How confusing is the Bible?

**makusama** · 01-15-2008, 09:08 PM

The bible is very confusing. In ancient time it may have been understood very easily but for our generation it is no longer an easy task. A lot of false prophets have arisen giving their own views of the bible and professing it as if the view is the truth and the intended meaning of the authors and I must admit they do have their point. But are they correct? Are they good enough to make an effort to convince other people they are on the true path? Where do they get their research? Who do you lean to when looking for bible interpretation?

I will provide no answers. Look for it yourself.

"For I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever." (Jeremiah 3:12)
"Ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn forever." (Jeremiah 17:4)

"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not valid." (John 5:31)
"Jesus answered: Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid." (John 8:14)

"And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth." (Matthew 28:1

"the whole world is under control of the evil one." (1 John 5:19)

And Jesus said, "For judgement I am come into this world." (John 9:39)
"I came not to judge the world" (John 12:47)

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 6:1)

"Jacob said, 'I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.'" (Genesis 32:30)
"No man hath seen God at any time." (John 1:1

We should fear God (Matthew 10:2

We should love God (Matthew 22:37)
There is no fear in love (1 John 4:1

Foolery

"But anyone who says 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Jesus) Mat 5:22

"You fools!" (Jesus) Luke 11:40
"You blind fools!" (Jesus) Mat 23:17
"How foolish you are" (Jesus) Luke 24:25

"But God said to him, 'You fool!' " (Jesus) Luke 12:20

"You foolish Galatians!" (St. Paul) Galatians 3:1
"You foolish man" James 2:20

(Also - Psalms 14:1 and again at 53:1 - you have to think me a fool because I have said in my heart that there is no God - oops, both of us in hell now!)

Feedback: This "foolery" section has been criticised and is discussed further here.

Jesus teaches us how to turn the cheek and forgive those who trespass against us...

"Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father." [Matt. x, 33.]

"Whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness." [Mark iii, 29.]

"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee ... tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican." [Matt. xviii, 15-17.]

Rejoicing

"Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles... If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink... He who rejoices at calamity shall not go unpunished." [Prov. 24:17; 25:21; 17:5]
"The Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you" [Deut. 28:63]
"The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance, he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked" [Ps. 58:10]

Mercy

"Blessed are the merciful" [Matthew 5:7]
"Leave alive nothing that breathes. Show them no mercy." [Deut. 7:2]
"The Lord hardened their hearts... that they might receive no mercy." [Joshua 11:20]
"I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the Lord: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them. A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord's work! A curse on him who keeps his sword from bloodshed." [Jer. 13:14; 48:10]

Love?

"I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children." (Leviticus 26:22)

"Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourself every girl who has never slept with a man." (Numbers 31:17-1

"The Lord commands: "... slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women" (Ezechial 9:4-6)

"When the Lord delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the males .... As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves." (Deuteronomy 20:13-14)

"You will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the Lord your God has given you." (Deuteronomy 28:53)

"The Lord said to Joshua [...] 'you are to hamstring their horses.' " (Exceedingly cruel.) (Joshua 11:6)

"... Go and smite the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword and; also the women and little ones.... every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall utterly destroy." (Judges 21:10-12)

"This is what the Lord says: Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass .... And Saul ... utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword." (1 Samuel 15:3,7-

"The people of Samaria must bear their guilt, because they have rebelled against their God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to the ground, their women with child ripped open." (Hosea 13:16)

"A curse on him who is lax in doing the LORD's work!
A curse on him who keeps his sword from bloodshed!" (Jeremiah 48:10)

Is this really the "word of God" or the cruel thoughts of Bronze age warriors?
Did you know this was in the bible? If not then are you shocked? If you did know it was there then is Christianity really about a healthy loving relationship or is it a case of the Stockholm syndrome?

Is God A Criminal?

The bible god admits he performs evil acts. (As if the above was not proof enough!)

A Christian wrote: "God did not create evil. Evil is simply the state where God is not present."

If "God did not create evil" then what of the following?

Isaiah 45:7
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Exodus 32:14
And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Joshua 23:15
Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things.

