They claim they care about what the Bible says. Right up until the moment you tell them what the Bible says.

@wellhellothere6347

26 күн бұрын

Yep. The best atheist maker of them all is the bible after all. lol

@unsightedmetal6857

25 күн бұрын

@@wellhellothere6347 People become atheists from the Bible only if they 1) Have an incomplete understanding of the culture, intent, original language, literary context, doctrine, scholarship, or apologetics; 2) Require an unreasonable standard of proof; or 3) Have some sort of motive (not necessarily one on purpose) that keeps them from considering the facts honestly. Examples of 1 (incomplete understanding): Problem of evil, genocide, slavery, "Jesus said to kill his enemies before him", "Christians are science deniers", "Matthew says Jesus rode two donkeys at the same time", "There is no evidence for the Exodus", Jesus mythicism, etc. Examples of 2 (Unreasonable standard of proof): It speaks for itself. Atheists commonly say "There is no evidence for Christianity/God/the Bible", but that is just false. There is evidence. They just don't consider it evidence either because they haven't come across it or their standard of proof is too high. Examples of 3 (Cannot consider facts honestly): If you've had a worldview for a period of time, possibly your whole life, you will be resistant to change it. Especially if you've proclaimed it in front of people. We have pride, and we don't want to admit that we're wrong. This leads us to be biased when we see evidence against our worldview, and we try to find ways to reconcile said evidence so we can keep that worldview. Pressure from people we know can cause us to not consider changing. (This applies to EVERYONE. Atheists, Christians, and everyone else. If you're honest with yourself then you will admit this.) That's why we should consider the evidence from perspectives of people on both sides.

@Coolguy98765432q457

25 күн бұрын

Well there's what atheist scholars say the Bible says and what the Bible actually says.

@CB66941

25 күн бұрын

I remember speaking to a Christian about slavery in the bible and I found myself quoting it far more often than they did, whereas they only used apologetics and ignored many of my points. I got so fed up that I told them I was done and they took that as a victory and said that I wasn't engaging honestly on the topic of slavery and that I was just using it to knock Christianity. The average bible believing Christian is up to their chins in apologetics, not what the bible says.

@WukongTheMonkeyKing

25 күн бұрын

​@@Coolguy98765432q457I would trust a bible scholar, atheist or not, over any apologist. Too many apologists are either ignorant about what the Bible says, or subscribe to "Lying for Jesus" doctrine (Ray Comfort is one of the most famous for this).

The real question is why your accusers hate reason, scholarship, and critical thinking.

@jamesarnette1394

26 күн бұрын

Because the Bible is not into any of those things.

@donaldwert7137

26 күн бұрын

I'm pretty sure those same people hate things like science and science-based medicine.

@marknieuweboer8099

26 күн бұрын

Dan McL already answered that: because they're emotionally so attached to their dogmas that they want to protect them at any cost.

@infiniti28160

26 күн бұрын

The question is why is Dan so defensive going into rhetorical prophylaxis while dissmissing the congruency of the hebrew to greek texts based upon faults only found in the greek texts but never exposing faults in the hebrew texts themselves. A bias is evident. Ezekiel 37:19 This verse embedded within the hebrew text will verify jesus's birth right, but it is glossed over as if it means something else entirely. In Dans mind the NT is a greek plot to subvert the jewish faith even though the Levites were the priests of Israel. Mixed up minds and cognition is lacking.

@Jake-zc3fk

26 күн бұрын

@@infiniti28160 Your interpretation of that verse is proving Dan correct.

"I hate it so much that I'm going to spend tens of thousands of dollars getting an extremely esoteric and indepth education just so I can hate on this thing for the rest of my life." Yeah, that tracks.

@chadkent327

26 күн бұрын

That was my sarcastic thought as well!

@doncamp1150

26 күн бұрын

And it is actually a good question. It is one I would ask of all the secular scholars who spend thousands of dollars on an education they then use to engage in debates with others who have done the same. I began my college education interested in English literature. I loved it. But by the time I was senior I had come to the conclusion that literature on any level beyond a B.A was really literary criticism and not the appreciation of the ideas expressed by the authors. I had no interest in that. It seemed like those who engaged in that did not love literature so much as they loved debate. It was an unproductive game. That seems like what secular biblical scholars do. I see no point in it. So why spend all that money to end up in endless debate over a book that is pretty much meaningless to them? It is not that anyone gets rich teaching in universities or producing KZread videos. So, why? It is better to sell real estate.

@rainbowkrampus

26 күн бұрын

I dunno, I feel like I could muster the spite to do something like that.

@ModernCelt

26 күн бұрын

@@doncamp1150 Asking why someone "hates" something they put so much time, effort, and money into a field of study is a good question?

@ModernCelt

26 күн бұрын

@@rainbowkrampus That's funny.

