BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS
The Bible consists of materials (diaries, letters, narratives, written and oral histories)
that survived Catholic editors who were motivated by politics and not, as is obvious to anyone free of
theological bias, logic. In other cases, things that seem illogical in the Bible were left exactly as the translators
found them, out of reverence for the text. They didn't understand, so they transcribed as exactly as they
could. Parts that had more mystical or almost Buddhist overtones were left out altogether. Many writings were
systematically destroyed to favor the mystically vacant and emotionally mean orthodoxy. (The purpose of
this page is to show the futility of dogma; it is not to denigrate the Bible, an amazing compendium of
literature, and one of only a few surviving books of the ancient world. The Bible is a monument of human
thought -but alas, its defenders systematically eradicated the competition, to create an illusion
that the Bible was the only great text.)
The 'Bible' is not always considered to include the New Testament, either. It is important
to note that the 'Bible,' to the Jews, does not include the New Testament, which is seen to some as an
opportunistic add-on. The Christian experience of religion is radically different than the Jewish, so
inconsistencies seem inevitable when the two are bound together in one book.
The Jewish Bible was passed on and carefully translated for more than a millennium when it
was finally canonized in about 250 B.C. This was the first 'religion of the book,' written and kept by
people who were in exile more than not, and with whom 'God had formed a special bond.' The early Jewish
editors were rigorously conservative, and kept the book to the basics.
Before the Bible was canonized (a Greek work meaning 'upright'), there were prophets
everywhere. Jews were literate early on, and many considered themselves authors, commentators, or prophets.
Prophecy dwindled after canonization, as the older (and official) texts gained authority.
Some of the Jewish innovations were the concept of 'ethical monotheism,' and a system of
covenants with an immediate, personal deity. The one-on-one relationship with the creator was
democratizing; for a homeless, captive people, it provided a way around 'the system.' The Jewish idea of being
'The Chosen People' has been causing friction for 5,800 years.
After Rabbi Jesus, and Paul, the multitude of Christian cults canonized their literature,
and grafted the Hebrew Torah and Maseratic texts onto it, calling the combined material the
"Old" and "New" Testaments.
The Bible is fractal- filled with thickets and labyrinths, and that is why people love it.
It has as many contradictions as any other thought system; and is seen by some as a form of poetry.
Here are a few of the contradictions:
Should we kill?
Ex. 20:13 Thou shalt not commit murder.
Ex. 32:27 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, put every man his sword by his side...and
slay every man his
brother...companion..neighbor.(See also 1 Sam. 6:19; 15:2,3; Num. 15:36)
Ex 20:5 "...for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..." (see also Ex 34:14,
Deut 4:24, Josh 24:19, and Nah
1:2)
Gal 5:19-20 "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are...jealousy..."
(See also 2 Cor 12:20)
Should we tell lies?
Ex. 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness.(Prov. 12:22; Rev. 21:8)
1 Kings 22:23 The Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and
the Lord hath
spoken evil concerning thee. (II Thess. 2:11; Josh. 2:4-6 with James 2:25)
Should we steal?
Ex. 20:15 Thou shalt not steal. (lev. 19:13)
Ex. 3:22. And ye shall spoil the Egyptians. (Ex. 12:35-36; Luke 19:29-33)
Shall we keep the Sabbath?
Ex. 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. (Ex. 31:15; Num. 15:32,36)
Is. 1:13 The new moons and the Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it
is iniquity. (John
5:16; Matt. 12:1-5)
Shall we make Graven images?
Ex. 20:4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that
is in
heaven...earth...water. (Lev. 26:1)
EX. 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them.
Are we "saved" through works?
Eph. 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith...not of works. (Rom. 3:20, 28; Gal.
2:16)
James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.(Matt.
19:16-21)
Should good works be seen?
Matt. 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works. (I Peter
2:12)
Matt. 6:1-4 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them...that thine
alms may be in
secret. (Matt. 23:5)
Should we own slaves?