Judges 9:23
Then God sent an evil spirit

1 Samuel 16:14
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

2 Samuel 12:11
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house

1 Kings 9:9
...therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil.

1 Kings 14:10
Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam

2 Kings 6:33 ...Behold, this evil is of the LORD;

2 Kings 21:12 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

2 Kings 22:16 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place

2 Chronicles 34:24 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof...

Nehemiah 13:18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city?

Jeremiah 4:6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

Jeremiah 6:19 Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people

Jeremiah 11:11 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them

Jeremiah 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil

Jeremiah 35:17 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them:

Jeremiah 44:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah

Jeremiah 45:5 ...behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD:

Jeremiah 49:37 ...I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:

Micah 1:12 .... evil came down from the LORD

Micah 2:3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil

**Ironside** · 01-16-2008, 12:12 AM

Any book with its parts TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT always has contradictions.

We have a genuine contradiction if the statements refer to the a) same person b) same time c) same sense and d) same context.

It would be tedious to reply to all seeming contradictions posted above. MInd you, the above post could just be a copy and paste thing from another source and here you are risking a cardiac arrest in replying to all of it.

Sample from the previous post:

We should fear God (Matthew 10:2

We should love God (Matthew 22:37)
There is no fear in love (1 John 4:1

Actually the above reminds me of:

Nobody is perfect
I am nobody
Therefore I am perfect

We should have a reverential fear of God. It is fear out of utter respect and awe for God----> [Pr 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;........] The disciples in Matthew 10 should not fear [be scared and frightened] their persecutors but rather they should fear [revere] God. The God who is able to punish their persecutors with hell fire.

The context in 1 John 4:18 refers to the fear of the coming judgment

1Jo 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Perfect Love in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ died for me and saved me from condemnation. Therefore I will not fear the day of Judgment. God through the Lord Jesus Christ is FOR me NOT AGAINST me. Oh His love brought delight to my soul. I cant help it but love Him back. Immediately after verse 18 above is this statement:

1Jo 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

sample from the previous post:

"But anyone who says 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Jesus) Mat 5:22

"You fools!" (Jesus) Luke 11:40
"You blind fools!" (Jesus) Mat 23:17
"How foolish you are" (Jesus) Luke 24:25

"But God said to him, 'You fool!' " (Jesus) Luke 12:20

"You foolish Galatians!" (St. Paul) Galatians 3:1
"You foolish man" James 2:20

Is it stated in the same sense and context?

The context of Matthew 5:22 is murder. Anyone who calls someone a fool with murder in his heart is in danger of the punishment.

I think the father who chops to pieces his 8 year old dauther after raping her is a FOOL [ A daugher who works in a Tsinelas factory while he stayed home and waited for her money everyday]. But rest assured by God's grace I dont have any intentions of murdering the man.

An illustration from a secular letter:

Dodong recieved a letter from his tatay who worked in the city. Dodong did not bother to read the first two pages of the letter. He went straight to the 3rd page. In it he read the words: "patya ang tanang manok Dong kay naa tay bisita ugma sa hapon nig anha nako diha."

The next day Dodong, anticipating his father, killed all the chickens [even the chickens that belonged to his uncle and his aunties---5 of them]. His uncle upon hearing what Dodong did got so furious. Dodong tried to pacify his uncle while showing him the letter that it was his Tatay who told him to do it.

His uncle read his elder brother's letter from page 1 up to the last and sighed: "Dong, ang pasabot sa imong tatay kay patya ang INYONG tanang manok.............ANG INYONG GIPANAGIYA NGA MANOK.......walay apil ang amoa!!! Wala diay nimo basaha ang page 2?"

We normally read in contexts right? I mean that is a given. Even in secular letters we do the same. Why not do it with the Bible?

Try an experiment: Read a secular book. Say, from a renowned scholar. Preferably a book more than 500 pages long. Read it at random [important rule: dont read the context]. Hop skip and jump from one statement to another. Chances are good you will find contradictions.

Then if the author has in it his email address. Mail him. Show him his contradictions.

**dazednconfused** · 01-16-2008, 12:28 AM

@makusama

wow! you must have done a lot of research..
keep it up!

**rcruman** · 01-16-2008, 06:23 AM