I was recently having a discussion with an atheist who had grown up in a Christian family and had gone to church for the first twenty years of her life. But she became an atheist in her 20s.
When I asked her why she became an atheist, she said, “I started reading the Bible.”
We Christians often tell people that if they would only read the Bible, they would come to see that God is real and that He loves them. We hear testimony after testimony about how drug addicts and hookers were considering suicide but somehow got a Bible and started reading it and ended up giving their life to Christ.
I am not in any way denying such accounts or stories.
But I think it is also time to admit that while many people decided to follow Jesus as a result of reading the Bible, there are many others who turned away from God after reading the Bible.
Part of this, I am convinced, is because we Christians have said that the entire Bible is the Word of God, but then we ignore, gloss over, conveniently forget, or are simply dishonest about some of the more troubling portions of Scripture.
And there are many troubling portions of Scripture! (If you don’t believe me, read this book: Drunk with Blood).
I call these troubling texts “Atheist Maker Verses.” They are verses that do not point people to God, but instead lead people away from Him. Here are a few of the more blatant Atheist Maker Verses:
Genesis 19:8
“See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring… [Read more…] about 11 Bible Verses That Turn Christians Into Atheists