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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 author of this page also freely
acknowledges that many derive true healing and spiritual fulfillment
from Christianity; it's all in the intention. This page targets those
who use any religion as a weapon.
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 preserved for more than a millennium
when it was finally canonized by the scribe Ezra, in 444 B.C.E. This was
the first 'religion of the book,' written and kept by people who had
been in and out of exile, and with whom 'God had formed a special bond.'
The early Jewish editors were rigorously conservative, and kept the book
to the basics. It was written mostly in Hebrew, with some Aramaic and
Chaldean.
Before the
Bible was canonized (from the Hebrew kaneh, meaning 'cane,'
or'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.
There were
also the numerous claimants to being "Messiah" that annoyed Jewish
authorities off and on through the centuries.
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 5,760 years.
Rabbi Jesus
adhered to the ancient Jewish system of laws, and was a devout Jew, but
rejected legalistic corruption in the Jewish establishment. For this,
conservative Jewish authorities rejected Jesus, and made it easy for the
Romans to crucify him.
Scholars
agree that the Gospels were written long after the events they describe,
and NOT by people who actually walked with Jesus.
Paul of Tarsus
Hellenized the story of Jesus, removed its Jewishness, grafted on Pagan
Greek ideas, and opened the gates to hordes of converts. The multitude
of Christian cults canonized their literature, and added it onto
the Torah, 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 20:5
"...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)
Should we
tell lies?
Should we
steal?
Shall we keep
the Sabbath?
Shall we make
Graven images?
Are we
"saved" through works?
Should good
works be seen?
Should we own
slaves?
Does God
change his mind?
Are we
punished for our parent's sins?
Is God good
or evil?
Is God
Peaceable?
Was Jesus
trustworthy?
Shall we call
people names?
Has anyone
seen God?
How many gods
are there?
Are we all
sinners?
When was
Jesus crucified?
Shall we obey
the law?
Just because
these can be "explained" doesn't mean that they don't exist. Healthy
religion contains the spirit of debate, like Jacob wrestling with the
angel. The fundamentalist attitude that "everything is carved in stone,
finished" is unsustainable.
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. The Bible's
commandments are comparable to Hindu, Buddhist, or many other
rule-systems, and serve societies well. 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.
Here's part
of another email received in 2000:
...Jesus didn't fulfill any of the
Messianic prophecies. Elijah didn't foretell him and he isn't a son of
David. The Christian Scriptures are not historically accurate in their
presentation of Pilate, and the entire writing is suspect. The
resurrection narrative stands as a terribly garbled account. The theme
of a dying Messiah who atones for sin is not to be found in Jewish
sources, but is found in abundance in pagan mythology. How can any
thinking person be a Christian?
Michael
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 judgment. |