The Skeptics’ Bible Project

Bible on Women PART 2

Many kids grow up being taught that a “rapture” is coming any day to carry away God’s people and leave everyone else behind to suffer. Turns out this causes serious mental trauma that can take a lifetime to heal. We’ll discuss.
And then part two of our discussion about women in the Bible:
Women Deacons and Apostles in the Bible? Yes it’s true! But somehow women are supposed to shut up and only learn from their husbands at home? Katie, John and Ben take a look at how the Bible presents conflicting messages about women and their role in the church.
Did later redactors change Paul’s original pro-women message with a misogynist message that has kept women suppressed throughout church history? We’ll break it down.
Then on another edition of Bible vs. Bible, Does God show favoritism? Yes, wait No! Turns out, it all depends on which verse you read.
Stay tuned for another fun edition of False Witness where Katie, John & Ben try to identify a false verse intermixed with actual passages from the Bible.
https://linktr.ee/skepticsproject

Christmas Special - Part 2

Did the Old Testament predict the virgin birth of Jesus? No! But the author of Matthew’s gospel thinks so. “Matthew’s” Christmas story aims to fulfill several Old Testament prophecies. On part two of our Christmas extravaganza, John, Katie and Ben look at each of these supposed fulfilled prophecies and try to break down what is really going on.
Wait, was Jesus’ real father a Roman soldier? In a new segment of Bible After Dark we discover an ancient source that claims Jesus is the result of a scandalous extramarital relationship. Could this rumor have been motivation for the original gospel writers?

Christmas Special - Part 1

On our first Christmas extravaganza episode we talk about how Jesus was born in a manger, no wait, it was in a house. It turns out this is just one of many problems in the Bible’s two Christmas stories. John, Katie, and Ben breakdown the Christmas accounts and try to figure out why each biblical author tells such a different story. Then we show why conservative Christian attempts to harmonize them simply don’t work.
And in a new segment of Bible vs. Bible we dive into the genealogies of Jesus to discover one of the most glaring contradictions in the Bible.
Stay tuned for False Witness where John, Katie, and Ben try to find the fake Bible verse mixed in with real verses. 

Bible on Women PART 1

Do American Christians understand what the Bible teaches or what their own church doctrines say? New polling data may surprise you.
Women Deacons and Apostles in the Bible? Yes it’s true! But somehow women are supposed to shut up and only learn from their husbands at home? Katie, John and Ben take a look at how the Bible presents conflicting messages about women and their role in the church.
Did later redactors change Paul’s original pro-women message with a misogynist message that has kept women suppressed throughout church history? We’ll break it down.
Then on another edition of Bible Says What!? Katie, John & Ben look at a bizarre old testament law that seems to cruelly punish a wife for grabbing her husband’s assailant by his man parts.
Stay tuned for another fun edition of False Witness where Katie, John & Ben try to identify a false verse intermixed with actual passages from the Bible.
https://linktr.ee/skepticsproject

God Knows All. Except for all that Stuff he Doesn’t Know.

New polling suggests many right-wing people want America to be an explicitly Christian nation. What could go wrong? We’ll discuss.
Does God know everything? Yes he does, except for all those times in the Bible where he doesn’t know something. John and Ben break down the core church doctrine of God’s omniscience. We’ll dive into passages where he has to investigate something or test people to determine the truth.
Then we’ll look at passages in the New Testament where Jesus appears to not know things. We’ll discuss the implications of this and the way the church deals with the contradiction.
In another edition of Bible says What?! John and Ben take a look at a verse where roadkill is forbidden to eat. Unless of course you are a foreigner! Then chow down!
Stay tuned for another fun edition of False Witness where John & Ben try to identify a false verse intermixed with actual passages from the Bible.
https://linktr.ee/skepticsproject

Bible Blunders and a Church Divided PART 5

The Bible explicitly mentions the Trinity in exactly one passage. And it turns out that verse is actually a 14th century forgery.
Today on the show, John and Ben look at the doctrine of the Trinity and how this impossibly confusing doctrine has confounded believers for centuries. Leading some to reject it for the Unitarian position.
Then, we look at verses which teach that everyone is going to heaven. Christian Universalists turn too many clear verses in the Bible that teach universal salvation, but that message is just too good for many Christians who point out other verses that talk about hell. We will take a close look at how this mixed message has divided the church.
Also we discuss the major church divides over what will happen in the end times. We break down the various millennial viewpoints. Then ponder the insidious second life of Kirk Cameron.
And Later: Was it dark outside or light outside when the witnesses came to the empty tomb? On another edition of Bible vs. Bible, John and Ben look at two conflicting verses in the resurrection accounts of the gospels.
https://linktr.ee/skepticsproject

