What is the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible?

Response

The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible –
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/ – is a website dedicated to highlighting the alleged errors, contradictions, and inconsistencies in the Bible. The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible categorizes the supposed errors into various sections: injustice, absurdity, cruelty and violence, intolerance, contradictions, family values, women, good aspects, science and history, prophecy, sex, language, interpretation, and homosexuality. This article does not aim to address every issue raised by the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible (which are over 6,000).

The purpose of this article is to expose the fallacies of the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible. Firstly, we appreciate the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible for including the “Good Aspects” section –
http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/good/long.html. It is uncommon for an atheist/anti-Christian website to acknowledge anything positive about the Bible or Christianity. However, the “Good Aspects” section is the only part where the Bible is approached with respect and logic. Regarding the “contradictions” and “absurdities” sections, please refer to our article on
Bible errors, contradictions, and inconsistencies. The sections on homosexuality and tolerance can be addressed straightforwardly and succinctly. Speaking the truth and not tolerating sin is the most loving action we can take. Ignoring evil and endorsing ungodliness might be viewed as tolerance, but it does not lead to anything truly beneficial.

The sections on “injustice,” “family values,” “cruelty and violence,” and “women” overlook an essential concept—the Bible was written to transform our souls, not our societies. While the teachings of the Bible were groundbreaking in the protections they provided for slaves, women, etc., some of the commands and statements may appear harsh and unfair to modern sensibilities. God “breathed out” the Bible in an ancient culture. God addressed human sins from the “insi

Be on the lookout.” If a man enters into a relationship with God, God will transform his heart, instruct him to love, to respect, to forgive. Yes, some of the regulations in the Bible may appear harsh and primitive, but if a person had a sincere relationship with God, the regulations would not even be required.

The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible’s segment on “sex” merely highlights all the different verses in the Bible that mention sex. Why is this segment even needed? Yes, the Bible discusses sex. Sex is, evidently, a crucial aspect of life in this world. It is natural, therefore, for the Bible to tackle human sexuality. The “interpretations” segment is packed with challenging verses and passages. Nonetheless, these challenges are addressed in depth in nearly every major Bible commentary. The presence of a challenging passage is inconsequential in confirming or refuting the inspiration of the Bible.

Once more, if you have inquiries about the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible or have encountered something in the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible that you cannot clarify, please do not hesitate to ask us, and we will be delighted to offer a personalized response.