"Why do you hate the Bible?" would be better expressed, "Why is my love for the Bible threatened by your love for the Bible?"

@ballasog

26 күн бұрын

People that ask that question don't love the Bible.

@magepunk2376

26 күн бұрын

@@ballasogExactly. They love their dogma, not the Bible.

@bobbyaintnooneschild4971

26 күн бұрын

Isn't interesting though how he worded it? It's almost like it's ragebait.

@TheTrueOnyxRose

26 күн бұрын

Good point.

@tarabates7088

25 күн бұрын

+

I think he dislikes uneducated fanatics preaching falsehoods. I know I do.

@maskedsaiyan1738

26 күн бұрын

Same here. I wish more people would understand that disagreement isn’t the same as being their enemy.

@davidjanbaz7728

26 күн бұрын

LOL 😂😂😂 you do know other PhD scholars would disagree with Dan!!! Don't be a blind minion!!!

@waynefeller

26 күн бұрын

@@davidjanbaz7728other biblical scholars? Not theologians? Like who?

@jamesthedog7783

26 күн бұрын

​@@davidjanbaz7728so you're saying that he is wrong? You must be a mental giant with a ton of evidence that you can use to discredit him. Ok , I am ready....

@Twapska

26 күн бұрын

​@@davidjanbaz7728you do know that PhD scholars in every field often disagree with one another about all kinds of things and that is actually very normal and good, actually? A bunch of phDs pretending to agree on something for the sake of keeping laypeople from doubting their faith is not scholarship, that's a cult.

Dan, your work has been invaluable in my growth these past few years. You have helped to free me from dogmatism and fundamentalism. I cannot thank you enough.

@enlacostaizquierda

26 күн бұрын

And therein lies the problem. They don't want people to grow intellectually or even spiritually. They want obedient followers that believe what they're told to believe and, more importantly, to do what the authority figures tell them to do. Be it how to vote, who to hate, or worse.

@ledanart

24 күн бұрын

I’d say that an overdose of textual criticism without actually engaging in meaningful spiritual study of the Bible and prayer can also hinder your growth, kind of what happened with Bart Ehrman

@adamkotter6174

23 күн бұрын

@@ledanart Same. Personal experience with the divine is a source of data that is extremely important but very difficult to fit into an empirical framework. I believe in data over dogma and attribute some of my own growth to Dan's videos, but I also include my own spiritual experiences as data points. If a personal God really exists (and I 100% believe that He does), then His nature as a personal being with a personal interest in us as individuals means that empiricism alone cannot be enough to know Him any more than empiricism alone can be enough to get to know your neighbors.

When I share doubts with family members, they often tell me to take it more seriously and study it.... which is exactly how my doubts arose in the first place.

@DrewpyPlats

19 күн бұрын

Does your family study it? that is probably just a talking point so they can avoid the uncomfortable conversations and textual examinations. Most Christians only ever have their hand held and walked through selected passages (cherrypicked) that meet sermon formulas that have existed for a very long time now.

I get this same response when I discuss the bible with Christians. They immediately assume I'm attacking, meanwhile I've also spent years reading it, studying it, sharing it with people. Both the good, and the bad.

I honestly found the bible far more interesting once I stopped taking it literally and read it as ancient documents from cultures long gone to understand what they believed and what they were trying to say.

@digitaljanus

26 күн бұрын

I started reading the Bible at a young age, and being raised Catholic I was not particularly encouraged to do this, I was just a precocious reader who'd to read anything at hand. Around the same time I started reading both other ancient mythologies and basic astronomy and astrophysics and I guess I must have intuited "Why am I supposed to dismiss all these stories of gods and fantastic events as long obsolete superstition, while all these similar stories from around the same time I'm supposed to see as important moral instruction? Yet none of these ancient authors had the barest conception of the actual vastness of the cosmos and creation!" So despite years of trying to find a deeper meaning in the Bible or Christian thought generally, it just never coalesced for me.

@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana

26 күн бұрын

Those are completely different things. Even today, readers and authors disagree *ALL* the time. Especially with regards to morality 😇, as humans struggle to see anything outside the lens 👓 of whatever morality they happen to have. What the author thought and what the readers believed were never the same. Even from the first telling.

@apersonlikeanyother6895

25 күн бұрын

Yes me too. It is a fascinating glimpse into the past

@itoibo4208

25 күн бұрын

I am not sure what they were trying to say, other than genocide is good, women are lesser than men, slavery is ok, etc..

I taught the gospels at my seminary. I can do the old languages, know the archeology, was part of the JS, etc. People used to say to me “You should debate a fundamentalist, you know so much about the scriptures. I used to answer, “Have you ever heard someone who only speaks Mandarin publicly debate someone who only speaks Kazakh? No, because it makes no sense. But I love what you are doing, Dan: social media allows point/ counterpoint in such a way that you educate open minds, and probably don’t even expect to make a dent in biblical univocal beliefs. Textual scholarship is not about beliefs.

