156 | Transcending Inerrancy
April 3, 2023
Welcome back!
Minute of Transparency: Know-It-Alls...
Today's Topic: Transcending Inerrancy
We came by it honestly
The faulty filling
Living in the gray - to be OK
// CHAPTER 1: WE CAME BY IT HONESTLY
When we use the phrase, "We came by it honestly." We're typically suggesting we got "it" from our parents. Whatever "it" is.
That's why "it" is referred to as happening honestly. Because we were too young to know - so we simply took "it" and incorporated "it" into our lives because that's what they did.
And now - we're living with "it" and realizing "it" is a part of us whether we like "it" or not.
And for me - there is no better illustration of this than the religious beliefs we were taught when growing up.
At some point in our lives we look at the religion we're part of and we say, "Well, I came by it honestly."
But from that point on - we have some options:
We can continue to say this for the rest of our lives and remain part of the same religious community
We can choose to question our religious beliefs and allow them to change a bit as we learn new information about that religion
We can throw it all out the window and choose not to believe any of it
Now I know - there is an entire spectrum in there. But these are the way signs - the larger buckets. As a person moves through the spectrum - they will most likely identify themselves with one of these three buckets.
For the sake of simplicity I'm just going to refer to this as the Deconstruction Spectrum. Since we are talking about our religious or spiritual beliefs.
We did an entire series called Transcendent Deconstruction so if you're interested in that - head back to Episode 127. I'll also put a link in the show notes to the series landing page: https://transcendhuman.com/transcendent-deconstruction
In this series we talked a lot about the spectrum people are on in their deconstruction process. And a couple of them are important for our discussion today:
Deconstruction is part of a larger cycle: Indoctrination >> Enlightenment >> Deconstruction
As a kid we're programmed - or indoctrinated
Then at some point we reach a point of enlightenment - where we're forced to question our beliefs
And finally - we begin to deconstruct those beliefs in order to bring our disequilibrium into harmony
Religion and Faith are two separate things:
Now to be sure - they are part of a Venn Diagram
And there is overlap
But people in the deconstruction process can be deconstructing very different things
For me - Faith is not something I'm trying to deconstruct - but religion is
For others - deconstruction is more about Faith - deconstructing their belief in God himself
Deconstruction is NOT the end goal:
We didn't spend a lot of time discussing this during the series
But I did touch on it in the final episode - and then in Episode 140 when I used the 12 Streps of AA to describe the deconstruction journey
The important thing to understand is that deconstruction can be a downward spiral
Almost like falling down a well with no bottom
And that isn't a good feeling - living in constant flux - never having a foundation to stand on
So there comes a time when you have to move from deconstruction to construction
A time when you agree with yourself on your new belief system - and then start growing from there
Because deconstruction is a disconcerting process
Construction allows for growth, maturing, progress, purpose and meaning
OK - my little tangent back into the deconstruction thing might seem unnecessary - but I'll pull it all together here in a minute.
So in the MOT I brought up know-it-alls. And the ultimate know-it-all - God himself.
For some Christians who enter the Enlightenment stage - this becomes a problem for them. The idea that there is a God - or an all-knowing Being - is the problem.
People like this typically wind up Agnostic or eventually Atheist. And I refer to their process as Deconstructing their Faith.
For me - I don't have a problem with God. In fact I fully embrace the idea. For me - it's what came next that is the problem. It's the numerous groups of people who have created legalistic, demanding and at times abusive power structures called churches. That's the piece I have a problem with. And because of that - I refer to myself as Deconstructing my Religion.
Now we're getting somewhere...
I've laid a pretty solid foundation for our topic today which is Inerrancy.
According to dictionary.com the word "inerrant" has a very simple definition:
free from error
synonym: infallible
And in the Christian world - this word is used for a very specific purpose.
Simply do a good search for the word "inerrant" and what are the most popular search results?
You'll find that almost every one has to do with Scripture - or the Bible:
Because this is where the word "inerrant" is used the most
Traditional Christianity has declared that the Bible is the "inerrant" word of God
That He spoke it into existence
That the Bible is a book documenting the exact things God himself wants us to know
The manual for the human being
And that no error can be found within it
And that my friends is where the problems start. Why so many are deconstructing their religion and their faith.
I can only speak for my own experience. But as a kid - growing up in a traditional Christian home - this is what I was taught.
The Bible is the inerrant word of God. If you find a perceived error - it really isn't an error - you just don't understand it well enough to see that it isn't an error.
For me, and many of my friends - this is what's meant by, "We came by it honestly..."
// CHAPTER 2: THE FAULTY FILLING
Who doesn't love an Oreo cookie? Two chocolate cookies with that amazing, sugary filling in the middle.
