Camel bones argument against Bible?

[KZN02]

Source

So dating on these bones indicate an inconsistency in the Bible on the camel's presence at the time.

[Ultimate Paragon]

If it's true, all it means is that a few mistakes were made.  It doesn't automatically invalidate anything else.

[dpareja]

<fundie>Yeah, but that doesn't prove anything, everyone knows carbon-dating is flawed and inaccurate.</fundie>

[Witchyjoshy]

If it's true, all it means is that a few mistakes were made.  It doesn't automatically invalidate anything else.

No one said it did.

But now you've gone and opened that can of worms

[mellenORL]

If it's true, all it means is that a few mistakes were made.  It doesn't automatically invalidate anything else.

No one said it did.

But now you've gone and opened that can of worms

It implies that the stories in the Torah were oral traditions that were not written down until ancient Hebrew became a written language, apparently later than once thought.

[Ghoti]

Dude. The shape of the earth is a valid argument against the bible, or at least against the bible being unchangeable literal Truth^TM.
*prepares marshmallows for flame war*

[Dakota Bob]

You mean something in the same book that had talking burning bushes, a woman turned to a pillar of salt, Jonah living inside a whale for several days, and a man rising from the dead....has a historical inaccuracy?!?

[Sigmaleph]

If it's true, all it means is that a few mistakes were made.  It doesn't automatically invalidate anything else.

It's not about the camels per se. If someone could make a mistake big enough as including an animal that wasn't there, one should strongly doubt that the source is reliable.

[JohnE]

Jonah living inside a whale for several days,

It wasn't a whale! It was a "great fish!"

/fundie

*As if that makes a damn bit of difference.

[R. U. Sirius]

Am I the only one who felt the blogger's tone undercut his message?

[mellenORL]

The blogger's tone was immature, frankly. I'm an atheist, so I don't see the point of belaboring the "accuracy" of the bible. It's an important collection of ancient folk lore, that had a lot of influence over the course history and civilization took in the western world, both bad and good. Believers take comfort in it, as is their right. As long as religious do not harass others, impede progress and try to rule everyone according to their personal views, it's all good.

[Ironchew]

As long as religious do not harass others, impede progress and try to rule everyone according to their personal views, it's all good.

There's only one problem with that strategy: it's not good for the long-term survival of a religion, much less making it grow into a world religion. If believers aren't willing to stick to their guns and expand their religious influence through the earthly powers-that-be, they will watch their religion wither and die within a few generations (which should really concern them if they believe the supernatural claims of their own brand of bullshit). I'll give the fundies credit for at least having courage in their convictions.

[lord gibbon]

Have to say, I agree with Ironchew here. As we advance in knowledge, moderately religious people tend to fade away, leaving only fanatics. Personally, it does me no harm if you privately believe it what I honestly believe is bullshit, but few people actually do that. Religion is about obedience and faith, so keeping quiet leads to death of the faith.

[mellenORL]

<old fuddy duddy mode on>

Back when I was young, most people went to church, and none of this super proselytizing fundie crap was going on. With the minor exceptions of Jehovah's Witnesses and the occasional Mormon teen boy on his w/e the fuck it is year of mission work, open proselytizing and the politicization of religion in America didn't start until the late seventies, and went hand in hand with the resurgence of conservative politics leading up to Reagan's election.

If anything, the fundie revolution has turned people off of religion. They are killing it, because if people aren't fanatics, they don't want them.

I strongly recommend you read Bishop J. S. Spong's books about this topic. Link to amazon page so you can click the "look inside" to see what he's like  http://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Bible-Fundamentalism-Rethinks-Meaning-ebook/dp/B000FC27Z4/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391757614&sr=1-9

[Ironchew]

<old fuddy duddy mode on>

Back when I was young, most people went to church, and none of this super proselytizing fundie crap was going on. With the minor exceptions of Jehovah's Witnesses and the occasional Mormon teen boy on his w/e the fuck it is year of mission work, open proselytizing and the politicization of religion in America didn't start until the late seventies, and went hand in hand with the resurgence of conservative politics leading up to Reagan's election.

If anything, the fundie revolution has turned people off of religion. They are killing it, because if people aren't fanatics, they don't want them.

I strongly recommend you read Bishop J. S. Spong's books about this topic. Link to amazon page so you can click the "look inside" to see what he's like  http://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Bible-Fundamentalism-Rethinks-Meaning-ebook/dp/B000FC27Z4/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391757614&sr=1-9

Most people went to church, though. Christianity held enormous sway in the United States, it was us versus the "godless" commies/reds, prayer in public schools was the norm until Murray v. Curlett in 1963, and atheists were reviled (Madalyn Murray O'Hair was the most hated woman in America, no small thanks to her lawsuit that successfully ended public school prayer).

Maybe you had a different experience -- I honestly can't say for sure what life was like back then. Much of what I have read indicates that the United States was much more religious then, and religiosity has been on a steady decline. The reactionary attitude of fundies post-Roe v. Wade is them seeing the writing on the wall: "Your religious privilege is slipping away. Proselytize now or watch America slide into godlessness." With savvy televangelists like Jerry Falwell pulling the strings, it's hardly surprising that there's been a fundie backlash in the political landscape; they were the same people who were less abrasive about their religion in the past precisely because they got everything they wanted.