@Jake-zc3fk

26 күн бұрын

Well said.

That needed to be said. Thank you. And thank you for your scholarship.

They’re also projecting: the only reason they can imagine for looking at something so closely is a deep dislike for it, a desire to attack it. Which says a lot about why they remain so ill-informed on the Bible, and of course on so much more

It's honestly kind of sad. Because as a pious Catholic myself that learned how to separate faith from reality, it's *fascinating* what academia can teach us about the Bible. I've often told people who want to learn about it "remember the Bible is a library, not a book." I love your podcasts! So happy I got to hear more about your academic works.:)

@help4343

24 күн бұрын

But why do you have faith in something you just admitted was separate from reality?

@NFREAK141

22 күн бұрын

@@help4343 to me? it doesn't matter if the stories are true or not. What morals can I get out of it? Am I falling into the same trap of using the Bible to justify my own egalitarianism? Maybe. I also grew up with these set of beliefs and they haven't made me uncomfortable.

It's fascinating because Christianity is more than the Bible. It's an identity and that's where the backlash hits. It reminds me of an Al Franken quote. “We love America just as much as they do. But in a different way. You see, they love America like a 4-year-old loves his mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups. To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one grow.” ― Al Franken, Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right At some point, health humans grow up and they re-assess how they look at the world and their priorities and what they value. Just because I criticize my country doesn't mean that I hate my country. It just means I have an adult understanding of my country and I don't blindly worship it like a child. Likewise, when it comes to religion, adults are those who have grappled with the understanding of the man made nature of this religion but they see value in it. I did when I was a Christian. There is a point when one must be able to cope with the uncertainty and say "Maybe" and see multiple viewpoints and intersections. I think many of these world religions are fascinating on a human level because it tells us about who we were as a species and how we thought. How we dealt with uncertainty and our existential crisis. What traditions arose to cope with death or loss or pain and the lighter parts of life. For me, they're not magical texts but rather, fascinating narratives about who we are. The Bible is important because we, as a civilization from Europe, made it important. It's no different from the Vedas or the Quran or some Buddhist literature. It's a form of art that we live in. All II ask, as an evil atheist, is that people are self-aware about the boundaries. I mean, I like eating raw onions. Who am I to cast the first stone? I'll only fling stones if I am hit first. So don't hit me and I won't retaliate. I like my materialist naturalist world and I don't really like magical explanations being imposed on me.

@Noneya5555

26 күн бұрын

Well put. That's definitely the most cogent and lucid interpretation I've come across in some time. 🍻

@Jake-zc3fk

26 күн бұрын

Well said, thank you.

@What_If_We_Tried

26 күн бұрын

I like what you had to say, and Al Franken's quote, as it reflects my deconstruction from religion, and my childhood fascination with magic. Because, once I started buying the tricks, and reading the books, I realized that's all they were, i.e., carefully crafted tools of deception that became all the more convincing once one practiced the art. Initially, I was very disappointed that the magic, was simply distraction, manipulation, and trickery, but after awhile I rekindled my interest in the ancient craft, with the full knowledge that it was simply a live art form that could be enjoyed by anyone in the audience who wanted to momentarily suspend their skepticism. However, when I watch a magician perform now, I am even more awestruck, because I know (s)he is creating an illusion, and I am hoping that I can figure out how to replicate their performance someday. And so it is with religion, as you described it, because it helps me to understand cultures. And scholars like Dr. McClellan show me how thoroughly I was tricked into believing that what I was listening to either from the pulpit, or 'bema', was real, but in reality the messages are an illusion based on mythological narratives, and doctrines / dogmas.

@garyallen5574

26 күн бұрын

I'll bet you are fun at parties.

@kingloufassa

25 күн бұрын

Very well said

If we take the Bible seriously, we have to tell the truth about it.

The opposite of "worship" is not "hate, it's "question".

@Cornelius135

25 күн бұрын

I’m not sure I follow your meaning. In Matt 28, the Disciples meet Jesus and “they worshipped him, but some doubted.” Question and worship don’t seem mutually exclusive

@PlatinumAltaria

25 күн бұрын

@@Cornelius135 Have you considered that the bible is not a valid source for English language definitions?

@Cornelius135

25 күн бұрын

@@PlatinumAltaria yes? But the concepts map onto one another - what did you initially mean by “worship” and “question” if not the same essential concepts in the passage I referenced. Now, you don’t have to *agree* with Matthew 28 at all, but I’m just making the suggestion the questions/doubts don’t negate worship.

