Why should we believe the Bible is the result of God speaking truthfully rather than advanced aliens tricking us for our own good?

[AetheriusLamia]

The books that comprise the Bible were written from the late Bronze Age [...] the various characters can often be verified by extrabiblical historical writings [...] This means that God did not speak through myths but in real history.

-- Pacwa, M (2011). How to Listen When God is Speaking. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. p. 14.

Can't the Bible also be explained by advanced aliens tricking humans? Doesn't this hypothesis contain more explanatory power as it also accounts for God's absence, silence, and refusal to grant personal petitions? Why should we believe the Creator of our reality interacted with those people rather than deceitful ancient aliens?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

-- Pacwa, M (2011). How to Listen When God is Speaking. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. p. 14.

Can't the Bible also be explained by advanced aliens tricking humans? Doesn't this hypothesis contain more explanatory power as it also accounts for God's absence, silence, and refusal to grant personal petitions? Why should we believe the Creator of our reality interacted with those people rather than deceitful ancient aliens?

I suppose one could attempt an explanation involving advanced aliens. But then, to do so would be to beg the question on an entire host of historical and scientific questions that, as far as I can tell, have little or no evidence by which to answer them. I think we can do better by referring to historical method and philosophy to explain the Bible rather than all too simply subscribing to a non-scientific theory involving some very loose concept of "advanced aliens," whatever "advanced" would then be in that context or a kind of "aliens" we think we're envisioning.

By this comparative evaluation of explanations, I'm going to bring in Philip Clayton's book, Explanation From Physics To Theology: An Essay in Rationality and Religion (1989), as a backing source, along with all of the sources I have on Historiography, The Philosophy of History, The Historical Method, and the Philosophy of Science and the nature of scientific investigation.

Then too. When articulating a hypothesis, we usually do so AFTER amassing various ideas and evidences coming from a Lit. Review. and any artifacts that contribute to our ongoing understanding, not before.

 

[chevyontheriver]

-- Pacwa, M (2011). How to Listen When God is Speaking. Frederick, MD: The Word Among Us Press. p. 14.

Can't the Bible also be explained by advanced aliens tricking humans? Doesn't this hypothesis contain more explanatory power as it also accounts for God's absence, silence, and refusal to grant personal petitions? Why should we believe the Creator of our reality interacted with those people rather than deceitful ancient aliens?

Such a theory is I suppose infinitely adaptable. I doubt it is possible to say advanced aliens tricking humans isn't a possibility. And the more advanced the trickier they would be, meaning there would never be evidence that they are actually here tricking us.