I found these items on a webpage. What do you think of them?

Question

1. The very first page of the Old Testament opens right up with contradictory descriptions of the creation (Genesis 1 vs. Genesis 2). For example, if the Institute for Creation Research sought relevant information from Genesis, would they determine that plants were created, then animals, then humans (Genesis 1), or humans, then plants then animals (Genesis 2)?

3. Apostles James and Paul disagreed about a key doctrine: whether "salvation" is by faith alone, or faith and works combined. Compare the direct contradictions (when analyzed for parallel vocabulary and parallel grammatical structure in the original language) in wording between Romans 3:28 and James 2:24.

Additional scriptures support faith alone (Romans 3:27-28 & 4:6; II Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16; Titus 3:5), while others specify the need for works / good deeds (Matt 16:27, Revelations 2:26 & 20:12; 2 Timothy 4:14; Philippians 2:12; James 2:24-26).

2. Likewise, the very first page of the New Testament introduces another major contradiction: inconsistent genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke. Some have "explained" this by saying that Luke is the genealogy of Mary; such a claim acknowledges error, since Luke specifically states that it is the genealogy of JOSEPH [Luke 3:23], just like Matthew [Matt 1:16]. So, either there is a contradiction (Matthew says that Jacob is the father of Joseph; Luke says Heli is the father of Joseph, and from there back to Solomon not a single name is the same; not even the same number of generations), or one of them is making an incorrect statement about a relevant fact for Jesus' claim to the House of David.

4. One of the most debated issues of the Bible, which is heatedly contested among modern Christian denominations, is whether sin can be passed from one generation to another (some Christian sects even teach that humans are born with inherited sins all the way back from Adam, while others do not). These contentious disagreements stem from the Bible's own contradictory statements on the subject:
Deuteronomy 23:2, Isaiah 14:21-22, and Exodus 20:5 all assert that the iniquities of the fathers are passed down through their descendants, while Deuteronomy 24:16 and Ezekiel 18:20 state the opposite.

Science errors:
Aside from contemporary issues such as creationism vs. evolution, the Bible contains many other simple scientific errors:Leviticus 11:6 asserts that hares chew the cud like cows; they do not.
Deut 14:8 classifies bats as birds; they are not birds, they are mammals
Leviticus 11:20-23 describes flying insects such as beetles and grasshoppers and locusts as having four legs; they have six.
Not surprisingly, those promoting the Bible as the sole authority on science tend to avoid some of these more embarrassing verses.

The Bible is pro-slavery. There are many examples in the Old Testament where slavery was approved by God; it was even COMMANDED that captives in war be taken as slaves (Num 31; Joshua 9:23). Leviticus 25:44-46 outlines the do's and dont's of permissible slavery. Verse 46 specifically permits slavery, as long as fellow Hebrews are not the slaves. In the kinder, gentler New Testament, Paul wrote that slaves should be obedient to their masters (Eph 6:5-7 & Titus 2:9-10). In IPeter 2:18, it is even specified to be submissive both to masters who are overbearing as well as gentle! Why didn't they speak out against this moral outrage? Were they afraid of the law? They could at least have remained neutral on the subject

Exodus 35:2 clearly states that those who work on the Sabbath should be put to death. Do Bible believers feel they are morally obligated to personally kill those with jobs on Sunday (or Saturday, depending on how literally one interprets the meaning of "Sabbath" as applied in modern times)?

Lev. chapter 21, verses 17-24, makes it very clear that those with a variety of disabilities are not welcome to approach the altar of God. Will Bible believers initiate a campaign to overturn the wicked Americans with Disabilities Act? Verse 20 specifically mentions any defect or "blemish" in one's vision. I have to admit that I wear prescription glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Deut. 23:1-2 Commands that a man wounded in the genitals be considered an outcast, and that a bastard (the innocent child of illicit sexual relations) be outcast "even to his tenth generation." (No wonder abortion was practiced, and permitted in the law -- and in fact, is not prohibited in any place in the Bible.)

