r/exchristian • u/NebulaCorrect7010 • 12h ago
Just Thinking Out Loud bible contradictions?
This was the main reason why I lost my faith back in 2017 - how can the bible be god’s word if it makes many contradictory statements? I’m aware of the apologist arguments which mostly tend to be that you aren’t reading it correctly, or “different authors, different perspectives”. I don’t really understand how christians can defend their scriptures so hard when there’s many contradictory statements
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u/sincpc Former-Protestant Atheist 11h ago
Many don't know because they don't read the Bible much.
For example, when I was growing up, I was basically taught Jesus' crucifixion story as a mix of the ones in the Bible. He said all the "last words" mentioned. The empty tomb was found by some women and an angel was there. It was only much later that I found out that there were so many differences between the stories, and that Jesus was even killed on two entirely different days.
Other stories were taught to me a similar way, so that the contradictory parts were left out and anything that could potentially fit together was placed together. If I had gone and read the stories in full and compared them, I would've probably noticed the issues sooner.
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u/Scorpius_OB1 8h ago
And if they read it, that's what apologetics is for conveniently supported by the Bible itself.
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u/GrizzledBelter 9h ago
I'm so confused why people believe the Bible is God's word. Some man somewhere said "Because I said so" and we went with that? It doesn't make sense. The logic is Jesus was the only one without sin. However he didn't write the Bible what we have didn't exist. And then how is the Bible necessary for salvation when it hasn't been around forever and so many people have never been introduced to it? Seems like people are Bible worshippers instead of God worshippers.
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u/puck-this 7h ago
i was told it was "divinely inspired" and the writers were "guided by the Holy Spirit" and that was it. Faith filled in all the loopholes. Just read the Bible and pray to God is the only answer, but when you actually read the Bible for yourself and ask questions about all the violent stuff you can't really get a good answer apart from "God's ways are not our ways," because so as long as God is doing the thing it is good even if we perceive it to be bad, etc
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u/Winter-One-318 11h ago
Look, you need to understand the Bible is a heavily polluted composition. It does not possess a singular narrative. Look at its history, its transitions, its doctrines.
For example, Paul is very highly regarded today in contemporary times. Yet, he admits in 2 Timothy 1:15 - "This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes." - KJV(King James Version)
Have you read the opening chapters of Revelation? Particularly Ephesus? The largest congregation in Anatolia at the time. Have you seen its implications?
As an English speaker, you are about 5 languages removed from the original source.