You may have heard the old saying; “Some would rather believe a lie than the truth.” But to know the difference is not always easy. Yes, some stories have been told so often and for so many years that they are accepted as truth – though they are not.
An article crossed my desk recently dealing with myths and legends about America’s presidents. Was the “Teddy Bear” named after Theodore Roosevelt? According to the Bettman Archive it was, at least indirectly.
Did George Washington have a set of false teeth made of wood? And, did he chop down a cherry tree and then own up to it? No, neither account can be verified – they are myths.
Others were mentioned, some reliable and true, some without a shred of credibility.
Dozens of stories come to us on the Internet daily, and some sound like they are true – or maybe we merely want them to be true. Authoritative sources exist that can verify or reject most of those stories. Therefore, we can find out if they are true or merely myths. It is wise to consult the source of truth before either rejecting or accepting it.
Like other sources, the Bible has been charged with containing myths, fables and errors, and many want to believe it. Some consider heaven and hell as myths. Of course they could have ulterior motives for such beliefs.
Adam and Eve, Jesus’ virgin birth and resurrection, the “walls of Jericho”, Lazarus’ resurrection from the dead? Are they true or false? Of course, no currently living individual was present and therefore capable of testifying to the truth of the occurrences.
However, these and others have been researched, tested, and verified by countless authorities, those searching for truth – and even skeptics.
But…many so-called myths and stories about the Bible have arisen through the years that are false from top to bottom. Some people believe some of them, perhaps because they want to believe them.
One man admitted that he enjoys discovering problems and contradictions in the Bible because they diminish the authenticity of the Bible and cloud issues of salvation and moral behavior. In other words, if the Bible can be seen as filled with fables and false statements, then the words of the Bible carry much less weight in guiding one’s life. If the Bible is wrong in one place it could be wrong in another. Adultery may not be wrong in that event. And idolatry, theft, blasphemy, or any other “sin” described as such in the Bible.
No heaven or hell? For some that could be a pleasant view to accept, and another “myth” is detected. But – what if it is not a myth? What if there is a “judgment” to come. What if the Bible is correct – it will do no good to deny it or “forget” it. That would be an eternal fatality.
The Bible is the book most “doubted” and ridiculed, yet the book most verified. Its characters, events, decrees, warnings, and prophecies have been very carefully examined and found to be in harmony with history, science, logic, and prophecy. It is not “full of myths, fables, and unfounded warnings”. It has stood the test and, as Sir William Ramsey said of Luke’s writings,
“He is an historian of the first rank…You may press the words of Luke to a degree beyond any other historian’s, and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the harshest treatment.”
Curtis Cates has written,
“No book has ever been scrutinized so vigorously, and, I might say, viciously. The microscope and the telescope of man have been applied to the ‘book of books,’ but the more close the investigation and the more detailed the study, the more beautiful its fabric is revealed. The productions of men undergo but a mere fraction of a fraction of such investigation. Now, why does the Bible multiply in its beauty and complexity as its innermost thoughts, precepts and principles are dissected and scrutinized? That, my friends, is the difference between the meager and fallible works of finite man and the inexhaustible and vibrant revelation of the infinite Creator.”
We need not fear objective examination. It will only shed more light on God’s word.