Iconic - a cookie that will stand the test of time. Not the numerous variations they've come up with over the years:
Double Stuff Oreos
Oreo Thins
Oreo Cakesters
Gluten Free Oreos
The Most Oreo Oreo
And then there are all the fun colors and flavors they've introduced over the years
No - I'm talking about the OG - The Original Oreo Cookie. Basic, with just the right ratio of chocolate cookie to sugary filling.
That's the one that will never go away.
But here's the analogy I'm going with - and why I brought up Oreo Cookies in the first place.
Take away all of the other variations. Boil it all down to the on OG Oreo Cookie.
If that's all there was - all we had to choose from - we'd all eat them the same way - right?
WRONG! 100% wrong.
In fact - this was one of Oreo's most successful ad campaigns:
They posed the question, "How do you eat an Oreo?"
Some people pop the entire thing in their mouth
Some people eat them in two bites
Some people eat them with multiple bites
Others twist off the cookies and lick the filling
Some dunk their Oreos in milk
And the list continues to grow with every new generation...
And so it is with the Bible - or what's inside the Bible - the filling if you will.
We all have the same Bible - but apparently there are thousands of different ways to eat it.
And for many of us - this might be one of our first moments of Enlightenment. When we realized that every church claiming to have the truth - was using the same Bible to prove they were right.
Now this doesn't necessarily mean the Bible is a problem. It could just mean that people are interpreting it differently right?
Like 10 scientists presented with the same evidence -and yet 10 different conclusions are drawn about that evidence.
And you'd be right.
Remember back when scientists found the missing link?
Back in 1912 scientists found human remains they referred to as Piltdown Man. Scientists argued over them, how they were dated and eventually on their significance. But the common theme was that we had found the missing link between monkeys and humans.
Until the 1940s when the bones were subjected to some chemical testing and were found to be fakes. An elaborate hoax by the scientists working at the Piltdown excavation site.
There are two things I want us to see from this illustration:
Every scientist was looking at the same bones - the same evidence - and coming to different conclusions
The bones they were looking at turned out to be fake
Back to the Bible...and whether or not it's inerrant...
We've already discussed the first point - that numerous people, groups and religions are using the same book to prove different things. The same book is the foundation for religions that believe very different things.
But we haven't touched on the second point. The question, "Is the Bible actually inerrant?"
Or, like the Piltdown Man - when you subject the Bible to a few tests for validity - do you find that there are errors? And that it may not be the inerrant book we once thought it was?
Is the filling faulty we might ask?
I listen to my fair share of podcasts. Many of which are by people who have gone through the deconstruction process. Some of which have left the faith all together. Choosing a life of complete ambiguity - or even atheism.
But a common theme I hear over and over is that they couldn't reconcile the Bible. They stopped trusting in it because there were so many errors found within it. They found too much fault in the filling.
On the one hand you have the traditional view that the Bible is 100% inerrant. On the other hand we find that there are historical inaccuracies and conflicting stories.
Even in the religion I grew up in - the Bible was called inerrant. But when a problem arose the party line was something like, "Well you have to go back to the original Greek text on that because it's been misinterpreted in modern translations."
What the heck?! So you're saying the Bible is inerrant - just not the one that everyone uses? Ours has problems - but if you get a college degree in ancient languages - and go back and piece together some of the original parchment - you'll eventually find the inerrant part?
See where I'm going with this? The foundation is a bit shaky.
And I'm not even giving you the bulk of the problems.
I'll let you do that research for yourself. There are lists people have put together of the contradictions in the Bible. Not to mention the intangible contradictions like, "How can God be a proponent of genocide in the OT - but also the God of love in the NT.? And if the Bible says God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow - how can those two things coexist?"
Like I said - I'm not going to go into all of the things that appear to be wrong with the Bible. What I am going to say is that there is a really good chance what we were taught about the Bible being inerrant - simply isn't true.
We reached our Enlightenment moment - and now we have to figure out what to do with it...
// CHAPTER 3: LIVING IN THE GRAY - TO BE OK
Most people who grew up in traditional Christianity get really nervous when you use the word gray.
Because for so long we lived in a black and white world where we had the inerrant word of God - and that meant we had answers to everything. Not answers everyone agreed upon - but everyone in our specific religion. So that was ok. And kept the black and white going.
So when people start talking about the gray middle - we get uneasy. Because we were taught that we stand on a firm foundation - one that can't be shaken.
But after a while we start to realize that the firm foundation is one person's take on the Bible. Or one groups take on the Bible.
You see that there are other groups that believe just as strongly - but in a slightly different way.
And you realize you're caught in a trap. You're all living in separate rooms in a dark, dank basement. But then you find the stairs that lead up and out of that basement - and you walk outside and realize how large the world really was the whole time.
You look down and see the people in each room huddled together - mocking the people in the other rooms - and holding the door handle tight to make sure nobody leaves and to ensure nobody slips in unnoticed - to disrupt the beliefs you've all decided on.
