home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Unsorted BBS Collection
/
thegreatunsorted.tar
/
thegreatunsorted
/
texts
/
txtfiles_misc
/
godsword
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1989-08-02
|
6KB
|
133 lines
THE BIBLE IS GOD'S WORD?
DEAR BELIEVER. I can't accept the Bible as God's Word because it
contains hundreds of problems and contradictions that can't be solved,
only rationalized. I only ask that you read what follows in line with
James' teaching that Christians should be "open to reason" (James 3:17
RSV) and Isaiah's belief that we should "reason together" (Isa. 1:18) to
see just a few of the Book's many shortcomings.
(1) If you must accept Jesus as your Savior in order to be saved (John
14:6), what about the billions of beings that die as fetuses, infants,
mental deficients, etc.? For them to accept Jesus would be impossible,
so they are condemned to hell because of conditions over which they had
no control. Deut. 32:4 says God is just, but where is the justice?
(2) Why are we being punished for Adam's sin? After all, he ate the
forbidden fruit, we didn't; it's his problem not ours especially in
light of Deut. 24:16 which says the children shall not be punished for
the sins of their fathers.
(3) God created Adam so he must have been perfect. How, then, could
he have sinned? Regardless of how much free will he had, if he chose to
sin, he wasn't perfect.
(4) How can Num. 23:19, which says God doesn't repent, be reconciled
with Ex. 32:14 which clearly says he does?
(5) How can 2Kings 8:26, which says Ahaziah began to rule at age 22,
be reconciled with 2Chron. 22:2 which says he was 42?
(6) How can Ex. 33:20, which says no man can see God's face and live,
be squared with Gen. 32:30 which says a man saw his face and his life
was preserved?
(7) Rom. 3:23 says "All have sinned." All means all. Yet, Gen. 6:9
says Noah was a just man and PERFECT in his generations. Job 1:1 & 1:8
say Job was PERFECT. How could these men have been perfect if ALL have
sinned?
(8) How could Moses have written the first 5 books in the Bible (the
pentateuch) when his own death and burial is described in Deut. 34:5-6
(`So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab...and
he buried him in a valley....').
(9) Did Solomon have 40,000 STALLS for his horses (1Kings 4:26) or
4,000 (2Chron. 9:25) AND did Solomon's house contain 2,000 baths (1Kings
7:26) or 3,000 (2 Chron. 4:5)?
(10) Paul says Christianity lives or dies on the Resurrection (1 Cor.
15:14,17). Yet, why would it be of any consequence when the Widow at
Nain's son, Jairus's daughter, Lazarus, and many others rose before
Jesus. By the time he rose this was actually a rather common occurence.
I would think it would have been met by a resounding yawn rather than
surprise. Adam's act of coming into the world as a full grown adult is
much more spectacular.
(11) Was Jehoiachin 18 years old when he began to reign in Jerusalem
and did he reign 3 MONTHS (2 Kings 24:8) or was he 8 years old and
reigned 3 MONTHS AND 10 DAYS (2 Chron. 36:9) AND did Nebusaradan come to
Jerusalem on the 7th (2 Kings 25:8) or 10th (Jer. 52:12) day of the 5th
month?
(12) How could we follow the 6th Commandment, even if we wanted to,
when the authors of the various versions of the Bible can't even agree
on whether the key word is "kill" or "murder." Surely they recognize a
difference?
(13) We are told the Bible has no scientific errors, yet it says the
bat is a bird (Lev. 11:13,19), hares chew the cud (Lev. 11:5-6), and
some fowl (Lev. 11:20-21) and insects (Lev. 11:22-23) have four legs.
(14) Matt. 27:9-10 quotes a prophecy made by Jeremy the prophet. Yet,
no believer in the Bible has ever been able to show me where it lies in
the book of Jeremiah.
(15) Heaven is supposed to be a perfect place. Yet, it experienced a
war (Rev. 12:7). How can there be a war in a perfect place and if it
happened before why couldn't it occur again? Why would I want to go to
a place in which war can occur. That's exactly what I'm trying to
escape, aren't you?
(16) Believers are told in Mark 16:17-18 that they can drink "any
deadly thing" and "it shall not hurt" them. But I don't think you would
be naive enough to drink any arsenic offered. Perhaps I'm wrong and you
would be willing to test the Book's veracity?--"Lay it on the line" so
to speak!
(17) We are told salvation is obtained by faith alone (John 3:18, 36)
yet Jesus told a man to follow the commandments--Mt. 19:16-18 (saving by
works) if he wanted eternal life.
(18) According to the text there are 29 cities listed in Joshua 15:21-
32 (RSV). One need only count them to see that biblical math is not to
be trusted. The total is 36.
(19) Surely you don't believe Eccle. 1:9 (RSV) (`What has been is what
will be, and what has been done is what will be done; THERE IS NOTHING
NEW UNDER THE SUN")? How many cities had an atomic bomb dropped on them
prior to 1945 and how many people walked on the moon before 1969?
(20) If the bible is our moral guide, then how can it make pornographic
statements such as: "...they may eat their own DUNG and drink their own
PISS with you" (2Kings 18:27)? Is that what you want your children
reading on Sunday?
(21) If God created EVERYTHING, (Col. 1:16, Eph. 3:9, Rev. 4:11, John
1:3), then he did create the world's evil (Isa. 45:7, Lam. 3:38). Thus,
he should be held responsible.
(22) In Psalm 139:7-11 we are told God is everwhere. If so, why would
God need to come down to earth to see a city (Gen. 11:5) when he is
already here and how could Satan leave the presence of the Lord (Job
1:12, 2:7)?
(23) For justice to exist, punishment MUST fit the crime. No matter
how many bad deeds one commits in this world, there is a limit. Yet,
hell's punishment is infinitely greater.
(24) And lastly, in Acts 20:35 Paul told people "to remember the words
of the Lord Jesus, how he said, `It is more blessed to give than to
receive.'" Since Jesus never made such a biblical statement, isn't Paul
guilty of deception?
These examples expose only a FEW of the many reasons I can't accept
the Bible as the word of a perfect being. A FAR greater number can be
found in the monthly publication, BIBLICAL ERRANCY, which is "The only
national periodical focusing on biblical errors, contradictions, and
fallacies, while providing a hearing for apologists." A free copy is
available at:
3158 Sherwood Park Drive
Springfield, Ohio 45505
phone (513) 323-6146