On 5/6/02 11:53:00 AM, Amy Hall wrote:
>
>
>
>Exercise 2.1: Finding the
>Questions
>
>
> 1.
>
>
>In the space below, write the
>title of your tentative topic
>(e.g. Internet addiction)
>The validity of Bible
>criticism
>
>
> 2.
>
>
>Briefly state why you chose
>this topic.
>Because I want to know what
>people have to say about the
>Bible, and I want to know if
>what they say has any merit.
>
>
> 3.
>
>
>Spend about five minutes
>listing what you already know
>(if anything) about your
>topic. For example, are
>you aware of any interesting
>facts, common misconceptions,
>your own assumptions,
>important people or
>institutions involved, key
>schools of thought, the extent
>of the problem, current
>trends, etc.?
>I have a large knowledge about
>the Bible already.
>There is a large amount of
>criticism about the first 4
>books in the New Testament.
>These 4 books give an account
>of the life of Jesus Christ on
>earth from the perspectives of
>4 different men. The reason
>for the criticism is mostly
>because they are not word for
>word the same, and some people
>believe that there are
>contradictions in them. I want
>to know if there is any truth
>to those particular beliefs,
>and I want to know other
>criticisms.
>
>
> 4.
>
>
>Now spend at least fifteen
>minutes brainstorming a list
>of questions about your topic
>you’d love to learn the
>answers to. Make this list as
>long as you can, and don’t
>worry whether every question
>is a good one.
>What criticisms are there
>about the Bible, particuarly
>the New Testament gospels?
>
>What "contradictions" are in
>the gospels?
>
>What is the history behind the
>authors of these 4 books?
>
>Are any of the
>"contradictions" even
>important?
>
>Which authors are writing from
>first hand accounts and which
>from second hand?
>
>If an author wrote from a second hand
>account, how reliable is their source?
>
> Do we have any original documents?
>
>What is the carbon dating of the most
>original documents we have?
>
>What comparison can we make with other
>historical documents?
>
> How reliable is carbon dating?
>
>What is the chance that over time the
>translation of the gospels has been
>marred or messed with?
>
>What were the dates that each of the
>books were written on?
>
>What were the occupations of each of the
>authors?
>
>Could any of the authors have had reason
>to lie about what they wrote? Would
>there be any benefit to them if they
>did?
>
>If there is reason to believe that the
>New Testament gospels are valid, what
>does that do to their content?
>
>What is the conceptual message in
>comparison to their written style?
>
>What are common misconceptions about the
>Bible gospels?
>
>What versions of the Bible are probably
>more or less reliable? Does it matter?
>
>How reliable are documents of comparing
>time relation?
>
>Are there any other forms of dating
>other than carbon dating?
>
> How does carbon dating work?
>
>How were historical accounts recorded
>back in Bible times?
>
>What kind of documents were the gospels
>originally intended to be? ex. letters,
>historical accounts, personal diary
>type....
>
> Who are the "experts" in this area?
>
>What books would be good sources for
>this kind of research?
>
>What kind of documents should I search
>for?
>
>What are my biases that I need to look
>out for as I do my research?
>
>How were the original documents copied
>and translated?
>
>How much time passed between the
>original writings and the second copies?
>
>What generation of copies do we now
>possess?
>
> What languages are they in?
>
>What languages were they originally
>written in?
>
>What generation of copies do we have of
>age comparing documents?
>
>
> 5.
>
>
>If you’re working in a computer lab (or
>generating hard copies of the exercise),
>your instructor may ask you
>to comment on other students’ responses
>to Steps 1-4. Focus particularly on what
>your classmates did in the
>fourth step. For each you view, do two
>things: add a question you would like
>answered about the student’s
>topic, and mark the question you find
>most intriguing.
>

• What "contradictions" are in the gospels?

• If a religion or any other way of thinking is
unable to stand against critical analysis is that
religion or method of thinking valid?