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101 contradictions in the Bible


Discordia

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A source for more Biblical contradictions here is one I like:

SKEPTICSANNOTATEDBIBLE.COM

This one breaks it down into different categories for each of the books of the Bible.

Edited by zandore
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Thanks for the link zandore. I've added it to my 'favorites'.

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It may have been helpful putting in fewer contradictions and simply stating that there are many more and providing a source. As it is, I got sick of reading through them. And I cannot hope to refute all the claims that you put down, simply due to the massive numbers of them.

Anyway, I'll refute a couple of them. Don't have time to debunk them all.

How many animals were taken on the ark by Noah?

(a) Two (Genesis 6:19, 20)

(cool.gif Seven (Genesis 7:2). But despite this last instruction only two pairs went into the ark (Genesis 7:8-9)

It is a popular misconception of the Bible that two of every kind of animal were taken onto the ark. What God commanded was "Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate" (Genesis 7:2). According to God's law certain animals were forbidden to be eaten, so presumably seven pairs were taken of clean animal's so they could be eaten. And in Genesis 7:8-9, it simply says "pairs of clean and unclean animals...". The term "pairs" is generic - to assume that it was two just shows that you are playing to that popularised version that there were two of every kind only.

As an aside - did you actually read these passages? Probably not. Just got them off the net, or from a book or something... it shows. Please - read them and find the context before you start claiming that they are contradictions - Noah's ark is obviously not a contradiction, you just didn't research it properly...

Many of the numbers you have as "contradictions" are so minutely different as to make no difference.

How many overseers did Solomon appoint for the work of building the temple?

(a) Three thousand six hundred (2 Chronicles 2:2)

(cool.gif Three thousand three hundred (I Kings 5:16)

Of the Israelites who were freed from the Babylonian captivity, how many were the children of Pahrath-Moab?

(a) Two thousand eight hundred and twelve (Ezra 2:6)

(cool.gif Two thousand eight hundred and eighteen (Nehemiah 7:11)

Of course, there are some bigger differences in numbers. Perhaps the census used to tally these events was not as precise. Perhaps there were different opinions on exact numbers. but do these events really matter in the bigger picture of the Bible? (I suppose you can accuse me of rationalising and interpreting the bible here - feel free to do so)

I'm going to skip a few and head off into the New Testament here. You quote the differences in the acounts of Jesus in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Without going into details, I'll just say that in any account of a person's life there are bound to be differences. People remember things differently. In fact, when a crime is commited, police interview witnesses and suspects. If the accounts are exactly the same to the time and place and order of events, then the police treat those accounts as questionable. When events are similar like these (the gospel writers on the whole didn't know each other (mark hadn't met any of the other three at all), yet different enough to count for perception of event, memory recollection and the like, it only reinforces that they are in fact truthful accounts from different perspectives.

When Paul was on the road to Damascus he saw a light and heard a voice. Did those who were with him hear the voice?

(a) Yes(Acts9:7)

(cool.gif No(Acts22:9)

Acts 22:9 actually says "THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE VOICE OF HIM WHO WAS SPEAKING TO ME". It does not say they did not hear it. Again, you have taken a passage without even looking deeply at it.

When Paul saw the light he fell to the ground. Did his traveling companions also fall to the ground?

(a) Yes (Acts 26:14)

(cool.gif No (Acts 9:7)

Did the voice spell out on the spot what Paul’s duties were to be?

(a) Yes (Acts 26:16-18)

(cool.gif No. The voice commanded Paul to go into the city of Damascus and there he will be told what he must do. (Acts9:7;22: 10)

the account in Acts 9 is Paul having those experiences. In Acts 26, Paul is recounting those experiences to others - it seems pointless to simply repeat what Acts 9 said, so it was simplified to the bare necessities the second time through. read the context.

Who is a ransom for whom?

(a) “The Son of Man came...to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). “Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all... “(I Timothy 2:5-6)

(cool.gif “The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the faithless for the upright” (Proverbs 21:18)

So Mark 10 and Timothy 2 say it was jesus. cool. Proverbs 21 - this wasn't a prophecy. There is none of the usual prophetic attachments to the writing (visions and the like). It was a wisdom saying - that's what proverbs are - wisdom sayings. CONTEXT!

Is the law of Moses useful?

(a) Yes. “All scripture is... profitable...” (2 Timothy 3:16)

(cool.gif No. “. . . A former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness... “(Hebrews 7:18)

True, all scripture is profitable. But Hebrews isn't debunking this. It is a similar statement to that which Jesus gave in Matthew 5:17 - "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them". Again, read the context before putting it in.

