There are many religious liberals who insist that the Bible is not meant to be taken literally. We should not trust what is written in the Old Testament — rather, we should only trust in and listen to Jesus.
But Jesus says a lot of things that are ridiculous and untrue.
So where do they draw the line? Is it possible for them to say, “Jesus was wrong” in these cases?
Godless Girl points out several Biblical passages that could pose problems for the “follow Jesus” crowd.
… in a few passages, we see Jesus shows no more wisdom about science, history, or mythology than his followers. Either he did not know, or he did not tell the whole truth. If he did not tell the whole truth, why should we trust what he says? If he did not know better, why should we think he was a sinless god?
She points to a number of passages.
In Luke 17:26-27, Jesus says Noah and the Ark and the Great Flood were real:
“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
In Matthew 12:40, Jesus states that they story of Jonah and the Whale is real:
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
In Mark 10:6, Jesus advocates Creationism, not Evolution:
“But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’
In Matt 21:18-22, Jesus makes a fig tree wither and tells people they can make mountains move:
Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.
When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
So can liberal Christians unequivocally say Jesus didn’t know what he was talking about in these cases? Or do they say that his words, too, were open to interpretation?
And if that’s the case, why should we take anything Jesus says at face value?
(via Godless Girl)