Lev. 25:45-46 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them
shall ye
buy...and they shall be your posession...they shall be your bondmen forever. (Gen. 9:25;
Ex. 21:2,7; Joel 3:8;
Luke 12:47; Col. 3:22)
Is. 58:6 Undo the heavy burdens...break every yoke. (Matt. 23:10)
Does God change his mind?
Mal. 3:6. For I am the Lord; I change not. Num. 23:19 God is not a man, that he should
lie; neither the son
of man, that he should repent. (Ezek. 24:14; James 1:17)
Ex. 32:14. And the Lord repented of the evil which he had thought to do unto his people.
(Gen. 6:6; Jonah
3:10; Sam. 2:30-31; II Kings 20:1-6; Num. 16:20-35)
Are we punished for our parent's sins?
Ex. 20:5 For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children unto
the third and fourth generations. (Ex. 34:7)
Ezek. 18:20 The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.
Is God good or evil?
Psa. 145:9. The Lord is good to all. (Deut. 32:4; James 1:13)
Is. 45:7 I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things. (Lam 3:38; Jer.
18:11; Ezek. 20:25)
Is God Peaceable?
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. (Luke 2:14; Acts 10:36)
Matt. 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth, I came not to send peace, but
a sword. (Matt.
10:35-37; Luke 22:36)
Was Jesus trustworthy?
John 8:14 Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true.
John 5:31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
Shall we call people names?
Matt. 5:22 Whosoever shall say Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire.
Matt. 23:17 (Jesus said) Ye fools and blind.
Has anyone seen God?
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at anytime. (Ex 33:20; Tim. 6:16; John 6:46; I John 4:12)
Gen. 32:30 For I have seen god face to face. (Ex. 33:11, 23; Is. 6:1; Job 42:5)
How many gods are there?
Deut. 6:4 The Lord or God is one Lord.
Gen. 1:26 And God said, let us make man in our image.(Gen. 3:22; I John 5:7)
Are we all sinners?
Rom. 3:23 For all have sinned. (Rom. 3:10; Psa.14;3)
Job 1:1 There was a man... whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright. (Gen.
7:1; Luke
1:5-6)
When was Jesus crucified?
Mark 15:22 and it was the third hour, and they crucified him.
John 19:14-15 And about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But
they cried
out...crucify him!"
Shall we obey the law?
I Peter 2:13 Submit yourself to every ordinance of man.
Acts 5:29 We ought to obey God rather than men.
Just as you can make any sentence you like from the dictionary by choosing certain words,
you can prove any point you want by juggling the millions of concepts in the Bible. This is something
that ardent Christians are adept at.
There are strains of the Christian church who refer to the Bible as a 'Sword'. The
metaphor becomes real when they attack the freedoms of others. These contradictions are pointed out
for their sake. Many good people believe the Bible is literally God's Word ('sWord?!?), and
reverence it and its teachings appropriately. But Jesus said:"Put up again thy sword into his
place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword."(Matt.26:52.)
The Buddhist concept of Sword is called 'Prajna'- 'cutting-through' wisdom. This can be
related to a line from a letter of Paul's to the Hebrews where he says: "For the word of God is quick,
and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
(Hebrews:4.12.)
The Bible is perhaps a potent device for meditation or prayer, or a comfort in times of
loneliness, grief or adversity, but when used as a weapon, it loses its validity. Any way that people can feel
peace, or improve their lives, shouldn't be disrespected. Unfortunately for peaceful believers, the fanatics
twist something sacred into an ugly parody of itself.
I received the following e-mail three years ago:
"i don't know what bible you got the verse's out of but you need to look them up your
self they are wrong i looked up some and it don't read that away"
Wow! I almost don't know what to say. It is not 'doctored,' as some insist; at least not
by myself. Either way, it allows for this disclaimer:
Some passages have been condensed for the sake of brevity, as in the following example:
Exodus 32:27 reads:'slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man
his neighbor',
and on this page has been shortened to 'slay every man his
brother...companion...neighbor-"
Bible defenders present mountains of verbiage trying to rationalize Biblical
contradictions-further proving that any point can be backed up by something in the Bible. The Bible is so fraught with
ambiguity that it makes perfect fodder for endless debate. Like newspaper astrologers or the Oracle at
Delphi, its pronouncements are always open to interpretation- rendering them useful only to those
willing to suspend rational judgement.