THere are too many for me to speak about, so I can't question them all.... Was that your purpose? Put so many supposed contradictions down that it would be an almost impossible task to refute them all?

I'll leave it there - my post is already long enough. But there was a recurring theme in my post - CONTEXT. Please read the context before blatantly saying they are contradictions. It'd save time reading so that we can go to the one's that are really contradictions

Until next time,

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Bobbie McRobbie, I applaud you......I think he just didn't read like you said the whole story. I mean it is like listening to your friends tell a story saying I drank so much and close your ears and tell everybody your friend got drunk off beer. When in fact they were drinking milk. 101

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Bobbie McRobbie, I applaud you......I think he just didn't read like you said the whole story. I mean it is like listening to your friends tell a story saying I drank so much and close your ears and tell everybody your friend got drunk off beer. When in fact they were drinking milk. 101

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She** and actually, I have read the bible and I went to church for many years. And things such as this is why I am a skeptic.

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Bobbie McRobbie, I applaud you......I think he just didn't read like you said the whole story. I mean it is like listening to your friends tell a story saying I drank so much and close your ears and tell everybody your friend got drunk off beer. When in fact they were drinking milk. 101

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She** and actually, I have read the bible and I went to church for many years. And things such as this is why I am a skeptic.

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Sorry sweetie didn't look at your profile. so your a sceptic because the Bible has a few contridications in it? 101 original.gif

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Thanks for the link zandore.  I've added it to my 'favorites'.

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thumbsup.gif

It may have been helpful putting in fewer contradictions and simply stating that there are many more and providing a source. As it is, I got sick of reading through them. And I cannot hope to refute all the claims that you put down, simply due to the massive numbers of them.
Lol you have no idea how loud (And long) I laughed on this comment you made. Thank you for the help. thumbsup.gif

(a) Two (Genesis 6:19, 20)

( Seven (Genesis 7:2). But despite this last instruction only two pairs went into the ark (Genesis 7:8-9)

It is a popular misconception of the Bible that two of every kind of animal were taken onto the ark.

19And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.

2Of 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.
Despite what you say there is still discrepancies.
Without going into details, I'll just say that in any account of a person's life there are bound to be differences. People remember things differently.
True but remember this is the Bible we are talking about. If these are what was found just think of what does not have anything to compare with.

Acts 22:9 actually says "THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE VOICE OF HIM WHO WAS SPEAKING TO ME". It does not say they did not hear it. Again, you have taken a passage without even looking deeply at it.

And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
Kind of missed it there didn't you. blush.gif
the account in Acts 9 is Paul having those experiences. In Acts 26, Paul is recounting those experiences to others - it seems pointless to simply repeat what Acts 9 said, so it was simplified to the bare necessities the second time through. read the context.
How many other passages has this happened to? Makes you wonder don't it?

But there was a recurring theme in my post - CONTEXT. Please read the context before blatantly saying they are contradictions. It'd save time reading so that we can go to the one's that are really contradictions
Yes there was a recurring theme....just not the one you had hope for.

WWW.INFIDELS.ORG

EDIT: Added link

Edited by zandore
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I could go through every single scripture on that list and debunk your "contradictions."

I might do that later, b/c it will take me a long time.

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I could go through every single scripture on that list and debunk your "contradictions."
It is a long list, Besides if it is in the bible how can you "Debunk" them without debunking the bible?
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I could go through every single scripture on that list and debunk your "contradictions."
It is a long list, Besides if it is in the bible how can you "Debunk" them without debunking the bible?

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It is a long list indeed.

What I meant be "debunk" is to show that the Bible does not, in fact, contradict itself, anywhere.

I could go through every single scripture on that list and debunk your "contradictions."

The "contradictions" don't exist.

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Some people cannot even interpret the scriptures.

But then they say the scriptures are contradictory. laugh.gif

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I accept your offer Amalgamut. Take your time, and only do a few at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. Maybe someone could help you out with that.

In fact, I wonder if Saruman would allow a pinned thread where these contradictions can be posted, instead of a new thread every week.

Edited by JMPD1
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I accept your offer Amalgamut.  Take your time, and only do a few at a time so you don't get overwhelmed.  Maybe someone could help you out with that.

In fact, I wonder if Saruman would allow a pinned thread where these contradictions can be posted, instead of a new thread every week.

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I agree, it would probably be a good idea.

I have seen this post before about "101 Contradictions."

