Dear Kathy,
Since you graciously agreed (in our recent conversation) to let me present you with some examples of the Bible’s problems, I decided to do it in this way so it would have its own comment thread. As I’ve said, when I was a Christian, one strike against the Bible was not enough to shake my faith — maybe it only seemed problematic, maybe there was an explanation we hadn’t uncovered yet, maybe the historical accounts were wrong, etc. But as the problems began to mount up, I reached a point where I could no longer deny the fact that the Bible had actual errors.
A couple of suggestions before we begin. Try to be as open-minded about this as possible. As you go through these examples, ask yourself if God would allow such problems to exist in a message that he wanted all people to accept and believe? According to the Bible, whenever God sent someone a message, whether it was Pharaoh or Gideon or Nebuchadnezzar or Paul, they had no question whom it was from. They didn’t always follow it, as we see with people like Pharaoh and Solomon, but they didn’t question the source of the message or what it stated. So why would God operate differently today? Why would he want us to be so confused about his message that we’re able to question whether or not it’s really from him?
Another thing to keep in mind is that even if you come to the conclusion that the Bible has actual problems, that doesn’t mean you have to stop believing in God. There are a number of Christians who don’t believe in inerrancy. And even if you lose faith in the Christian god, that still doesn’t mean you have to stop believing in God. A number of people, including several of our founding fathers, were deists. I have a lot of sympathy for that view and plan to do a post on it soon.
Some of the items listed here will have links that provide additional information, especially when the issue is too detailed to list here. I hope that you’ll check out those links, since some of them are quite significant points. And regardless of how this article strikes you, I hope it will help serve as a great springboard to launch you into your own research.
Some of the Problems
Creation
The creation accounts in Genesis do not match what we’ve learned through science. This isn’t shocking news, but it bears looking into. Evolution and the Big Bang Theory had nothing to do with my deconversion, but I’ve learned more about both since leaving Christianity. It’s shocking how much misinformation I had been operating under. Not to say that all Christians are that way — that was simply my experience. But the evidence for both evolution and the Big Bang are far more substantial than I had ever realized. Two good resources for learning more about these issues are the following (though I’d also recommend checking out the recent Cosmos series, as well as some of the PBS NOVA specials):
Another problem with the creation accounts is that Genesis 1 says that plants and trees were made on the 3rd day, while man was made on the 6th. But Genesis 2:5-9 says that man was created before there were any plants or trees in the land. Also, the 1st chapter says that man was created after all the animals, but the 2nd chapter implies that it was the other way around. It seems strange that such discrepancies would exist only a chapter apart, but there are a number of textual clues that suggest the first 5 books of the Bible were assembled over a long period of time from various writings written by a number of different people. Many scholars believe that Genesis 1 and 2 represent two separate versions of the creation story that were both included because the compilers didn’t know which was more accurate. Whatever the reason, there’s no question that the differences exist and are hard to explain.
10 Plagues
During the 10 plagues, God afflicts all of Egypt’s livestock with a disease (Ex 9:1-7), and it specifies that it would affect the “horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.” We’re told that all of Egypt’s livestock died. But the later plague of boils was said to affect both man and beast (verse 10 of chapter 9). Maybe it meant non-livestock animals. But Ex 11:5 says that the death of the firstborn would also affect Egypt’s cattle, and in Exodus 14, Pharaoh pursues the Israelites with horses.
Hares Chew the Cud
Leviticus 11:6 tells us that hares chew the cud. They do not. Animals that chew the cud are called ruminants. When they eat plant matter, it goes to their first stomach to soften, and then it’s regurgitated to their mouth. They spend time re-chewing it, and then it is swallowed and fully digested. Ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, etc.) are recognizable because their chewing of the cud is very obvious. Hares (rabbits) don’t chew the cud; however, their mouths do move frequently, so it’s possible to see why some people may have assumed that they do chew the cud. Of course, God would know they didn’t, and this is why the passage is problematic. You can read more about this here.
Arphaxad
In the genealogy given in Genesis 11:10-12, we see that Noah fathered Shem and Shem fathered Arphaxad. At the age of 35, Arphaxad fathered Shelah. This information is confirmed in 1 Chron 1:18. But Luke 3:35-36 tells us that Arphaxad’s son was Cainan, and he was the father of Shelah.
Where does Luke get this information? It disagrees with the Old Testament, so who should we believe? Some have suggested that Genesis and 1 Chronicles simply left out Cainan for some reason. But why would they do that? To further complicate it, how could Cainan have fit in there? Genesis tells us that Arphaxad was 35 when he fathered Shelah. Does it really seem likely that Arphaxad became a grandfather by 35, especially when you consider the extreme old ages that people lived to at that time?