And you feel sad that you were part of that group for so long. If only they could see the predicament they're in - and that the stairs lead up and out of the basement.
But where they lead isn't black and white. They lead to a world where there is gray. A lot of gray.
And that's difficult for us - like I said.
Speaking for myself - I've deconstructed many of the black and white religious beliefs I was taught as a child.
And while there is a sense of excitement and freedom that comes with it - there is also a sense of fear, anxiety and uncertainty that comes with it.
Because gray is bad.
The church I grew up in loved to use the reference to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:16
"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth."
This was the ultimate verse used to dissuade us from the gray. You had to live your life in the black and white or God would be done with you.
See what I mean? We don't even fully understand what that verse is referring to - but those in power over us used it to demand good behavior. It worked for them on some level. And kept us from asking questions about the gray.
But here's the conclusion I've come to...
When it comes to the Bible - people have many options - here are a few big ones:
Continue to view it as the inerrant word of God: Make excuses for, and rationalize known errors and continue to use it as a battering ram to promote the specific set of beliefs you adhere to
View it as God's word - just told through errant human beings: Be good with the fact that there are errors, and try to see it as useful in it's overarching message
View it as our best attempt as humans to document something we believe to be true: A collection of stories and words of wisdom that were brought together into one book to help us make sense of the world around us
View it as a work of art: Similar to ancient documents like the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Quran or the Book of Mormon - all attempts at documenting beliefs about our origin, and connection to our spiritual natures
Throw it out as a total hoax: Similar to the Piltdown Man - now viewed as nothing of importance - something that should be ignored because it is misleading and dangerous in that sense
So where are you with the Bible?
Which of the categories above would you place yourself in?
For me - I'm on the struggle bus:
Struggling because I've left Option 1
I no longer believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God
That every word is true and that there are no errors possible
But at the same time - I can't argue with history:
That the Bible has endured for as long as it has
That it is based on ancient documents that chronicle the existence of humankind from the very beginning
That there is a thread of continuity in it: From the ancient patriarchs, through the Israelite (Jewish) nation, to Catholicism, to Protestantism, to us today
The Islamic tradition is also rooted in the Abrahamic story - which is documented in the Bible
Then there is the personal element:
The fact that it inspires people to completely change their lives
To give up things that are causing them pain
To start doing things that seem almost backward to them
How it moves people from a life of complete selfishness to a life of helping others
And how it provides a peace that people are looking for
And then there is prophecy:
This is one piece that I can't throw out
It's a piece that forever keep me fascinated with the Bible
When we think of prophecy we think about ancient mystics like Nostradamus
He prophesied about many things
Some came true and others did not
Then you have modern television shows like The Simpsons
This show has become a cult classic due to the fact that it appears to predict the future
And in some cases it does seem to have a knack for that
But these are mere shadows of what the Bible is:
Take the prophecies regarding Jesus - and how they were all fulfilled in his birth, life and death
Take the End Time prophecies - and how different writers all seemed to see the same thing
How the prophecies in Daniel mirror the things talked about in Revelation
How were Daniel and John able to write the things they did and have them both line up so well?
For me - this is where I can't help but believe that the Bible contains the "Words of God"
Daniel and John both attribute their prophetic writings to God
They were visions, or dreams that they had - and felt compelled to write them down
To me - that's significant - and will not allow me to throw the Bible out with the bath water...
So that's where I'm at. Somewhere between option 2 and 3.
Somewhere between the Bible containing the actual words of God - the things He wants us to understand - and a collection of writings by people who believed in Him and documented their experience in the greater story.
You can call that living in the gray. You can call it no mans land. But it's my reality. It's where I find myself these days.
And my comfort is knowing that Jesus exemplified what it looks like to live life in the gray. Jesus lived the life of a deconstructionist.
Think about his entire life on Earth.
He made it His mission to push back on the black and white - to deconstruct the religion the Jewish leaders had built:
He ruffled feathers
He called out the church elite for their hypocritical behavior
He did things on the Sabbath that were not allowed
He hung out with people considered unclean
His entire life was lived in the gray. So if it was good for Him - it's good for me.
Not the easiest place to be - but I feel like I'm in good company.
Let's Land the Plane:
Thank you so much for hanging out this week.
I've always said this podcast is me working through my stuff. And this week was no different.
I've struggled with the inerrancy of the Bible for a while now.
I've seen others completely throw away a belief in God over it.
And I've known that it is something I need to wrestle with in order to maintain my own Faith.
My hope is that there is someone out there that needed this conversation as much as me.
A couple questions for you this week:
Simply put: How do you view the Bible?
How does your view of the Bible impact your life right now?
Again, Love that you chose to join me today - I hope things are going well for you wherever you are.
Have a great week, and as always, keep Transcending Human!
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