FAQ

The answer to your question largely depends on what you mean by the word "trust." Trusting the Bible as a historical source makes sense because all its historical accounts find confirmation in independent sources in one way or another. However, the historical information in the Bible is, of course, of secondary importance. We are not obliged to trust the Bible as a Revelation about God, the world, and humanity—obligation is inappropriate here—rather, we are given the opportunity to learn and believe. Strictly speaking, the unbeliever, just like the believer, should read the Bible with an open mind. Furthermore, it is important to remember that the Bible is a divine-human book. The word that God speaks to people in the Bible is clothed in human form, dependent on the language and mindset of the specific author and editor. Revelation is most adequately conveyed in the central part of the Bible—the Gospel; other books, especially the books of the Old Testament, contain a more or less significant human component. It is important to remember that the books of the Bible were written (overwhelmingly) for believers and for the Church (the community of believers)—and in the Church, there have always been and still are people who can assist unbelievers in understanding Scripture. For the unbeliever, just as for the believer, it makes sense to read the Bible as the testimony of people concerning God, whom they came to know in their spiritual experience, and who revealed to them something necessary and important for us. Since the Bible does not address the question of God's existence (in the times when the Bible was written, the very posing of such a question seemed completely absurd), it is important to remember that the biblical authors are not concerned with proving the obvious to the reader. And if this is the case, it is advisable to read the Bible while turning to God for help. For an unbeliever, this is, of course, difficult, if at all possible. But if an unbeliever desires to find faith, it is necessary. If, however, the unbelieving reader of the Bible does not wish to find faith, then the Bible remains merely a historical and literary document to them.