About Context
There is the complaint that some of these lines are taken out of context. But the point is
this: If the Bible is the perfect mind of deity, why are there any contradictions at all? Why must one resort to
confused and complex explanations to justify them?
And, if a single sentence is flexible in regard to its context, then why are other
solitary passages given so much import? For example the line 'in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Ghost' appears only once in the entire Bible,(Matthew 28:19) and yet it is at the center of one of the
great concepts of Christianity, the trinity.
If the context neutralizes what appears to be a contradiction, then doesn't the context
also neutralize everything else in the book? The Bible is a compendium of powerful metaphors; it is a
fascinating, compelling labyrinth that can be an arsenal for its scholars; but it is NOT the
'Infallible, Ultimate Authority.'
Even if the context of a passage changes the meaning so much that it 'no longer
contradicts,' the fact is, that the apparent contradiction is enough to prove the point that there are contradictions,
even if trivial.
About Morality
Religion or "God" are not the sources of morality. The immorality of some who
claim to be righteous and holy, and the goodness of many without religion, demonstrates this. Religion and morality
are two separate concepts that sometimes overlap, but that are really independent of each other. When
religionists proclaim that theirs is the one true faith and attempt to convert or destroy those who believe
differently, they are committing immorality of a most dangerous kind.
'Satan' is a Christian invention. Bible belt teenagers becoming 'devil worshipers' and
going on killing sprees are the obvious products of a fundamentalist environment; borne of parents who see evil
everywhere, from Care Bears to rock and roll, these kids rebel in the easiest way: becoming what their
parents most fear. They do it by claiming belief in a "religion" that owes its very existence to
Christianity. (And yes, Anton
Lavey).
The Christian obsession with the Devil and witchcraft actually fosters and propagates what
they try so hard to repress.
Leviticus has dire warnings against even touching the skin of pigs-doesn't this imperil
the souls of Christian football players?
If one can see through to the underlying metaphor (or parable), and glean the good from
scripture, fine. But justifying intolerance with dogmatic fixation on the literal inerrancy of every line in
the book leads to simplistic conclusions, and often contradictory ones.
Fundamentalists are obsessed with making the world clear cut and orderly. Subtlety or
complexity upsets and confuses them. Alternate points of view, or attitudes of flexibility or openness drive
them crazy. Possessed by their own fear of destabilization, they are driven to impose their will on
others. They even view their inflexibility as a virtue. Their fear and mistrust feeds on itself, and grows
exponentially.
These people to the left are protesting against
homosexuality. They are pretending that their bigotry
has some sort of spiritual component or basis. Their
actions prove, of course, that they are quite removed
from anything spiritual. Their myopia makes it
impossible for them to understand that sexuality is not
something chosen, like one chooses a shirt, or a
religion. Click here to learn more about these
hate-drunk zealots.
It has been said that the fundamentalist mind is like concrete; all mixed up and
permanently set.
'Creationists' insist that when evolution is taught in schools it should be preceded with
the disclaimer that 'It is only a theory.'
Perhaps when teaching 'creation science,' that class should be preceded with the
disclaimer:'The Bible consists entirely of mythology, incomplete history, and unprovable claims.' Many Christian
doctrines cannot be proven - faith is NOT proof. Nor is the fact that it is written in black and white
proof.
The fact that fundamentalists of every stripe, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, all claim
that they and only they are going to heaven - brings down the whole house of cards. How could they all be
right? They are all equally convinced, equally fooled, and equally brainwashed.
Creationism = Cretinism
From the Oxford English Dictionary:
cre.tin \kre-t-*n, esp Brit 'kre-tin\ \-*s\ n [F cre`tin, fr. F dial. cretin Christian,
human being, kind of idiot found in the Alps, fr. L christianus Christian : one afflicted with cretinism; broadly : a
person with marked mental deficiency - cre.tin.ous aj (Not all dictionaries contain this reference. It is not
popular, and occurs only in older or encyclopedic volumes.)
