From the Cobwebs: Those Ignorant Bible Bangers

I found this article (errr...rant/whine session) recently and thought it was still apropos. You can tell how old it is by the 'Myspace' reference! LOL 12 Feb 06 Sunday Current mood: just wanting people to think, Man All right, so I'm surfing through the site (myspace) last week, and I run into a young lady who wanted a forum on a controversial topic. Some people with biblical views joined into the discussion, and when 3 of them had opined--then came the hate. One guy responded (I'm paraphrasing) with, "Will the stupid, ignorant bible-bangers please shut-up? Learn to think for yourselves." So, were all just ignorant fools, huh? Why? Just because we dont believe the same things you do? Who is intolerant now? 1) You say, "Bible bangers put the Bible above science!" 2) You say, "Creation can't be proven by scientific tests!" 3) You say, "Why do you believe things written by men? How can you believe something that ignorant men wrote?" 1) I say, " True science agrees with true Christianity." People have said that carbon dating proves that the world has been around for millions of years. Well, guess what? These half-life tests don't necessarily prove anything. The same bunch of trees that are considered "millions" of years old by the carbon dating process the day after Mount St. Helen's erupted in 1980 were alive, and processing carbon dioxide in order to give us oxygen SECONDS before the lava covered them. So, really, if you think about it logically, there is NO WAY to prove that the carbon dating process is correct is there? I'm not trying to get all persnickety and say nothing scientific is true. I don't believe that, but I just don't get people who don't have all the info, and yet they call other people ignorant. PLUS, science is EVER-Changing! Additionally, the Bible discussed a few scientific proofs that weren't even discovered by modern man for more than 1,000 years. For example, Matthew Fontaine Maury was reading in Psalm 8. The writer wrote about the "paths of the sea." It was from this passage that Mr. Maury decided to start trying to find these "paths of the sea" and finally did find the connection between water and wind and those aforementioned "paths." The writer of the book of Job discussed the "springs of the sea" which, by the way, weren't mentioned by scientists until the 1st century. Job was written long before that time. The book of Leviticus discussed the truth that "the life is in the blood" and it wasn't until centuries later that it was discovered that the blood system carried oxygen around the body, thereby giving that same body life. There are plenty more examples, but what I'm trying to suggest to that gentleman who calls all Christians stupid, ignorant people is that--perhaps--he should check his facts. There is EVIDENCE in this world that shows that Christians may just possibly have reasons and proof for what they believe. 2) I say, "so what if Creation can't be proven by scientific tests" Do you truly believe that the Big Bang OR evolution can be proven by scientific tests? They can NOT be proven. That is probably why it is called the THEORY of evolution, not the FACT of evolution. I think it much easier and reasonable to believe that a Creator designed all the intricacies of our world and our bodies (Occam's Razor, anyone?) than that a big explosion occurred and the world began and--by CHANCE--an ameoba grew to a salamander to a bird to a dog to a monkey to a human being. The latter idea is much less conceivable than the former. You would NEVER believe that an explosion occurred in a truck factory and when the dust cleared--VOILA!!--there sat a forest green F-150 with all the trimmings, would ya? You KNOW that there is a designer and creator of that truck. You KNOW it. You, also, would not believe that an explosion occurred in a Swiss watch-making factory and when the dust settled--VOILA!!!--an expensive and intricate Victorinox sat there gleaming in the sunlight, would ya? But you can believe that the much more intricately designed earth and all the inhabitants on it could happen just by chance? You KNOW it is not possible!!!! In fact, you would say that the Ford or Victorinox scenario was ridiculous and you'd scoff at the mere idea of it. and, still, you stubbornly cling to the idea of the Big Bang theory and evolution. Yet, you are calling Christians ignorant people who believe the unbelievable. 3) I say, "So, what if several different writers wrote the canon of the Bible?" That lends all the more credence to its being written by the inspiration of God!! All the basic themes both in the Old and the New Testament agree. Some may say, "but there are some inconsistencies." I encourage them to look at the situation. The context of the Scriptures will show the agreement of all the texts of the Bible. When you talk to someone from a different part of the country with a different accent, different vocabulary, different background, different experiences etc., will you not possibly be saying the same thing in different ways? YES!!! It happens all the time. And when you make a more concerted effort to communicate with this person from across the country, will you not then understand that y'all are saying the same things? Yet, when it comes to things of a religious nature, you--once again--stubbornly cling to the idea that anything related to God should not, could not, and will not follow those same rules! Pretty interesting! Additionally, each different biblical writer not only comes from different experiences, but also they were writing to different groups of people; therefore, it is highly conceivable that they might choose to communicate in different ways, use different language, focus on other aspects of the same situation. Intense study would show the complete agreement of each biblical writer. The "so-called" inconsistencies that you claim occur sure do make a lot more sense when you look at them with a well-studied, logical, open-minded eye. And a final note, stupidity is not a common trait inherent in all Christians even though Hollywood and the liberal media would like to paint us with that brush. I--personally--came to Christianity(at 22) after seeing undeniable proof in black and white, as did many of the intelligent, worthwhile, moral, respectable people I know. In fact, doctors, lawyers, scientists (yes, I said scientists) are some of those ignorant fools you derisively call Christians. You don't need to call me ignorant, though. That's Miss Bible Banger to you.