Thank you for the scholarship from those of us who consider ourselves believers BUT are also able to know truth and understand the books on "their own terms."" Both scripture and forms of religions would be so much better off. Some of us are so happy people like you are finally here for those of us who are truly trying.

@pansepot1490

26 күн бұрын

👍

@chriswood8152

26 күн бұрын

I was such a fundamentalist that even now, (as a non-Christian) believers who are okay with all of the Data and contradictions, including Dr. Dan himself, puzzle and interest me. I came for the Data > Dogma. I stay because I want to know more about non-fundamentalist Christian ideas.

@username00009

25 күн бұрын

Tawnee, have you also found Biblical scholars who are Christians?

@tawneenielsen4080

25 күн бұрын

@username00009 I really like John Hamer from The Center Place. Mike Heiser, I can't think of this guy's name, but he's from The Bible Project. There are several others, but I can't think of their names right now.

@chriswood8152

25 күн бұрын

@@tawneenielsen4080 do you belong to a particular denomination? I’m in the Deep South and surrounded by churches that make me a little nervous.

As a believer I find all of your work enthralling! I have learned so much just from the videos in this format alone. I'm a biblical unitarian and I find more kindness and intelligence from sceptics and secular biblical scholars than I do with the majority of Christendom.

@squiddwizzard8850

26 күн бұрын

Yep. Especially when one is non trinitarian. Been called a heretic quite a bit online.

@toritori5835

25 күн бұрын

Boy, ain’t that the truth?

@adamkotter6174

23 күн бұрын

@@squiddwizzard8850 Same. It's hard to share your love of Jesus with people when they think you believe in a "different Jesus."

@squiddwizzard8850

23 күн бұрын

@@adamkotter6174 yeah. I'm not even specifically Unitarian or anything specific either. I just believe the Trinity is not biblical, and is honestly debatably idolatry given how attached Christendom is to it. I don't neither affirm nor deny the Trinity, I neither affirm nor deny Jesus as God. I'll find out eventually. But not yet. I'm comfortable saying "I don't know," and having faith that God in whatever form He takes will accept me.

@tilerboston5973

23 күн бұрын

@@squiddwizzard8850May faith guide you my friend. No matter what we are supposed to have fellowship in christ, whether you affirm or deny the trinity is up to your good faith. And either route you go, do not let the trinitarians gate-keep heaven for themselves. They are no better than the scribes and pharisees if they do that.

We love you Dan

This is why I love your content. You are educated in the biblical texts and are unapologetically sharing that invaluable knowledge with the rest of us. The bible is what it is. I hope these people who criticize you only fuel you to continue with your online work, Dan. You're opening eyes and changing lives. Please keep going.

Criticism is not in anyway equal to hatred. You cannot dismiss criticism because you don’t like it or agree with it.

@adamkotter6174

23 күн бұрын

As someone who suffers from rejection sensitivity, learning to accept criticism and not see it as an attack has been a very useful but very difficult journey. I see why it's so easy to conflate criticism with hatred.

It's hard for some to differentiate between data and dogma. They trust their pastor who was fed from a dogmatic seminary. But... if they're aware of your work, they're in the early stages of change.

Loving anything, not just the Bible, means loving it on its own terms, and discovering it for all that it is. Loving a person is like this too

@solidstorm6129

26 күн бұрын

Absolutely agree there.

@txikitofandango

26 күн бұрын

@@solidstorm6129 How about, Love means never having to do apologetics?

@solidstorm6129

26 күн бұрын

@@txikitofandangoanother good saying as well. Why lie about something you love?

@What_If_We_Tried

26 күн бұрын

@@txikitofandango Great concept!

As a Christian I approve this message

@Sportliveonline

25 күн бұрын

so what do you think about Jehovah`s Witnesses

@waynefeller

25 күн бұрын

@@SportliveonlineSo what do you think about banana pudding (since we are asking irrelevant questions…)

@Sportliveonline

25 күн бұрын

@@waynefeller touch a nerve

@waynefeller

25 күн бұрын

@@Sportliveonline lol! Not at all. I just find it odd you would ask such an off topic question. There was no emotion involved.

Dan, the way you talk about the Bible makes me WANT to pick up my Bible and follow along with you. I love learning and you are a great teacher

Now atheist, and former Christian here. And your channel has been a great HEALING channel for me. And your break down of the original terms and historical context for their usage has me appreciating the Bible more and more. If anything you channel is inspiring love of the Bible again!

@tezzerii

25 күн бұрын

And you can love the bible without compromising your atheism. As I can love it without taking it as literal truth.

I appreciate you! Soooo much. Thank you for all you share from what you have worked so hard to learn and find. Keep up the GREAT work! 💯🙏💓

When a true genius appears in the world the dunces are in confedaracy against him

@infiniti28160

26 күн бұрын

Only if you search them out, the trait of being stupid doesnt have boundrries and is seen in every tribe upon the planet

@StrongSick

25 күн бұрын

@@infiniti28160 you don’t have to search them out, they’re in Dan’s comment sections “poking holes” in his solid work within any given video.

