Does being sometimes skeptical about the Bible mean you are a bad Christian?

Answer 1

Opinions

• No, it doesn't mean you are a 'bad' Christian as it is normal to question things that may appear unclear. The Bible is a large document, and it is necessary to understand it in context. What may seem unclear on its own may be illuminated or explained by verses in another part of scripture. Similarly, verses are sometimes selectively quoted that twist the Biblical meaning, omitting verses around that explain the meaning clearly. A Christian seeks to study whatever verses that trouble them in context with other relevant parts of the Bible possibly by seeking one of the apologetics sites on the internet which deal with the questions that most commonly cause skepticism. All of this is in keeping with being a genuine Christian. God is not afraid of us asking questions with a sincere heart; the Bible encourages searching and investigation to see if statements are true, and God will not regard us as no longer Christian because of questioning alone. Christianity means believing in Christ as Saviour along with the claims He made. Until this is willfully rejected, you remain a Christian. All Christians are a work in progress and have much to learn no matter what position in the church they hold.

• Not at all. To be sceptical is very good. It will enable you top make a very valuable judgement about scripture that will deepen your faith and not weaken it.

When I first became involved in Christianity, my scientific background encouraged me to look at the evidence for Christ, the resurrection and the things that really mattered in following him - loving a God that was ultimately responsible for the creation of everything, with all my heart, and in loving those around me with a selfless unconditional love. It was quite a challenge, and still is, but to me this was the essence of Christ's message. In the 10 commandments we are told not to put any other gods before God - ie not to love our money, our TV, our laptop, our cars (automobiles) more than God. But there are some who are just as guilty of breaking this commandment by putting the Bible on such a high pedestal, and revereing it as a god, and who declare that not one word should ever be changed or 'misinterpreted' for fear of going to hell, and who declare that 'because the Bible says so' then all manner of attrocities can be justified. One such simple example is the verse (taken totally out of context by the Jehovah's Witnesses) which they use to justify allowning people (even their own children) to die because of their refusal to allow a blood transfusion. The Bible is a collection of books that have been translated over the centuries as new insights, ideas and archaeological evidence are discovered, and yet most of the 'Bible says so' people use the King James version as though it alone was blessed by God (or if you are a JW - the New World Translation). The truth is that if you are to be a good Christian (whatever 'good' means - for we are all sinners) you do need to study God's revelation of himself through scripture - but in an informed and open way, and not blindly accepting things as fact when they clearly aren't. One way of beginning is to use decent Bible notes and to identify first the books that were never meant to be taken as factual in the first place but were written as allegories ('truth' wrapped up in other stories). These include Genesis - originally in Hebrew written as a poem - and other books like Job, Revelation and Jonah. Then you need to consider the factual, historical books - which include the Gospels and Acts. But even here you have to take care, as, although the gospels all record the history of Jesus Christ, they do so from different viewpoints and so you need to bear in mind the agendas and biases of those who were writing the accounts in the first place. For example, Mark was written in a hurry during the persecution of Christians, and therefore leaves out a lot of detail, Matthew was written for the Jews to make them realise just who Jesus was, Luke was commissioned to write a systematic account of the life of Jesus and the early Church from an impartial background, and John. Jesus' most beloved disciple, wrote quite specifically 'so that you too may believe'. So, rather than taking the Bible literally, word for word, and never delving beneath the surface of what is still the world's greatest ever book, be much more informed. Study it well, go into the history of the books, look at the authors, identify the truths beneath the allegorical folk stories in Genesis, and, above all pray about what you are studying. Look for good commentaries on various books (eg the Tyndale commentaries) that explain a great deal of the inner meanings of the books, and come to the Bible with an open, but sceptical mind. It will not make you a 'bad' Christian - on the contrary, you will be more informed, and will deepen your faith and you will become a much more mature Christian as a result.

• Faith cannot exist in the abscence of skepticism. If not for skepticism we would not feel the need to search for the right answers. Instead we would just swallow anything we were told. Remember, in the Bible, even John the baptist questioned his belief in Jesus as the Messiah when he was in prison, Luke 7: 18-23.

Answer 2

This depends on whether you believe that a 'good' Christian is someone whose faith must depend on absolute and uncomprehending belief, and whether you feel that Christianity is such a fragile flower that it can not be subjected to question.

Some would say that if your faith is so strong that you are still a Christian even though you doubt the literacy of everything you see in The Bible, then you are really a good Christian. Further, if you do not really believe in God, then you are not a 'bad Christian', but an agnostic or an atheist (but still a good person).