what are some of those contradictions in the bible?

Question

no seriously Im not one of those christians trying to convert you. I always hear about contradictions so I was wondering what they were. so once again, I really mean it and am totally serious and not sarcastic.

Answer 1

The contradictions are in the minds of some unbelievers who want the rest of us to join them in the church of unbelief.

Answer 2

Anybody who says there are no contradictions in the Bible have either never read it, or don't know what a contradiction is. For example: the two different creation stories in Genesis (and no, they're not different reports on the same event; the order is different), or what Judas did with the money.

People who say "There are no contradictions in the Bible" really mean "If you give me a contradiction, I can reinterpret the quotes to make things vague enough to rationalize away." You can do that with anything, if you're smart enough. "Why did you say the door is blue when you said earlier that it's red?" "Well 'red' here refers to the type of wood, which although isn't red wood, is from the region near the red woods, so the door is both red and blue at the same time."

Is having contradictions in the Bible REALLY that detrimental to somebody's faith? Can't people accept the fact that it was written by hundreds of people over several centuries, so inevitably it's going to have, at the very least, some minor inconsistencies?

Answer 3

We do not really understand the bible exactly. It was written by an ancient people, and the first parts are from an oral tradition. One theory classifies the biblical books into primarily historical books, theological books and prophetical books.. Each of the different types of books has its own problems in understanding the text. Some passages supplement information in other places. Some of the texts are contradictory. Some are beyond our understanding. For example, have you tried to read a story in middle English? Old English can not be read without a translator. This is the way languages change. Do you think Hebrew did not change over 2,000 years? Did Abraham speak Hebrew or some type of Mesopotamian? He was from Ur. What did Hebrew evolve from? I have only skimmed the surface here. In spite of all the problems, I still believe that the bible is the inspired word of God on theological matters. The remaining parts are generally accurate, but we must leave room for the fact that languages not written down have major changes in the meaning of the words, from generation to generation.

Answer 4

There are no contradictions, but there are some mistakes.

The people who like to talk about contradictions simply refuse to understand.

The mistakes were made during translation from the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) into English. The English language is not descriptive enough in some cases. These mistakes are known and easily corrected by knowledgeable bible teachers who honestly point them out for all to see.

By the way, "What does the word "contradiction" mean? Have you ever looked it up for yourself or are you only thinking you know what it means, or are you accepting someone else's definition?
In the same way, you should investigate this question you have for yourself. Don't base your acceptance of any so-called "contradiction" solely upon any explanation you receive on Y.A. Check it out for yourself. You want to know about the bible? Get into a bible study.

God bless you.

Answer 5

There are tons, but it is really unimportant. Take the bible for what it really is.... the musings, history, folklore and thoughts of a group of starving stone age shepherds---the tribe of Israel-- living in the Middle East.... a horrible place to live 2000 years ago, and a horrible place to live now, isn't it? Truly, it has changed little. As well, remember that it has suffered the effects of translations from Aramaic, Greek, Latin, vernacular languages(Early English, Middle English, German, French, etc., ,) at the hands of scribes until the invention of the printing press in the 1400's. As well remember that changes were made by men of power, as well as by scribes who simply put their own spin on things....As well , too, remember that much of the stuff regarding Jesus wasn't even written until 30+ years after his death, and a few gospels were dropped because he appeared in less perfect light than some in power wished him to appear.... The gospel according to Philip, Thomas, and Judas, aren't even in the current bible, and in fact some scholars believe Jesus might even have been several men.... as common a name then as Robert is today....

So tho your question is interesting, it is really irrelevant in the greater scheme of things.... no one takes the bible literally, anyway, except the most fundamentalistic, uneducated and unread of christian sects.

Answer 6

One of the most eye-opening things for me religiously was reading John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Although it is a work of fiction, the premise of the story is the retelling of the story of Cain and Abel, from multiple points of view, based on the varied translations of one verse in the Biblical story. It will really make you stop and think. I highly suggest it to anyone curious about contradictions between differing translations of the Bible.

Answer 7

There are no contradictions in the bible, and most of these have been answered before. But I do want to address light and darkness. God as the bible says separated light from darkness. It is light on one side of the world, while dark on the other. There is still light when the sun isn't shining, and there are still stars to light the night when the moon isn't lit.

Answer 8

Here is the link to one of many sites on the subject.
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/inconsistencies.html
This site has a tremendous list of inconsistencies by chapter and verse.

The biggest inconsistency is that In the Bible, words having to do with killing significantly outnumber words having to do with love.
Daughters can be sold into permanent slavery, rebellious children are to be "stoned to death", God upon the killing of all but Noah's family in the great flood became the biggest mass murderer of all time; the Bible is filled with atrocities, half truths, and supernatural rationalizations for many events which are now easily explained... or discredited.
I find many things about the Bible to be implausible and as such, the entire text cannot be considered credible..

Answer 9

Adam and Eve have two sons Cain and Able. How do they have kids? They meet some people that were already there- sorry it doesn't make sense. I am catholic not religious just spiritual. I have seen some crazy Sh1t, and know there must be a higher power out there. the Bible was written by men trying to understand the mysteries of the universe. The Universes powers can not be fully understood by our monkey brains.

Answer 10

Contradictions in the bible? Well, incest is a sin and yet children from Adam and Eve had to marry each other in order to have children. lol Now does that make any sense?

Ok...to the person above me, you don't have to act so rude. Really. Name calling doesn't make you seem any more intelligent. I didn't know that there were people created before Adam and Eve in the Bible. I've always heard that "Adam and Eve were the first." End of story. I just assumed that the children they had (Including unmentioned daughters) would have married their sons and had children.

Don't be mean. I don't care what your reasoning is.

Answer 11

With a document that runs 3.6 million words in length, it is easy to find two different statements said to different people in different situations, and when taken out of context treat them as a contradiction.

Example: In Matthew 5 Jesus preaches on a Mountain, but in Luke 6 he preaches in a valley. Appears like a contradiction until you read the sermons. They are completely different. Plus, the two sermons are preached at different points in his ministry, in different countries, and to different types of groups (one to a large group, the other to his disciples). They are simply records of different events. No contradictions when you actually read it.

Or the Genesis 1 and 2 issue. It is a common literary device used all through the Bible (16 more times in Genesis alone). You give an overview of the story in broad terms, and then retell it in specific details closing in on the most important parts. You will find that used all the time in journalism where the open paragraph(s) of a story give a quick overview, then the reminder of the article gives details.

When you take the time to carefully read the entire book, the contradictions disappear.