Remember, I'm the neutral party!?

Question

I've been approached by many of my friends that know I was raised catholic, but later dropped my faith. They approach me with various questions such as..

1. "If one of the commandments states "Thou shalt not commit adultery", why did he force another man's wife to give birth to his child, instead of created a child like he created Adam?"

2. "He also states "Thou shalt not murder", yet when he sent the plagues, one killed the first born child of families. Then here was the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah"

3. "Thou shalt not covet" but he himself said "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God,"

Now, I am a neutral party, not disagreeing or agreeing with anyone. I just want to know..

What do you guys think?

Why do you think these contradictions exist in the Holy Book?

"Sorry, there are no neutral parties....

Everyone has presuppositions, and it is much more intellectually honest to state your presupposition, rather than attempt to hide it in a question.

Soli Deo Gloria"

Sorry "Doc", but I don't think you have any idea what you are stating. I am a neutral party, as I don't give a damn either way. Make a little more sense for ya?

Doc, I won't go any further attempting to argue with you. These were simply questions that were asked to me, and I am asking to you. I wished for an answer, not a quote from the bible in which the contradiction originated from. Reading me a passage and attempting to explain it the "Christian way" certainly will not solve anything I asked, as it was the Christians who created them. These contradictions exists solely because Man wrote these books, and Human Error is a part of life, whether you are Average Joe or God Almighty. Remember, we were made in his image after all.

I meant to add, you are correct in the way you think, Doc. However, some peoples understanding of Reality allows them to simply say "I accept the way it is, and don't really care to know more." In the way I state I am neutral, is me simply saying I refuse to take a side in the Christian debate, and only wish to learn more. Not worship it.

Christians can answer all they want, no doubt about it. But the only people who will really know the answers to these questions, are the ones who wrote the Book themselves. I don't disregard, or dismiss anyones answer based on their beliefs, but I doubt I will find the real answers here. I simply enjoy learning what people think. Not to mention, I'm only seventeen. So what do I know, eh?

Answer 1

LOL Wow did you open a can of worms!

I've studied the Bible and there are lots of contradictions in it. I think that as far as the New Testament goes, Jesus was very political and I believe that the Bible was edited by the people who told their side of the truth. What is religion today but a manipulation of the masses?

There is some good stuff in the Bible but I think it is just that, a book. I was religious at one time but now I just concentrate on being spiritual, which is very different from religious.

I just think that, FOR ME ONLY, I've gone to another level in my spirituality and have left religion behind, it doesnt work for me anymore. And I am totally comfortable in that regard.

Your friends are searching and asking questions, that is never a bad thing. To accept something blindly is against human nature.

You are wise beyond your years

Answer 2

Sorry, there are no neutral parties....

Everyone has presuppositions, and it is much more intellectually honest to state your presupposition, rather than attempt to hide it in a question.

Soli Deo Gloria

#1. Mary was blessed and honored to carry the son of God, and your analogy that this was somehow adultery is a logically flawed analogy, as this was the "immaculate conception". Mary was quite honored, and scared to do so...

#2. The Bible quite clearly states from Genesis on that the penatly for sin is death. The deaths in those circumstances were for open rebellion. What is clear in the Bible is that "all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God" and that we all stand under judgement. Therefore, the question should be "Why not more often?" To which the answer is "God is merciful and has provided a means of redemption." It is interesting that you would invoke a moral law to judge God, as you are saying he broke the moral law( which is a false contention), yet when you invoke a moral law, you are implying that there is a source of this moral law...

#3. You are missing the point of the verse. The point, as illuminated in Isaiah, is to worship the CREATOR, not the CREATION. In Isaiah, he redicules the notion of worshiping an inanimate object instead of the being that created it. By worshiping creation, you are bestowing your gratitude on the wrong thing... i.e. idolatry...

In terms of "no neutral parties"... The point on presupposition is that you start with a notion that God exists, or that God does not exist, or that there is insufficient evidence, or that pantheism is correct, or that Christianity, or that Judiasm, or that Islam, or that paganism, is, etc... Even agnostics have presuppositions. So, sorry, it is total fiction to claim neutrality about your understanding of reality. It is more intellectually honest to state your presuppostion, and to supply reasons, etc... Neutrality in the way you are claiming does not exist.

OK, not trying to argue, but I think the point is crucial. By your statements, you would not accept the doctrine of inerrency, which is fine, but is important in the discussion.

I would also state is a false position to disregard the "Christian way" of answering things because they came from Christians. That assumes that the answer must be wrong by definition, not by evidence or logic. Also, the statements I was referring to, are all Old Testament, which of course, predate Christ, so it is not technically correct to state that they are written by "Christians" per se...

Also, a "contradiction" is a statement that violates the law of non-contradiction, i.e. something cannot be both A and not A at the same time in the same relationship. None of these statements that you have presented violate that law. Be careful of disregarding any answer that would challenge the presupposition that the statements are in fact "difficult" or "contradictions", as they do not violate the law of noncontradiction...

Answer 3

Why do I think these contradictions exist in the Holy Book? Well, to start with, the Old Testament is just the collected myths, superstitions, fairy tales and fantastical delusions of an ignorant gaggle of Bronze Age fishermenn and wandering goat herders.... and the New Testament is a hoax.

Here's what you do... just give them this definition, and let them figure the rest out for themselves:

Christianity: "The belief that a cosmic Jewish zombie, who is his own father, can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced to eat from a magical tree by an infinitely sadistic being, disguised as a talking snake with legs..."

Answer 4

Those are some interesting questions. I'm going to abstain from answering, though, on the basis that I'm not Christian, so I see the Bible and commandments as an interesting historical perspective on the creation of a belief system.

Answer 5

Sorry to hearken to that. you probable do never could desire to drink lower back in case you get aggressive like that to the ingredient the place you're violent and harm and raped somebody. you are able to desire to truly get into some difficulty in the event that they press costs. Alcohol is not any excuse. many human beings are in penal complex for the comparable element.

Answer 6

It would take a bit longer for me to go thru the above, point by point; but I seem to recall the Egyptians were going to kill the oldest' (point three) according to a prior scripture. So was God simply giving them (love) what they were going to give the Hebrew children?

Answer 7

It's like Congress - makes laws for others that he doesn't have to follow.

Answer 8

i don't think about the bible

Answer 9

think about what ?