Bible November 12 2009
Why did God choose to fill a large portion of His only book with such trivial and irrelevant information?
Why include a woman killing a man with a tent peg (Judges 4:21) or a man cutting up his concubine and mailing her body parts around? (Judges 19:29)
Why include Moses instructing his soldiers, “kill everyone but save the virgins for yourselves”? (Numbers 31:18)
If God is going to take the time to write a book that will last for millennia, why fill it with such irrelevant (and immoral) material?
Why would an all-knowing, all-seeing and all-loving God command full-scale genocide throughout the Old Testament? (Deuteronomy 7:1-2, Deuteronomy 20:16) or describe the pleasure of dashing children against rocks? (Psalms 137:9)
Why do the Old and New Testaments both advocate slavery? (Leviticus 25:44-46, Ephesians 6:5, 1 Timothy 6:1-2)
Why does the Bible go into detail about how to obtain slaves, (Leviticus 25:44-46), how to beat slaves, (Exodus 21:20-21) when to have sex with female slaves and how to sell one’s daughters as sex slaves? (Exodus 21:7-11)
Why did Jesus endorse this? (Luke 12:47-48, Matthew 5:18-19)
If society has moved on since then – how is Jesus the same yesterday, today and for ever? (Hebrews 13:8)
Why did the people responsible for editing the King James Version not believe what the Revival Fellowship teach about tongues? Why are they trusted with this complex task when they got salvation ‘wrong’?
Why is the Bible of 400 CE and the Bible today different by dozens of chapters and thousands of parts? Which Bible is the Word of God? And why does man edit it?
Why are there so many Bible translations with conflicting salvation messages?
What makes the King James Version any more divine? How can it be proven ‘more inspired’ than its competitors?
Why is the scriptural value of Pi (π) incorrect? (1 Kings 7:23-26 & 2 Chronicles 4:2-5) Why didn’t God take this opportunity to demonstrate His all-knowing nature, when inspiring his authors?
Who has ascended to heaven? Enoch? (Genesis 5:24) Elijah? (II Kings 2:11) Jesus? (Mark 16:19) Why did Jesus say no man but himself has ever ascended to heaven? (John 3:13)
Why has no historian documented anything about three hours of darkness, dead people coming out of their graves, earthquakes or any other supernatural happening that are alleged to have happen after the Resurrection?
Why would the Bible teach being pleasant to ‘enemies’ if it would heap coals of fire on their head? (Romans 12:20, Proverbs 25:21-22)
How would Moses have witnessed and written of his own death? (Deuteronomy 34:5) Or, why would Moses have described himself as the most humble person on the face of the earth? (Numbers 12:3)
Why are the observations of the natural world in the Bible no different than man’s understanding at that time? (PDF)
Why does Job believe in fire-breathing dragons? (Job 41:1-34)
Why does the Bible describe angels coming to Earth to mate with humans to produce half-and-half, angel-human offspring? (Genesis 6:1-4)
Why did the Biblical authors think the Earth was a flat disc? (e.g. Matthew 4:8, Deuteronomy 13:7, Job 38:13, Proverbs 8:26-27, Isaiah 40:22, Daniel 4:10-11, Job 11:9). Why does the Bible use the Hebrew word for ‘circle’ and not ‘sphere’ or ‘ball’ which are used elsewhere?
Why did the Biblical authors think the Earth was set on unmovable pillars? (Isaiah 24:18, Psalms 93:1, 1 Samuel 2:8)
Why did the Biblical authors think the sky was a solid dome in which the sun, moon and the stars are embedded? (Genesis 1:6-7, Psalms 148:4, Genesis 1:14-17, Proverbs 8:28) Or that God is ‘enwraped’ in clouds and walks on the dome of heaven (Job 22:14) on sky that is as hard as ‘molten mirror’? (Job 37:18)
Why does the Bible say the Earth is between 6,000 and 8,000 years old? And that it was created in 7 days? And that man is made of dirt and woman from a piece of the man’s rib? Which passages of the Bible support it being allegorical?
How are symbolic passages of the Bible distinguished from factual?
