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Conclusion

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As we have seen, the Bible contains human errors in morality and science. These errors cannot issue from an all-knowing, perfect being. Thus, the Bible must be a more human work than divine. The Bible seems to gloss over statements of enormous import without going into detail about all the questions we are left desperate for an answer for. For example, who can make sense of 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 without knowing the ancient, pre-scientific reasoning that Paul was using? Or can any person fully understand the letter of Romans? Certainly, no two people can agree on Romans. The Bible doesn’t answer all life's questions by a long stretch: What is the purpose of the book of Numbers, for example, if God could be answering our more pressing questions? It seems more likely that the Bible was ancient man's best attempt to define God, rather than the revealed, inspired word of God. The Bible certainly contains ideas which I can imagine God agreeing with, but I think considering its errors...
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Homosexuality: Romans 1 (Long version)

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Paul’s directions for the women’s head covering in 1 Corinthians 11 presents us with a concrete example of a biblical precept that wouldn’t apply today- nor does it represent God’s view- since it is based on a flawed scientific understanding. It is not possible that God would base his morality in scientific error, being all-knowing, and the ultimate architect of our world. In the passage about head coverings, Paul uses the word “ nature ” in a sense that ultimately refers to these misinformed scientific beliefs, rather than God’s design. When we come to examine Romans 1, Paul appeals to “ nature ” again to condemn gay sex. He uses the same Greek word “ phusis ” here that he uses in 1 Corinthians 11. We have contended that “ nature ”, or “ phusis ”, in 1 Corinthians 11 refers to the flawed science of Paul’s day, though Paul intended to make his argument based on what he thought was scientific and true, equating “ nature ” with God’s design. If “ nature ” in one area of Paul’s work doe...
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Homosexuality: Romans 1 (Short Version)

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In Romans 1, Paul betrays certain assumptions about same-sex activity that were common to the Greco-Roman and Jewish culture of his day. These are that he believes same-sex activity is: A Choice A sign of excessive lust A crime against nature, and therefore God (See Joe Miller, Jr  Homosexuality: A Scriptural Way Forward for the United Methodist Church . 2015, p106-120)     " 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error."   ~ Romans 1:26-27 (NIV) A choice – Paul says women “ exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones”, and the men “ abandoned natural relations with women”. This reads like sexuality is something people can freely take up or drop at will. A sign ...
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The Head Covering of 1 Corinthians 11

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We have been looking at how the Bible contains errors, owing to the writers’ human limitations of knowledge, and their cultural influences. We now come to consider the women’s head covering of 1 Corinthians 11 as being based in scientific error, and ultimately, how it relates to Paul’s attack on homosexuality in Romans 1. The following interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 was endorsed by the late Christian scholar  Dr Michael Heiser . However, he does not draw the same conclusion as I do with respect to it falsifying the divine authorship of this passage. The late scholar maintained the Bible was divinely inspired despite containing scientific errors. Here is Dr Michael Heiser's interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:3-16, using the same pre-scientific viewpoint as I will take in this chapter (although you can read the chapter first): (See also Chapter 8 of Reversing Hermon by Dr Michael S. Heiser) The passage about the women's head covering in 1 Corinthians 11 is known for bei...
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