Another explanation is that some copyist messed up when copying Luke and Cainan is just a mistake. But this is not much better. First of all, the error would have needed to occur early for it to be in all our copies of Luke. Secondly, are we really comfortable saying that we have the inspired word of our creator, but it got messed up by some guy who wasn’t paying close attention? To me, that doesn’t lend a lot of credence to the idea of inspiration or inerrancy.
Instead, the most likely explanation is that Luke made a mistake. This, of course, would indicate that he was not inspired.
Problems in the Book of Daniel
In Daniel 5, the writer refers to Belshazzar as the son of Nebuchadnezzar 7 different times. Yet we know from multiple contemporary sources that Belshazzar’s father was Nabonidus, who was not related to Nebuchadnezzar. The same chapter says that Darius the Mede took over Babylon, but this person does not seem to have ever existed. Daniel says that he was the son of Ahaseurus, and in mentioning this, the author of Daniel indicates that he was thinking of a later ruler — the persian emperor Darius the Great, whose son was Ahaseurus. This post in particular goes into the problems surrounding the 5th chapter, but if you’d like to learn about the problems in the rest of the book, you can access each article in the series here.
Jairus’s Daughter
In Mark 5:23, Jairus finds Jesus and says that his daughter is at the point of death. While they’re on their way to the house, some of his servants find them on the way and say that she has died and there’s no point in troubling Jesus further.
However, in Matthew 9:18, Jairus already knows that his daughter has died, but tells Jesus that if he’ll lay his hands on her, she’ll live. This may seem like a minor difference, but honestly, there’s only one scenario that could be true. Either the girl was already dead, or she wasn’t. And if Jairus already knew she was dead, then there was no point in his servants coming to tell him that (so of course, they don’t appear in Matthew’s account).
The Centurion
This is similar to the previous issue. Matthew and Luke both record a centurion who asks Jesus to heal his sick servant. Matthew 8:5-13 says that the centurion himself comes before Jesus to ask for help. Luke 7:1-10 says that the Jewish elders went on his behalf, and then he sent servants to follow up. In Luke, Jesus never speaks to, or even sees, the centurion at all.
Hight Priest
In Mark 2:23-28, Jesus talks about the occasion from the Old Testament when David ate the showbread, which Jesus said was in the days of Abiathar the high priest. However, in 1 Samuel 21:1-6, it appears that Ahimelech was the high priest. Some have tried to answer this problem by saying that Abiathar was alive during that particular episode, so Jesus’ statement is still true. But that’s obviously not the intent of the passage. After all, we would correct anyone who said that the tragedy of 9/11 occurred during the days of President Barack Obama. He may have been alive at the time, but that event did not happen while he was President.
430 Years
Galatians 3:16-17 says this:
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
Here, Paul says that the law came 430 years after the promises were made to Abraham. But in Exodus 12:40-41, we see:
Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt.
If the Israelites were in Egypt 430 years, then there could not have been 430 years between Abraham’s promises and the law. God made the promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, and as we read on through Genesis, we see that Abraham had no children at this time. Later, he had a son named Isaac. When Isaac was 60 years old, he had Jacob (Gen 25:24-26), and Jacob had 12 sons that produced the 12 tribes of Israel. Already, we can see that some time has passed since Abraham received the promise. Once Jacob’s sons were all grown with families of their own, they finally settled in Egypt. Jacob was 130 years old at this time (Gen 47:9), and this marks the beginning of that 430 year period that the Israelites spent in Egypt.
That means that the time between the promise to Abraham and the giving of the law was actually over 600 years. So why did Paul say 430 years? I think it’s obvious that this was a simple mistake. He remembered the 430 year figure because that’s how much time the Israelites spent in Egypt, and so he simply misspoke. It’s not a big deal… except that he’s supposed to be inspired by God.
Jesus’ Birth
There are a number of issues surrounding Jesus’ birth. First, Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts contradict one another on virtually all the details, which you can read about here. Secondly, Matthew seems to invent an episode where Herod kills all the children in Bethlehem who are 2 and under, causing Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to flee to Egypt (instead of just returning home to Nazareth, because only Luke says that they started in Nazareth). Matthew does this in order to “fulfill” some Old Testament passages that actually have nothing to do with Jesus or killing babies. You can read about Matthew’s misuse of the Old Testament here — it’s quite blatant.
The Virgin Birth is one of the most famous aspects of Jesus’ story, and it was supposedly done in fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah. But it turns out that Isaiah was prophesying no such thing — he was talking about an event that was happening in his own time, and Matthew (once again) just appropriated the “prophecy” for his own devices. You can read all the details here.
