Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman
Dr. Bart D. Ehrman is a New Testament scholar, textual critic, an expert on early Christianity, a professor and the chairman of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why." Ehrman attempts to discern, as near as possible, the original wording of the gospels, epistles, and other ancient texts. He champions the thesis that early Christians, as they developed a single, orthodox doctrine, altered the Biblical texts in order to make them more uniform and in line with changing beliefs.
Ehrman was an evangelical Christian as a teenager, and was very interested in what he thought was God's true message. However, Dr. Ehrman's subsequent close analysis of the Bible and research into the field of textual criticism destroyed his faith in the Bible.
Ehrman is now an agnostic, and is a prime example of someone who has looked at Christianity deeply but found it to be faulty as a religion.
This video presentation was recorded at Stanford University. Total length: one hour, 40 minutes.
Comments
fjell
fjell
I'd looked at some of his lectures also available on Google Video. I found that abandoning the faith delusion actually made the otherwise deadly dull Bible quite interesting. It becomes alive when one tries to fathom the historical origins.
Steve
I think everyone should read this book.
I wish all Christians would read this book. Not, as I mentioned earlier, because it is an automatic "faith-breaker" (nothing in and of itself is, of course - a person is either out to unvail truth at all costs, wherever that might lead, or they aren't) but because at least we might cease being mauled by flimsy bleatings about the amazing height of the Bible's fidelity as a document.
If the creator of space and time didn't see fit to prevent the obfuscation of "his" one written communicae to mankind better than this... (while simultaneously cake-walking the fine tuning of the physical laws of the universe to knife edge accuracy, mind you) The term 'ridiculous' seems useful here.
Of course, most believers are not phased by such trifles as philosohpical consistency. So, perhaps the best we might hope for is that, after they read Ehrman, the frequency of their ethereal musings about the Bible's divine authority might slacken long enough for skeptics to get a sentence in somewhere.
'Sad how many can confuse thinking that mere "belief", and mind-independent reality, are mutually inclusive. 'Sad how, in the year 2008, we share a planet with people who cannot wrap their puny brains around the concept of changing one's mind, based on new evidence, or lack thereof.
"blessed"......they never had a real personal rel. with the living G-d..
Of course!....of course we never had any such relationship, or wait, I mean "rel." with a "living G-d"---which, continued from above, illustrates my point perfectly.
You see, "blessed", much in the way that a child never had a relationship with their invisible childhood playmate(although they believed it at the time, with every ounce of their being), we didn't have any such "rel." with any "G-d". A belief is a belief is a belief. We once believed; now we don't. Remember, millions of children once believed in Santa Claus, but now, as grown, critically thinking adults, they do not. 'Same principle.
"blessed"......which would obviously have changed their life, like all authentic encounters in Scripture with Him did.
Yes, "authentic encounters". Okay, regarding that rather bold, bare assertion of yours---I'll wager that you have not one scrap of objective evidence to support this alleged "authenticity" you speak of. In fact, I'll further wager the only reason you believe such nonsense, is because it is written in your Holy handbook, which, I'm sure you'll claim said book is true, because it says it's true. If I'm wrong, I anxiously await your corrections, backed with evidence.
How much better are you as a person, because of the words in a book?
Whoever works, or even kindles a fire, on the Sabbath "shall be put to death."
Exodus 35:2 - "Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death."
Blessed, you better get a head start on murdering people; there sure are a lot of people working today/Sun-day.
The same words in the Holy Christian Bible, that give you Jesus as The OT Messiah, is the same book that tells you to have no conscience or morality.
When you finally figure out how to have a conscience and be moral, then you will no longer be a Christian. You may "call" yourself a Christian because you culturally identify with other people who claim to be Christian, but without a commitment to the doctrine that establishes a Jesus Messiah and your "religion" - you are a "confused" and "delusional" person.
Now, the day you step up to the plate, and mind your Christian Bible, by murdering everyone you meet that works on Sun-Day, then you will have more "credibility" as a Christian to me. Until then, you are an intellectually shallow and simple-minded fool, seeking an audience of followers.
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