Why wasn’t Jesus able determine the symbolic from the literal? Why did Jesus think there was a worldwide flood (Luke 17:27) or that Adam and Eve were real people? (Mark 10:6, Matthew 19:4)
Why didn’t God reveal his divine authorship by mentioning something like electricity or DNA or the actual age and size of the universe? Why did God pretend not to understand the world when inspiring His authors?
Why does the Bible contain superstitious ‘remedies’ for everyday ailments that have since been cured? (e.g. the ‘bodily discharge’ in Leviticus 15)
Why didn’t God transcribe a useful medical guide into the Bible for these primitive people rather than transcribing rituals that accomplish nothing?
Why didn’t God explain how to manufacture antiseptic solutions, sterile dressings, vaccines or antibiotic creams?
Why didn’t God design the human immune system to prevent all infections in the first place and eliminate the discharges completely?
Why would God intentionally inflict human beings with all of these different types of abnormal ‘discharges’?
Who was Joseph’s father? Jacob (Matthew 1:16) or Heli? (Luke 3:23)
Why doesn’t John, Mark or Paul mention the virgin birth? Why did the early Jewish Christians deny the virgin birth?
What would we think of a teenage girl who claimed God impregnated her today?
What makes the claim any more reliable when it happened 2000 years ago in a far more superstitious society?
What is the correct recipe for the new moon sacrifice? 2 young bullocks, 1 ram and 7 lambs? (Numbers 28:11) Or, 1 young bullock, six lambs and 1 ram? (Ezekiel 46:6)
Why don’t we still perform new moon sacrifices today when Jesus endorsed the Old Testament in it’s entirety and specifically stated He was not coming to change the old law? (Matthew 5:18-19, John 14:15) Why don’t we stone our kids for answering back (Leviticus 20:9, Deuteronomy 21:18-21) or kill family members for joining different faiths? (Deuteronomy 13:6, 8-15)
Does God repent? Yes? (Genesis 6:6, I Samuel 15:11,35) or No? (Numbers 23:19)
Did the world develop many different languages after Babel? (Genesis 11:1,6-9) or prior to Babel? (Genesis 10:5) When God ‘confused the languages’ was He the author of confusion? (Genesis 11:9, 1 Corinthians 14:33)
If God created languages independently at Babel why do modern languages appear derivative of older languages?
How many horsemen did David take from Hadadezer? 700? (2 Samuel 8:4) or 7000? (1 Chronicles 18:4)
Is God a God of peace (Romans 15:33) or a ‘a man of war?’ (Exodus 15:3 – Is God a man?)
Does God want people to ‘beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Isaiah 2:4) or to prepare war, ‘beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong’? (Joel 3:9-10)
Why would Joshua command the Sun to stand still in the sky (Joshua 10:12-13) if the Sun does not move? Why did God pretend not to understand astronomy here (surely this would have been another good opportunity to demonstrate his all-knowing nature)?
Why did God and Abraham swear oaths to each other (Genesis 21:22-24, Genesis 21:31) if Jesus says, ‘swear not at all; neither by heaven . . . nor by the earth (Matthew 5:34-37) and Paul says ‘swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation’? (James 5:12)
How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign? 22? (2 Kings 8:26) or 42? (2 Chronicles 22:2)
What about Jehoiachin? Was he 18? (2 Kings 24:8) or 8? (2 Chronicles 36:9) Did he reign 3 months (2 Kings 24:8) or 3 months and 10 days? (2 Chronicles 36:9)
How many chiefs of the officers that bare the rule over the people were there? 550? (1 Kings 9:23) or 250? (2 Chronicles 8:10)
Did Saul’s daughter have any sons? Yes (2 Samuel 21:6) or No? (2 Samuel 6:23)
Was Lot Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 14:12) or brother? (Genesis 14:14)
Who sold Joseph into Egypt? Midianites (Genesis 37:36) or Ishmaelites? (Genesis 39:1)
How many baths did Solomon have? 2,000 (1 Kings 7:26) or 3,000? (2 Chronicles 4:5)
How many overseers were there on the Temple? 3,300 (1 Kings 5:16) or 3,600? (2 Chronicles 2:18)
Did Josiah die in Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29-30) or Jerusalem? (2 Chronicles 35:24)
When did Nebuzaradan come unto Jerusalem? On the 7th (2 Kings 25:8) or the 10th (Jeremiah 52:12) day of the fifth month?
