Seriously confused. Why is the Bible so contradictory?

Question

The Bible says that we're all equal but then turns around and says that women are subordinate to men and have to submit.
"I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man." (I forget if that's in one of the Corinthians or Timothys.)
The Bible says judge not but then turns around and encourages you to judge who to hang around with.
The Bible says that fornication is a sin but greatly emphasizes the female virginity rather than the man's.
I was raised Christian but now that I'm an adult I'm beginning to realize that a lot of my issues in life stem from my feelings of inferiority brought on my Christian institutions and ideals.
I AM NOT ATHEIST I DO BELIEVE IN GOD but sometimes I question the sources that we have here.

I'm really glad that people are recommending additional help like asking pastors and going to commentaries. And yes I am planning to look for advice in more places than just website. I just thought that everyone's feedback would be helpful.

Answer 1

like you, i question, i want to know more, and really understand. do not listen to those who tell you this is wrong, it is not only okay it is absolutely nesessary for there to be any conviction in what you chose to believe.

1. women as inferior creatures. that part of the bible, which is a mistranslation of the torah, was written by jewish men and meant to be read only by other jewish men. a man's ego is one of the eternal truths - stroke it and you will live on forever! (lol) basically the thought in jewish culture is that men need to be "taught" how to be spiritual creatures, but women come by their spirituality quite naturally, and so to reach the minds of men takes other men. the men may lead, but it is their wives who are behind the scenes that really control a man's greatness or lack of sucess. i am actually quite comfortable in that role, but accept that it is not right for all women. that is why there have been many reforms in that area both in the jewish and christian faiths.
2. two different contexts. the first is about not thinking you are better than any other human. the second is about choosing to have people in your life that are positive and helpful, because negative people tend to drag you down with them. both ideas are valid, and i agree that using the same word in both cases is confusing.
3. another difference between the christian addition to the torah and the torah itself. sex is not a sin, rather it is the scared domain of married couples and a gift from god.

a lot of the contradictions are based on the fact that the torah and the "new testament" were authored by two different groups, with separate agendas. for jews, the torah is the history and mythology of our people, and a blueprint for how to avoid assimilation into other cultures and be a good member of our society - our biblical heroes are flawed so that we remember that no human is perfect, and also so that we can learn from their mistakes. so the question becomes, why should we as women read the bible? we can read the male dominated bible and understand how our men work, so that we can help them become better men. we can see the women, quietly listening on the sidelines, shaping the history of our people, and remember that the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. even now when we see women in positions of leadership, they don't lead by "becoming" men, but by understanding them. it makes me feel very proud - there is nothing inferior about being a woman, but there is something different and special about it.

not crazed i loved your answer, just like a woman to ignore the question spoken and answer directly to the heart of the asker. like i said, nothing inferior about it. xx

Answer 2

Where does the bible say we're all equal? The bible strongly supports the idea that different people have different roles and with those roles come different rights and privileges.

The Bible tells us not to judge people, but rather to judges actions. Without the ability to make judgements, society would collapse.

Fornication is only a sin outside the bounds of a marriage. Female virginity is emphasized for 2 reasons. 1) it is impossible to determine a man's virginity status and 2) virginity was considered important because of the status accorded the first born (especially first born males). If the woman was not a virgin at the time of the marriage, there could be questions as to the paternity of that first child, especially if born within 9 months of the marriage.

Christianity places a lot of emphasis on sin and little on personal responsibility. Without balancing, one can certainly feel inferior.

Keep searching for the truth....the churches you were raised in apparently were seriously lacking in that department...not because of the source material but because of the interpretation.

Answer 3

Submission doesn't mean that a woman is less than anyone. Submission by definition is acknowleging there is someone in authority over you. Just the same as you submit to your boss at work. Contrary to what many people think submission does not mean subservience since a submissive person has the right to express an opinion and is expected to do just that. People who submit to authority are expected to be individuals and think independently of the authority in their lives although they will acknowledge the need to follow the leader of the family.

Subservience is the state of being a slave. You have no input into anything and must follow all orders without question.

If God intended women to be slaves to men he would not have put women in the position of Judge over Isreal.