@infiniti28160

25 күн бұрын

@@StrongSick Oh i found another that has no mind of their own, you sure are corec,t they dont need seeking out, they just appear when most needed. Your worship is noted, except it is misfounded. Slave mentality is boring.

One of the reasons I enjoy your channel is that I love words. Etymology fascinates me. Words have meaning. Context is important. Combine that with interest in history and the evolution of Christianity. Keep up the good work, I think you do a great job on these videos.

It’s like the Elder and Poetic Eddas. Beautiful and immensely intriguing. Such complex history, depth, and meaning behind it. But obviously no one should try to live or believe in accordance with a strict dogma associated with the Eddas or the Bible. Especially upon dissecting them more intimately.

@lysanamcmillan7972

26 күн бұрын

Dan's work reminds me of so many modern Pagans who look at the source material we possess it is part of why I'm a loyal watcher. The Eddas for the Nordics, Irish material like the Sorrows of Deirdre and Auraicept na nEces. And so on. Going back to what was kept and what we know enhances our practices in the here and now.

you are doing the Lord's work❤

Some of the dogmas that have developed around the Bible over the years are rather incredible. The loyalty some folks have to the KJV is amazing. This, and so much of the other stuff associated with strongly held beliefs, tells us a lot about the way that human minds work, or perhaps, don't work so well. What do beliefs like these do to shape personal identity, for instance? How resistant do such beliefs cause people to be to new, different ideas? Traditions are always such because "we've always done it this way." Except "we" haven't; memory substitutes for a grasp of changes over time, and we begin to believe in a view of history as static and fixed. Human beings sometimes aren't very good at processing these things, are we?

When people feel their dogmatic faith is threatened, the most common tactic it to raise the temperature of the discourse, and so they accuse Dr. Dan of being a hater. If they can stir up emotions in others, it is easier to hide their own. The best place to hide a needle is not a haystack, but rather a pile of needles.

I have gained more respect, and appreciation for the Bible.... because of you , Dr. Dan. I feel like I know how to engage it on its own terms, and am re-reading it for the fifth time. Thank you. Never stop. 😎

My favorite fit so far was duck tails. Happy memories of that show.

@lde-m8688

26 күн бұрын

Ooh ooooh

@adamkotter6174

23 күн бұрын

Mine are the Bluey ones.

When I first left Christianity, my knowledge of the Bible was entirely through the lens of my fundamentalist upbringing, and I hated the Bible because of it. But since then I've engaged more with actual scholarship and gotten a better foundation of understanding about the Bible, and it's made me come to love it again. Not as a book of guidance and facts, but as a window into an ancient world.

@ZaededOfficial

26 күн бұрын

May I ask why you left Christianity? Because you can read the Bible 10,000 times and still never meet Jesus if you’re not seeking him wholeheartedly

@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana

26 күн бұрын

@@ZaededOfficial If someone wants to be in a relationship with you really badly, they can make an attempt to meet you. If they don't, then assuming they do makes you no different to a crazy stalker who needs to get a retaining order against them.

@pansepot1490

26 күн бұрын

@@ZaededOfficial imagine someone telling you that there’s a beautiful girl that goes to another school that is really into you. And you should do everything you can to impress her and have a relationship with her because she’s really hot and smart and has everything one might wish for. You are obviously interested and want to know more but this person that continually nags you with their praises of this girl doesn’t give you her photo, nor her phone number, nor her address, nor any way to actually meet her and talk to her face to face. You just have to trust them. Take them at their word on faith. How would you feel? That’s exactly how you sound to an atheist. Someone who keeps telling me that there’s this wonderful person who wants a relationship with me but is unable to show me that this wonderful person exists. Not to mention the small detail that if by any chance I am not interested the wonderful person will kidnap me and torture me in their basement for all eternity.

@lysanamcmillan7972

26 күн бұрын

@@ZaededOfficial Presuming someone's relationship with your god went a certain direction is anti-biblical. You cannot weigh their heart. Only your god can. Telling this person they did it wrong is offensive and hubristic.

@ZaededOfficial

26 күн бұрын

@@lysanamcmillan7972 I am telling you, if you don’t seek god wholeheartedly and sincerely, you won’t find him. And that is in the Bible, you must seek him wholeheartedly and you will find him. I’m sorry if that offends you, but that is what’s true, spiritually and realistically

I've found this channel liberating. With a more accurate understanding of the intended message, I'm able to determine which of the messages were meant for me and which weren't, and why. Bonus: I no longer need concern myself with the distraction of "discrepancies". Now I get to focus on what those messages mean for me.

