Dishonest Criticism

Lest I waste everyone's time, I will be plain with you: most criticism of the Bible that you find on the Internet and in atheists' books is either daft or unfair. Christianity is very unpopular in our culture, especially in certain circles, and this has given licence to some of its critics to treat it with open contempt and without even the attempt at being fair. The best way to investigate the Bible is to read it, but since that takes a substantial amount of effort, most people don't bother and turn to sceptics for a rundown. Poor choice.

Contradictions

It is widely asserted by opponents of Christianity that there are many contradictions in the Bible. Let's take one of the American Humanist Association's examples:

Contradictions are also seen in the biblical story of a worldwide flood. According to Genesis 6:19-22, God ordered Noah to bring “of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort . . . into the ark.” Nevertheless, Genesis 7:2-3 relates that the Lord ordered Noah to take into the ark the clean beasts and the birds by sevens, and only the unclean beasts by twos.

Is it a contradiction that God could issue a general order for two of each kind to be taken into the ark but then issue an exception in the case of the clean animals? Of course not. The American Humanist Association would have you believe that... exceptions to general orders cannot exist? This is absolutely ridiculous and should embarrass them, but many of their so-called contradictions are equally absurd.

There are some genuinely puzzling sections in the Bible, and even some which may seem illogical on the surface to us, but these are rare, and reasonable explanations for them are out there. The typical 'contradictions' that you'll find being preached by atheists are unreasonable interpretations of things, as though the atheist is a dishonest prosecutor who is constantly attempting to twist the meaning of the defendant's words to make an impression on the jury.

History

Often, attacks on the Bible will include at the outset the claim that the Bible contains inaccurate information about history, but when we get down to the nuts and bolts, the complaints are more often than not arguments from silence: that is, if there is no other evidence for something the Bible claims, the sceptic calls the Bible's claim false. Given how little survives from thousands of years ago, you can see how this position is unreasonable.

Sometimes, it really appears that the Bible may be inaccurate about some historical fact based on what we discover, but through the efforts of faithful Christians, mystery after mystery has been solved in favour of the Bible. Incredible examples include the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah, at which there is sulphur to this day, the tunnel of Siloam built by King Hezekiah in Jerusalem, the cylinder of Cyrus, and a heel bone with a nail still in it from crucifixion. You likely will not understand what all these things prove or what they relate to, but if you pick one to investigate, the story will fascinate you.

In fact, the Bible has lead to myriad historical discoveries directly. For example, there are ancient places mentioned in the Bible which were not referenced anywhere else in the Bible to the knowledge of archeologists, but lo and behold, the places were found.

God's Morality

How Can We Know God Is Good?

First, we receive many good things. If God were evil, we would have nothing good. If you think that good things are just a ruse and a tease because God might delight in seeing you lose good things, it has been too long since you have suffered badly to remember just how bad things can get. In other words, an evil god would simply make all things evil, all the time. We have many good things, from food to nice weather.

Second, God's conduct in all the events recorded in the Bible clearly illustrates his goodness. He is patient, self-sacrificial, just, kind, and merciful.

Goodness and Severity

Some societies are very harsh. They see or saw the God of the Bible as weak and soft. After all, he offers forgiveness to very evil people, and he tells his followers to even love his enemies and do good to those who hate them. But then some societies are very soft. In New Zealand, we make even pedophiles and murderers eligible for release after 10 years, for example. It is therefore unsurprising to me that most New Zealanders see the God of the Bible as cruel. Is God soft, cruel, or just right?

Was God unjust to have all the Canaanites killed?

The Canaanites were extremely wicked. They sacrificed their own children to their gods, engaged in all sorts of perversion, etc. If you have an ounce of justice, you will know that such people deserve death. The only question that may remain is, what about the innocents? Why didn’t God save them?

God cares about babies and knows they are innocent. When babies die, scripture makes it clear that they are taken to God, where there are “pleasures forevermore” and no more tears, pain, or suffering (paraphrase). However you slice it, death here isn’t that big of a deal in light of eternity with God. So it is not a bad outcome for babies if they die in light of eternity, but the suffering of an innocent is a horrible thing regardless, so why does He allow it?

I can only speculate, but I think it is fair to say that thousands of babies suddenly being without parents would result in mass deaths for them even if they were spared and not their parents. Secondly, God seems to limit His interventions and let consequences play out oftentimes, leaving babies as collateral damage in judgement at times. I think this could be for many reasons, but ultimately, allowing nasty consequences to happen helps people to see their error and take wickedness seriously.

Science

There is a general perception that the Bible is not scientific, but when we get into the specifics, the main objection is to miracles, which is not a question for science. Nevertheless, supposedly serious thinkers will dismiss the existence of miracles and God as though such things are childish. They mock without engaging with the very strong arguments and evidence for God and miraculous events. They then invent fantastical stories time after time to explain away evidence for the supernatural, and use convoluted terms to say things which make no sense in an effort to deceive.

The age of the Earth, the flood, and having all the animals on the ark are the main points of contention which can actually be investigated to some degree with scientific methods.

In-House Fighting

If the Bible is true, why are there so many different interpretations? Why is there so much disagreement among people who call themselves Christians. The answer is pretty simple, though this issue does stump some people: God issued no guarantee that people will not pretend to be Christians. In fact, he specifically warned that evil people will infiltrate the church and try to deceive real Christians. Moreover, Christians make mistakes, just like other people, so just like with anything, people can be confused, stubborn, and silly when it comes to the Bible.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 7:15