One-Post Wednesday: Re-Post From FACEBOOK: The First Sign of Biblical Ineptitude

I was listening to this atheist on the radio promote his anti-religion book. He claimed he'd spent the last two years studying the Bible and religion, to the tune of 80 hours a week. One of the first things out of his mouth was that the Bible does not 'teach' free will and that the Old Testament does not teach 'the immortality of the soul'. This was enough to put me off. One of the biggest sign someone doesn't really have much training when it come so the Bible is when they claim that 'The Bible' 'says' or 'teaches', anything at all. The Bible is not a book, its a collection of books, many of which are themselves a collection of oral traditions and earlier written works. If someone comes to you telling you what 'The Bible' teaches on this or that issue, you can pretty much suspect they don't know much of anything when it comes to the Bible. To give an example contradicting just one point the thinker made:

"Sirach 15:11-20
Say not: "It was God's doing that I fell away"; for what he hates he does not do.
Say not: "It was he who set me astray"; for he has no need of wicked man.
Abominable wickedness the LORD hates, he does not let it befall those who fear him.
When God, in the beginning, created man, he made him subject to his own free choice.
If you choose you can keep the commandments; it is loyalty to do his will.
There are set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.
Before man are life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him.
Immense is the wisdom of the LORD; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing.
The eyes of God see all he has made; he understands man's every deed.
No man does he command to sin, to none does he give strength for lies."

Ok that seems pretty unambiguous. And it is not completely an isolated example. There are, in fact, many Biblical passages suggesting or implying free will. There are many more that deny free will. The truth of the 'Biblical witness' on the matter is much more complicated than simply stating 'what the Bible says'. The Bible is, in fact, a collection of arguments, from various groups, concerning what conclusions we should draw from our experiences of God and our experience of ourselves. The Bible is an *anthology*, first and foremost. If someone isn't up front about this, or doesn't emphasize it in their thinking about the Bible, then they can't have thought much about it in any real significant way, at all.