Bible Blunders and a Church Divided PART 4

Do some Christian’s have special “gifts of the spirit” that give them supernatural powers? As it turns out the answer to this question is no. Their claims of faith healings are false and “speaking in tongues” turns out to be just babbling non-sense. The Bible seems to say Christians should expect to possess these powers. Today, John and Ben breakdown the spiritual gifts controversy and see why many church denominations say the spiritual gifts era ended with the New Testament, even though the Bible never actually says that.
Should Christians still follow the Sabbath day laws? If so, should it be on Sunday or Saturday? Or instead, should they follow “the Lord’s Day”? Or no day at all? There are passages supporting each view. No matter what you do you are violating scripture. It’s a literal damned if you don’t damned if you do scenario.
And on another edition of Bible Vs. Bible: Did Jesus respond to Pilate’s questions? Yes he did, wait, no he didn’t. It depends on which version in the Bible you read.
Stay tuned for another fun edition of False Witness where John & Ben try to identify a false verse intermixed with actual passages from the Bible.
https://linktr.ee/skepticsproject

Bible Blunders and a Church Divided PART 3

Wait, does the Bible say that God decides who will go to heaven or hell before they are even born? Are we responsible for our choices if they are already determined? Does the Bible say that people have free will to choose their own path? Actually the Bible teaches all of these contradictory doctrines. John & Ben take a deep dive into the Protestant church’s longstanding debate: Calvinism Vs. Arminianism.
Why do some Christians ritualistically eat their God? We’ll breakdown the various viewpoints on the Lord’s supper and reveal that vague passages in scripture have been confusing church-goers for millennia.
Next John & Ben look at the ambiguity in the Bible surrounding the practice of Baptism and how the church has been divided over it.
Why are there so many different practices in the church involving the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s supper?
Also on the show, a new edition of Bible Says What?!! Does Deuteronomy 22 teach that children born out of wedlock and generations of their descendants should be excommunicated?!!
Stay tuned for another fun edition of False Witness where John & Ben try to identify a false verse intermixed with actual passages from the Bible.
https://linktr.ee/skepticsproject

Bible Blunders and a Church Divided PART 2

John and Ben continue the series by talking about the many types of errors in the Bible including errors of transmission, history, chronology as well as anachronisms.
But what do Christian’s do when the Bible is teaching two opposing doctrines? Was Jesus God? Did he even have a body? As it turns out the Bible isn’t as clear as some may think.
Then they take a look at how the Protestant Reformation was set in motion by a contradiction between Paul and James’ teaching on justification by faith.
With more than 40,000 different denominations in the Church today, is it possible a strict, literal interpretation of the Bible has helped to divide the church?
John and Ben explore how most evangelical leaders don’t respect the Biblical authors or let them speak for themselves. Instead they force them into a false harmony with other Biblical authors.
Also, play along during another edition of False Witness where a fake Bible passage is cleverly hidden among real verses from the Bible.
Plus on the world premier of Bible After Dark, (a segment about “adult situations” found in the Bible) John and Ben ponder why Esther is considered a hero while Jezebel a villain when their actions were pretty much the same.
https://linktr.ee/skepticsproject

Bible Blunders & a Church Divided PART 1

John and Ben kick off this series by pondering the belief that the Bible has no errors.
What does the church mean by “Inerrancy” and is this even an ancient viewpoint?
What is the difference between Catholic and Protestant views?
What does this Doctrine mean in light of the total inaccessibility of the original “inspired” texts?
What do we do with other ancient texts that were once considered part of the Canon by different communities throughout Church history?
Can we test the falsifiability of inerrancy with textual criticism?
How long have scholars known about the numerous problems and contradictions within the Bible?
And why do we never hear about this stuff!?
John and Ben will attempt to answer these questions and reveal if this doctrine is responsible for division and fractures that we see in the Christian church today?
Stay tuned for another fun edition of False Witness where John & Ben try to identify a false verse intermixed with actual passages from the Bible.
Also, in another edition of Bible vs. Bible:Did Paul’s companions hear a voice at his conversion? Yes they did. Wait, no they didn’t. Turns out it depends on which Biblical version of the story you read!
https://linktr.ee/skepticsproject