Controversial passages in the Bible?

Question

Would you share with me some of the most controviersial and talked-about passages in the Bible? 1 Corinthians 14:33-34 comes to mind. So does Luke 14:26. I'm really just looking for chapter and verse, but feel free to chime in with comments if you like.

To narrow the field, let's stay in the New Testament. k? Thx!

Answer 1

You'll find soo many on this website:

http://www.answering-christianity.com/101_bible_contradictions.htm

Answer 2

Controversial Bible Passages

Answer 3

You just need to understand the passages an what they were saying. 1 Timothy 2:12, If you read the entire books of Timothy you will notice that there is clearly a bunch of false prophets wandering around in this time period. People who were most vulnerable were women. This is because they weren't educated in the scriptures so they couldn't know if the prophet was false or not. THerefore it makes perfect sense that women were told to not teach others. YOu will find that, in the new testament, the education of women was encouraged... The reason women were told to not teach here was because they were not educated. We have easily solved this problem. Dr. Bob also gave an amazing answer! -------- Romans 1:27 Yes, homosexuality is a sin. How-ever modern Christians are starting to understand that there is a psychological issue behind it. That is why we are more understanding towards homosexuality than before. ------- 1 Peter 2:18 Do you know what this slavery was reffering to? Slavery, in biblical times, was not racial or sexual slavery. Back than there were no laws to protect people money wise. Therefore it was common for people, in money trouble, to pay off loans or debts through service. THis way they would not end up in prison. In fact, you could pay off any debt through service to somebody. We find that even criminals could pay off their debt to society through service.

Answer 4

`If any one doth come unto me, and doth not hate his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and yet even his own life, he is not able to be my disciple;
Luk 14:27 and whoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, is not able to be my disciple.

These two passages follow Christs' parable of a man having been married wanting a wedding feast but had no one to feast with. He sent his servant out to bring people in for the feast. They turned Him down for selfish reasons. Thus, you get the passages above.

You CANNOT take passages out of context like you have and then say they are controversial. You must think of others before yourself. Christ must be FIRST in your life. That is the point.

Answer 5

You can't take scripture out of context. Read 1

Corinthians 14:36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
1Co 14:38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.
Paul was telling the Corinthians how foolish the words of verses 33-34 were and that they did not come from God.

Matthew Henry's concise commentary says:
#25-35
we must consider the expenses of our religion; we must consider the perils of it. Sit down and count the cost; consider it will cost the mortifying of sin, even the most beloved lusts.

Scripture is only controversial if taken out of context and therefore not understood.

Answer 6

In Corinthians most scholars believe there was some women in the church at that time causing trouble. The Apostle Paul admonished for this. No where in the Bible does it say a woman can be a Pastor despite what you here or see on tv. In the book of Luke Jesus meant that even if your father and mother do not believe in me you should and that you will answer for your own sins on judgement day, not somebody elses. Jesus never hated anybody and he never wants us to hate anybody. Now to truly understand the Bible you are going to have be born again. The Bible is Spiritual and those that worship Jesus must worship him in Spirit and truth. Until you get saved you will never grasp what Jesus is saying, but Jesus did die for your sins and mine, He was crucified on a cross and arose from the grave victorious over sin and death and hell. If you accept him as Saviour he will come into your heart, cleanse it, and make you a new person, if you would like to become a new person just pray this simple prayer believing, Dear Jesus, I know and confess that I am sinner in need of salvation. I believe you died on a cross at calvery and arose from the grave to wash away my sins, I ask you right now to come into my heart and save me, I pray this Prayer believing in the name of Jesus Amen. If you prayed this prayer with a sincere heart you are now a child of God, rejoice that your name is written in the Lambs book of Life. Jesus will now send his Holy Spirit to come and live in your heart and guide you into all truth. If you have any questions just send me an email, God Bless YOU!!

Answer 7

1 Corinthians 14:33-34 In 1 Cor. 11:5 Paul said women can pray and prophecy. I believe it could mean that if their husband is in the church let him speak and her keep silent. The man and woman are to become one in Christ. It could be that women were interrupting the church with tongues or asking the same question already asked by their husbands.
It relates to the married woman.

Luke 14:26 , Deut. 13:6, 33:9, Matth. 10:37 Rom. 9:13, Rev. 12:ll

Christ first, others second and ourselves last.
Christ must become first and the ultimate importance in our life. We do nothing without what we see Christ doing. Without Christ we are nothing. The only righteousness in us is Christ Jesus.

