Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!brl-adm!rutgers!topaz!christian From: ln63wmp@sdcc7.uucp (Vasu Murty) Newsgroups: mod.religion.christian Subject: How reliable is the Bible? Message-ID: <10188@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> Date: Tue, 17-Mar-87 03:27:51 EST Article-I.D.: topaz.10188 Posted: Tue Mar 17 03:27:51 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 18-Mar-87 05:40:24 EST Sender: hedrick@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU Organization: University of California, San Diego Lines: 124 Keywords: Biblical contradictions and absurdities. Approved: christian@topaz.UUCP [I have changed the lettering in the message below. In the original, two sets of items were lettered starting at a. I changed the second set to numbers, to make it easier to refer to points. --clh] "Give me the liberty to know, to utter and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties...Let truth and falsehood grapple. Who ever knew truth put to the worst in a fair and open encounter?" ---Milton "Areopagitica" Hi, everybody. Once again, I respond to your postings. With regard to the contradictory gospel accounts of the Resurrection, I must admit I find the "liberal" interpretation of scripture (i.e., it is merely a statement of faith, or a vehicle through which Jesus' teachings are emphasized, subject to human limitation and not flawless) to be a much more reasonable position. This is because if we take the Bible literally, as the perfect and inerrant word of God, all sorts of problems occur. For example, the Bible tells us: a)David took 700 (2 Samuel 8:4), vs. 7000 (1 Chronicles 18:4) horsemen from Hadadezar.. b)Ahaziah was 22 (2 Kings 8:26), vs. 42 (2 Chronicles 22:2) when he began to reign. c)Jehoiachin was 18 (2 Kings 24:8), vs. 8 (2 Chronicles 36:9) when he began to reign. d)In Israel there were 800,000 men (2 Samuel 24:9), vs. 1,100,000 (1 Chronicles 21:5) men that drew the sword. And there were 500,000 (2 Samuel 24:9), vs. 470,000 (1 Chronicles 21:5) men that drew the sword in Judah. e)There were 550 (1 Kings 9:23), vs. 250 (2 Chronicles 8:10) chiefs of the officers that ruled over the people. f)Michal (Saul's daughter) had no sons (2 Samuel 6:23), vs. 5 sons (2 Samuel 21:8). g)Lot was Abraham's brother (Genesis 14:14), vs. his nephew (Genesis 14:12) h)Joseph was sold into slavery by the Midianites (Genesis 37:36), vs. by Ishmaelites (Genesis 39:1). i)Saul was killed by his own hands (1 Samuel 31:4), vs. by a young Amelekite (2 Samuel 1:10), vs. by the Philistines (2 Samuel 21:12). j)Solomon made a molten sea which contained 2000 (1 Kings 7:26), vs. 3000 (2 Chronicles 4:5) baths. k)Workers on the Temple had 3,300 (1 Kings 5:16), vs. 3,600 (2 Chronicles 2:18) overseers. l)The earth does (Ecclesiastes 1:4), vs. does not (2 Peter 3:10, Matthew 24:35) abide forever. m)If Jesus bears witness of himself, his witness is true (John 8:14), vs. is not true (John 5:31). n)Josiah died at Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29-30), vs. at Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 35:24). o)Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain after six (Matthew 17:1, Mark 9:2), vs. eight (Luke 9:28) days. p)Nebuzaradan came unto Jerusalem on the 7th (2 Kings 25:8), vs. 10th (Jeremiah 52:12) day of the fifth month. q)Good works should (Matthew 5:16), vs. should not (Matthew 6:1) be seen. r)We must (Luke 14:26), vs. must not (1 John 3:15) hate our brothers. According to the Bible: 1)The bat is a bird (Leviticus 11:13,19; Deuteronomy 14:11,18). 2)Some fowls are four-footed (Leviticus 11:20-21). 3)Some creeping insects have four legs (Leviticus 11:22-23). 4)Hares chew the cud (Leviticus 11:6). 5)The earth rests on pillars (1 Samuel 2:8). 6)The earth won't be moved (1 Chronicles 16:30). 7)The earth has edges (Job 37:3). 8)The earth has four corners (Isaiah 11:12, Revelations 7:1). 9)Some four-legged animals fly (Leviticus 11:21). 10)"...and John was baptizing in Aenon,, near Salim" (John 3:23) there never existed such a place! 11)"...the same came therefore to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him..." (John 12:21). Bethsaida is in Gaulonitis, not Galilee. 12)Joshua 15:21-32 tells us there were 29 cities in the South belonging to the tribe of the people of Judah, but it then proceeds to list 36! 13)Jehoram began to reign at the age of 32, for 8 years. Ahaziah became king at age 42 (2 Chronicles 21:10), taking over immediately after his father's death. This means the son was two years older than his father! 14)According to Matthew, Jesus was born before the death of Herod, which occurred in 4 B.C. Luke contradicts him by saying he was born during the registration under Cyrenius (that "all the world should be taxed"), which occurred in 7 A.D. All these contradictions make me ask: how reliable a scripture is the Bible? Christians use the Bible to demonstrate that they posess the truth, and they cite the Resurrection of Jesus as "proof" that their religion is somehow superior to others. But the Resurrection accounts (like so much else in the Bible) are contradictory! Mike Andrews put forth the witnesses-at-an-auto-crash explanation...which is often used by apologists. The problem here is that the accounts are mutually exclusive. If someone told me the accident occurred on 4th and Market at 3pm, and someone else told me it occurred on 17th and Mission at 7:30 pm, and both claimed to be a perfect source of authority, I would immediately become suspicious. This is not to say the Resurrection never happened...it very well might have. I don't know; I wasn't there. Regarding the issue of Jesus' divinity, the virgin birth, etc... I'm discussing these at length in a separate article, which I hope the moderator will post. The reason for this is that this article itself is extremely lengthy! Let me say, however, I'm grateful to be given the chance to be heard and to hear your responses. I look forward to more answers! Vasu Murty UC San Diego "To believe in immortality, one needs something more than the gloomy doctrine of Resurrection." ---Thomas Paine