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Contradictions -- The Bible is riddled with repetitions and contradictions, things that the Bible bangers would be quick to point out in anything that they want to criticize. For instance, Genesis 1 and 2 disagree about the order in which things are created, and how satisfied God is about the results of his labors. The flood story is really two interwoven stories that contradict each other on how many of each kind of animal are to be brought into the Ark -- is it one pair each or seven pairs each of the "clean" ones? The Gospel of John
disagrees with the other three Gospels on the activities of Jesus Christ (how long had he stayed in Jerusalem -- a couple of days or a whole year?) and all four Gospels contradict each other on the details of Jesus Christ's last moments and resurrection. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke contradict each other on the genealogy of Jesus Christ's father; though both agree that Joseph was not his real father. Repetitions and contradictions are understandable for a hodgepodge collection of documents, but not for some carefully constructed treatise, reflecting a well-thought-out plan.
Of the various methods I've seen to "explain" these:
"That is to be taken metaphorically" In other words, what is written is not what is meant. I find this entertaining, especially for those who decide what ISN'T to be taken as other than the absolute WORD OF GOD - which just happens to agree with the particular thing they happen to want...
- "There was more there than...." This is used when one verse says "there was a" and another says "there was b", so they decide there was "a" AND "b" -which is said nowhere. This makes them happy, since it doesn't say there WASN'T "a+b". But it doesn't say there was "a+b+litle green martians". This is often the same crowd that insists theirs is the ONLY possible interpretation (i.e. only "a") and the only way. I find it entertaining they they don't mind adding to verses.
- "It has to be understood in context" I find this amusing because it comes from the same crowd that likes to push likewise extracted verses that support their particular view. Often it is just one of the verses in the contradictory set is suppose to be taken as THE TRUTH when if you add more to it it suddenly becomes "out of context". How many of you have goten JUST John 3:16 (taken out of all context) thrown up at you?
- "there was just a copying/writing error" This is sometimes called a "transcription error", as in where one number was meant and an incorrect one was copied down. Or that what was "quoted" wasn't really what was said, but just what the author thought was said when he thought it was said. And that's right - I'm not disagreeing with events, I'm disagreeing with what is WRITTEN. Which is apparently agreed that it is incorrect. This is an amusing misdirection to the problem that the bible itself is wrong.
- "That is a miracle". Naturally. That is why it is stated as fact.
- "God works in mysterious ways" A useful dodge when the speaker doesn't understand the conflict between what the bible SAYS and what they WISH it said.
if you are not interested in the references, and just want to read the word of God contradicting itself, click here
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REFERENCES:
The King James version of the Bible. quotes provided.
Self-contradictions of the Bible.
William Henry Burr
ISBN 0-87975 416 -8
Burr, William Henry, 1819-1908.
Self-contradictions of the Bible / William Henry Burr ; with an
introduction by R. Joseph Hoffmann. [Buffalo, NY : Prometheus Books],
c1987.
Series title: Classics of Biblical criticism.
UCB Moffitt BS533 .B798 1987
UCD Main Lib BS533 .B798 1987
Cooper, Robert, secularist.
The "Holy Scriptures" analyzed, or, Extracts from the Bible : shewing its
contradictions, absurdities and immoralities / by Robert Cooper. 2nd ed.,
to which is added, a vindication of the work. Manchester, [Greater
Manchester] : J. Cooper, 1840.
Series title: Goldsmiths'-Kress library of economic literature ; no. 31887.
UCLA AGSMgmt H 31 G57 Microfilm
DeHaan, M. R.
508 answers to Bible questions : with answers to seeming Bible
contradictions / M.R. DeHaan. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Zondervan, [1968?],
c1952.
UCSB Library BS538 .D43 1968
Thaddaeus, Joannes, fl. 1630.
The reconciler of the Bible inlarged : wherein above three thousand
seeming contradictions throughout the Old and New Testament are fully and
plainly reconciled ... / by J.T. and T.M. .. London : Printed for Simon
Miller ..., 1662.
Series title: Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1052:9.
UCSD Central MICRO F 524 Current Periodical Microform
Poole, Matthew, 1624-1679.
Annotations upon the Holy Bible. Vol. II : wherein the sacred text is
inserted, and various readings annex'd, together with the parallel
scriptures : the more difficult terms in each verse are explained,... The
third edition, with the addition of a new concordance and tables, by Mr.
Sam. Clark; the whole corrected and amended by the said Mr. Sam. Clark and
Mr. Edward Veale .. London : Printed for Thomas Parkhurst [and 6 others],
MDCXCVI [1696].
Series title: Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1041:1.
UCSD Central MICRO F 524 Current Periodical Microform
"the x-rated bible" by ben edward akerley, published by
american atheist press, austin texas, 1985.
------------------------------
A good source of _literal_ Biblical self-contradictions is (surprise)
"Self-Contradictions of the Bible", written by William Henry Burr in
1859 as a response to fundamentalism. It is currently published by
Prometheus Books, 700 East Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14215. P.B. also
publishes a large number of books on religious inquiry and biblical
critiques, the majority of which have a humanistic/atheistic slant.
As far as "Self-Contradictions ..." goes, it contains about 140 textual
inconsistencies, classified under "Theological Doctrines", "Moral Precepts",
"Historical Facts", and "Speculative Doctrines."
--------------------------------
"The Bible Handbook" is a compilation of several previous works by several
authors, including W P Ball, G W Foote, and John Bowden. Also, the writing
by Mr Foote is dated 1900, so we see that this is not a new endeavor.
_The Bible Handbook_ by W.P. Ball, et al., available for nine dollars from the
the American Atheist Press, P.O. Box 2117, Austin TX 78768-2117. It's a
collection of biblical contradictions, absurdities, atrocities, immoralities,
indecencies, obscenities, unfulfilled prophecies and broken promises. This
372-page volume will give the atheist tons of scriptural ammunition for
shooting down the flimsy arguments of the reality impaired.
--------------------------
Additional contributions were given by:
markn@mot.com (DX560 Mark Nowak)
JHAYNES@MPS.OHIO-STATE.EDU
loren%sunlight.llnl.gov@lll-lcc.llnl.gov
lmoikkan@Bonnie.ICS.UCI.EDU
gerry@cs.cmu.edu
gerry@frc2.frc.ri.cmu.edu
smith_w@apollo.hp.com
icsu7039@caesar.cs.montana.edu
XWUU@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU
bjorn%consens.UUCP@nac.no
EETLO29%TECHNION@TAUNIVM.TAU.AC.IL
refling@envy.eng.uci.edu
mgo@inel.gov
rkp@drutx.att.com
daveh@sequent.com
markn%mot.com@tin.berkeley.edu
aa485@cleveland.freenet.edu (John Strekal)
With all credits given, proceed to read the Biblical excerpts which befuddle me. (I always thought the word of God was flawless, well, silly me...)
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