More Delusions!

In just six pages (pp. 92-97) Richard Dawkins manages to completely dismiss 'The Argument From Scripture'. He does point out some significant differences (difficulties) with, for instance, Matthew's and Luke's versions of Jesus birth. He points out that the census under Governor Quirinius was a local one (not for the whole empire) and that it took place long after Herod was already dead and gone.

He sets out some questions to ask when interpreting the Bible with which I think I agree (many Christians would not, but then perhaps they are the literalists with whom Dawkins has such a problem):
"Who wrote it, and when? How did they know what to write? Did they, in their time, really mean what we, in out time, understand them to be saying? Were they unbiased observers, or did they have an agenda that coloured their writing?" (p.92)

But, to me, Dawkin's argument falls apart when he asserts that the biblical text was "copied and recopied, through many different 'Chinese Whispers generations' by fallible scribes who, in any case, had their own religious agenda." Modern textual criticism (which informs all modern translations of the Bible) takes the copyists' errors very seriously and does its best to identify what is most likely to be the original version. It's true, some small errors have crept into the biblical texts over the years. But what is remarkable is just how few!