Hyperx
03-28-06, 07:34 PM
A List of Biblical Contradictions
Jim Meritt
Subject: A List of Biblical Contradictions
By: Jim Meritt
Date: 1992-07-24
All of my statements, past, present and future express solely my opinions and/or beliefs and do not in any way represent those of any of my employer's unless such is specifically stated in the content of the text.
Table of Contents
* Introduction to contradictions
* References
* Contributors
Contradictions
* God good to all, or just a few?
* War or Peace?
* Who is the father of Joseph?
* Who was at the Empty Tomb?
* Is Jesus equal to or lesser than?
* Which first--beasts or man?
* The number of beasts in the ark
* How many stalls and horsemen?
* Is it folly to be wise or not?
* Human vs. ghostly impregnation
* The sins of the father
* The bat is not a bird
* Rabbits do not chew their cud
* Insects do NOT have four feet
* Snails do not melt
* Fowl from waters or ground
* Odd genetic engineering
* The shape of the earth
* Snakes, while built low, do not eat dirt
* Earth supported?
* Heaven supported too
* The hydrological cycle
* Order of creation
* Moses' personality
* Righteous live?
* Jesus' first sermon plain or mount?
* Jesus' last words
* Years of famine
* Moved David to anger?
* The GENEALOGY OF JESUS?
* God be seen?
* CRUEL, UNMERCIFUL, DESTRUCTIVE, and FEROCIOUS or KIND, MERCIFUL, and GOOD
* Tempts?
* Judas died how?
* Ascend to heaven
* What was Jesus' prediction regarding Peter's denial?
* How many time did the cock crow?
* Who killed Saul
* How many beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount
* Does every man sin?
* Who bought potter's field?
* Who prophesied the potter's field?
* Who bears guilt?
* Do you answer a fool?
* How many children did Michal, the daughter of Saul, have?
* How old was Jehoiachin when he began to reign?
* Marriage?
* Did those with Saul/Paul at his conversion hear a voice?
* Where was Jesus three days after his baptism?
* How many apostles were in office between the resurection and ascention?
* Judging
* Good deeds
* For or against?
* Whom did they see at the tomb?
* God change?
* Destruction of cities (what said was jeremiah was zechariah)
* Who's sepulchers?
* Strong drink?
* When second coming?
* Solomon's overseers
* The mother of Abijah
* When did Baasha die?
* How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign?
* Who was Josiah's successor?
* The differences in the census figures of Ezra and Nehemiah
* What was the color of the robe placed on Jesus during his trial?
* What did they give him to drink?
* How long was Jesus in the tomb?
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' 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:
1. "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...
2. "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.
3. "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?
4. "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.
5. "That is a miracle." Naturally. That is why it is stated as fact.
6. "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.
continue (http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jim_meritt/bible-contradictions.html)
Jim Meritt
Subject: A List of Biblical Contradictions
By: Jim Meritt
Date: 1992-07-24
All of my statements, past, present and future express solely my opinions and/or beliefs and do not in any way represent those of any of my employer's unless such is specifically stated in the content of the text.
Table of Contents
* Introduction to contradictions
* References
* Contributors
Contradictions
* God good to all, or just a few?
* War or Peace?
* Who is the father of Joseph?
* Who was at the Empty Tomb?
* Is Jesus equal to or lesser than?
* Which first--beasts or man?
* The number of beasts in the ark
* How many stalls and horsemen?
* Is it folly to be wise or not?
* Human vs. ghostly impregnation
* The sins of the father
* The bat is not a bird
* Rabbits do not chew their cud
* Insects do NOT have four feet
* Snails do not melt
* Fowl from waters or ground
* Odd genetic engineering
* The shape of the earth
* Snakes, while built low, do not eat dirt
* Earth supported?
* Heaven supported too
* The hydrological cycle
* Order of creation
* Moses' personality
* Righteous live?
* Jesus' first sermon plain or mount?
* Jesus' last words
* Years of famine
* Moved David to anger?
* The GENEALOGY OF JESUS?
* God be seen?
* CRUEL, UNMERCIFUL, DESTRUCTIVE, and FEROCIOUS or KIND, MERCIFUL, and GOOD
* Tempts?
* Judas died how?
* Ascend to heaven
* What was Jesus' prediction regarding Peter's denial?
* How many time did the cock crow?
* Who killed Saul
* How many beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount
* Does every man sin?
* Who bought potter's field?
* Who prophesied the potter's field?
* Who bears guilt?
* Do you answer a fool?
* How many children did Michal, the daughter of Saul, have?
* How old was Jehoiachin when he began to reign?
* Marriage?
* Did those with Saul/Paul at his conversion hear a voice?
* Where was Jesus three days after his baptism?
* How many apostles were in office between the resurection and ascention?
* Judging
* Good deeds
* For or against?
* Whom did they see at the tomb?
* God change?
* Destruction of cities (what said was jeremiah was zechariah)
* Who's sepulchers?
* Strong drink?
* When second coming?
* Solomon's overseers
* The mother of Abijah
* When did Baasha die?
* How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign?
* Who was Josiah's successor?
* The differences in the census figures of Ezra and Nehemiah
* What was the color of the robe placed on Jesus during his trial?
* What did they give him to drink?
* How long was Jesus in the tomb?
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' 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:
1. "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...
2. "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.
3. "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?
4. "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.
5. "That is a miracle." Naturally. That is why it is stated as fact.
6. "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.
continue (http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jim_meritt/bible-contradictions.html)