How many animals went on the Ark? Two of every kind (Genesis 6:19-20) or seven of every clean animal and bird and two of every unclean animal? (Genesis 7:2-3)
How long was the flood? 40 days and nights? (Genesis 7:17, 8:6) or 150 days? (Genesis 7:24, Genesis 8:3)
Why does God forbid image-making in Exodus 20:4 and then command the making of two gold cherubs in Exodus 25:18?
Are sins and iniquities inherited for 4 generations? (Exodus 20:5) Or longer? (Deuteronomy 5:9). Or not at all? (Deuteronomy 24:16, II Chronicles 25:4, Ezekiel 18:19-20) Are we born into sin or not? (Rom 5:12, Romans 14:19, Romans 6:23)
Did David collect 200 Philistine foreskins for a wife? (1 Samuel 18:27) or did David pay 100 foreskins? (2 Samuel 3:14) Why doesn’t this currency reflect the wisdom of an all-loving God?
Did Saul consult the Lord? Yes (I Samuel 28:6) or no? (I Chronicles 10:13-14)
How did Saul die? Did he commit suicide by having his armor-bearer run him through? (I Samuel 31:4-6) or did the Amalekite kill him? (II Samuel 1:8-10) or did the the Philistines slay him? (II Samuel 21:12) or did he fall on his sword? (I Chronicles 10:4-5)
How did Baasha die in the 26th year of Asa’s reign? (I Kings 16:6-8) if he built a city in the 36th year of Asa’s reign? (II Chronicles 16:1)
How old was King Ahaziah when he began to reign? 22 (II Kings 8:26) or 42? (II Chronicles 22:2)
Will the Earth last forever? Yes (Psalms 104:5, Ecclesiastes 1:4) or no? (Hebrews 1:10-11, II Peter 3:10)
Did the apostles receive the Holy Spirit on the first Easter Sunday (John 20:22) or at Pentecost fifty days later? (Acts 1:5-8, Acts 2:1-4)
Did Paul become speechless, see nothing and hear a voice (Acts 9:7) or did he see a light and hear nothing? (Acts 22:9)
How will an army of locusts be instructed not to harm any of the grass (Revelations 9:4) if all the grass in the world is consumed by fire? (Revelations 8:7)
Why does this ‘thou shalt not kill‘ commandment advocate an infinite cycle of killing: “He that killeth any man shall surely be put to death”? (Leviticus 24:17)
How are we saved from eternal torture? Through faith (Ephesians 2:8,9, Romans 3:20, Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16) or works? (Matthew 19:16-21, James 2:24)
Is God is good? (Psalm 145:9) and without iniquity? (Deuteronomy 32:4) or does He create evil? (Isaiah 45:7)
Why does God give ‘statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live’? (Ezekiel 20:25,26)
How God did tempt Abraham (Genesis 22:1) if ‘God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man’? (James 1:13)
Why does Luke write that Jesus was born at the time when Caesar Augustus required everyone to take part in a census (at which time Quirinius was governor of Syria and Herod was king of Judea) if (a) No historian of the Roman Empire makes any mention of a universal census in the reign of Augustus? (b) King Herod died four years before the Common Era began? And (c) Quirinius was not the governor of Syria during the reign of Herod?
Why can Bible numerics be reproduced in any other work of literature? [further, reading]
Why has the Revival Fellowship started withdrawing Ivan Panin’s book from the bookstores? Why hasn’t this been publicly addressed?
Further reading:
Bible Contradictions
Bible Numerics in the RCI (PDF)
Criticism of the Bible
Ethics in the Bible
Science and the Bible
Slavery in the Bible
The Bible and history
The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible
Creationists And The Scriptural Value Of Pi
What the Bible says about…
This whole bible thing just keeps getting more and more absurd. Is God the author of confusion?