Another problem concerning Jesus’ birth narratives is that Matthew and Luke both offer genealogies for Jesus, but they are completely different from one another. Worse, they don’t match the genealogies listed in the Old Testament, either. And Matthew claims that there was a pattern in the number of generations between Abraham and David, between David and the Babylonian captivity, and between the Babylonian captivity and Christ. But to get this neat division, he is forced to leave out some names. In other words, that pattern didn’t happen. You can read more about that here.
The Triumphal Entry
While not as blatant as most of these other issues, when Matthew recounts Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he once again borrows from the Old Testament, but seems to make a mistake in his implementation. See here for more info.
Judas’ Death
Judas is well known for being the disciple that betrayed Jesus, but what’s not as well known is there are two different accounts of his death, and it’s very hard to reconcile them. According to Matthew, Judas threw his money down at the chief priests’ feet and went out and hanged himself. We’re not told where he did this. The priests then take the money, and instead of putting it back in the treasury (since it’s blood money), they buy a field to use for burying strangers. Because they bought the field with this money, it’s called the “Field of Blood.”
According to Acts, Judas bought a field with his money (we’re not told that he was remorseful), and he somehow fell down, bursting open in the middle and bleeding to death. The field was called “Field of Blood” after that because of the manner in which Judas died.
To make things more complicated, Matthew (of course) says that this happened in accordance with Jeremiah’s prophecy, but there’s nothing in Jeremiah that matches up. The closest reference comes from Zechariah, not Jeremiah.
These issues really complicate the notion of divine inspiration, and you can read more about them here.
The Crucifixion
There are several big problems with the way the gospels record the events of Jesus’ death, including the fact that different times of day are given for it, and even different days altogether. You can read more about this here.
The Resurrection
There are also a number of problems concerning the resurrection, some minor, some major. They’re too involved to get into here, but you can read all about them here and here.
The Problem of Hell
The notion of Hell is fraught with problems. It might even surprise you to learn that the Bible’s teachings on the afterlife change dramatically between the Old and New Testaments. I go into detail about Hell’s problems here, here, and here.
The Problem of Evil
Another huge problem for Christianity is the problem of evil, which I talk about here. This post also addresses the “problem of Heaven.”
The Bible’s Morality
While a number of people believe that the Christian god is the source of all morality, the Bible is actually filled with some monstrous acts that are either commanded by God, done with his consent, or carried out by him directly. I talk about some specific examples here, and I address some of the common responses to them here.
Conclusion
Kathy, there are a number of other examples that could be given, including the prophecy of Tyre that we’ve been discussing. But to me, these are some of the most significant and clear-cut problems. We could try to manufacture explanations for every one of these — some might be more believable than others. But why should we have to? If a perfect God inspired this book, why should it contain so many discrepancies? And honestly, some of these issues can’t be explained. They’re just wrong. The problems go well beyond internal contradictions and unfulfilled prophecies. There are problems of authorship, problems with the doctrines, and problems with the way the texts were written, transcribed, and compiled.
I’m sure you’ve spent your time as a Christian trying to reach those who are lost. You’ve always believed that Christianity is truth, and it’s the one thing that everyone needs. But could it be that Christianity is just as false as every other religion in the world? And if that’s the case, wouldn’t you want to leave it behind? When one is dedicated to finding truth, they have to be prepared to follow it wherever it leads. It’s not always easy or popular. It’s not even a guarantee that you’re right. All it means is that you follow the evidence where it leads to the best of your ability. If you find out that you’re wrong about something, you adjust course when the evidence dictates. If God exists, and if he’s righteous, what more could he ask for than that? I’ll close with my favorite quote:
Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.
— Marcus Aurelius
RE: “could you provide any of my comments that show that I’m not being objective?” – Does, “There just is no other alternative” qualify?
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Yes, Ron, I saw that you had, which was why I was in no hurry to drag out my own material, but it would seem that Miss Objectivity chose not to avail herself of that information.
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Lol…and round and round it goes…and where it stops noone knows.
Hey, Nate. You’re a dad. Ever had a ‘tís not, tis so ‘debate’ with one of your kids?
😉
Please…..I beg you…wrap this up and post something else!
This pair are currently ”lost to the cause”.
It’s like reading comments by unklee on speed.
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That’s likely a problem, Ron, for Mr. Congeniality and our starry-eyed debate Queen, because there’s a high degree of probability that they don’t believe the Earth IS 800,000 years old.
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“God saw further ahead and used Hitler to bring about a fulfilled prophecy of Jews taking back Israel after thousand of years.”
