The Bible is often claimed to be the word of God, the ultimate source of truth and morality, and the guide for salvation. However, a closer examination of the biblical texts reveals that they are riddled with errors and contradictions, both factual and logical, that undermine their credibility and authority. In this article, I will present some of the most glaring examples of biblical errancy and contradictions, and explain why they pose a serious challenge to the Christian faith.
Factual Errors
The Bible contains numerous factual errors that contradict scientific knowledge, historical evidence, and common sense. For instance:
- The Bible claims that the earth was created in six days, and that the sun, moon, and stars were made on the fourth day (Genesis 1:1-19). However, modern astronomy shows that the earth is about 4.5 billion years old, and that the sun and stars are much older than the earth. Moreover, the earth cannot exist without the sun, which provides heat and light for life.
- The Bible claims that a global flood covered the entire earth and killed all living things except those on Noah's ark (Genesis 6-9). However, there is no geological evidence for such a cataclysmic event, and it is impossible for a wooden boat to accommodate millions of animal species and their food for a year. Moreover, the genetic diversity of life on earth cannot be explained by a single pair of ancestors for each species.
- The Bible claims that the sun stood still for a day to help Joshua win a battle (Joshua 10:12-14). However, this would violate the laws of physics and cause catastrophic consequences for the earth's rotation, climate, and tides. Moreover, there is no historical or astronomical record of such a miraculous event.
- The Bible claims that Jesus was born during the reign of King Herod and the census of Quirinius (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:1-7). However, historical sources show that Herod died in 4 BCE, while Quirinius became governor of Syria in 6 CE. Therefore, these two events cannot be reconciled chronologically.
Logical Contradictions
The Bible also contains numerous logical contradictions that make it impossible to accept its claims as coherent and consistent. For instance:
- The Bible claims that God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnibenevolent (all-good) (Psalm 147:5; Jeremiah 32:17; 1 John 4:8). However, these attributes are incompatible with the existence of evil and suffering in the world. If God is omnipotent, he can prevent evil; if he is omniscient, he knows about evil; if he is omnibenevolent, he wants to prevent evil. Therefore, either God is not omnipotent, or not omniscient, or not omnibenevolent, or evil does not exist. But evil does exist, so God cannot be all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good at the same time.
- The Bible claims that God is unchanging and eternal (Malachi 3:6; Psalm 90:2). However, this contradicts the biblical narrative of God's actions and emotions. For example, God regrets making humans and decides to destroy them with a flood (Genesis 6:6-7); God changes his mind about punishing Israel after Moses intercedes for them (Exodus 32:14); God gets angry with his people and sends plagues and wars to punish them (Numbers 11:1; Judges 2:14); God becomes human in Jesus and suffers and dies on the cross (John 1:14; Philippians 2:8). These examples show that God is not unchanging or eternal, but mutable and temporal.
- The Bible claims that Jesus is fully God and fully human (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9). However, this contradicts the essential properties of both natures. For example, God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immortal, and sinless; human is limited in power, knowledge, presence, mortal, and sinful. Therefore, Jesus cannot be both God and human at the same time. If he is God, he cannot be human; if he is human, he cannot be God.
Conclusion
The examples above are only a fraction of the many errors and contradictions that can be found in the Bible. They demonstrate that the Bible is not a reliable source of truth or morality, but a human product of various authors with different perspectives and agendas. They also show that the Christian faith is based on irrationality.
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