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Can anyone list some of the major contradictions in the Bible?

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Huemer's webpage has a bunch of juicies like these:

John 5:31 If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid.

John 8:14 Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid.

Genesis 32:30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and my life was preserved.”

Exodus 33:11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

Matthew 10:34 Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

2 Kings 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

John 3:13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.

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The central character in the book, Yahwe, is a metaphysical impossibility. You can reject the whole book from that one simple fact.

I know that, but I also have a hard time explaining exactly HOW it is such an impossibility.

Anyone care to help me there? :D

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I tried making a list several years ago but gave up after 15 or so pages, there were too many to count. Attached is that list.

contradictions.htm

Some examples:

Obvious contradictions:

How many drew swords?

2 Samuel says: 800,000 in Israel; 500,000 in Judah

24:9Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

1 Chronicles says: 1,100,000 in Israel; 470,000 in Judah

21:5Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people to David. All those of Israel were one million one hundred thousand men who drew sword: and in Judah were four hundred seventy thousand men who drew sword.

2 Chronicles 9:25 Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses.

Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem.

1 Kings 4:26 Solomon had 40,000 stalls for horses.

Solomon had forty thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.

1 Samuel 21:1-6 Ahimalech was high priest when David ate the bread.

Mark 2:26 Abiathar was high priest when David ate the bread.

(bible.org acknowledges this contradiction)

Contradictory orders:

Exodus 20:14 God prohibits adultery

"You shall not commit adultery.

Hosea 1:2 God instructs Hosea to take a wife of harlotry

When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD."

Edited by brian0918
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Only if there are that many.

In all seriousness, I don't think you can count God commanding someone to violate a commandment as a contradiction. Or God himself not living up to his own commandments. (See Brian0918's last example.) Because the commandments aren't primary, God's will is primary, in their view. If God wants you to break something other people have been commanded to do, well, God made the rules, he can break them or make exceptions.

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Only if there are that many.

Sorry, I meant to say one or two.

If God wants you to break something other people have been commanded to do, well, God made the rules, he can break them or make exceptions.

And if God is truly omnipotent, then he can be A and non-A. Otherwise why even bother being God?

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I like this quote:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able?

Then he is not omnipotent.

Is he able, but not willing?

Then he is malevolent.

Is he both able and willing?

Then whence cometh evil?

Is he neither able nor willing?

Then why call him God?

Epicurus

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  • 2 weeks later...

You can't argue with religious people, period. I went to an Opus Dei middle school, I know it very well. They aren't rational people because they don't view the world rationally. You're just wasting your time trying to compel her with rational arguments.

But, probably the biggest contradiction -- at least to me -- is that Jesus refers to God as the source of love and other such nonsense and yet Jesus also makes it very clear, especially in his speech about Gehenna, that if you live for yourself and not for God you'll burn forever in eternal torment. Now, I'm eighteen and don't have much experience with love, but it seems to me that you don't cook somebody you love. Just an observation.

By the way, I'm a new member. My name's Kevin and I've only been an Objectivist for about a year, so pardon me for any incredibly stupid lapses in reason. They don't teach you this "reason" stuff in school, I'm still getting used to thinking. :)

Look forward to participating and learning.

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The last bit was not from Epicurus but came some time later. The wording you used for the first 3 parts comes from Hume in Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779).

Well, that's what the internet had told me. Not that it is infallible or anything. :)

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