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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. |
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