How are atheists made? Does the Bible contribute in creating atheists? Instead of revealing God to us, is the Bible now taking people away from God?
I asked those questions not because I don’t believe in the Bible anymore, neither is it because I do not know the purpose of the Bible. But because I want to frontally address a wrong notion a reader has about the Bible and atheism.
One atheist who commented on one of my posts has alleged that “the Bible is the best book for creating atheists.” I would not let that pass just like that because it’s possible there are some other people with that same kind of erroneous thinking.
First and foremost, any Christian worth the name will not dispute the divine inspiration of the Bible, neither will he or she agree with the suggestion that the Bible creates atheists. But in the interest of those who may not be so grounded, further examination may be necessary.
To examine the claim that the Bible is the best book for creating atheists, we would just take a quick look at what purpose the Bible serves.
In his second letter to Timothy, apostle Paul categorically stated the inspiration behind, and the purpose of, the (Bible) Scriptures:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
From that verse, we can see that the Bible scripture was inspired by God and is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” and “to equip us for every good work.”
As one source puts it, “The Bible is great literature and the all-time number-one best-seller. It contains history, entertaining stories, poetry, philosophy, and personal letters. But, more than that, the Bible is God’s Word. If we have to speak of a single purpose of the Bible, it would be to reveal God to us. There are many things that we could never know about God unless He told them to us. The Bible is God’s self-revelation to humanity. The Bible also tells us who we are. It tells us of our sin and of God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ.”
Despite the reality described above, there are people who have a complete misunderstanding of what the Bible is about. And that’s rather unfortunate.
Recently on this blog, I had an extended interaction with an atheist who read and commented on one of my posts. At some point during the online conversation, the atheist made the following comment about the Bible and God:
…The bible has numerous books filled with violence and much of this violence is by your god. It sounds like he has no idea how to be a god of peace. Doesn’t he have an anger management problem, if he exists? No wonder that the bible is the best book for creating atheists. You need to read it properly.
My response to him went as follows:
If you believe that God has an anger issue, it means you are admitting that He exists in the first place. When you are honest about that, we can begin to explore the nature of God, which obviously you have misunderstood. Your claim about the Bible being a book for creating atheists is malicious. You know it’s not true. You became an atheist by your choice… so stop blaming it on the Bible.
Conclusions
I don’t know what everyone else think. But in my own opinion, the Bible is not a book for creating atheists. So it could not have been the best book for doing so as claimed by that reader.
Anyone that chooses to become an atheist, does so out of his or her own volition. So it will be wrong to blame it on the Bible.
The Bible is a book about God and His people. It tells the story of man from creation till when the world will end and beyond. It is a book for conviction, instruction, correction in righteousness and it prepares us for good works.
The Bible serves to bring us closer to God; not to take us away from Him. To that effect, anyone who claims to have read the Bible back to back without discovering God in it has either read a different Bible or has read it with the wrong mindset.
What do you think say?
Victors Corner Blog 
As I have told many people, “If you want to become an atheist, read the Bible.” However, there is one caveat; you have to read it with your eyes open, not in little vignettes as the ministers and televangelists like to feed it to their sheep. No, it must be read in complete chapters and books. Like all religions, it just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, it falls apart right n your hands.
I am still so disappointed that so many seemingly “intelligent” people just can not let this nonsense go; they just can not extricate themselves from the guilt, the fear of eternal punishment, the paranoia of a “god” that portends to watch over them and know their deepest thoughts and desires. When I first began to really study the Bible, I was looking for my faith. I had been a Catholic but was certain that Catholicism was not the faith of Jesus. However, as I delved into the subject matter I began to see all the defects I had never noticed before. Then I stumbled on to the Jesus Seminar and the topic of the critical analysis of NT scripture taking place over the last 200 years. The more I read and learned, the broader my range of research expanded, the more I began to understand the specious nature of the subject matter. Eventually, it became so scholastic/intellectual an exercise that I almost missed the fact that I no longer believed in any of it as anything but an interesting intellectual pursuit.
Be brave. Let go of the rocks and let the current carry you where it may.
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You cannot read the Bible with an open heart and not see God splattered everywhere on its pages.
The Bible is a book that has been under scrutiny for years and it has never failed to hold it’s onions. Never you nor a million of people like you can change that.
Atheism has blinded you so much you don’t see your folly. But we can see through you from miles apart.
Stop criticising what you don’t know because obviously you do not understand the Bible nor the power of God.
One thing I know is that you are not at peace with yourself. You cannot be as along you continue to reject God. The emptiness in your heart has created a shape only God can fill.
You did not create yourself. God did. And you are accountable to Him whether or not you reckon with God.
Whatever you may say or think: only fools say there is no God.
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Didn’t you know that Peter’s letters are also forgeries? With so many forgeries in the NT, how can relying on different dispensations help you avoid the contradictions that are in the bible?. Barbaric savages wrote much of the OT and much of the NT is based on lies. It’s no wonder that many people who actually read the bible closely stop being Christians and become atheists. The bible is the best book for creating atheists.
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Thank you for your argument! It helps continue to validate and strengthen the bond between Christians and God through our Lord Jesus Christ! Have a blessed day!
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Thank you too.
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Peter’s letters are only a forgery in your foolish imaginations. We that have a relationship with God accept them as part of the inspired word of God. And we owe you no apologies.
There are no contradictions in the Bible. Blame your lack of understanding for the confusion in your mind. Unfortunately, you cannot begin to understand the Bible except you first ‘know’ the One who inspired it.
I have already explained the issue of dispensation. Kindly reread my earlier response.
You show collosal ignorance when you say that the Bible was written by barbaric savages. I don’t even want to take you up on that. May be a little!
For the records, the first four books of the Bible were written by Moses, one of the most educated men in the world at that time. On the other hand, Paul the Apostle wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. He himself was an acclaimed legal luminary. Hope that gives you an idea how false your claim is?
The Bible doesn’t make anyone an atheist. Any one chooses to be an atheist became so out of his or own free will. It beats my imagination how you can’t even grasp that simple truth.
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The Harper Collins Study Bible says of 1 Peter that the “…letter dates from between 70 and 90 CE. This date and the high quality of the Greek suggest that 1Peter is pseudonymous.” (p.2277).
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Please stop your deception here. The very first verse of the book of Peter identifies the author and audience of the book. Why do you ignore the obvious?
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
1 Peter 1:1 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1pe.1.1.KJV
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The Harper Collins Study bible says this of 2 Peter. ” Most scholars, …, now believe that it was written after Peter’s death.” (p.2286).
Why charge these scholars with “foolish imaginations”?
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It is foolish imagination to ignore the obvious and propound your own own theories. Read the first verse of second book of Peter, the author is clearly stated:
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Peter 1:1 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/2pe.1.1.KJV
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The Pentateuch was NOT written by Moses. Most scholars believe in a revised version of the Graff-Wellhausen hypothesis that the Pentateuch was a compilation of various sources known as J, E, D, and P. These were compiled between the J (Yahwist) source written somewhere around 900 BCE, E (Elohist) source around 800 BCE, D, (Deuteronomist) source around 600 BCE and the P (Priestly) source after the exile.
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Away with your foolishness insinuations and stop making claims about some ignorant scholars.
The first books of the Bible were written by Moses. Okay?
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Hi Victor,
You don’t seem to know anything about the last 250 years of biblical scholarship. Maybe you should inform yourself, instead of relying on outdated pre-critical concepts of the bible.
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The Bible is the best book on Earth. It has held it’s onions for centuries and it will continue to do so. I hope you learn that one day.
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