Funny the same people that make these accusations of you hating the Bible.for your Scrutiny.. are still the one's who scrutinize other religions or religious texts

And I thank you for what you do!

Dan may just be the most honest person on the internet.

@lysanamcmillan7972

26 күн бұрын

One of them. I find several of my favorites are like him. I'd organize a dinner party with them, Dan included, just to get a feel of the conversational vibes and where they'd all click into each other.

Keep doing what you do, we love your content. And your rhetoric. And your literary goals.

Right on the Money, Dan! That's exactly what's going on.

Thank you for this video, Dan. Some people in your comment section needed to hear this! As usual for you, another incisive, succinct, bare bones video. What is most needed in social media these days. Thank you.

Hey Dan. I have a question about the Bible that comes under area of scholarship. A while back my sister, an evangelical, and I, an atheist, were talking religion. I brought up that her god is not perfect since he admits to being a jealous god in one of the ten commandments. Her response was that I didn't understand what is meant by that passage because the original text did not have the same meaning as how we think of jealousy today. Would you comment on this please

@tezzerii

25 күн бұрын

Maybe Dan will answer, but if he doesn't, here's my tuppence-ha'penny-worth - I think your sister's answer is a bit of a hack, but try this for size - the relationship between god and his people is often likened in the bible to a marriage relationship. And god isn't jealous of other gods, he is jealous FOR YOU - just like you might feel something like jealousy if you saw your spouse flirting with someone - and if it's too hard to think of a god with feelings like that concerning someone he loves, then maybe he was putting things into human terms to make it clear to people who were not used to thinking for themselves, i.e. the israelites fresh out of slavery in Egypt. But I'm no scholar.

really appreciate the work here. there’s so many interesting books and studies you point to that i never get the chance to explore more and i wish i could

Thanks for all these clarifications you make with your videos (and your podcast). You are quickly becoming a very useful resource whenever I have students who need a better understanding of the historic, linguistic and cultural context behind these scriptures...

When you start from a stance of sola scriptura and then tack on inerrancy there is no way to discuss any short comings or complexities or contradictions because those things necessarily cannot exist for their view of the nature of reality to exist. They are mutually exclusive.

@TheFranchiseCA

25 күн бұрын

And neither of those are even Biblical doctrines!

@dstigers6140

15 күн бұрын

Are you sure about that? I wouldn't say I start with Sola scriptura or inerrancy, yet I find them credible from scripture. And I have yet to have a problem with the sorts of things Bart Ehrman uses as examples of inconsistencies. Nor that Stephen's sermon in Acts 7 has a number of inconsistencies with the very narratives he alludes to. Nor that the pentateuch and John's gospel end with text that demand another hand authored those coda.

@PhokenKuul

15 күн бұрын

@@dstigers6140 Am I sure about what? I am sure that nowhere in the bible does it say that the bible is inerrant. Inspired, sure, but not inerrant. And I am sure those two things are not the same. I am sure that when two accounts of the same incident differ fundamentally from each other, that is a contradiction, both accounts cannot be true at the same time. I am sure that this happens frequently in the bible. I am sure that disqualifies sola scriptura. So yeah, I guess I am sure about that.

I find your videos absolutely fascinating. I applaud you sir. Thank you.

You keep right on!!! ❤

Thank You!!

You are saving Humanity bro. We needed someone to come along like you.

I think most of it is due to these people want to focus on the Bible on being this unapproachable nexus where it is flawless and it's a hundred percent the word of God, when it's actually a really flawed book written by different governmental (and religious) hierarchies for propaganda and control, and instead of just understanding that what the Bible can say is wrong, they have to go with a "God is perfect" viewpoint, then try to think up the reasons or apologetics that God does these things. While I am definitely a atheist, I actually find the Bible fascinating, though I don't really want to read it. I tried, I was too bored by it. But, I also listen to shows on Spotify, such as Data over Dogma and Bible Stories for Atheist, therefore I get a jist of what the book is like.

"Why do I hate the Bible so much?" That's the neat part, you don't.

You are one of a handful of creators who have gotten me more interested in the Bible. When you take the time to listen to non-apologists, it turns out that the Bible is pretty interesting. I could never be as obsessed with it as the scholars creating and appearing on KZread are but building up a passively received lay interest has been a worthy pursuit. And these channels are more interesting than hearing Noah's Ark debunked for the 666th time.

This! The moment I realized that the Bible was not, in fact, the inerrant word of God, I grew to love it more than ever! All the struggles I had with it, trying to reconcile the contradictions and the opposing concepts of God, were suddenly gone! And what I got instead was a complex and fascinating document about human faith, with so much wisdom to unpack.

Hey, bro, I appreciate what you are doing. While my own personal beliefs do not line up with the bible, or any organized religion for that matter, I feel it is important to understand the biblical texts for what they mean. You have educated me on numerous parts of the bible that i hadn't thought of. So, thank you!

