Bible Problems
Centroids :
Following are some contradictions in the Bible--they seem to be exactly
that to me--
culled from a variety of sources, Atheist, Muslim, scholarly, etc. Not that
you
can't find Atheists contradicting each other, and not that the many errors
and
contradictions in the Qur'an aren't well documented, but in point of fact
all
kinds of people have pointed out that the Bible is laced with
inconsistencies.
The following are just a few. Do a Google search, type in "Bible
contradictions,"
and you will get hundreds. How many, added up, I cannot say.
Some, not listed here, can be explained well enough, but these are some
which
strike me as glaringly obvious. And this doesn't even count simple mistakes
or
predictions that never came true, like the depopulation of Egypt after a
Babylonian
invasion that, historically, only got as far as the Delta, and then turned
back, with
99% of Egypt still intact. Since the Babylonians are no longer with us,
are gone
forever as Jeremiah understood them, this prophecy can never be fulfilled.
The worse problems, though, concern intentions of sometimes very different
Bible authors. For example, the writer of Esther vs the writer of Nehemiah.
The
conflicts of viewpoint, universalism vs narrow-minded exclusionism, are
unbridgeable as I interpret the texts. My solution is to outright reject
Nehemiah
and outright accept Esther as sacred text.
No problems like these can be wished away. For me it would be pure
dishonesty
to pretend that these problems can be expunged by some sort of acrobatic
word games or rationalizations, no difficulties remaining. That isn't
possible.
Not as I see it.
So the result is an imperfect overall book, the Bible, but with a "perfect"
message
underneath all the problems. At least a perfect message if you dismiss some
parts, like Nehemiah. Even Nehemiah may contain truths, and I accept those
individual truths , but not the overall message of that writer.
But don't we face these kinds of problems throughout all of our lives ?
Each of us
are imperfect human beings. In classical Christian terms, we are all
sinners and
we all fall short of the glory of God. This, as I see it, applies to the
writers
of the Bible also. OK, then, there are problems. Let's do the best we can
after admitting that these problems exist, including a fair number of
contradictions, and then simply move on -- to all the great good in
everything else.
This is how I see it, anyway.
If anyone takes another view that is their prerogative, but then another
set of problems exist which are outside of the Bible. This has to do with
credibility. To accept anything a priori there needs to be justification
which can convince those who do not share that same viewpoint.
If not, communication between people can result in disagreements
for which resolutions may not be feasible. Are we stuck with that
or can we do better ?
Billy
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Galatians 1:8-9 In case the Galatians were disposed to hear from both
sides, and weigh the pros and cons of each, Paul lays a curse on anyone who
teaches a gospel different from what he preached to the Galatians. In fact,
he curses them twice. In an age where magic and sorcery seemed very real to
people, such a curse may well have carried a powerful disincentive to ass
ociate with anyone who taught a doctrine opposed to Paul. There is a
different view, expressed in the first letter of John, where the believers in
Christ are advised to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are of God.” (1 John 4:1) Paul himself seems to countenance such a
view in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, telling his followers to “test everything.”
Here in Galatians, though, they are told not to test, but to reject, all
teachings other than Paul’s.
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1. The announcement of the special birth came before conception.
Lk.1:26-31.
The announcement of the special birth came after conception. Mt.1:18-21.
2. Jesus' parents were told of their son's future greatness.
Mt.1:18-21; Lk.1:28-35.
Jesus' parents knew nothing of their son's potential. Lk.2:48-50
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God commands, approves of, and delights in burnt offerings,
sacrifices ,and holy days
Ex 29:36/ Lev 23:27/ Ex 29:18/ Lev 1:9
God disapproves of and has no pleasure in burnt offerings,
sacrifices, and holy days.
Jer 7:22/ Jer 6:20/ Ps 50:13,4/ Is 1:13,11,12
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How Many Languages ?
It is commonly assumed that before God destroyed the Tower of Babel and
confounded humanity’s languages, there was only one language, as written in
Genesis 11. However, earlier in the same book (Genesis 10:5,20), gentiles and
the sons of Ham are described as “divided in their lands; every one after
his tongue,” prior to the events [ described in chapter 11 ].
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Who incited David to count the fighting men of Israel?
(a) God did (2 Samuel 24: 1)
(b) Satan did (I Chronicles 2 1:1)
In that count how many fighting men were found in Israel?
(a) Eight hundred thousand (2 Samuel 24:9) (b) One million, one hundred
thousand (IChronicles 21:5)
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God knows the hearts of men
Acts 1:24/ Ps 139:2,3
God tries men to find out what is in their heart
Deut 13:3/ Deut 8:2/ Gen 22:12
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---------
...the very first page of the New Testament introduces [ this ] major
contradiction: inconsistent genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke. Some
have
"explained" this by saying that Luke is the genealogy of Mary; such a
claim acknowledges error, since Luke specifically states that it is the
genealogy of JOSEPH [Luke 3:23], just like Matthew [Matt 1:16]. So, either
there
is a contradiction (Matthew says that Jacob is the father of Joseph; Luke
says Heli is the father of Joseph, and from there back to Solomon not a single
name is the same; not even the same number of generations), or one of them
is making an incorrect statement about a relevant fact for Jesus' claim to
the House of David.
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The Gadarene Swine: Apparently, Jesus sent a bunch of _demons_
(http://everything2.com/title/demon) in to a herd of pigs and then made them
all jump
off a cliff. The Hebrew farmers got annoyed at this, because the pigs were
expensive... and who wouldn't? Except that Hebrews don't eat pork, and pigs
don't make great pets.
Actual explanation for this one: No one has ever managed to explain this
to me, and I've asked religious people, _religious fanatics_
(http://everything2.com/title/religious+fanatics) , priests and all sorts of
people who
ought to know.
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Should we steal?
* EXODUS 20:15 "Thou shalt not steal."
* LEVITICUS 19:13 "Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob
him."
vs.
* EXODUS 3:22 "And ye shall spoil the Egyptians."
* EXODUS 12:35-36 "And they spoiled [plundered, NRSV] the Egyptians."
* LUKE 19:29-34 "[Jesus] sent two of his disciples, Saying, Go ye
into the village . . . ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat:
loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose
him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. . . . And
as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose
ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him."
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