Answer 4

You may be having problems with the idea of an organized religion and not with god. There are a lot of people who believe that organized religion is not a good thing. You may want to see if you can find some information about that. There are some people on Answers who believe in god but do not subscribe to any organized religion. Do some searching and see if you can find out something from them.

Do not let someone let you feel inferior because the bible says something about women being submissive. Live your life and see if you can find a better way to practice your religion.

Answer 5

I am a Pastor. First of all the contradictions are a result of not putting scriptures in their proper divisions. IITim 2:15 The two main divisions we have are the old and new testaments. Many cults and wrong doctrine occur today because not putting the Jews and the Church in their rightful place. Then you have the Gospels which are transitional books from the old to the new. There are no Gentile present in the books. Acts is a transitional book from the Gospels to the Epistles. Acts has three parts. 1-7 Jewish 8-12 - Transitional. Place of authority is being moved from Jerusalem to Antioch, from Peter to Paul. The rest of Acts finds the gospel on Gentile ground.
The Jews rejected God in three way and three chances.
1. John the Baptist. Picture of the Father. Stood by and watched him die.
2. Jesus, the son. Initiated his death.
3. Steven, Acts7. Picture of the H.S. They killed Him.
All of scripture speak to one of three people.
1. Jew
2. Gentile
3. Church
As for you question. We are equal in Christ (spiritually) but our roles are different. Eph 5 Remember the woman is a picture of the Church. The husband is suppose the love his wife as Christ loved the Church. The wife is to submit to her husband as to the Lord. You cant submit to your husband unless you submit to the Lord First.

Answer 6

I had problems with other contridictions in the bible, and in the vast differences between the Jewish and Christian readings of the Old Testament. Ultimately it was the problems I first encountered, compounded with later learned information that caused me to leave the faith. I became an atheist - but later on slowly returned to a type of theism that wasn't attached to Judeo-Christianity, or any religion. Instead had a basis in faith and a relationship with God. A God beyond what I had been taught.

It's alright to question. And honestly - to remain Christian the answers can be hard. But your faith cannot grow if you stagnate in it. If you refuse to met the limitations and then go past them.

In Catholicism (later picked up by Pagans) this doubt is called 'The Dark Night of the Soul." It is also seen as a blessing, because it allows you to grow through your faith, although it can be difficult and involve intense sorrow.

If you believe in God - talk to God. If you have problems with what your religion teaches - talk to God and leave the religion aside for a while. Allow God to talk to your heart - and lead you with what is right.

Answer 7

Because it is written by several different people at several different times in history. Each with thier own ideas or agendas. Much of it is based on hearsay, legend, myth or just made up. The bible that we know today consist of "books" which were selected by men chosen by the Emporer Constantine to congregate at the Nicene Council and decide which ones would be included in the bible and which would not. There are many others that were not included. They are called the gnostic gospels. Also at this Council as well as others that followed church dogma such as the trinity and the dates of religious holidays were decided.

Answer 8

You can't extract verses from the Bible and put them side by side like that. You can to take then in their own textual and cultural context. Also, watch out with translations. Many of the translators were biased becuase of the culture they lived in. If it really bothers you, then do 2 things. 1. ask God, not people on yahoo answers and 2. Do your homework. Go go some commentaries adn look to see whta the original langauges say. God isn't contradictory.

Answer 9

Notice that so far you have not received any serious, trying to help you responses from Christians explaining the contradictions. This is typical since they refuse to admit the contradictions that any rational person who studies the bible can clearly see, even exist. And even if they do attempt to explain them it is usually with some answer like the one above, that your taking them out of context or that you must pray for God to explain them to you.

This should tell you something, maybe you should start questioning your beliefs.

Answer 10

First off the Bible is not contradictory. I've been taking a class in how to interpret the Bible and you need the Holy Spirit's help.

The verses about women not teaching are only in one book and not repeated over and over therefore it is a description for a particular church that Paul was talking to not a behavior pattern for us to follow. Deborah was one of the Judges of Israel. Esther was a queen. Anna was prophetess. Jesus gave honor to every woman He encountered.

The Bible takes study and everything needs to be taken in context of what is around it. You can't just pull out one Scripture and try to understand it by itself.