Doddy

Just my personal opinion that the Bible isn't the most potent force for atheism.

Stephen T-B

I could never work out why Cain, after killing Abel, begs to be given a mark so that he won't be killed by the people he wanders among.
But he and Abel and their mum and dad (Adam and Eve) were the only people in the world.
Weren't they?
And how did he find a wife - and build a city?

The explanations here http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/aig-c004.html are absolutely pathetic.

Gracchus

Well, at the very least, if the god of the Bible were the real god, then he deserves all the respect and worship due to any sadistic, egomaniacal, moron. But the god of the Bible is just as false as Zeus, Odin, Amon-Ra, or Ahura Mazda. Or rather say, that the Bible contains glimpses of God, shining like jewels in a manure pile. (e.g. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8)

It is possible that the real god is not omnipotent, for he has granted us our own powers, and he may not be omniscient if he has given us free will. And perhaps there will be no god until human beings have given up cruelty, greed, and selfishness, and the cowardice that underlies all human evil.

Until such time, at least, atheism is a workable view of things.

:wave:

driver8

It goes much beyond the differences in the various gospels. This goes to the very heart of the NT.

14 Mark 17-18 & 21 & 28:

There are certainly any number of other passages than will demonstrate that Jesus supposedly knew of his divinity, foretold his death, knew that his death would bring salvation, and that he would rise from the dead. What god would be so ignorant not to know these things?


15 Mark 34:

Oh hell, now he doesn't seem to have a clue.

If anything was ever actually heard and attested to, one would think it was this. It totally contradicts the rest of the story. What are we to make of this?

Berthold

Jesus saying different things about the old law: Several times that it will stay, even that ones who want to overthrow it will be damned; quite a different stance when he eats (or heals) at times when the law forbids it and is challenged by Pharisees.

Persidian

Wow, yeah. These guys suck at lying.

And that's long before they get to Adam's long lifespan, perfect genes allowing for incest and technologically-advanced city-building children.

Sincerely, hardcore evolution disciple Persidian.

James Brown

The contradiction about Judas is not how he died but how he lived.

jeffevnz

That's very deep.

But no, there are also contradictions about how he died.

magicshoemonkey

1) Jehu contradiction: 2 Kings 10 shows that God approves of (and flat out commands) Jehu's massacre at Jezreel, Hosea 1:4 says God will avenge "the blood of Jezreel" on the "house of Jehu"

2) Mary Magdalene's response to the resurrection: in the synoptics she sees angels and Jesus himself before returning to the disciples to tell them what happened, but in John her very words to them are, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."

Those are really my two favorites. I think most fundamentalists have never heard of either of them, so they don't have a prepared response usually (sometimes with the Jehu contradiction, never with MM), plus, all of their attempts to harmonize the Resurrection's other discrepancies actually make the MM problem worse, which I find just hilarious.

By the way, I got both of these from Farrell Till's articles; just giving credit.

Baalazel

My favorite Bible contradiction is the notes column that runs down the middle of the page telling you what the words really mean.

Baal