They say: "Read the Bible with an open mind" which really means "Read the
Bible with your mind shut off-"
Why attack Christianity? Ask all of the people they have attacked. Look at their arrogant
dismissal of all other beliefs. Look at their bad taste-- bumper stickers that say: "Christians aren't
perfect; they're just forgiven." (The implication here is that they are nearly perfect; still better than
nonbelievers. They have conveniently absolved themselves of sin, speaking in behalf of their imaginary saviour.)
The crass insensitivity of Fundamentalist zealots is revealed in their opportunism - their
habit of targeting people in grief or difficulty. One approached a friend's mother after he broke his neck,
hinting that her resistance to Christianity was the cause. The notion that a pack of irrational nonsense
would have prevented a car accident, or that it would cure a broken neck is annoying enough; but the egotism of
someone trying to get another 'notch on their gun' at such a sensitive time is apalling. Of course, some Christians genuinely want to help the world, and actually do. There's
nothing wrong with that. But one thing leads to another, and before you know it, you've got Shiite Moslems,
or Calvinists, or the Promise Keepers.
They claim it is 'compassion' that drives them to proselytize; but it is not. Nagging
doubt presses them to convert others, for when others fall in line, the Christian mythos gets another 'yes'
vote, so it must be right.
Callous, xenophobic, and lacking experience of the larger world, fundamentalists see the
devil's hoofprints everywhere, in anything outside of their sheltered, one-dimensional existence.
Fundamentalists personify the 'Ugly Americans.' (Elsewhere in the world, United States
citizens have a reputation for being loud, insensitive, pushy, infantile, and myopic; hence "Ugly
Americans.") Fundies acheive this within our own borders, with the same selfish oblivion to the experience of
others. Like the loudmouthed polyester-clad boor in Mexico, the Fundie assumes that everyone speaks his
language, and that they're just pretending not to. If he's just loud enough, and pushy enough, 'these
half-wits will get the point.' The natives shudder and avert their eyes in disgust. Believe it or not, different
people and cultures can have a different experience of the world than the one in Tulsa, or Dade City.
The fundamentalist inability to appreciate the mystical side of their religion is most to
be pitied. Were they able to see more deeply, they would become more flexible, and healthy.
Christian Ayatollahs whip their sheep into frenzies by scapegoating and playing on their
fears. Simplistic solutions ignore the life-realities of people not in the cult. Spoon-feeding selected
propaganda to their flocks, the Mullah-Pastors transmit the 'word-' at least their version of it.
The translators and compilers of the Bible left out many things crucial to Jesus' message,
because his message was love and did not allow for a corrupt 'religious' bureaucracy.
"He who begins by loving Christianity better than Truth will proceed by loving his
own sect or church better than Christianity, and end by loving himself better than all." Samuel
Taylor
Coleridge (1772-1834)
"Fanaticism is...overcompensation for doubt." - Robertson Davies, the Manticore
"Why do born-again people so often make you wish they'd never been born the first
time?" -
Katherine Whitehorn, British Journalist, The Observer, May 20, 1979
"In order to justify their behavior, they turn their theories into dogmas, their
bylaws into First Principles, their political bosses into Gods and all those who disagree with them into
incarnate devils. This idolatrous transformation of the relative into the Absolute and the all too
human into the Divine, makes it possible for them to indulge their ugliest passions with a clear conscience and in the certainty that they are working for the Highest Good. And when the current beliefs come, in their turn, to look silly, a new set will be invented, so that
the immemorial madness may continue to wear its customary mask of legality, idealism, and true religion."
(Aldous Huxley, The Devils of Loudun, 1952, Harper and Brothers, NY, NY.)
"What if we chose the wrong religion? We just making God madder and madder every
Sunday." Homer J. Simpson.
"Organized Christianity has probably done more to retard the ideals that were its
founder's than any other agency in the world." - Richard Le Gallienne (Peter)
"Every judgement teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to
become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty." Frank
Herbert,
Dune 1965
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