The striking
phrase “menschliches-all-zu-menschliches” (“human-all-too-human”) of
the celebrated German philosopher and man of letters, Friedrich Nietzsche, was coined by
him to describe human morality, which has generally been held to be the product of divine
norms revealed infallibly to the human conscience. We may justifiably use it as
descriptive of the Bible. The Bible, as I have already mentioned, is a religious
literature which is the work of diverse minds. If it is true that God inspired all they
wrote, we shall be forced to believe that He was also the author of all their follies and
failings. As even wilful fraud betrays itself in parts of this literature, God is
confessed, on the theory of plenary inspiration, to have been a great deceiver of many
generations in many parts of the world!
Time and time
again we are told by clergymen, lay preachers and others interested in the Bible that this
book is the very Word of God, it is inspired, it is holy, and as such it contains no
contradictions whatsoever. This insistence that the Bible has NO contradictions is so
emphatic that one begins to suspect that the Bible exponents have something to hide –
the contradictions! Those that are brave enough to point out these discrepancies are
shouted down. Writers who expose these in their books, are branded with all sorts of
unpleasant epithets. No one dare say that the Word of God contains any disharmonies. The
contradictions, church fathers maintain, exist in our own minds. They are a result of an
inadequate understanding of the Holy Writ. Those who criticise the Bible are egged by the
Devil, they say. The Bible is the pure, unadulterated, unalloyed Word of God and everybody
must accept it as such. Those who deny this fact are godless people and collaborators with
Satan.
This is indeed a
dogmatic, unflinching allegiance to the Bible, and one would hate to disturb the calm,
serene waters in the lake of their beliefs by violently throwing a boulder of naked
exposure in it. All, however, may not be right in the state of their beliefs, but a
façade of dutiful devotion has to be presented to the public at large.
An ordained
priest may be conversant with all that is wrong in the Bible but his vocation forbids him
to acknowledge these wrongs. His mind may rebel against accepting what is so obviously
wrong, but he has trained his heart to feel resigned and not to create any flutter that
may have an adverse effect upon his stomach. Where one’s livelihood is concerned,
where feeding the stomach is concerned, one has to sacrifice both truth and principles.
How truly someone had said: “It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be
mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing or in disbelieving;
it consists in professing to believe what he does
NOT believe.”
That the Bible
is replete with discrepancies is an incontrovertible FACT! The church fathers who maintain that there
are no contradictions in the Holy Book are adopting an ostrich-like attitude. Their
insistence that the Bible is free from discrepancies will certainly not detract from the
truth that the Bible does contain them. A fact
is a fact, and it is there for all to see. No amount of theological quibbling and
equivocation will succeed in suppressing the truth that the Bible has so many glaring,
palpaply conflicting statements. It will make any reasonable man wonder how this book ever
came to be called “the Word of God”! Is God capable of saying one thing and
immediately contradicting Himself in the next sentence? Such failing can only be human. It
can never be Divine. Divinity is absolutely
Perfect. Hence with the acceptance of the fact that the Bible contains all kinds of
shortcomings, errors and inaccuracies, the contention that it is the “inspired Word
of God” falls to pieces. It is indisputable that whatever God inspires cannot be
wrong. If it is wrong - as shall be proved presently – then it is not God-inspired.
If it is not God-inspired but composed by mere mortals, then no credence can ever be
placed in a book as to its divinity. We may then only accept the Bible as a faulty,
inaccurate conglomeration of pseudo-historical and religious records that various
chroniclers have collated under the illusion of divine inspiration.
Robert G.
Ingersoll, a renowned Bible scholar, says in his book, “Lectures and Essays”:
“If the Bible is inspired, then it should be a book that no man – no number of
men – could produce. It should contain the perfection of philosophy. It should
perfectly accord with every fact in nature. There should be no mistakes in astronomy,
geology, or as to any subject or science. Its morality should be the highest, the purest.