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What I meant be "debunk" is to show that the Bible does not, in fact, contradict itself, anywhere.
I know the Bible is so just about anything can be read into it but still I find it hard to see that happening. ALL OF THEM? laugh.gif
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What I meant be "debunk" is to show that the Bible does not, in fact, contradict itself, anywhere.
I know the Bible is so just about anything can be read into it but still I find it hard to see that happening. ALL OF THEM? laugh.gif

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I will debunk these "101" and in the future, if you find any scripture, come to me.

I will show to you that it is not a contradiction.

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That's just silly saying that are no places in the Bible that contain contradictions. Perhaps they are an error in translation, misquotes from witnesses or what not---but even the very first story in the OT, the Creation story, is told twice and differently each time. In one version Adam came first, in the other the animals are created first.

Now, does that negate all the teachings of the Bible? Not necessarily, but it does shed some light on the ridiculousness of dogmatic adherence to every single word.

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That's just silly saying that are no places in the Bible that contain contradictions.  Perhaps they are an error in translation, misquotes from witnesses or what not---but even the very first story in the OT, the Creation story, is told twice and differently each time.  In one version Adam came first, in the other the animals are created first.

Now, does that negate all the teachings of the Bible?  Not necessarily, but it does shed some light on the ridiculousness of dogmatic adherence to every single word.

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Just by looking at a handful of the "101 contradictions" I have noticed that many don't even come close to it.

The creation story in the OT, says the animals came first.

Where does it say that man came first?

I'm not trying to be smart, I was just wondering what you meant. What scripture may say otherwise?

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The statistical contradictions are clear, I doubt you will be able to refute them, if only to argue that they are overall insignificant. But there will still be a question of why does the word of god contain inconsistencies. I wish you luck, Amalgamut.

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GEN 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

GEN 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

GEN 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

GEN 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

That's what I found from a website, haven't checked the context though, so I can't claim anything. See for yourself.

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GEN 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

GEN 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

GEN 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

GEN 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

That's what I found from a website, haven't checked the context though, so I can't claim anything. See for yourself.

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Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…” Later, in Genesis 2:4, it seems that a second, different story of Creation begins. However, close examination of the text will show that what is recorded in 1:1-2:3 is an introductory summary of the events of creation, and that what begins with verse 2:4 is a more detailed account of the Creation of mankind. There is nothing in the two Creation accounts that contradicts. Genesis 2:4-25 should be understand as a further explanation of what happened in Genesis 1:26-31. It is comparable to taking a magnifying glass to Genesis 1:26-31 to take a closer look at the Creation of mankind.

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numbers are, along with the spelling of proper nouns, the most common scribal errors.

Who will bear whose burden?

(a) “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2)

(cool.gif “Each man will have to bear his own load” (Galatians 6:5)

Who killed Saul?

(a) “Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.... Thus Saul died... (I Samuel 31:4-6)

(cool.gif An Amalekite slew him (2 Samuel 1:1- 16)

thank you Discordia, you made my day a lot better. it is nice to see these. they are possibly the two dumbest biblical 'contradictions' ever. and as such, they show just how much work goes into compiling these lists and the critical thinking levels of the people that accept them.

the one from galations simply requires one to look in a concordance. since i dont really feel like typing this out again, ill just paste it from a previous thread. the word for burden used in 6:2 is baros. the word for burden (or "load" in the version Discordia posted) in 6:5 is phortion. baros carries with it the connotation of something heavy. it is the root word for barus, which is the adjective heavy. phortion doesnt carry this connotation. it is used in Matt 11:30 as follows: For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden (phortion) is light.

and in Matt 23:4: For they bind heavy(barus) burdens(phortion) and grievous to be borne, and lay [them] on men's shoulders; but they [themselves] will not move them with one of their fingers.

note the use of the adjective barus in Matt 23:4

and who killed saul? he killed himself. the amalekite from 2 Sam thought he could get a huge reward from david for saving saul from the shame of being captured by his enemies and lied about it.

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I still wonder why people believe in the great story book. God is probably laughing at humans for being so ignorant. Remember children, man wrote the bible... not god.

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I could go through every single scripture on that list and debunk your "contradictions."

I might do that later, b/c it will take me a long time.

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i wouldnt really bother. all or most of them have been gone over before. im almost convinced that there hasnt been an new argument against christianity since about the 1920s. just the same stuff repackaged. instead of going through the contradictions, try taking a look at this guys stuff: http://www.tektonics.org he has gone over lots of these. id start here: http://www.tektonics.org/af/calcon.html

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