I don't take credit for putting all of this list together but as I have pointed out in the past, how can you put so much credence in a book that consistently gets it's stories confused. Not only did the Bible get a lot of science wrong (the Earth doesn't rest on pillars and is round for instance) but many of the stories of Jesus in the gospels are completely different versions of the supposedly same event. If at least two of the gospels got Jesus' last words wrong, what else did they get wrong? What else about the Bible isn't true? This question is mainly for the fundamentalists who believe every word of the Bible to be literal and 100% accurate as many trained priests in the Catholic Church for instance are educated enough to not take everything literally. So, fundamentalists, how can you put 100% faith in the "word of God" if the word of God isn't a consistent message? And if God was involved in this, why is it so flawed? And then, how can you put so much faith in a god who can't keep his stories straight and is clearly not perfect?
Isn't it a catch 22? I mean, if you can clearly see the error of man involved here and it's obvious that "God" had nothing to do with this book, then aren't you really worshiping man, following the law of man and not God? And if that is the case, why would you just worship a bunch of bronze age tribesman? What do they know? But if you still claim this is a book from God, even partly, then why do you want to worship such a humanesque god who isn't the sharpest pin in the cushion?
And by all means, if you can explain a way these inconsistencies, I am all ears, feel free to correct me.
2 Kings 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Or
John 3:13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.
Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Or
Exodus 32:14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith . . . not by works.
Or
James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? . . . Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.
Or
Matthew 6:1 Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
Or
Matthew 10:34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Jerimiah 13:14 "I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from destroying them"
Or
James 5:11 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Exodus 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
Or
Romans 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Isaiah 14:21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
Or
Deuteronomy 24:16 The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Genesis 32:30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and my life was preserved.”
Or
Exodus 33:20 And he said, "Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live."
Or
Exodus 33:11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
Or
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God at any time
Or
Exodus 33:23 "And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my backparts".
Or
1 Timothy 6:16 "Whom no man hath seen nor can see."
Or
Exodus 24:9-10 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself.
Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
Or
Exodus 32:27-28 Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.' The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.
John 5:31 If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.
Or
John 8:14 Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Or
John 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
Genisis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Genisis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Or
Genisis 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Genisis 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
Genisis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Or
Genesis 7:8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
ACT 1:18: "Now this man (Judas) purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out."
Or
Matthew 27:5-7: "And he (Judas) cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests...bought with them the potter's field."
Luke 23:46: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, "Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit:" and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."
Or
John 19:30: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished:" and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
Or
Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Acts 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him (Paul) stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
Or
Acts 22:9 And they that were with me(Paul) saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
And of course there is the "What Would the World be Like if the Bible Were True" post.
Not such the perfect word after all, is it?
6 comments:
I'm no fundamentalist, and even though I can explain some of those, I don't need to as I don't view the Bible as a document dictated by God. I'm more like those catholic priests you mentioned. There are two main views of the Bible in theological circles:
1. The Inerrant View-meaning the Bible is word for word God's Word, dictated to man.
2. The Inspired View-man wrote the Bible, inspired by God. Mistakes can happen, especially as they were writing from memories, sometimes years later. Jesus walked and did most of those things, but his words are not word perfect.
I fall in the latter category. I believe the Bible, but more it's main message: God created and loved humankind. Humankind screwed itself up. He sent himself to redeem humanity, and to teach it how to love. Humankind still screws it up, but is not unredeemable any longer.
My faith is in God, not in a book by man about God. Only God is inerrant. Some book may contain a lot of truth, but I don't take it word for word.
But my parents ARE fundamentalists. You should have heard them when I explained to them what I just wrote to you above. They all but called me a heretic and were concerned about my eternal soul.
To be honest, I think too many times people worship the Book instead of the God it is about.
Maybe you can't answer this but what about the people who do think its the actual word of god when they are presented with such inconsistencies and contradictions??
I would assume the response is that I am just a heretic, I was going to burn in hell and that they just have faith??
It does happen on occasion. My parents told me they were "concerned" about my faith and future and gave me a book.
I told them that there is more than one viewpoint, and with mine, little inconsistencies that I can't explain away don't destroy my faith. If some evidence came out that the book of James was actually written by a different apostle, with how i view it, I would care because it doesn't change the message, whereas my parents would have their world rocked.
Actually, I am pretty sure the the common scientific and historical view is that besides Mark, none of the Gospels were actually written by the person for which they were named.
Or at least there is evidence that certain books couldn't have been written by the supposed author because those authors didn't speak the language the book was written in or was illiterate and even if they inspired the book, a scribe could well have written what ever they felt like writing.
But if it's just the message you are after then fine. But what if that message is inconsistent. I mean, I know what most Christians do, they pick out the parts that are easy, that they like or agree with and ignore the rest. Homosexuality taking the top honors on that one. On the same page even, homosexuality is listed as just as equal of an abomination as eating shell fish and trimming your beard and touching or having sex with your wife when she is on her period. There are no distinctions between these according to Leviticus but most christians still eat shell fish and do not cast their wives out of the village during her period (although I am sure many would like to).
The way I look at it, all those rules and laws of the old testament can teach us a lesson, but aren't laws and rules for us. Even Jesus said that he came to set people free from the law.
But you are right. Most fundamentalists choose what parts they like and make them important, while throwing away the rest.
The gay thing is a big one. I personally don't think it's wrong. But if it is, I don't really care, and I won't be the one to condemn anyone. That, in my view, would be playing God. Jesus also said "he who is without sin shall cast the first stone" when the crowd wanted to stone the prostitute. I like that attitude. Why would I condemn someone's lifestyle, that isn't hurting anyone, when I "sin" myself everyday.
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