Its laws and regulations for the control of conduct should be just, wise, perfect, and
perfectly adapted to the accomplishment of the ends desired. It should contain nothing
calculated to make man cruel, revengeful, vindictive or infamous. It should be filled with
intelligence, justice, purity, honesty, mercy, and the spirit of liberty. It should be
opposed to strife and war, to slavery and lust, to ignorance, credulity and superstition.
It should develop the brain and civilise the heart. It should satisfy the heart and brain
of the best and wisest. It should be true. Does the Bible satisfy this standard?”
In the following
pages an attempt is made to show the reader by means of various quotations from this
“inspired Word of God” that far, far from satisfying the standard of purity,
morality, truth, goodness, etc., enumerated above by Ingersoll, the Bible contains
accounts, events and commands that positively create a revulsion in us and offend our
sense of decency. It contains pornographic imagery that revolts the mind and sickens the
heart. Of course all this passes under Holy title of the “inspired Word of God”,
and it is accepted by all and sundry. The reverend gentlemen of the church will tell us
that there are mystical significances attached to these verses that are seemingly obscene;
that they are used metaphorically and that we have to possess profound scholarship in
order to appreciate the true interpretation of such verses. In other words if my stomach
aches, then I will have to be a doctor to
know that there is a pain in my tummy! No man who is not a doctor dare say that the sharp
sensation in his stomach is a pain. How could
he ever know?!
Whatever
interpretations one may place upon these Biblical verses, with whatever flowery language
one may clothe their import, the fact remains that one cannot conceal the truth. One
cannot pretend that the glaringly contradictory verses have a mystical significance.
Sooner or later one will have to take out one’s head from the sand and face reality!
We give below
only a few interesting, tangible examples of
contradictions. Limitation of space precludes the possibility of listing every single
contradiction from Genesis to Revelations. This may yet come from some able pen.
If you can, with
the help of your nearest clergyman, explain away these discrepancies thus salving your
heart, then you have scored a temporary and dubious victory over your mind. But you may
rest assured that the mind does not accept defeat easily. It is the function of the mind
to THINK, and think it shall! The ultimate
victory belongs to the MIND and not to the
heart. Prepare yourself, then, to receive shock after shock from this electrifying “Word
of God.”
1.
The story of the Flood, related in
Genesis 6-9, is composed of two narratives whose differences of matter and style betray
two authors. These have been blended by an editor who has slightly vetted them. According
to one of these authors, God commanded Noah to bring into his ark “And of every
living thing of all flesh, two of every sort …they shall be male and female.”
(Gen. 6, 19). The second author tells us that Noah was commanded to preserve from the
Flood “of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his
female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of the fowls
also of the air by sevens, the male and the female.”
(Gen. 7:2-3)
Here is a
palpable contradiction. The object of Noah’s selection of birds and animals was
“to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.” (Gen. 7:3). The writer who
makes God command Noah to choose ceremonially clean animals in groups of fourteen, seven
of each sex, tells us of a sacrifice from these by Noah upon Mount Ararat, after the
waters of the Flood had disappeared. No sacrifice formed part of the narrative of the
other writer, and so pairs of males and females of all species sufficed to
replenish the world’s fauna.
2.
After David’s fight with
Goliath, Saul is reported to have said to his chief captain Abner: “Enquire thou
whose son the stripling (David) is.” (1 Samuel, 17:56). Yet for some time David had
served as Saul’s armour-bearer and harpist (1 Samuel, 16:18-23). Thus Saul could not
have been ignorant as to who was David’s father. In fact Saul had been expressly told
who this man was. (1 Samuel, 16:18-19)
3.
(2 Chronicles, 36:9): Jehoiachin,
the penultimate King of Jerusalem, “was EIGHT yeas old when he began to reign”
in Jerusalem.
(2 Kings, 24:8):
Jehoiachin, the penultimate King of Jerusalem, “was EIGHTEEN years old when he began
to reign” in Jerusalem.
Was Jehoiachin
EIGHT or EIGHTEEN years of age when he began to reign?
4.
(2 Chronicles, 22:2):
“FORTY AND TWO years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign.”
(2 Kings, 8:26).
“TWO AND TWENTY years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign.”
5.
