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Can any rational person believe that the Bible is anything but a human document? We now know pretty well where the various books came from, and about when they were written. We know that they were written by human beings who had no knowledge of science, little knowledge of life, and were influenced by the barbarous morality of primitive times, and were grossly ignorant of most things that men know today.

Clarence Darrow#43

ReligionHistoryScience

About this quote

What does it mean?
The Bible is a human document written by people with limited scientific knowledge and primitive morals.
In plain terms
The Bible was written by humans not gods.
What can you take from it?
Read religious texts as historical human works.

Where it applies

  • theology debate
  • history class
  • scripture study

Putting it to work

  • analyze scripture
  • compare science

Questions to consider

  • Who wrote your beliefs?
  • Does context matter?

Another view

Faith is not about literal historical accuracy.

More from Clarence Darrow

  1. One believes in the truthfulness of a man because of his long experience with the man, and because the man has always told a consistent story. But no man has t…

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  2. Can anyone with intelligence really believe that a child born today should be doomed because the snake tempted Eve and Eve tempted Adam? To believe that is not…

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  3. Many Christians base the belief of a soul and God upon the Bible. Strictly speaking, there is no such book. To make the Bible, sixty-six books are bound into o…

    Permalink to quote #41

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