Liars for Jesus … again!

Posted on by Ark

When it comes to a great many Christians, the depths of disingenuity run very deep.

The saga of Moses and the Exodus, which all  but a minuscule number of archaeologists and scholars agree is simply a Jewish foundational myth, is kept alive primarily by the willfully ignorant, or if you prefer, blatantly dishonest posturings of biblical inerrantists and their ilk

Like this one, for example: Evangelical Fundamentalist, John Kilpatrick and his response to John Z regarding criticism about Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen who believes in the  biblical tale  as written (inerrant)  and yet, to date has never produced a single peer-reviewed paper about the Exodus, yet is cited by Christians as an authority on the subject.

 

@ John Kilpatrick

Then it dawned on me that you’d listed a tiny number of Kitchen’s published works in a reply to Kevin but even there, one of the papers — ‘THE TABERNACLE — A BRONZE AGE ARTEFACT’ — is an ‘Exodus’ paper. No need to continue: Kitchen was not afraid to publish that and your whole peer-review position disappears in a puff of smoke.

 

The paper in question was published in Bible and Spade which is an Evangelical Christian publication.

Their approach to archaeology can be gleaned from a  quick read of  their ‘About’ page: Like clause 10 in their Statement of Faith.

10. We believe the accounts found in Genesis 1-11 contain factual and real-time, chronology, historical events, places, and persons. This includes the accuracy and real historicity of the persons, ages, and events recorded in the genealogies of Genesis 5 ….


This obviously includes the Flood narrative so one can appreciate just how ridiculous this approach is.

With such beliefs that are nothing  but fantasy how on earth can such people expect to be afforded any serious measure of credibility?

More to the point, how can they( such as Kitchen)  be afforded any paid position in a secular university or similar teaching post where they have the opportunity to inculcate such ridiculous nonsense into learners.

 

 

Journal: Bible and Spade (Second Run)
Volume: BSPADE 08:2 (Spring 1995)
Article: The Tabernacle — A Bronze Age Artifact
Author: Kenneth A. Kitchen

http://www.galaxie.com/article/bspade08-2-01

 

 

39 thoughts on “Liars for Jesus … again!”

  1. I suspect he never actually read the article, which makes this all the more funny. What we have is a rather odd paper from 1993 trying to make a simply ENORMOUS leap from a 2600BCE Egyptian bedroom suite (a simple wooden box design) to the description of the Tabernacle from the 15/14th Century BCE.

    A bedroom suite. A wooden box design.

    The paper even concludes:

    “We have not proved that the Tabernacle of Exodus 26/36 actually existed in (say) the 13th century BCE. nor have we sought to. But the overall evidence to hand does – in its own right – point clearly to an origin long before the supposed ‘pipe-dreams’ of the Neo-Babylonian Exile.”

    So, the whole thing isn’t a paper on the Exodus, but a paper trying to say “you can’t claim it’s all made-up because i *think* i see a vague similarity between the description of the Tabernacle and a Bronze Age Egyptian queen’s bedroom makeover.”

    Let that sink in.

    And good work picking up it’s actual publication journal.

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  3. Their need for their beliefs to be true at any cost stuns me. I don’t get it really. It must be hard to twist history and information to fit their narrative. I think it would be easier to enjoy learning and accepting the truth than propping up lies. Hugs

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    2. If the evidence supports ( or can be made to support ) the bible, then the evidence is genuine
      But if the evidence does not support the bible, then the evidence does not exist

      By the way was reading Branyan evidence for god
      https://johnbranyan.com/some-evidence-for-god
      Basically his evidence for “god” are
      1) We want life to have meaning
      2) The explanation of cow
      3) People don’t sue monkeys and rocks
      4) Because people talked about god in his imaginary planet, therefore god exist and his imaginary hermit

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      1. Hello Jonathan, I learned the hard way about dealing with Brainyawn. He twist words and no matter what I replied with he would rephrase it to make it something else. He was not interested in a conversation nor in ideas, he was out for points and blood. I wont deal with him anymore because if you do manage to get him pinned down he turns nasty and lets loose with vile insults. He is a waste of a thinking reasoning persons time.

        I am enjoying your comments on various blogs we both visit. You have a calm way about you. Hugs

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        2. When I first encountered him I soon asked if he’d been involved in booze, drugs or porn ( I used the phrase: sex drugs and rock n’ roll) as these three Horsemen regularly pop up with many ”born agains”.

          He told me that he was involved with all three at one point. To what extent I don’t know so either he was lying or there is some sort of history, and by history one would not normally be talking about smoking the occasional joint.

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          1. Ark you make a good point. Normal people indulge in all of those things at different times to varying extent. What kind of brain switches have to be flipped to take a normal activity into a desperate plea to a made up supernatural entity to stop them from doings what they really desire to do? I do not understand the people who say there is no way for me to stop hurting my self with out an imaginary friend I can attribute all my good happy feelings too. Why don’t these people simply get a health provider who deals with these issues and fix the problems they are having, with out the need to now force their solution to a personal problem on to the rest of the world. I need you to believe in my imaginary friend because I have a problem I can’t deal with on my own and need a pretend deity can fix and so you need to worship them also. WTF Hugs

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          3. Prof or Victoria are likely more clued up on the psyche issues,but the three ”Horseman” and especially sex or porn part seem linked to guilt and shame.

            I gave up cigarettes after nearly four decades and it was tough as hell at first, but not once did I have any inkling to ask Yahweh for help.
            And the only guilt I felt was any possible health damage I had caused my family.
            I didn’t feel shame in the way these bloody reborn do gooders like to gush.

            Liked by 2 people

          4. Yes, it seems the are delighted to brag on how helpless they are, how they can’t function on their own. Not really inspiring . Hugs

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          6. You see, being only a cultural christian. I never went through this sort of mind bending fundamentalism,

            Those of you who actively deconverted know where all this stuff stems from.
            To me, this level of indoctrination is completely alien.

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  4. If they must stick to these fantasies let them do so more profitably by trying to find some meaning or purpose in them as analogies or examples or just good family entertainment.

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  5. Ark & John Z,

    Why do Evangy-Fundy Christians not understand what Independent (i.e. independent sources, interpretations, narrations, restrictions, or broadness) means, much less the most neutral peer-reviews!? Seriously! LOL 🙄😖

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  6. Your second paragraph explains and answers a lot, Ark.

    I’d say that for most they were told the Good Book is true at an impressionable young age and the lesson was reinforced often afterwards.

    For many it’s “Whoever gets there firstest with the mostest” — not only that but squashes any sign of enquiry on the part of their victim.

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  7. Finding out exodus and Moses never happened chopped the legs out from under the whole thing for me. Without being historically and archaeologically accurate, it became just another Harry Potter book with a Lord of the rings twist. Fiction

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          1. Norwich? I remember that on the backs of sailor’s envelopes home sometimes—NORWICH

            (k)nickers off ready when I come home …

            Liked by 2 people

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