The Book of Kings expressly states
that before the reign of Hezekiah, even those Jewish monarchs whose heart was “perfect
with the Lord” did not remove the “high places” where an irregular cult was
practised. (1 Kings, 15:14; 22:43)
The Chronicler
who is a much later historian, could not believe that such pious persons could so
flagrantly have disobeyed the Law of Moses. So he flatly denies their guilt. (2
Chronicles, 14:3; 17:6)
“But the
high places were NOT removed.” (1 Kings, 15:14)
“Nevertheless
the high places were NOT taken away.” (1 Kings, 22:43)
Contradiction of
above:
“For he
took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places.” (2 Chron. 14:3)
“Moreover
he took away the high places.” (2 Chron. 17:6)
Were the high
places taken away or NOT taken away? Take
your choice!
6.
God dwells in Light: “Dwelling in the LIGHT which no man can
approach unto.” (1 Timothy, 6:16)
God dwells in
Darkness;
a). “The Lord said that He would
dwell in the thick DARKNESS.” (1 Kings, 8:12)
b). He made DARKNESS His secret place.” (Psalms, 18:11)
7.
God is seen and heard:
a). “And I will take away mine
hand, and thou shalt SEE my back parts.” (Exodus 33:23)
b). “And the Lord spake unto
Moses FACE TO FACE, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” (Exodus, 33:11)
c). “And the Lord called unto
Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I HEARD thy voice in the garden, and
I was afraid”. (Gen. 3:9-10).
d). “For I have SEEN God face to
face, and my life is preserved.” (Gen. 32:30)
e). “In the year that King Uzziah died, I SAW
also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.” (Isaiah, 6:1)
God cannot be
seen and heard:
a).
“NO man hath seen God at any time.”
(John. 1:18)
b).
“Ye hath NEITHER heard his voice at
any time, NOR seen his shape.” (John,
5:37)
c).
“And he said, Thou canst NOT see my
face; for there shall be NO man see me, and live.”
(Exodus 33:20)
d).
“Whom NO man hath seen, NOR can
see.”
(1 Timothy,
6:16)
8.
God is All-Powerful:
a).
“Behold I
am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for me?… There is
nothing too hard for thee.” (Jeremiah, 32:27,17)
b).
“With God all things are possible.”
(Matthew, 19:26)
God is not
All-Powerful:
“And the
Lord was with Judah, and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but he could not
drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.” (Judges,
1:19)
9.
God is Not the Author of Evil:
a).
“The law of the Lord is perfect
… The statutes of the Lord are right … The commandment of the Lord is pure.”
(Psalms, 19:7-8)
b).
“God is not the author of
confusion.”
(1 Corinthians,
14:33)
c).
“A God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deut. 32:4)
d).
“For God cannot be tempted with
evil, neither tempteth He any man.” (James. 1 :13)
God is the
Author of Evil:
a).
“Wherefore
I gave them also statutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they should not live.”
(Ezekiel, 20:25)
b).
“Out of the mouth of the Most High
proceedeth not evil and good?” (Lamentations, 3:38).
c).
“Thus saith the Lord, Behold I
frame evil against you and devise a device against you.” (Jer. 18:11)
d).
“Shall there be evil in a city, and
the Lord hath not done it?” (Amos,
3:6)
10.
God is to be found by those who seek Him:
a).
“Everyone
that asketh, receiveth, and he that seeketh, findeth.” (Matthew, 7:8)
b).
“Those that seek me early shall
find me.” (Prov. 8:17)
God is Not to be
found by those who seek Him:
a).
“Then shall they call upon me but I
will not answer; they shall seek me early, but shall not find me.” (Prov. 1:28)
b).
“And when ye spread forth your
hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear.”
(Isaiah, 1:15)
c).
“They cried, but there was none to
save them; even unto the Lord, but He answered them not.” (Psalms, 18:41)
11.
God is Peaceful:
a).
“The God of peace.” (Romans,
15:33)
b).
“God is not the author of
confusion, but of peace.” (1 Corinthians, 14:33)
God is Warlike:
a).
“The Lord is a man of War.”
