Bible Contradictions

Quote 1	Quote 2
And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind: and God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" Gen 1:25,26 (man made after the beasts)	And the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." 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 ... but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. Gen 2:18-20 (man made before the beasts)
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female Gen 7:2	Of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark Gen 6:19
Thou shalt not kill Exod 20:13	Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel, "Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour". Exod 32:27
Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth Num 12:3	And Moses was wroth ... And Moses said unto them, "Have ye saved all the women alive? ... Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman ... But all the women children ... keep alive for yourselves" Num 31:14,17,18
And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of SEVEN HUNDRED chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand HORSEMEN, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there. 2 Sam 10:18	But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians SEVEN THOUSAND men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand FOOTMEN, and killed Shophach the captain of the host. 1 Chron 19:18
And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel 1 Chron 21:1	And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah" 2 Sam 24:1
Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death. 2 Sam 6:23	The five sons of Michel the daughter of Saul, whom she bare for Adriel. 2 Sam 21:8
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Prov 4:7	For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 1 Cor 1:19
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. Prov 3:13	For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Eccles 1:18
The dead know not any thing, neither have they any more reward. Eccles 9:5	These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous unto life eternal. Matt 25:46
Jesus .. the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli. Luke 3:23	And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus. Matt 1:16
And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. Luke 2:39	When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod. Matt 2:14,15
Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15	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
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. Mark 15:25	About the sixth hour ... they cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him". John 19:14,15
Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers. Isa 14:21	The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. Deut 24:16

PAUL SAID, "God is not the author of confusion," (I Corinthians 14:33), yet never has a book produced more confusion than the bible! There are hundreds of denominations and sects, all using the "inspired Scriptures" to prove their conflicting doctrines.

Why do trained theologians differ? Why do educated translators disagree over Greek and Hebrew meanings? Why all the confusion? Shouldn't a document that was "divinely inspired" by an omniscient and omnipotent deity be as clear as possible?

"If the trumpet give an uncertain sound," Paul wrote in I Corinthians 14:8, "who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air." Exactly! Paul should have practiced what he preached. For almost two millennia, the bible has been producing a most "uncertain sound."

The problem is not with human limitations, as some claim. The problem is the bible itself. People who are free of theological bias notice that the bible contains hundreds of discrepancies. Should it surprise us when such a literary and moral mish-mash, taken seriously, causes so much discord? Here is a brief sampling of biblical contradictions.

Should we kill?

Should we tell lies?

Should we steal?

Shall we keep the sabbath?

Shall we make graven images?

Are we saved through works?

Should good works be seen?

Should we own slaves?

Does God change his mind?

Are we punished for our parents' sins?

Is God good or evil?

Does God tempt people?

Is God peaceable?

Was Jesus peaceable?

Was Jesus trustworthy?

Shall we call people names?

Has anyone seen God?

How many Gods are there?

Are we all sinners?

How old was Ahaziah?

Should we swear an oath?

When was Jesus crucified?

Shall we obey the law?

How many animals on the ark?

Were women and men created equal?

Were trees created before humans?

Did Michal have children?

How many stalls did Solomon have?

Did Paul's men hear a voice?

Is God omnipotent?

Does God live in light?

Does God accept human sacrifice?

Who was Joseph's father?

This chapter was first printed as a "nontract," a freethinkers' version of a (non-proselytizing) tract. Since it was first published, I have received numerous replies from Christians who think that these contradictions are either trivial or easily explained. Yet not a single "explanation" has been convincing. Most of them do little homework, inventing off-the-cuff defenses of what the bible "could have meant," or devising creative explanations that actually make the problem worse. For example, one Christian, agreeing with Eusebius, explained that "Thou shalt not bear false witness" does not prohibit lies, and that God actually wants us to tell falsehoods if it will further the kingdom of heaven.

Many of the defensive attempts are arguments from silence. Some apologists assert that since the writer of John does not say that there were not more women who visited the tomb with Mary, then it is wrong to accuse him of contradicting the other evangelists who say it was a group of women. But this is a non-argument. With this kind of thinking, I could claim that the people who accompanied Mary to the tomb included Mother Teresa, Elvis Presley, and Paul Bunyan. Since the writer of John does not specifically exclude these people, then there is no way to prove that this is not true--if such fragile logic is valid.

All of the above contradictions have been carefully studied, and when necessary the original languages have been consulted. Although it is always scholarly to consider the original languages, why should that be necessary with the "word of God?" An omnipotent, omniscient deity should have made his all-important message unmistakably clear to everyone, everywhere, at all times. No one should have to learn an extinct language to get God's message, especially an ancient language about which there is much scholarly disagreement. If the English translation is flawed or imprecise, then God failed to get his point across to English speakers. A true fundamentalist should consider the English version of the bible to be just as inerrant as the original because if we admit that human error was possible in the translation, then it was equally possible in the original writing. (Some fundamentalists do assert that the King James Version is perfect. One preacher reportedly said, "If the King James Version was good enough for the Apostle Paul, then it's good enough for me.") If a contradiction exists in English, then the bible is contradictory.

The above list of thirty-three contradictions is a very small portion of the thousands of biblical discrepancies that have been catalogued by scholars. See "Leave No Stone Unturned" for seventeen additional contradictions specific to the resurrection of Jesus. One monthly publication, "Biblical Errancy," is devoted entirely to this topic (published by Dennis McKinsey, 3158 Sherwood Park Drive, Springfield OH, 45505.) Even if a defender of the bible were to eliminate all of the above (and no one has come close), we are still only scratching the surface. The bible is a flawed book.

Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, 'Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise'."

In John 20:1 "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre"

In John 20:17 "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

It is now the first day of the week, and Jesus has not gone back to heaven. Either he lied to the thief on the cross, or it's all a sham. He was not with him the day they were crucified.

John 3:35 "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand."

In Matt. 20:23 we see " And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father."

God gave Jesus all decision, except that one. God loved his son very much :)

Mark 1:9 "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan 10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12 And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."

Now in John 2:1 we see "And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine."

My point is this. If he went to a wedding THREE days after his baptism, how could he immediately been driven into the wilderness for 40 days as Mark tells us?

Mark 1:23 "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."

Now in I John 4:1 we see "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

What! That would mean that the unclean spirit was of God. He recognized that Christ was "the Holy One of God". If we are to believe the bible is being truthful, then we must believe that this unclean spirit was of God. And you can interpret that unclean also would mean evil. God sends evil spirits? Hmmmmm.

John 5:22 "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement unto unto the Son;"

Then we see in John 8:15 "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man."
and in John 12:47 And 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."

Jesus first says that God has given all judgement to him, but he judges no one and comes to save the world, not to judge. All very confusing to me.

Acts 10:36 "The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of All:)

Matt. 10:34 "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Did this man come for peace or to wreak havoc? Make up my mind.

Luke 14:26 "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, and yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

But in I John 3:15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

Hate your brother, don't hate your brother. What was the question again?

Mark 8:12 "And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation."

Matt 12:38 "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas."

Acts 2:22 "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:"

John 3:1 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him."

See, this isn't actually a contradiction. Jesus is just fickle. Yeah, right.

Mark 6:8 "And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse; 9 but be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats."

Matt. 10:9 "Provide neither gold, nore silver, nor brass in your purses, 10 nor scip for you journey, neither two coats, neither shoes nor yet staves; for the workmanis worthy of his meat."

Has anybody else noticed? In 1 passage they are being told to take staff and shoes, and in another they are being directed not to take either! This is about the same journey! Who was right? Someone has to be wrong here.

"I was made in america,
And america hates ME for what I am.
I am YOUR shit.
You should be ashamed of what you have eaten."

--Basic Good Person - Politically Incorrect August 13, 1997
MM:"I have basic principles that kind of exist in all religions, even Christianity. The fundamentals. You know, you don't
kill people. A basic good person. I'm not a Minister of anything. I read both Bibles. I read the Christian Bible too."

--Starting over - CMJ January 1996
MM:"In explaining things to people, I've come to terms with the fact that a lot of my goals are very Christian in the end.
Because people no longer appreciate the taboos of sex, drugs, and rock & roll. I have to take them as far as they've ever been taken before, on a grand scale, in order for the world to realize we have to start over. It's very much like the
mythology of the bible, the end of the world, and the antichrist and people are made to make a choice about their faith. I think certain elements of that are correct."

--Flat World - Raygun Magazine Dec/January 1998
MM:"Reality is just what's popular. At one point, the world was flat, and we were all convinced of that, because that was what was popular. Right now, in America, everyone is convinced that this is One Nation Under God. Its on the Dollar Bill. And there's been so many people that tried to crack that open. An Antichrist is someone who is just fighting for man. Even in the Bible, the word Antichrist never really defined some villain who was going to come at the end of the world and destroy everyone. The word was used to describe someone who was opposed to Jesus in his day. It was a collective Disbelief in God."

--Winner is God - Details Magazine December 1996
MM:"It's just that history was written by winners. In the Bible's case, the winner is God."

--Lucifer - Kerrang Magazine December 14 1996
MM:"There's a lot of great stories and a lot of great values in the Holy Bible, and I actually relate to a lot of them. The
character, the idea, or the part of my personality that I describe as Antichrist Superstar, is a lot like Lucifer in the Bible.
Someone who was kicked out of heaven because he wanted to be God."
The Bible - Revelations
--Marilyn Manson - Huh Magazine October 1996
MM:"It's a band, but it's me. It's almost as mystifying as the Holy Trinity, where it's three but it's one. I always thought it
was necessary that everybody I work with is a part of and believing in the things I'm trying to relate. I heard this album
as finished. I heard it in dreams I had. And that's what it is now. It was like the Revelations of John The Baptist or
something."
--Q: Twiggy do you ever read the Bible?
TR:"Yes, I like Revelations. There's some good chapters."
--Very American - Axcess Magazine
MM:"There's a lot of talk in some of the other versions of the Bible, the Hebrew versions, and things about the end of the world not being a punishment from God, but being an invitation from mankind. That mankind has to invite its own
destruction. And I think that's very true, and it's almost very American. I think that's the type of society we're in and it's
people's very fear of the Antichrist that has created it."
--The Worm - Hit Parader Magazine February 1997
MM:"The worm represents something very biblical. In the book of Revelations, there's a lot of different references. The
worm has also been compared to the character in the bible known as Lucifer, the fallen angel. The worm is the first stage of growth, and then it grows some more, and goes through the wing process. At which case it becomes an angel."

--Ripping Up Bibles - August 13, 1997 - Politically Incorrect TV Show.
MM:"They're designed to make people Think. But the point with the Bible or a flag is to say, 'It's only as valid as you
make it in your heart.' A piece of paper or a piece of cloth doesn't mean anything. It's what you believe and I want
people to think about what they believe. I want them to consider if everything they've been taught, if that's what they
want to believe or if that's what they've been told that they have to believe."

There is no heaven, there is no hell. It was all made up in a story called the "Bible" to keep people in line and a last resort to help stop violence in that time period.