Trevor Blake: biblemap.org
One of the deep roots of atheism in the West is the application of scholarship to the Bible. The more one tries to apply reason and evidence to the Bible, the more doubt about the truth of the Bible is found. There is no more swift and sure path to rejecting Christianity than reading the Bible. But this is a lesson often forgotten, and generation after generation of sincere Christians lose their faith by enriching it. New discoveries and techniques are applied to the Bible in an effort to promote the Bible, only to discredit it. What remains is either doubt or a particular kind of self-deception called faith. The meaning of the word faith in modern times is that which the claimant knows is not true but which the claimant acts and speaks as if it were true. Faith has become the opposite of hope, a shutting off instead of a keeping open.
For instance, biblemap.org writes “We hope this site will be a blessing to you and possibly help make the living book of the Bible more alive in your life.” The site shows locations mentioned in the Bible on a map. Where was the home of Peter and Andrew? Mark 1:21 says Capernaum. John 1:44 says Bethsaida. biblemap.org says… both Capernaum and Bethsaida. Where was Jacob buried? Genesis 50:13 says Machpelah. Acts 7:15-16 says Shechem. biblemap.org says… both Machpelah and Sechem. During the research and data entry for biblemap.org, did the authors note these contradictions? When users search this map, will they note these contradictions? How will these contradictions be resolved, and what does that imply for the Bible?