(Ex. 15:3)
b).
“The Lord of Hosts is his name.”
(Isaiah, 51:15)
12.
God is Kind, Merciful, and Good:
a).
“The Lord is very pitiful and of
tender mercy.” (James, 5:11)
b).
“For he doth not afflict willingly,
or grieve the children of men.” (Lamentations, 3:33)
c).
“For His mercy endureth for ever.”
(1 Chron. 16:34)
d).
“The Lord is good to all, and his
tender mercies are over all his works.” (Ps. 145:9)
e).
“God is love.” (1 John, 4:16)
God is Cruel,
Merciless, Destructive and Ferocious:
a).
“I will not pity, nor spare, nor
have mercy, but destroy them.” (Jer. 13:14)
b).
“And thou shalt consume all the
people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee, thine eye shall have no pity upon them.”
(Deut. 7:16)
c).
“Now go and smite Amalek, and
utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman,
infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” (1 Sam., 15:3)
d).
“The Lord thy God is a consuming
fire.” (Deut. 4:24)
e).
“The Lord cast down great stones
from heaven upon them, … and they died.” (Joshua, 10:11)
Two facets of the Lord emerge from the above quotations. If He is a
God of love, pity and mercy, then He cannot be at the same time a God that commands men to
slay “infant and suckling.” We can believe that for certain sins men and women
deserved to be slain. But what possible sins or crimes could infants and sucklings have
perpetrated that they incurred the Lord’s wrath? Where was God’s tender mercy,
His pity, goodness and kindness when He ordered that infants and sucklings should be
murdered? What ARE we to believe?
13.
God commands, approves of, and delights in
burnt offerings and sacrifices:
a).
“Thou shalt offer every day a
bullock for a sin offering for atonement.” (Exodus, 29:36)
b).
“…And ye shall afflict your
souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” (Lev. 23:27)
c).
“And thou shalt burn the whole ram
upon the altar; … it is a sweet savour; an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”
(Ex. 29:18)
d).
“And the priest shall burn all on
the altar to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the
Lord.” (Lev. 1:9)
God disapproves of, and has no pleasure in, burnt offerings and
sacrifices:
a).
“For I spake not unto your fathers
nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning
burnt offerings or sacrifices.” (Jer., 7:22)
b).
“Your burnt offerings are not
acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.” (Jer. 6:20)
c).
“Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or
drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay the vows unto the Most
High.” (Ps. 50:13-14)
d).
“To what purpose is the multitude
of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord. I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and
the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of
he-goats . … Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me;…”(Isaiah,
1:11-13)
14.
God Cannot Lie:
a).
“God is not a man that he should
lie.” (Num. 23:19)
b).
“It was impossible for God to lie.” (Heb. 6:18)
God lies, He
sends forth lying spirits to deceive:
a).
“Ah, Lord God! Surely thou hast
greatly deceived this people.” (Jer. 4:10)
b).
“For this cause God shall send them
strong delusion that they should believe a lie.”
(2
Thessalonians, 2:11)
c).
“Now, therefore, behold, the Lord
hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken
evil concerning thee.” (1 Kings, 22:23)
d).
“And if the prophet be deceived
when he hath spoken a thing, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet.” (Ezek. 14:9)
15.
There is but One God:
a).
“The Lord our God is ONE Lord.”
(Deut, 6:4).
b).
“There is NONE other God but ONE.”
(1 Cor. 8:4)
There is a
Plurality of Gods:
a).
“For there are THREE that bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost.” (1 John. 5:7)
b).
“And the Lord appeared unto him
(Abraham) in the plains of Mamre ….. And he lift up his eyes and looked, and 1o,
THREE men stood by him; and when he saw them he ran to meet them from the tent door, and
bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy
sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.” (Gen. 1-3)
16.
The Making of Images Forbidden:
“Thou shalt
NOT make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath.” (Exodus,
20:4)
The Making of
Images Commanded:
“Thou shalt
make two cherubims of gold ….. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on
high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another.”
(Ex. 25:18,20)
17.
