"My ex-pastors, who have studied the Bible, disagree with you. Their whole argument is that all of the Bible supports itself. "If you don't understand something, then keep reading...scripture will support itself...""
I think what they are saying is that it is self authenticating. There are objective and subjective aspects to this. For those of us who are believers, we have found an amazing amount of internal consistancy when one reads from Genesis to Revelation with its central theme of the redemption of mankind throughout. Yet when you realize that it was a compilation of books written by around 40 authors over a 1500 year period, this becomes even more suprising. It is either the most carefully crafted through time conspiracy as Acharya and a few other wacko's have suggested, or it bears the marks of divine authorship. Combine this with numerous clear prophecies which have already been fulfilled in minute detail and it is so convincing that even the late Isaac Newton declared its divine authorship unnassailable.
"Now, from my own study, I see what they are saying. But, sometimes the arguments are very weak in the Bible to keep the scripture you have questions about afloat. So, you would say I don't understand it yet. Well, who does?"
The bible is a large book and while the central themes are simple, there are many complexities as well. Do you feel that not understanding everything is a basis for throwing it out?
"Not only does the Bible have a translation problem, but there is no authority living today that can support the writings as truth...either in Genesis or in Revelations."
what do you mean "translation problem"? I disagree that the bible is not defensible as truth. There are numerous "authorities" who defend it daily. Have you read anything by Dr. Gary Habermas or Josh McDowell for example?
"The bottom line is this: if you believe in God, but recognize the Bible has fault, then you are safe."
I am not interested in playing it safe so I will defend the bible as truth. If you are saying that small copyist errors exist in the present documents from which translations are made I will conceed this point, but they are insignificant.
"But, if you believe in God, and demand the Bible is truth because you believe you have something figured out in scripture, you run the risk of pride and prejudice."
You run no such risk. Nor is this a "leap of faith" but rather a baby step of faith greatly supported by the evidence.
"The most dangerous person is one who believes in God AND that the Bible is all true."
this is illogical. Are you saying that this position is the hardest to defend or that believing in the bible makes a person "dangerous"?
"And that is where I realized that if you believe you have it all figured out, I guarauntee you are wrong."
There is a difference between "having it all figured out" and axiomatically accepting the bible as truth. It is impossible to arrive at absolute truth empiricle, one must, at some point, make a committment or remain an agnostic.
"It is too painful for me to have unreasonable and blind faith."
me too! Here is the good news! You don't have to. In fact, the bible condemns such a practice. Blind faith is the faith of the atheist. The bible enjoins the believe to love God with all your MIND. The central message of the NT Church was the objective evidence of a bodily resurrection. The resurrection evidence caused former atheist (now deist) Antony Flew to admit that Christians are "rational" for believing on the evidence for this miracle alone.
"The life is too hard to live to have faith in a silent God because you find yourself lying to yourself."
A silent God? I think he is rather noisy, day to day pouring forth speech through is creation and his Word, the Bible.
"And I don't want to hear about how God spoke to you either because I read the story in the Bible where Gideon continually doubted it was God he was hearing."
When you analyze the atheist argument it is really that they cannot "see any god(s)". Of course, like Gideon, it really wouldn't matter if you could, you would still have to excercise faith! And this story is a demonstration of this fact. The Christian Gods existance is overwhelming.
"If God did that for this man, why not me when I was a believer for many years? There is no excuse that anyone can give, so don't be foolish and say something like "all in God's timing" or "if it's God's will" or "you didn't pray right". All that bullcrap is a man-made excuse. If you believe in God, you believe that he lives (and you think you even feel his presence) and will not let his sheep go astray when they ask for the glory of God's kingdom."
God didn't do this for Gideon to prove his existance, he did it to prove to Gideon that he was directing him. But God normally doesn't do this and it is not necessary. We now have the complete scripture, a wealth of apologetics which support the Bible.
"Either God doesn't exist, or the Bible is false sometimes."
Illogical conclusion. If the bible is false sometimes, the biblical God does not exist.
"But, no one is qualified to say which parts are true or false. That is the point of this rambling that you did not hear the first time I said it."
All of the bible is true, it has been tested in the fire and refined seven times. It can be believed and trusted which is why it says "taste and see that the Lord is good, How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him". You have allowed foolish people to steal away your faith. That is sad.
