Bio: Bart Ehrman

I listened to NPR's broadcast of Barts acquired stance on inconsistancies within the scriptures and heard his statement of human suffering being the cause for his departure from faith.

His descriptions of the great differences in the accounts of life events shown within apostles writings and even apparent discrepancies
of what Christ said on the cross in my oppinion exhibit no logical reason for loss of faith.

After all they were each human individuals with differing perceptions and varying personalities and probably even chosen to present different perspectives.

There are several blatant accounts within the sciptures describing Gods words heard one way by one person and completely different to another so the possibility of scriptural error does not present a case for inconsistancies.

Within the scriptures God decrees that his word should not be changed by even one jot or tittle. Personally I find it hard to believe that
over the centuries that was fully accomplished by the hand of man without intervention or mistake. But even this gives credance to the concept that God speaks to different individuals in different ways.
Who's to say that a phrase unchanged or even one word, if it is filled by the power of God, with meaning, won't touch or change a human life.

All my life since becoming a Christian in my beliefs, there have been battles concerning faith and my ability to keep it strong within me.
If you have ever been the recipient or even a participant in a God given miracle, you come to realize the great gift and value it adds in securing an unfaltering faith. Obviously I'm not talking about coincidence, happenstance or simply an unusual chain of events with a positive outcome. There is an unmistakable realization that takes place within you when you are witness to the supernatural powers of God at work.
It is unfortunate but in my opinion biblical scholars have very little opportunity to observe miracles firsthand and consequently confirm a growing faith. They become too encumbered with history, comparison and definition, pursuits of the mind vs pursuits of the spirit.

Unlike Douglas Reed's book The Controversy of Zion which is not freely available, a new book which openly rubbishes Christianity is available right, left and centre!!!

Go to: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=Jesus%2C+Interrupted%3A+Revealing+the+Hidden+Contradictions+in+the+Bible+&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

The offensive book "Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible" is authored by Bart Ehrman who is a professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina and is described as a "leading authority on the Bible and the life of Jesus", or In other words, a fox that was put in charge of a chicken coop!!!

Wake up dormant Christians.

I like your ideas and commentaries very much. I wanted to share my comments on a recent Bill Moyers show with you. They need someone like you for a guest!

While watching your TV show last week, Bill Moyers...
...I was appalled by its content. [March 13, 2009] All of the sanctimonious reverence given to the so-called "Abrahamic Religions," of Judaism, Christianity and Islam!
Modern archaeological research confirms the fact that the Abraham legend was probably pure fiction. Even if the story were true, Abraham was a delusional and despicable character and certainly no model to base any religion on. What kind of inspiration made him circumcise himself when he was 99 years old? [Gen 17] It was not original form of mutilation even in those days! What about the ghastly story of Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son Isaac?[Gen 22] A crazy piece of nonsense which would rightly land a man in jail if he tried it today! The Muslims in their version claim that Allah really prefers first-born sacrifices. They believe that Ishmael, Abraham's illegitimate son, went through this grisly ordeal!. Christian prefer the Isaac story and cheerfully proclaim that Jesus was also a first-born child sacrifice. [John 3:16] This is 2009 and we are still in the intellectual Dark Ages!
As for the Golden Rule and former Sister Karen Armstrong’s campaign to promote it. What a lot of twaddle! You and she both had the Golden Rule wrong. You stated it in its negative form! This is pure nonsense! I grant you that it is a much better aphorism in a negative style. However it is what Confucius said 500 years earlier [Analects 15:23] but it is absolutely NOT what Jesus allegedly said [Matt7:12 and Luke 6] either in the King James Version or the Revised Standard Version of the Bible
The Golden Rule is not a good moral guide but a form of philosophic anarchy. That’s because the rule is no better than the person who applies it. In the hands of a good man or woman it is the basis of reciprocity, but the hands of the evil doer it merely allows him to do unto others what he wants others to do unto him!
Why not get some different talent on your show? People like Sam Harris? [The End of Faith] Prof. Paul Kurtz? [Secular Humanist, Head of CFI,] Fred Edwords? [American Humanist Association] Christopher Hitchens? [God is not Great] Prof Schlomo Sand? [History Department, Tel Aviv University] or Prof Israel Finkelstein? [The Bible Unearthed]? It’s time to open up this whole can of worms with some freethinking fresh air!
Sincerely,
Dr. Rick Rickards