Good Works to be seen of men:
“Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works.” (Matthew, 5:16)
Good Works not
to be seen of men:
“Take heed
that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them.” (Matthew, 6:1)
18. Jesus
told his followers not to fear being killed:
“Be not
afraid of them that kill the body.” (Luke,
12:4)
Jesus himself
avoided the Jews for fear of being killed:
“After
these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews
sought to kill him.” (John, 7:1)
19.
Circumcision
Instituted:
“This is my
covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: Every man child
among you shall be circumcised.” (Gen.
17:10)
Circumcision
Condemned:
“Behold, I,
Paul, say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.” (Galatians, 5:2)
20.
The Sabbath instituted because God Rested on
the Seventh Day:
“For in six
days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the
seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exod. 20:11)
The Sabbath
Instituted for a very Different Reason:
“And
remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought
thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched-out arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to
keep the Sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy, 5:15)
21.
Marriage
Approved and Sanctioned:
a).
“And the Lord said, it is not good
that the man should be alone: I will make him an helpmeet for him.” (Genesis, 2:18)
b).
“For this cause shall a man leave
father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife.”
(Matthew, 19:5)
c).
“Marriage
is honourable in all.” (Hebrews, 13:4)
Marriage
Disapproved:
“It is good
for a man not to touch a woman. ……. For I (Paul) would that all men were even as
I myself …. It is good for them if they abide even as I.” (1 Corinth. 7:1,7,8)
22.
A man may marry his brother’s widow:
“If
brethren dwell, together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead
shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her,
and take her to him to wife.” (Deut.
25:5)
A man may not
marry his brother’s widow:
“If a man
shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: ….. they shall be
childless.” (Lev. 20:21)
23.
Hatred of Kindred Enjoined:
“If any man
come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke, 14:26)
Hatred of
Kindred Forbidden:
a).
“Honour thy
father and mother.” (Eph. 6:2)
b).
“Husbands,
love your wives …. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh.” (Eph. 5:25,29)
c).
“Whosoever
hateth his brother is a murderer”. (1
John, 3:15)
24.
Intoxicating
Drinks Recommended:
a).
“Give strong drink unto him that is
ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink and forget his
poverty, and remember his misery no more.” (Prov.
31:6,7)
b).
“And thou shalt bestow that money
for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong
drink.” (Deut. 14:26)
Intoxicating
Drinks Discountenanced:
a).
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is
raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.” (Prov. 20:1)
b).
“Look not thou upon the wine when
it is red; when it giveth his colour in the cup …. At the last it biteth like a
serpent and stingeth like an adder.” (Prov. 23: 31,32)
25.
The Father of Joseph, Mary’s husband, was
Jacob:
“And Jacob
begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus.” (Matthew, 1:16)
The Father of
Joseph, Mary’s husband, was Heli:
“Being
… the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.”
(Luke, 3:23)
26.
The Father of Salah was Arphaxad:
“And
Arphaxad lived five and thirty years and begat Salah.”
(Gen. 11:12)
The Father of
Salah was Cainan:
“….
Which was the son of Salah, which was the son
of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad.” (Luke,
3:35, 36)
27. Judas
Returned the Pieces of Silver:
“Then Judas
…. brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.” (Matt. 27:3)
Judas did not
return the Pieces of Silver:
“Now, this
man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity.”
(Acts, 1:18)
28.
Judas Hanged Himself:
“And he
cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
(Matt. 27:5)
Judas did not
hang himself, but died another way:
“And
falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” (Acts, 1:18)
29.
Keturah was
Abraham’s Wife:
“Then again
Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.” (Gen. 25:1)
Keturah was
Abraham’s Concubine:
“The sons
of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine”. (1 Chron. 1:32)
30.
Ahaziah was
twenty-two years old when he began to reign, being eighteen years younger than his father:
“ Thirty
and two years old was he (Jehoram) when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in
Jerusalem ……. And Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead … Two and twenty
years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign.”