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I’ve heard of “liberal Christians” claiming that the errors in the Bible don’t matter because God just “inspired” the book and man has since corrupted it.
This doesn;t cut it for me. My issue with this approach is simply how do they possibly take Christianity with any seriousness as the the Bible is the only book it’s documented in? E.g. if the Bible can’t be relied on for science or morals or modern day ethics etc, how reliable are the claims of supernatural – the very core ideas of Christianity?
JS
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Well James, clearly you are not walking in the spirit brother. I suggest you pray in tongues more and leave this senseless study of the Bible behind. Sure we must study the Bible but not too much coz it will deplete your faith. Remember one or two cliche scriptures from Hebrews eleven is what you need. Get more involved in youth and working bees…. Basicaly stop being a d head and lose your objectivity coz it will steal you from God. Oh and remember the Elizabeth young peoples ruleing on rap clothes coz apparently these are bad for your walk too. No alcohol, no premarital sex, no dancing, no being alone in a car with a girl, no excessive signs of emotion, no speaking in tongues in church services( unless in gifts), no questioning the pastors, no night clubs, no worldly music, no out after 12, no independent thought, no careers in showbiz as it will pull you from god, no breathing in excess, basically nothing that could make you experience the world at large.
Oh and that rational questioning mind god gave you, get rid of that too. Don’t be such a sinner.
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In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet.
Dear Dr. Laura:
Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination … End of debate.
I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.
1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female,provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?
2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to killhim myself, or should I ask the police to do it?
6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there ‘degrees’ of abomination?
7. Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?
8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean,but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws?(Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I’m confident you can help.
Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.
Your adoring fan.
James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus, Dept. Of Curriculum, Instruction,and Special Education
University of Virginia
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All your ‘contradictions’ in scripture have been noticed before, believe it or not. You are not making earth shattering discoveries here.
Christian apologetics have covered the issues you raise.
Revivalists are clearly misinformed when it comes to Christian theology so please clarify, this site is denouncing the Revival Fellowship’s teachings, yes?
If you are trying to denounce God, you are a fool.
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Interesting choice of words, Anon.
Did you know Jesus threatened “Hell fire” to anyone who used the word “fool”? (Matt 5:22) Let’s just ignore that bit.
Did you also know that Paul admits that the “preaching of the cross” is foolishness? (1 Corinthians 1:18-29) The Greek word translated “foolishness” is μωρία (mōria) from which we get the English word, moronic. Isn’t it interesting that the guy who invented Christianity acknowledges it is foolish to believe it’s central tenet: but God planned it that way “to confound the wise”? It seems that, according to Paul, God wants man to sacrifice his intellect in order to be saved. What a stroke of luck: being a fool is a Christian requisite! I have no doubt the “christian apologetics” you read satisfied your Biblically-allocated intellect.
Your suggestion that the contradictions posted here have “been noticed before” does not absolve them of their inconsistency! I cannot fathom the ‘logic’ that could reach such a conclusion. There only needs to be one contradiction in the Bible to invalidate Jesus’ claim that “scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).
A Psalmist writes, “the fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1-3). Perhaps the two of you can discuss this tomfoolery in warmth of Hell fire, while I come up with something “earth shattering” for you to ponder.
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i think not. the scripture does not say anything about the use of the word, except against somebody. (“Whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire”.)
your interpretation and quoting of scripture seems somewhat erroneous; and as you have no respect for it, i don’t expect anything else.
let’s look at the verse you mention – 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. So in answer to your question, No, that’s not what Paul writes.
Paul does not request a sacrifice of intellect to be saved, he proclaims an empowerment of God unto those who are being saved.
Yes they did satisfy*.
I didn’t say that because these “contradictions” your site mentions have been noticed before absolves their inconsistency, but I did point out my answer to that* (one you wouldn’t accept, no doubt).
i think you need to re-think your statement that Jesus cannot validate every word he spoke by his own power. Jesus said that he only says what the Father tells him to say.
maybe you should ponder on that psalm, moron.
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