Brian Baker - Nonsense from the Bible

I wish to sincerely thank a good friend and supporter John Dillon of New South Wales, Australia - for his expertise in editing my manuscript and for his advice and suggestions in producing this book: Nonsense from the Bible.

Brian Baker

August 2012

I spent some seventeen years as a born again, Spirit-filled, Bible believing fundamentalist Christian. For almost ten of those years I was the founding pastor of a church in Australia that grew to be one of the largest in the country. I resigned after my marriage finally failed in 1989. During the course of the next few years I spent much time questioning my faith and seeking evidence concerning the validity of the Bible which I believed and had accepted literally as The Word of God. During those previous seventeen years, my study and knowledge of my faith had been totally immersed in Christian teaching from pastors, Christian literature and Bible College. To consider investigation or examination of my faith from any other source was unthinkable. I had been fully indoctrinated to believe and had accepted that the Christian message, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were absolute truth.

The years immediately following my resignation from Christian ministry were difficult, and a time of confusion and overcoming many emotionally based personal feelings of failure, guilt, doubt and unanswered questions. Gradually I began to examine the entire basis for my confusion by looking outside the areas I had until then completely accepted without question. At the time there was very little literature available to which I could turn to provide a non theological hypothesis of faith - belief in God, the Bible or eternal life. The Internet did not exist I could not Google my questions!

I began to study the theory of evolution and sought to find scientific and historical evidence for almost everything I had accepted as truth as recorded in the Bible. During this time I removed myself from the influence of Christian teaching I purposely did not attend church or listen to Christian teaching audio tapes. In effect I had removed myself from the Christian bubble in which I had resided for so many years at last I was free to look into my beliefs from the outside. As a totally committed Christian within the bubble it is almost impossible to see or to examine any belief or evidence outside. This is the main reason why Christians are not open to question their own faith. Fear is the other major factor why believers are reluctant or refuse to consider anything which may question their faith. Simply they are convinced that any contrary teaching or evidence which is not Bible based is satanic in origin. Fundamentalist Christians are Christians of any denomination who literally believe that the Bible is completely true and not to be questioned as it is the Word of God.

My conversion from Christianity to a non-believer was not an instant change it was for me, and would be for others in a similar situation, a gradual process. Step by step, over a period of several years, I discovered answers to my questions and evidence which convinced me that everything I had been taught since I had been born again in an Anglican church in England in 1972 was based on myth, hearsay and human thought and invention rather than by alleged proven revelation from an almighty divinity or God. I could not find credible historic or scientific evidence for anything I had believed to be fact as recorded in the bible.

Now, almost twenty years after my personal enlightenment changing from a fundamentalist Christian to atheist I see and hear evidence almost daily which supports and fortifies my reasons not to accept any theocratic faith or religion. My purpose in writing this book is to present many of the major events as recorded in the Bible as nonsense! Sense or reason is not part of the equation when Christians examine the validity of the Bible.

I would accept the Bible without further question if it were presented simply as a compendium of stories and myths based on hearsay handed down from generation to generation and which were recorded by many (40+) different authors during a period spanning possibly 1,600 or more years. Unfortunately, the Bible is presented literally as absolute fact and as The Word of God. I now believe this is nonsense!

Brian Baker 2012

Please note: I have inserted some portions of scripture rather than quote a line or two of a verse only, which may be considered to be out of context and as the contents of the Bible may not be familiar to all. You could just read the words I have underlined in the longer sections of Biblical text.

The references in this book are from the King James Authorised version (1611) which is the original English translation of the compilation of the Bible as we know it today. Many modern translations have been published since but some still believe and accept the KJV to be the most acceptable version.