(2 Kings, 8:17,
24, 26)
Ahaziah was
forty-two years old when he began to reign, being two years older than his father:
“Thirty and
two years old was he (Jehoram) when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight
years ….. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son, king in his
stead …. Forty and two years old was Ahaziah, when he began to reign.” (2 Chron. 21:20; 22:1,2)
31.
Michal had no child:
“Therefore
Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child unto the day of her death.” (2 Samuel, 6:23)
Michal had five
children:
“The five
sons of Michal, the daughter of Saul.” (2 Samuel, 21:8)
32.
Christ is equal with God:
a).
“I and my father are one.”
(John, 10:30)
b).
“Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” (Philippians, 2:6)
Christ is not
equal with God:
a).
“My father is greater than I.” (John, 14:28)
b).
“Of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my father only.” (Matt. 24:36)
33.
Christ judged men:
“The father
judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son … As I hear, I judge.” (John, 5:22,30)
Christ judged no
man:
a).
“I judge no man.” (John, 8:15)
b).
“If any man hear my words, and
believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John, 12:47)
34.
The Law was Superseded by the Christian
Dispensation:
a).
“The law and the prophets were
until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached.” (Luke, 16:16)
b).
“Having abolished in the flesh the
enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.” (Eph. 2:15)
c).
“But now we are delivered from the
law.” (Rom. 7:6)
The Law was not
Superseded by the Christian Dispensation:
“Think not
that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one
of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:17-19)
35.
Children are
punished for the sins of their parents:
a).
“I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children.” (Exod. 20:5)
b).
“Because by
this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the
child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”
(2 Sam. 12:14)
Children are not
punished for the sins of their parents:
a).
“The son shall not bear the
iniquity of the father.” (Ezek. 18:20)
b).
“Neither
shall the children be put to death for the fathers.”
(Deut. 24:16)
36.
Man is justified by faith alone:
a).
“By the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified.” (Rom.
3:20)
b).
“Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.”
(Gal. 2:16)
c).
“The just shall live by faith. And
the law is not of faith.” (Gal.
3:11-12)
Man is not
justified by faith alone:
a).
“Was not Abraham our father
justified by works?….
“Ye see
then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” (James, 2:21,24)
b).
“The doers of the law shall be
justified.” (Rom. 2:13)
37.
St. Matthew relates a tale (27:9-10) about the
betrayal for thirty pieces of silver. He cites as his authority the prophet Jeremiah. But
it is unfortunate that the Holy Ghost which inspired him to true knowledge (2 Peter,
1:21), let him down badly, because Matthew misquoted. It was not Jeremiah who uttered the
words in question, but Zechariah (11:12,13)
38.
Matthew (2:11)
writes that Jesus was born in a HOUSE. Luke (2:7) says that Jesus was born in a STABLE.
39.
In Mark (6:8) it is noted that Jesus asked his
disciples to take with them a staff, but Matthew (10:10) and Luke (9:3) contradict Mark,
for they write that Jesus asked them NOT to take a staff.
40.
Matthew
(27:52,53) claims that when Jesus died, a number of dead people climbed out of their
graves and made their way to the holy city (Jerusalem). But we read in the book of Job
that once a man dies, he never comes back to life again. “So he that goeth down to
the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house.” (Job,
7:9-10). “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job, 14:14)
41.
Luke (3:23) says Jesus was about 30 years old
shortly before he died. John (8:57) says that Jesus was close to 50 before his death.
The above are
just a handful of examples taken at random and show very clearly the kind of confusion
that exists in the Bible. What possible faith can any thinking, rational being have in a
book that is riddled through and through with anachronisms, inaccuracies of facts and
figures, inconsistencies of narrations and open insults to intelligence? Yet we accept
this book as the “inspired Word of God” and continue to revere it with all its
mixture of blasphemies and obscenities, its lascivious accounts of men’s prurient
natures; its lusty, perverted, libidinous stories of debauchery: all this is still being
passed off as the “divine word”. The diction of the Bible in some places is
horrifying. NO self-respecting parent will allow his growing daughter to read this book.
A great number
of pages in the Bible not only deserve the censor’s censure, but his scissors!