Exodus 22:18 COMMANDS the killing of witches. Lev 20:27 (KJV) commands the killing of WIZARDS (Does that include the Wizard of Oz?)

2 Kings 2:23-24 shows that God, through his prophet Elisha, causes two she-bears to attack 42 "small boys" simply because they made fun of Elisha's baldness.

Judges 11:29-40 God's covenant with Jephthah requires Jephthah to give his virgin daughter as burnt offering, and it is done.


Here is the website this is all from. Remember its not me stating this, but the people on the website


http://www.wordwiz72.com/bible.html

Answer 1

I think you need to go buy yourself a good-old concordance...You will find out that just because they may use the same word in the English language, according to the original Greek and Hebrew languages, it may be a very different meaning for the same word...Look at the word wine, for instance, the Bible says, wine is okay, it also says that wine is not okay...If you look it up the specific usage in the concordance, then you will see that sometimes wine is referring to strong drink, sometimes it is juice, and sometimes it is a character trait of someone...So, does that mean that wine is okay? No, it means that when the Bible is referring to wine as good, then it is not speaking of the alcoholic beverage we speak of today...Hope this helps and God bless!

Answer 2

These issues are old and have been rebutted over and over again (including here in Y!A). Most of these alleged "errors" are based on a poor English translation of the Hebrew & Greek (blame King James), or a poor understanding of the culture of the Bible authors (I.E. : ancient figures of speech) or a poor understanding of the Bible itself.

For example, is salvation by faith or by works? James does NOT say that salvation is by works; rather James says that works are the END RESULT of faith (I.E.: how you act shows what you really believe in). So James does NOT contradict Paul.

As for the "hare" in Leviticus 11:6, the FOOTNOTE in any cheap Bible will tell you that is is a translational error made by the King James translators who had a limited knowledge of Hebrew. The Hebrew word seems to be referring to the rock badger, not the rabbit.

As for the Levitical laws that those with blimishes or bad eyesight cannot approach the altar of God, if you actually READ the Bible, you would notice that the curse of the Levitical Law has be abolished by the New Testament (Acts 10; Galatians 3-5).

As for Luke 3:23, was Joseph the SON of Heli, or the SON-IN-LAW of Heli? Either term would probably translate into English literally as SON.

Do your own homework.

Answer 3

Randy G is right in that most of these so called contradictions have been answered. A few are new to me but it would take some time to check them out for myself. Example of a new one I looked up. Grasshoppers do have 6 legs however the scripture is right in Leviticus 11: verses 21 and 22 where it says that grasshoppers are insects that creep (or walk) on all fours. The 2 front legs and the 2 middle legs of a grasshopper are the legs used for walking. The 2 large rear legs are the jumping legs. An assumption is being made that because the Bible says that grasshoppers walk on 4 legs then a grasshopper must only have four legs. This is a classic case of where an assumption that can be easily made proves to be wrong. There are other so called contradictions that are based on faulty assumptions also.

Answer 4

yes i agree the bible is full of some contradictions. Most of those mentioned although not all are from the old testament. I believe that when Jesus came and died for our sins that this old levitical law is no longer what we have in place. I know some people completely disagree with me on that. I think the sermon on the mount is where you find what you should be living by according to Jesus teachings.

Answer 5

Nice outline of some of the inconsistencies in the text. There are myraid others. It is difficult to understand how some will choose to believe in the inerrancy of the scriptures. That's what turns so many people off of Christianity, I think, is that the mainstream has a tendency to discourage critical thought when it comes to the Bible and theology. Many, I believe, have turned the Bible into God, which is of course idolotry. I would still contend that the Bible is God's word, but a word that has been mediated through human beings, which will necessarily contain error and bias.

Answer 6

To answer your question. I think these are issues that need to be explained by research and prayer to the one who has all the answers and faith to receive them. Alot of things hear are The Law (given to the children of Israel) not for us today to follow.Salvation is not in following the Law but by faith, which will be evident in your life and works. Seek and you shall find.