Miscellaneous Bible Contradictions.

A friend of mine recently expressed some concern regarding the possible existence of contradictions within the Bible, so I thought that it would only be fair to place them here, for her and others to have a look at and if they wish, comment on.

Please bear in mind that the reason that these are here is not because I am an anti-Christian or Christian basher. It is because, there are certain persons who wield great power in the various churches around the world, and these persons would like to convince others that the Bible is something that it is not, namely an infallible document of indisputable truths. In fact, as can be seen from the examples below, the Bible whatever it's ultimate origin is undeniably self-contradictory in parts.

This would only be a minor point if it were not for the fact that these above-mentioned persons are using this claim of infallibility of the Bible to push positions that are:

 
  1. Either not related to the original texts, such as "Role Playing is evil",
  2. In direct contradiction to certain parts of the Bible, such as "Meditation is evil"
  3. Directly conflict with our modern scientific understanding of the universe, such as "The universe is less than 10,000 years old"
  4. Stand in direct opposition to any form of common sense. "Every breed of land animal in existence (including dinosaurs) had at least two of its number on an Ark that measured about 150 * 25 * 30 m for over a year."

I have nothing against informed belief in any type of religion, as long as those who promote it are willing to see and understand the inconsistencies in their own position, especially where it relates to the real world.

If you have read my own philosophies on life, I am sure that you could drive a truck through some of the ideas. I accept and acknowledge that, but then again, they are largely my ideas, and still a work in progress. Indeed, I hope I never stop refining them, to do so would be to close my eyes to the potential for truth.

Ultimately, when examining contradictions between the Bible and the observable world, any Fundamentalist Christian, is free to just say, "God did it", and that is perfectly fine.

Such a response, needless to say, has its own hazards, but I will not venture down that path at this stage.

All references are drawn from the New International Version (NIV).

 

Genesis 11:12

"When Aprphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah"

 

But in Luke 3:35 - 36, the chronology goes something like this:

"The son of Eber,

The son of Shelah,

The son of Cainanm

The son of Arphaxad"

 

Which would tend to indicate that poor old Shelah was in the uncomfortable position of having two fathers.

 

Joshua 24:32

"And Joseph's bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the tract of land that Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. This became the inheritance of Joseph's descendants."

 

Acts 7:15 - 16

"Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our father's died. Their bodies were bought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money."

 

The sons of Hamor seem to have been a dishonest bunch of buggers, selling as they did the same piece of land to two different persons, for exactly the same use!! (Where's Sixty Minutes when you need them?)

 

 

2 Samuel 24:24

"But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings, that cost me nothing".

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

1 Chronicles 21:24 - 25

But King David replied to Araunah, "No I insist in paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing."

So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site. David built an altar the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.

 

It seems here that the amount paid to the poor Araunah was destined to cause havoc with his next tax return as he bravely tackled with conflicting claims.

The only hope here lies in claiming that the site mentioned in the second passage is not the same as that mentioned in the first, but this seems to be a somewhat ridiculous explanation to me.

 

 

Mathew 15:22

"Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possesion."

Mark 8:24 - 26

Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep it secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

 

Viva le Multiculturalism. Somehow this culturally diverse woman has acquired two nationalities of Birth, Canaanite and Greek.

Don't tell Pauline Hanson that this is possible!

 

 

This will do us for the moment, but before I leave you please:

 

Follow your own Intuitions,

Examine all the evidence,

Welcome other's criticisms and views,

Keep a skeptical, yet open mind,

But most of all,

Question your own beliefs and

Don't censor your own doubts!

 

P.S. Its OK to sit on the fence, until you know which paddock contains the Bull.

 

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