Difference between revisions of "Talk:Essay:Questions "Learned" Atheists Cannot Answer"

Revision as of 19:50, September 7, 2009

Answers

Here's my attempt, based on what I know. How did I do? LewisS 13:02, 6 September 2009 (EDT)

1. A book that sells 30,000 copies qualifies for the New York Times bestseller list. How many copies of the Bible sell each year? (Ballpark estimate for the United States would be fine.) I thought the Gideons gave them away. About 10 million a year, since 1450. (Based on sales of 6 billion)
2. How many Gospels are there, and what are their different styles and messages? 4, not sure about the rest
3. Which of the Gospels are attributed to eyewitnesses? 2 - Matthew & John
4. In which language are the oldest manuscripts for the Gospels written? Hebrew, Aramaic, with the NT being written in Koine Greek.
5. Who wrote the most books in the New Testament? Paul
6. How long is the New Testament compared to an average book on the New York Times bestseller list? I assume the NT has a longer word count.
7. Who first translated the New Testament into English based on the oldest manuscripts? Some would say John Wycliff, but they'd be wrong. The Venerable Bede and Aldhelm both translated bits of the Bible into Old English around the 7th Century.
8. Was the English translation banned after King Henry VIII split from Rome? No, Wycliff's Bible was banned as anti-Catholic heresy before the split happened and his body was exhumed by the then-Catholic government and burnt posthumously, 30 years after his death.
9. In what language is the Gutenberg Bible? Latin
10. How many books are in the Bible? (Approximation is fine.) 66 - 39 OT; 27 NT
11. What are some of the oldest books in the Bible? Some say Job, most agree on the Pentateuch being the oldest
12. Who wrote the Acts of the Apostles? Paul

Score: about 50%. Not good, and I wonder if you looked some of the answers up. Most atheists would score far lower, however, so there is solace. Thanks for trying.--Andy Schlafly 14:16, 6 September 2009 (EDT)

The person who provided the above answers admits elsewhere that, just as I suggested above, he actually looked up the answers: "And yes, of course I looked up the answers ...."[1] Scoring only about 50% after looking up the answers is awfully pathetic.

His conclusion? "Don’t you dare tell me that you or anybody else on Conservapedia knows them off the top of your head." Ignorance loves company. Yes, atheists who claim to be learned and well-read are abysmally ignorant about the most influential book ever, and are determined to remain that way. Unless they open their minds and open a Bible, they'll be just as uninformed twenty years from now.--Andy Schlafly 09:01, 7 September 2009 (EDT)

I'd be very interested to see how well everybody - including Christians - would score on your quiz. Is there a way to conduct a test of it? Posting answers to the talk page may be unreliable, because of the temptation to see what others have answered. I know there are some web-based programs which can be used to create and automatically grade a multiple-choice test. Because it seems to me that many of those questions are far from simple, and I wouldn't expect the average person to know the answers unless they had studied theology or biblical history. For what it's worth, here's my attempt:

1. I have seen figures of 8 million mentioned before.

2. 4. (this is the easiest question, but part two is trickier). Mark's Gospel is the shortest, and linguistically the least polished, of the four. He writes about Jesus's life and works in a series of unconnected episodes; the Gospel gives the impression of being written in haste. He focuses on Jesus's miracles, particularly casting out demons and conquering evil. Matthew was written for a well-educated Jewish audience. His Gospel focuses on Jesus's teachings to his disciples, and his reaction against the Pharisees. Luke, a former physician, concentrates on Jesus's healing of the sick. John's gospel is written using much use of symbols and metaphors. His Jesus makes many pronouncements beginning with the words "I am...", and focuses on Jesus revealing Himself to man.

3. Mark and John.

4. Greek.

5. Paul.

6. Difficult to judge, as most copies of the NT are written using much smaller type, and on thinner paper, than contemporary bestsellers. If the NT was printed the same way as a modern novel, I'd guess it would be maybe 300 - 400 pages long. But I really don't know.

7. John Wycliff and his team were the first to translate it in full.

8. No.

9. Latin.

10. 72

11. Assuming that they're collected in approximately chronological order, the oldest would be Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

12. Luke.

--Eoinc 07:36, 7 September 2009 (EDT)

Very well done! 8/12. I doubt you're an atheist, unless you looked up the answers beforehand (and I doubt you did). Thanks for your impressive effort.--Andy Schlafly 09:15, 7 September 2009 (EDT)

Au contraire, Andy, I am in fact a nonbeliever. It just happens to be a topic that interests me. But thank you for your kind remarks. --Eoinc 12:52, 7 September 2009 (EDT)

Interesting, but incomplete. Every atheist I've met has an attitude of deliberate ignorance towards the Bible. It's not just a lack of knowledge, but also a determination to lack knowledge. Perhaps you acquired some knowledge of the Bible before the atheistic school system worked its influence?--Andy Schlafly 15:00, 7 September 2009 (EDT)

Well, unlike the public schools in the United States, religious instruction was and is a compulsory part of the school curriculum for children between (approximately) ages five and twelve. However, the level of instruction is of a very simple kind: we learned Bible stories and the Golden Rule, but certainly nothing as sophisticated as the answers to your quiz. When I left primary school at the age of 12, having been Confirmed along with the rest of my class, I could have named the four evangelists for you, but I could not have told you which two were purported eyewitnesses, or what the differences were in their writing styles.

Our secondary schools (age 13 - 18 approx) are perhaps more similar to your public schools; there, Christianity was only studied as part of a course on comparative religion. In our final year, speakers were invited to talk to our religion class. It was at about that time that I became interested in discussing, learning about, and thinking about, religion.

In contrast to the other atheists you have met, I have no desire to be willfully ignorant. If I am to reject the Christian faith, I need to know exactly what it is that I am rejecting. So, for that reason, I read religious books extensively, particularly the works of Christian apologists and anyone who advances a view different to mine. I engage street evangelists in discussion whenever I have time. I would learn nothing by living in an echo chamber (I never enjoy discussing religion with other atheists), and if I am wrong about Christianity, or any religion, I would want to know about it. --Eoinc 15:50, 7 September 2009 (EDT)