Is the Bible Full of Fables?
by Richard Blackford
I was recently invited to join a website for Bible discussion. It didn’t take long to observe that its purpose was to bash the Bible, Christ, and Christianity. An accusation was made a few weeks ago that the Bible is composed of fables. My reaction to that is two-fold:
- This person is not familiar with the Bible,
- This person does not know what a fable is.
Fables Contrasted with the Bible
Fables usually have a moral but are considered fiction from the very beginning. Biblical events were never considered fiction at any time, but they were genuinely believed by the writers from the start. A fable is a narrative form that highlights human follies and weaknesses. Remember, fables are fiction.
Fables are short and have few characters. Many are animals or inanimate objects with human attributes. (Britannica). Since they use animals, they are considered a sub-genre of fantasy. Two examples of Aesop’s Fables are given, which we all agree are fiction and fantasy: “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Ant and the Grasshopper.” No one can keep a straight face and compare those to the lofty material in the Bible, which deals with the real problem of sin (which many want to avoid, for all have sinned). The Bible deals with man’s need for a Savior and the plan that brought Him into the world. It includes real people living at particular times in history, real geographical places, the birth of a nation, the first written law and the fulfillment of a plan that explains the meaning of life, and sublime answers to the solemn questions of “Where did I come from?, Why am I here?,” and What is to become of me?” Fables don’t do important things like that. The “Ant and the Grasshopper” or the “Tortoise and the Hare” do not compare to the Bible in content.
It's interesting that the men God used to record the Scriptures (inspired by God) knew that centuries later, future skeptics and scoffers would make the feeble fable argument. So they answered it long before it was made! This has been the case on many points.
Peter said, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (II Peter 1:16).
Paul: “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith…” (I Timothy 1:4).
Paul: “But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness” (I Timothy 4:7).
Bible writers knew what fables were, but they didn’t want anything to do with them, so they warned us against fables. Peter contrasted fables (fiction) with eyewitness testimony. Paul said fables don’t edify. Again, Paul contrasted fables to exercising oneself “unto godliness.”
To equate the Bible with fables and fairy tales is an unfair and gross misrepresentation. If the Bible can be dismissed that easily, then we are free to live lives of self-indulgence with no accountability. And some like it that way.
