As I said, I delved deeply into both sides of the argument...and I went with the argument that had the strongest and most compelling evidence. Your mileage may vary.
What's your view on modern biblical scholarship? I mean, to my knowledge the general consensus is that the Bible has numerous mistakes and errors, and later editing too.
It would seem to me you would have to wholesale disregard modern scholarship.
rumborak
I object to "wholesale disregard"... I operate on a case by case basis. But, based on my experiences, observance of both sides of the issue, and historical track record of both lines of thought...it is very safe to say that I view the Bible as being above any human viewpoint.
Anything I hear from any human whatsoever, I'm generally going to view as slanted one way or another. And I don't think *anyone* is immune. Not even the references I've mentioned.
I used to work at a bank. During robbery training, they taught us that after a robbery, NO ONE was to speak to each other or exchange stories. Why? Because stories get mixed up. This is different than the "grapevine" theory...that the more something gets passed down, the more screwed up it will get. It's even worse. It means that 10 people can witness the *exact same event FIRST HAND* and still give you ten different stories. That doesn't mean the bank robbery didn't happen.
Any writing of men, I view with that attitude. I view the Bible as the ONLY thing that gives us God's POV. The only person in the universe who has *absolute* POV. None of us has the ability to know *the whole* of any given situation. God does.
Actually....the best way that I can describe my viewpoint of all of man's "scholars" put together...can be summed up in this *hilarious* 3 minute video called "The Beatles 3000". It's a humorous look at "experts" trying to piece together the history of The Beatles 1000 years from now....after all the evidence has passed long into history. It's light hearted and funny (and might take some of the "weight" out of this thread) but to me it's also very poignant and intelligent. This is *exactly* what experts have to struggle with when trying to piece together something that no one alive was there to witness. It's an insurmountable battle...and is only guesswork at best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z2vU8M6CYITo me, the Bible is testimony of the only living eyewitness to all the events. God himself.