Supernatural Creator which Created the Creator. But that's where the Supernatural leads things. Like so many non substantive articulation. Just begging more questions, not explaining anything..
 
Quote from kjkent1:

Actually, it has everything to do with the post.

No, it doesn't. He asked about geologic evidence, I supplied a leading theory based on scientific research. Inerrancy was not the subtopic of these 2 posts.

It was suggested to you that there is no geological evidence for a worldwide flood. You provided evidence suggesting a localized flood from the Black Sea. Such evidence does not support the Bible's inerrancy, and in fact is evidence demonstrating that the Bible is errant.

Stupid leap. Has nothing to do with inerrancy

The obvious response from anyone of "faith" should have been that evidence is unnecessary, because God doesn't operate within the confines of nature. Yet, you chose to blow up your own argument.

I was just pointing out what a waste of time it is to try to "prove" God's action in the world. Once you choose to believe, the concept of "proof" is rendered meaningless.

That is your opinion. If someone had believed in the Steady State vs. Expanding universe, is evidence meaningless? You don't sound like someone who grasps belief or faith. To someone who has faith or belief, it has nothing to do with someone's dictionary definitions
 
kjkent1:Actually, it has everything to do with the post.

rcanfiel: No, it doesn't. He asked about geologic evidence, I supplied a leading theory based on scientific research. Inerrancy was not the subtopic of these 2 posts.

You were asked about geologic evidence demonstrating that a WORLDWIDE flood occurred, as stated in the Bible. You provided a leading theory of a LOCALIZED flood, which does not prove a WORLDWIDE flood.

If there is no evidence for a worldwide flood, then the Bible is errant.

kjkent1: It was suggested to you that there is no geological evidence for a worldwide flood. You provided evidence suggesting a localized flood from the Black Sea. Such evidence does not support the Bible's inerrancy, and in fact is evidence demonstrating that the Bible is errant.

rcanfiel: Stupid leap. Has nothing to do with inerrancy

Indirect ad hominem acknowledged and ignored.

kjkent1: The obvious response from anyone of "faith" should have been that evidence is unnecessary, because God doesn't operate within the confines of nature.

Yet, you chose to blow up your own argument. I was just pointing out what a waste of time it is to try to "prove" God's action in the world. Once you choose to believe, the concept of "proof" is rendered meaningless.

rcanfiel: That is your opinion. If someone had believed in the Steady State vs. Expanding universe, is evidence meaningless? You don't sound like someone who grasps belief or faith. To someone who has faith or belief, it has nothing to do with someone's dictionary definitions.

Your evidence is the equivalent of trying to prove an expanding universe by proving that the solar system is expanding. One prove does not prove the other without some verifiable connection between theories.
 
Quote from smilingsynic:

The rational have a suggestion: Please clarify this gibberish! :-)

The Bible - the writer of the letter of Hebrews - defines faith as "the substance of things unseen, the evidence of things hoped for".

This is thought to apply to faith in what is yet unseen by human eyes.

But if you open your eyes, you will see the "substance" of an ancient faith...the "evidence" of things hoped for.

I mean that the world, what is called "the universe" is the evidence and substance of an ancient faith. The human eye sees only the left-over effects of an ancient, pre-time/form faith. The human eye is designed to see only the remnants of this faith.

It does not appear to the naked eye that this is a faith-based environment because the evidence/substance appears to have been caused by something other than faith. Ironically, because that cause is unknown, it takes faith to believe in most any cause for this world.

The point is that the mountains exist purely due to an ancient faith. Faith keys off of desire. So the world is the evidence of things "hoped for". So the world is a wish believed in. It was wished for, like a child blowing out a candle on a birthday cake. On that day, death was born.

How is this different from magic?

The mountains are maintained by the faith of the faithful who believe in this world...who still hope for this world to give them something of value.

When faith is removed from this world, there will be nothing to maintain it...so it will disappear, as in, "pass away".

An atheist hopes there is not God. This world gives "evidence" there is not God. So an atheist will be invested in this world as his reality. He values what is utterly built by faith. And he builds his faith in the world in many ways.