Well said.

They all need to watch the life of Brian

Absolutely true I agree.

As with all things I hate I dedicate my life to understanding every facet, learn languages, etc for it.

At first the idea of deconstructing my faith terrified me, but it absolutely is necessary unless you completely disconnect from reality, and is a big part of the tradition anyway. But since deconstructing it has allowed me to reconstruct a healthier and more curious faith

Same here brotha! Nice hair cut btw

I don't hate Jesus. I just hate the vast majority of his fanboys and fangirls.

@christophergibson7155

24 күн бұрын

Yet with that statement, you then must not love Jesus. Because He told us, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you," (Matthew 5:44) And of course YOU can only do that if you are "born again" by the Spirit of God. Again, just as Jesus said you must be. (John 3:3,5,7)

@user-gk9lg5sp4y

24 күн бұрын

@@christophergibson7155 I never said I love Jesus.

@christophergibson7155

24 күн бұрын

@@user-gk9lg5sp4y No. But you "hate the vast majority of his fanboys and fangirls." That's a no-no by the words of The Lord Jesus Christ.

@user-gk9lg5sp4y

24 күн бұрын

@@christophergibson7155 I don't care what your book says that Jesus said.

@christophergibson7155

24 күн бұрын

@@user-gk9lg5sp4y You may not care what Jesus said. Do you care though what you said? "I just hate.."?

I think my dentist hates teeth because he told me my teeth were rotting and going to fall out. Why does my dentist hate teeth so much? He could have just told me that my teeth were perfectly fine.

It's gracious of you to ascribe sincere belief in dogmas to those attacking you ... that's a relatable human weakness, and TBH, confirmation bias is something we must each fight against. More insidious are those people who exploit the gullible without themselves holding such sincere beliefs.

❌-Men ‘97 My FAVORITE again. Ororo Monroe 🌪️👋🏾⚡️

Good work. I wish more people who spend their lives either blindly loving or blindly hating an antique book would be even as half as reasonable as you are.

I was an apatheist for years. I studied monotheism as I studied polytheism. All sacred texts are literature. These are all important elements of human culture. I live in a European country where the majority of the population is apatheistic. The percentage of the population that has a continuous religious practice is very low, around 5%. But one day Christian and Muslim apologists became aggressive and sought to divide my society with their beliefs. I am reduced to declaring my atheism and defending democracy and human rights. I regret the past where autocratic religious beliefs remained confined to the private sphere. A past where sacred texts were discussed for what they are : literature.

No one who has dedicated their life to this study "hates" the Bible, that's utter foolishness. Even though I deconverted from the Christian religion 18 years ago, my admiration and fondness has actually grown for the Bible. This is an important work of the human species.

The operative word is BIBLIOLATRY. If you worship The Bible AS God (i.e. if you believe it is "inerrant" and "infallible" as ONLY God is), then when contradictions in The Bible are pointed out, or more accurate translations, or just the fact that some things in The Bible were the opinions, prejudices, or societal norms of the times and NOT the "Word of God", it can drive some people a tiny bit crazy. These are generally the same people who hate scientists and approve of book bans.

I AM THAT I AM, I AM YOU 😇

well said

I am not sure that I love it but I am surely very interested in the bible, to my continuing surprise. I have the same reasons as Dan for my interest. I want to have the translations verified and to hear what a scholar has to say. I am very grateful to Dan for sharing what he has learned over many years of study. I think he is very generous.

I agree with you Dan, things need to be decerned and questioned. I love the bible despite its many floors.

Hi Dan I've been wanting to comment for a while and find your content most helpful and informative. I'm an ex jw and struggled for a long time accepting the dogma. What do you think of the new world translation.

Was it just me, or does this video have an abrupt end in the middle of a word?

@cedarwaxwing3509

26 күн бұрын

It did when I played it. I think he was finished, it it did cut off part of his last word.

Keep up the good work! I find the Bible interesting but it's obviously a flawed work of mankind.

Yep. I used to think like this many years ago until I really started to read the Bible for myself without any commentaries or helps. People don’t understand that their views of the Bible all come from certain traditions. When you strip the traditions away, you are left with letting the text speak for itself. It actually becomes a much more interesting book when you read it without all the traditions because you aren’t trying so hard to make certain ideas or dogmas fit.

Haircut on point

Shstem of a down has a song about this. It’s called my love is much bigger than yours… or something like thatcigarocigarocigaro…

The best thing about this video is it’s only 2 mins long. I can only understand about 2mins worth of big words at a time. Also Storm is cool.

