I certainly don't believe so
DAR
Exactly right Micheal.
Excerpt from something I wrote:
***
Thankfully, times have greatly changed with regard to ability
to examine, study and even mention Bible contradictions. It was
in the twelfth-century a Spanish rabbi named Ibn Ezra carefully
wrote this in reference to passages that he knew to be
contradictory: "And if you understand, then you will recognize
the truth," but more importantly he continued, "And he who
understands will keep silent."* .Undoubtedly he knew that 'he
who did not keep silent' would soon become 'he who is dead'.
[*From Who Wrote the Bible? pg. 19]
It is interesting to look over the span of centuries and observe
how this ability to even raise the question of Bible
contradiction has risen in direct proportion to the decrease in
the religious leaders ability to punish or execute a person for
their honest thought (the Spanish inquisition was not dissolved
until 1833). It is even more interesting to observe how such
open investigation and education has affected this belief today.
A recent religious survey of American religious belief reveals
how rapidly the belief in inerrancy has declined in just the last
three decades. This poll (conducted in 1990) was entitled the
National Survey of Religious Identity and was published in
1993 in the book One Nation Under God. It sampled an
extremely large pool of some 113,000 people (most polls
typically survey a 1,000 people) and made these telling
observations:
"Changes in the educational levels of the general
population in recent years appear to account for much of
the variance in biblical beliefs over time. The current
proportion of biblical literalists is 32%, only half of what it
was in 1963, when 65% of Americans said they believed in
the absolute truth of all words in the Bible and that it
represented the actual word of God. Belief in inerrancy is
most likely to be found among people who did not
complete high school (58%), and least likely among college
graduates (29%)." -One Nation Under God, (1993) Barry
A. Kosmin & Seymour P. Lachman. pg. 268.
From 65% to 32% of the American population in less than 30
years! This same poll found that 86.2% of the US population
currently identify themselves as Christian (91% of the
population identified themselves as Christian in 1971**). This
means that only 37% of those Americans who consider
themselves Christian now believe in the inerrant truth of the
Bible. [**From another large poll, with a sample of 16,523 people,
done by Gallop. Religions Of America (1975), edited by Leo Rosten,
Simon & Schuster, pg. 329]
***
cheers,
Darrel
------------------
There must be a way to adapt the following story to religion. I
just haven't thought of it yet.
Maybe this is how the doctrine of inerrancy developed....
THE PLAN
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE PLAN. . . .
And then came the Assumptions.
And the Assumptions were without form. And the Plan was
without substance. And darkness was upon the face of the
Roadies.
And they spake among themselves, saying "It is a crock of
shit, and it stinketh."
And the Roadies went unto the Stage Manager and said, "It is
a pail of dung, and none may abide the odor thereof."
And the Stage Manager went unto the Production Manager,
saying, "It is a container of excrement, and its fragrance is very
strong, such that none may abide it."
And the Production Manager went unto the Tour Manager,
saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and all who draw near to it
are overcome by its strength."
And the Tour Manager spake amongst the Management
Company staff, and they said one unto the other, "It contains
that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong."
And the Management Company staff then went to the
Management Company Executive, saying unto him, "It
promotes growth, and it is very powerful."
And the Management Company Executive went unto the
Band and said unto them, "This new Plan will promote the
growth and vigor of the tour, with powerful effects to be felt by
the audience!"
And the Band looked upon the Plan, and saw that it was
good.
And the Plan became Policy.
And this is how shit happens.
*********