Neither family nor life shall come before Christ. In putting Christ first, everything else falls in line.

Answer 8

Perhaps the most controversial misperception is the notion that the Man known as "Christ" was the "only" son of God. Neither Jesus prior to becoming a God-realized Soul [and thus, Christ consciousness], or after becoming Christ, said that he was the "only" son of God.

Every Saint [that is, every Perfect Living Master or God-realized Soul] is a "son" of God... in that the Souls of such individuals literally become God-realized and thus speak as God upon the physical plane and to human beings.

There have been many such God-realized Souls throughout history, and there is always at least one such Soul on Earth. The reason is simple. When a person is "ready" for initiation into the mysteries of Spirituality, only God can perform such an initiation... and thus, God must always be on Earth to provide for such people.

For people to comprehend this, it is easier to simply say that the Saint is either a son of God, or just God Himself.
That is how we get so many heads of various religions who are seemingly different "gods". Or one "god" who is greater than the other "god". The fact is, there is only one [and the same God]... and God does not start religions, only those seeking to replicate what God alone can do start religions.

When the Chela [student] is ready, the Master appears... is an old saying in the East, and it is true. When the individual Soul is "ready" for initiation by God, that Soul is pulled to God, regardless where on Earth God may at that time be.

Answer 9

Luke 14:26:
26"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

I suppose the "controversy" comes from the use of the word "hate" in this passage. Why would Jesus, who spent oodles of time telling us to love one another, suddenly tell us to hate our families?

Well, compare it to Matthew 10:37:

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me."

You see, it's a matter of priorities. If your father or mother or kids or whomever forces you to choose between them and Jesus, you're supposed to pick Jesus.

You have to consider the culture in which these words were stated. During Jesus' ministry on earth, the way people worked and operated was within micro-economies. Everybody was largely dependent on their own families. If dad became a follower of Jesus, he couldn't just stay home and learn about it on the Internet -- he had to leave his job, his home and his family and travel with the Lord. That would be an act of hatred, don't you agree? Of course, the best thing to do would be to convince the wife and kids to come along and follow Jesus. It would be unrealistic to say that happened every single time, though. Surely there were some hold-outs and people had to make tough choices. Jesus was telling people who chose Him above all else that they were making the right decision.

But you can't take His words out of the context of everything else they said. There must be love for others to be a true follower of Jesus. He wasn't telling us to sin and be hateful toward our families -- He was telling us to get our priorities right and to be a witness to our families.

Atheist members of my family took it as an act of hostility when I became a Christian, though I didn't mean it as such. I have one sister who will barely talk to me and I don't know if it will ever get any better, all because I believe in Jesus. But I don't hate her. I love her more now because I know more about love.

On to :
I Corinthians 14:33-35

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

As in all the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

I added verse 35 because it explains that this is another thing that depends on context. Really, you just can't siphon off words and phrases out of context because there is so much potential for misinterpretation. Read that last sentence.

"It is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church." That being the church that Paul was operating out of when he wrote this.

Is it disgraceful for a woman to speak in church now, in the 21st century? No? Well, maybe in some churches. So women shouldn't speak in those churches, but it's perfectly okay for them to speak in churches that don't consider it disgraceful.

Personally, though, I think that it wasn't that women wanted to get up and preach or whatever. I think they were whispering and gossiping and socializing, same as women are today when you get certain types in certain groups. So what the women were doing was disrupting church in a disgraceful way, and that should be condemned. Bear in mind, these women were NEW to church. The Jewish tradition was very male-oriented and women rarely went to temple. They were not accustomed to participating in church or anything, so they may have collected into their little groups and started socializing because that's what they had always done when they got together with other women. So they needed some instruction on how to behave properly.

Nowadays, women often grow up in such settings, so they know instinctively how to behave and they don't need the admonishment...at least, you wouldn't think so. I have been in churches that had ladies clucking in hushed tones way in the back. It *is* disgraceful!

Answer 10

“There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were hung like donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses.

You longed for….. youth, when in Egypt your buttocks were caressed and your young firm breasts fondled. “ (Holy Bible - Ezekiel 23:20-21)

“……for in her youth men had lain with her, handled her youthful teats and ejaculated upon her breasts. “ (Holy Bible - Ezekiel 23:8)

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