The Bible​—Can We Believe It Today?

“I SPEAK as a man of the world to men of the world; and I say to you, Search the Scriptures! The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages.” These words of American president John Quincy Adams illustrate the way people once viewed the Bible​—with deep respect.

But times have changed. While the Bible is still the most widely circulated book, many have doubts about it. A survey in Canada revealed that the majority there fail to read the Bible because they feel that it is “irrelevant, unintelligible and uninteresting.” Critics of the Bible say that it is contradictory, unscientific and full of myths. Even clergymen join in these attacks. An official report from a Protestant group in the Netherlands declared that “Bible writers made mistakes and that not all the biblical commands were intended to have lasting validity.”

Many persons certainly seem to think the moral commands of the Bible were not “intended to have lasting validity.” Fornication, adultery, homosexuality​—all forbidden in the Bible—​are widely practiced and are publicly endorsed by some clergymen. One Australian clergyman defended the prostitutes operating in his area, saying: “They fulfil a need in society.”

Hence, it is not surprising that ordinary people wonder whether they can still believe the Bible. A housewife confessed: “We’re supposed to believe the Bible, but nobody really knows if it’s true. Besides, it contradicts itself.”

What are the facts? Is the Bible inconsistent and contradictory? Is it full of myths? These are questions that should be resolved. Over the centuries, millions of people have believed the Bible and have tried to live up to its standards. Were they wasting their time? Or is the Bible really a book with a message for this 20th century?

Consider some of the objections that people raise as to belief in the Bible, and let us see how valid they are.