Likewise, scientists are heavily invested in the reality of what is really a faith-based environment...right down to the last quirky quark. Energy itself is faith-based. You have to have some faith in this world just to study it. Otherwise, who gives a damn!

The body of an atheist, or a scientist does not exist but by an ancient faith. The body constantly reinforces it's sense of existence. The evidence suggests that the body and it's environment is real. Well, duh! That is what faith intends to accomplish. The perceived reality of this world drives many of the faithful to study it, making it yet more real. Comparing, analyzing, grading, measuring...all of these are faith enhancing mechanisms that make this world more and more real for it's faithful.

Arguments about this world are especially potent mechanisms that make it more and more real for the faithful. They don't even realize this is what they are doing. But actually, faith is built and maintained constantly, every hour, every minute, every second of the faithful's existence. Every time you look in the mirror, you are augmenting faith in a body that exists because of an ancient faith. And this essentially is for twisting the truth about you beyond recognition, inducing you to identify with a body as if that is who you are.

Faith in the world does not appear to be faith because it is ubiquitous, effortless, and the substance of the world seems to precede your arrival in it. But the fact is, whenever you think "rationally" about the world, you are putting faith in it. When the power of faith is masked, it get's confusing.

There is really nothing rational about the world. It is completely insane from it's very foundation. So it's really a kind of black magic...faith in the dark side, faith in insanity for the sake of craziness.

Here, death rules. But it is insanely called the "life cycle". And this is accepted, hypnotically, without question.

God did not make it, and it is still not His Will. And what God did not create does not exist. Therefore, if this world is desired, it must be believed in, and this belief gives it all the "substance" it will ever have.

Before this world, there was no such thing as "faith". Why does Heaven need faith? Faith is for environments in which there are unknowns...like dark environments...like this world.

Faith is a tool made to make this world. It is a "law" of mind that gives this world all the reality it will ever have. It's a way to make an environment in which you can see whatever you want to see, experience whatever you want to experience...things and experiences that are otherwise not at all real, and therefore do not exist.

Faith is for fantasy...for private use of the mind God gave you. Such is this world, a private fantasy island in the mind of God's Son.

But to be saved from this self-made trap, you've got to use this same faith to extricate yourself by placing it in truth instead of fantasy. That is the purpose of the kind of faith that I taught. Faith in fantasy has disempowered the spell-casters of this world. Faith in truth will empower you to exit this world gracefully.

Jesus
 
Quote from I am...:

The Bible - the writer of the letter of Hebrews - defines faith as "the substance of things unseen, the evidence of things hoped for".

This is thought to apply to faith in what is yet unseen by human eyes.

But if you open your eyes, you will see the "substance" of an ancient faith...the "evidence" of things hoped for.

I mean that the world, what is called "the universe" is the evidence and substance of an ancient faith. The human eye sees only the left-over effects of an ancient, pre-time/form faith. The human eye is designed to see only the remnants of this faith.

It does not appear to the naked eye that this is a faith-based environment because the evidence/substance appears to have been caused by something other than faith. Ironically, because that cause is unknown, it takes faith to believe in most any cause for this world.

The point is that the mountains exist purely due to an ancient faith. Faith keys off of desire. So the world is the evidence of things "hoped for". So the world is a wish believed in. It was wished for, like a child blowing out a candle on a birthday cake. On that day, death was born.

How is this different from magic?

The mountains are maintained by the faith of the faithful who believe in this world...who still hope for this world to give them something of value.

When faith is removed from this world, there will be nothing to maintain it...so it will disappear, as in, "pass away".

An atheist hopes there is not God. This world gives "evidence" there is not God. So an atheist will be invested in this world as his reality. He values what is utterly built by faith. And he builds his faith in the world in many ways.

Likewise, scientists are heavily invested in the reality of what is really a faith-based environment...right down to the last quirky quark. Energy itself is faith-based. You have to have some faith in this world just to study it. Otherwise, who gives a damn!

The body of an atheist, or a scientist does not exist but by an ancient faith. The body constantly reinforces it's sense of existence. The evidence suggests that the body and it's environment is real. Well, duh! That is what faith intends to accomplish. The perceived reality of this world drives many of the faithful to study it, making it yet more real. Comparing, analyzing, grading, measuring...all of these are faith enhancing mechanisms that make this world more and more real for it's faithful.

