Scary Bible Quotes: Editor’s Introduction
Since I first began editing Scary Bible Quotes, many
people have had questions about it (for
example, “You know you’re going to hell, don’t you?”,
“Don’t you know that Jesus loves you?”,
and “If I want to sell my daughter into slavery, how much should I charge for
her?”(1))
Unfortunately, since writing the remarks appearing in Scary Bible Quotes, God
has been
unavailable for comment. So I have prepared this introduction, which includes
answers to
common questions.
Sources
- All the quotations on the Scary Bible Quotes page are from the Holy Bible.
- The background image is a page from the Gutenberg Bible (with some editing by me).
Alternate Translations
Following are versions of the same scary Bible passages, in different
translations:
- New International Version (NIV). This
is my original page. NIV is the most popular modern translation of the Bible.
- King
James Version (KJV). This is the traditional and most eloquent translation.
First appeared in 1611.
- English
Standard Version (ESV). This is a very literal translation produced by a team of
over 100 scholars in 2001.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1:
What is the
purpose of Scary Bible Quotes?
A:
According to polls conducted in 2004, 82% of
Americans believe that the Bible is the
word of God,
(2)
and 55% believe that “every word of the Bible is literally
accurate.”
(3)
But it
seems to me unlikely that 55% of the country believe all of the assertions quoted on
the
Scary Bible Quotes page. So I think many people must be unaware of what the
Bible
actually says. (It’s understandable – who has time for reading books
these days?) It
seems to me that a look at these quotations would provide valuable evidence relevant
to
whether the Bible is in fact the word of God and whether every statement in it is
literally true.
Q2:
And why is
that important?
A:
For
one thing, because people often try to use the Bible to answer such important
questions as whether abortion is wrong, whether homosexuality is wrong, and
whether
humans evolved from apes. Before we rely on the Bible in this way, we need to assess
whether it is actually the word of God, and how accurate it is in general.
Q3:
Is this supposed
to prove that there is no God?
A:
No, there could be a God whether or not the Bible is accurate.
Q4:
I think some of
your quotations are mistranslations.
A:
Q5:
I think some of
your passages are quoted out of context.
A:
No,
they aren’t. Those who want to read the context surrounding any of the
quotations
may see the complete
NIV,
KJV, or
ESV, all
available on the web. In no case does the
context significantly alter the meaning, or the level of plausibility, of the passages.
Q6:
I think some of
the statements you’ve quoted from the Bible are actually true.
A:
It is possible that some Biblical statements that appear false are
true, though it is extremely implausible that all of them are.
Following are links to discussions of the most popular topics in Biblical
errancy. In each case, “Pro” links to a pro-Bible page, while
“Con”
links to an anti-Bible page.
Q7:
I hate you.
A:
All of the hostile messages I have received about Scary Bible Quotes appear to
be from
Christians. If you genuinely believe the Bible is the word of God, you should be
happy, not
angry, that I am helping to spread the word of God. If, on the other hand, you think
that my
page is anti-Christian, then that seems to me a tacit admission that some of the
statements
in the Bible are so difficult to believe that merely reproducing a collection of them
serves to undermine Christianity.
Notes
1.
Exodus 21:7 generously advises:
“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free
as menservants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself,
he must let her be redeemed . . .” (NIV)
2.
3.
Source: Newsweek Poll conducted
by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, Dec. 2-3, 2004. N=1,009
adults nationwide (U.S.). MoE +/- 3. Reported by PollingReport.com
<
http://www.pollingreport.com/religion.htm>.