Would you say that you apply a historical materialist lens to your study and reading of the Bible? If not I'd be extremely curious to hear your current thoughts and understanding of this lens

Thanks

Fair nuff

Yeah Dan, why do you hate a book so much..... that you learned to read and understand ancient languages in order to understand it better...and try to help others understand it better?! The fact that the people asking you why you hate the Bible so much haven't taken 10% of the time you have taken to understand the Bible better really does say a lot. I doubt any of them have even read the Bible ONCE in their own language and with the translation that they prefer. Thanks for all you do, Dan. My best to you and your family and I hope you get back into hockey given that there will be a team in Utah. Cheers!

I, and I suspect most other atheists, have heard the same question/accusation: that we hate God. We don't. We frequently hate or are disgusted by things done in "God's" name, but hating something that we don't believe exists would be madness. We find it confounding that people can defend the dogma of God's existence while ignoring the utter lack of evidence of that.

❤

Dan I appreciate you man. I gave up on religion very young. Asked a church elder where I could find dinosaurs at in the Bible so I could learn about them the right way and you guessed it, they were not real Satan came down and put bones and fossils in the ground to confuse people so they wouldn't beleive in Jesus. From that point on all their dogma and preaching seemed like sleezy sales techniques. Now that I'm older and am revisiting it and trying to understand from a deeper and maybe esoteric pov, it doesn't seem near as bad when you strip the dogma away. Another scholar I had deep respect for was the late Dr Heiser. He told Chrisians not to be afraid of their Bibles and that the Bible was not written in an Vacuum. Dude, I've met people that loved them some Jesus and were floored when they found out he was Jew. And don't even try to tell them the Bible writers were influenced by the culture they lived in including philosophical and literary concepts. It's like they think somehow God just channeled to these guys and I found out the hard you don't equate God and channeling to them even when that seems to be what they beleive. Anyway you do have people rooting for you.

I attempt to do what you do, Dan. But compared to your intellectual maturity, I’m a 61-year old infant. Respect, sir.

The devil hates truth and being told no....full stop

I've commented before and I have no problem saying/writing it again. If you are going to read something, anything, at least take the time to really understand what it is trying to say, what it is about, and once you actually start to truly comprehend it, only then can you use it as something to be seriously considered. Anything less and you're only putting in your own beliefs, prejudices, opinions, misunderstandings and more so your own pride in thinking you know it all. The more I learn, the more I realize just how little I really know. And that goes for practically the whole world population. If you seriously disagree with what Dan has posted, I say go seriously learn ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Egyptian or Sumerian even, study the various ancient texts and versions, note the changes that take place over the centuries, note how even modern languages change in and of themselves over time, then come back, and if you still disagree, offer to engage in a (really) serious debate with Dan and not just blow off steam with your irritation masking as pride. I admire what you are doing, Mr. McClellan and I hope you continue so for many more profitable and meaningful years.

I can appreciate that Dan keeps his critique in a certain lane and frame. It’s my natural inclination to buck against modern higher criticism that seems to just deracinate meaning from everything that matters. Much like the deconstructionist philosophers of Frankfurt School and their social sciences they’ve given the modern academia, they could convince you the chair in front of you does not exist at all. There’s a kind of sophist intellectual that can leave you believing nothing, which is just as harmful as any dogma driven person. We are living in the generation after the 60s intellectuals that feared authoritarianism springing up from believing something too strongly, they decided to go the opposite route of deconstructing everything.

I've only watched to 0:07 but I know the answer and it can be summarized as: ummmm...WHAT???

Yeah...the word is interpretation ...the translations from one language/culture..one after the other ..layer upon layer...this guy is a scholar or as I think a biblical archeologist...digging down through the layers to find more true meaning than diluted or misinterpretation. 👍

What I understood is that people consider religion as part of thier community and identity, and they consider criticizing the religion as attacking their identity

I don't think he "hates" the Bible. I fully accept him as a scholar. I'm just not convinced by many of his arguments. I also have education in the field of biblical study and have heard many of his arguments, and I'm not convinced many times that he has presented defeaters on some topics. I do listen to his arguments in order to challenge myself to see if I could respond to some of the issues he raises. So, I do find him useful in some ways.

How can someone hate something that they went to school for 🤷🏽‍♂️ and who is now making current content about such 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️ Dan i think its time. You're the only channel I've found that explains the Bible the way you do to the T. The only other channel that expanded my way on viewing the Bible was The Bible Project.

@thomasthellamas9886

22 күн бұрын

0 for 2

The real question is, @maklelan, what are your thoughts on X-Men ‘97?

Morality is doing what is right, regardless of what you are told. Religious indoctrination is doing what you are told, regardless of what is right.

One can either surmise that the Bible is the inerrant word of the Creator describing creation and giving a plan to live with His blessings, a collection of superstitious myths meaning nothing, or a collection of writings interpreted by people over three millennia that give some guidance as to history and morals, thus acting as a mirror to ourselves more than a handbook to understand God..