Arguments about this world are especially potent mechanisms that make it more and more real for the faithful. They don't even realize this is what they are doing. But actually, faith is built and maintained constantly, every hour, every minute, every second of the faithful's existence. Every time you look in the mirror, you are augmenting faith in a body that exists because of an ancient faith. And this essentially is for twisting the truth about you beyond recognition, inducing you to identify with a body as if that is who you are.

Faith in the world does not appear to be faith because it is ubiquitous, effortless, and the substance of the world seems to precede your arrival in it. But the fact is, whenever you think "rationally" about the world, you are putting faith in it. When the power of faith is masked, it get's confusing.

There is really nothing rational about the world. It is completely insane from it's very foundation. So it's really a kind of black magic...faith in the dark side, faith in insanity for the sake of craziness.

Here, death rules. But it is insanely called the "life cycle". And this is accepted, hypnotically, without question.

God did not make it, and it is still not His Will. And what God did not create does not exist. Therefore, if this world is desired, it must be believed in, and this belief gives it all the "substance" it will ever have.

Before this world, there was no such thing as "faith". Why does Heaven need faith? Faith is for environments in which there are unknowns...like dark environments...like this world.

Faith is a tool made to make this world. It is a "law" of mind that gives this world all the reality it will ever have. It's a way to make an environment in which you can see whatever you want to see, experience whatever you want to experience...things and experiences that are otherwise not at all real, and therefore do not exist.

Faith is for fantasy...for private use of the mind God gave you. Such is this world, a private fantasy island in the mind of God's Son.

But to be saved from this self-made trap, you've got to use this same faith to extricate yourself by placing it in truth instead of fantasy. That is the purpose of the kind of faith that I taught. Faith in fantasy has disempowered the spell-casters of this world. Faith in truth will empower you to exit this world gracefully.

Jesus

Faith in the unknowable ("God") as a force has over history been much more destructive than that in reason.

The Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment--in many ways, one and the same--have done more for humanity over the last 400 or so years than "faith" in God or in gods did in the previous 4000.

Modern medicine, technology, tolerance, freedom--these are come from reason, not from revelation.

Faith in reason makes much more sense than faith in God.
 
Quote from kjkent1:

If there is no evidence for a worldwide flood, then the Bible is errant.

How can you possibly think you understand or can debate something you probably never read and certainly don't grasp? Many cultures have a flood story. Is this uninteresting coincidence? Ever grasp that vast sections of the continents used to be shallow seas? Things don't have to conform to your expectations.

Your evidence is the equivalent of trying to prove an expanding universe by proving that the solar system is expanding. One prove does not prove the other without some verifiable connection between theories.

Your discussion is the equivalent of someone who sneezes his brains through his left ear.

Funny thing. The Bible is the first place to mention that the earth was round, turns, and is suspended in space without support. Along with several hundred fulfilled prophecies, something that no other thing is history even comes within 5% of. Your problem is, you think you can have a battle of wits with the infinite, when you haven't even graduated from potty training.
 
Quote from rcanfiel:

Quote from kjkent1:

How can you possibly think you understand or can debate something you probably never read and certainly don't grasp? Many cultures have a flood story. Is this uninteresting coincidence? Ever grasp that vast sections of the continents used to be shallow seas? Things don't have to conform to your expectations.
[/B]

Have you considered that a possible reason why flood stories appear in many cultures is because flooding is a rather common occurrence. I just came back from a trip to New Orleans, so the subject is somewhat fresh in my mind.

The story in Genesis is NOT about a local flood. Local floods do not cover mountain tops. Local floods do not kill off all living creatures on earth (except for those lucky enough to be in Noah's Ark).

There exists NO evidence of a worldwide flood in the time that human beings have lived on this planet. About 600 million years ago the earth was covered in ice (an "ice flood", perhaps), and there have been geological assaults of basalt in places like Siberia and India that lasted hundreds of thousands of years, but that is as close as there has been to a flood.

The Bible is simply in error. As a book written by humans, that is what one should expect.
 
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