What contradictions, specifically, are in the Bible?

Question

A lot of atheists use the contradiction argument when asked why God doesn't exist. Please, indulge me with these contradictions. Please state references and specific passages.

Answer 1

Not a bad site that Ronin put up. Please note that there only two contradictions list in the BoM. Each of which can be easily explained as to why they really aren't contradictions.

As for the bible, yes there are contradictions because age, different translations and interpretations. not to mention the law of god itself changed, or rather was added on to.

Answer 2

You have many good sites listed, check them out. The problem I've seen is that the die hard christians that want all to believe the bible is the literal word of god, go off on a rant when you point out the contradictions and inconsistances as taking the words out of context or saying that part wasn't to be taken literally. You can't have it both ways. If you have indeed read the bible you can not help but notice the errors and contradictions. So if these are indeed the inspired words of a god, they must be the words of a lesser and very confused god. It seems much more likely that the bible is only the words of men and as such are subject to errors, contradicitons, misinterpretations, falsehoods, and out and out exaggerations and lies.

Answer 3

The Bible starts with a contradiction in Genesis. Chapter 1 states that men and women were created together on the sixth day. But Chapter 2 immediately starts off stating that before there were any plants Adam was created, which would translate to the 3rd day, and then Eve was created an unspecified time later. And it just gets more contradictory from there. For example, after Cain kills Abel a mark is placed on his head for people to kill him...what other people were there? Devout Bible-thumping Christians always have some non-biblical answer for that...but how can any explanation be believed if its not stated anywhere in the Bible? I'll tell you why, because its allegory. the story is not meant to be taken litterally and, unfortunately, we have too many ignorant people in the world that would rather ignore facts than to hint at the idea that the Bible is not "God's Word" but is, in fact, "Ancient Man's Word trying to understand the existence of a God".

P.S. Wow, AME ROCKS! talk about someone who's studied it...KUDOS!

Answer 4

The "lack of understanding" argument is a contradiction in itself.
Why would the Bible deliberately be written to be incomprehensible?
If we cannot understand these passages in the Bible, then how can we claim to understand any of them?

I do not believe the Bible was meant to let us think that God loves us. I mean, there are literally THOUSANDS of occurances within the Bible of God killing men, women, children with his own hands, and also ordering his disciples to carry out the killing. I'm sorry, but the arguments here are just ludicrous.

Answer 5

If you read the Bible as a literal text, there are plenty of contradictions (see the other answers for links). However, I don't think the Bible was meant to be a literal translation.

It's a story of faith... it's not meant to be a historical recount; it's meant to tell Christians how much God loves us, and what we can do to love God.

Answer 6

II Kings 24:8
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became King and he reigned three months in Jerusalem
II Chronicles 36:9
Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem.

II Kings 8:26
Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem.
II Chronicles 22:2
Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem.

II Samuel 10:18
And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the Syrians the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen...
I Chronicles 19:18
And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footsoldiers...


Why does God need to “separate the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:18) on the fourth day when there was already “evening and morning” on the first day ? (Genesis 1:5)


Just a few of the good ones.


EDIT:
also, if you consider the bible to be a figurative piece of theological literature then you have to accredit everything in it as merely figurative language. this means there's nothing wrong with men sleeping with men, so get off it... this means that no one is going to be "saved" (whatever that means), and that god didn't create the world in 6 days.

Answer 7

Everything can be explain if you read the entire chapter or book. Dont take things out of context.

Cain said to the Lord My punishment is more than i can bear. Today you are driving me from the land and will be hidden from your presence I will be a restless wanderer on the earth.

In other words he saying you cant go back home.

Answer 8

There are quite a few.

You have two different creation narratives.

Jesus has two different genealogies.

In Matthew Judas hung himself in Acts he fell on the ground and burst open.

In John Jesus was on the cross during the Passover in the synoptic tradition he was crucified after the Passover.

That's a start.

Answer 9

Here are 383 contradictions, some better than others

http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/by_name.html

Here is one example:
What were Jesus' last words?

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
Luke 23:46
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

It is finished.
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Answer 10

i have a good one for you in the old testament hell is the grave and in the new testament hell is a fiery pit and there are many more oh here's another one in the old testament the devil is a helper of god who is testing people and in the new testament the devil is god's enemy