Amazing logic going on in that twisted little mind – he tells us above that his god “used Hitler” to bring the Jews back to Israel, killing roughly 10 million people in the process – but it’s all Mankind’s fault:
“As long as there are people like you they will have to take some responsibility for their own actions and the fallen human race for one of their own – Hitler.“
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Mike, clearly you don’t know your biblical history. The 2 million-plus Hebrews (allegedly) spent decades in Kadesh Barnea. This is the primary reason why it was the very first archaeological site singled out for extensive excavations nearly 100 years ago… excavations that lasted 70 years until every reputable archaeologist in the world conceded there simply was no evidence of any massive encampment.
You also seem utterly ignorant of the fact that Canaan was under Egyptian military rule at the alleged time of both the Exodus and Conquest. Egyptian administrative centers were located in Gaza, Yaffo and Beit She’an, as well as on both sides of the Jordan River, and garrisons were stationed at strategic points, including Jerusalem.
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“They lived in one place not moved though like nomads.” – so are you saying they moved every day, for 40 years? I find in Exodus, places they camped for what appeared to be a considerable length of time.
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“Amazing logic going on in that twisted little mind – he tells us above that his god “used Hitler” to bring the Jews back to Israel, killing roughly 10 million people in the process – but it’s all Mankind’s fault:”
Sorry Arch I missed the part where God swept out of heaven and put those people in gas chambers and not members of mankind. Were they Cherublims or arch angels? Amazing illogic in that mind of yours. This is the desperation of the skeptics mind. You would think if you had the goods you would stick with it but the very fact you have to make these twisted claims that somehow God is responsible for the holocaust says it all.
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“Mike, clearly you don’t know your biblical history.”
John I’ve probably forgotten more than you ever knew. Wow me with your brilliance on the subject
“You also seem utterly ignorant of the fact that Canaan was under Egyptian military rule at the alleged time of both the Exodus and Conquest. ”
Sigh…You seem utterly and absolutely ignorant that I have previously addressed the dating of the period as far from a settled matter. Put your money where your mouth is and i will debate you on it. However your just so pronouncements of superior understanding may take a hit so think about it before you bluster again.
P.S. You will have to do better than Ark and Arch referring to historians without looking at the primary evidence including the problems of Egyptian chronology.
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You know, KC, when I first came to the conclusion, years ago, that there was no god, I hadn’t yet studied the actual history of the making of the Bible, and so still believed that everyone in the Bible probably did what the book said they did, minus the magic shows and tried finding logical explanations for things the characters had done. And so, I tried to figure out why the Jews stayed in the Sinai, under inhospitable conditions, for 40 years. Was it that they were hiding, in the one place the Egyptians wouldn’t think to look for them? Was it so that the older ones, who had no knowledge of the Hebrew god, having spent 400+years in Egypt, could die off and be replaced by younger ones that Moses and his priests had had time to indoctrinate?
I finally concluded that old Moses – being, after all, a guy – just refused to stop and ask for directions.
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Here’s a thorough debunking of the Exodus account:
Tall Tales of Wilderness Wanderings (direct links to these articles midway down page)
1. Population and the Size of the Hebrew Camps – The accuracy of census figures in the book of Numbers is assumed to show that the Hebrews who left Egypt would have numbered at least 2.5 million.
2. The Size of the Hebrew Camps – The Hebrew census figures are used to show what the minimum size of the Hebrew camps would have been.
3. Sacrifices and the Size of the Hebrew Camps -The Hebrew sacrificial laws are examined to show the logistical improbability that they could have been practiced in the Sinai wilderness.
4. What About the Meal Offerings? – The meal offering requirements are examined to show the improbability that enough grain could have been found in the Sinai region to practice these sacrifices.
5. Where Did They Get the Wood? – The burnt-offering requirements are examined to show the improbability that enough wood would have been available in the Sinai region to offer the sacrifices commanded and to keep the fire on the altar burning perpetually.
6. Yahweh’s Quails – Logistical impossibilities are examined in the story of the quails that Yahweh sent to the Hebrew camp.
7. Another Problem with the Quails – A discrepancy in the story of the quails is examined.
8. At Least the Priests Had Meat – The logistical impossibility of just four priests being able to eat all of the meat from animal sacrifices is examined.
9. Getting the Whole Congregation Together – The impossibility of all of the adults in a nation of three million gathering at one time in front of the tabernacle is shown.
10. When Nature Called – Sanitation problems in Yahweh’s plan for human waste disposal is examined.
11. The Water Problem – The enormous problem of finding water for three million people and their large herds of livestock in the Sinai region is examined.
12. Clothes with Lifetime Warranties – The enormous problem of keeping millions clothed for 40 years in the Sinai region is examined.
13. What Priests? – An anachronistic reference to priests before the ordinations of Aaron and his sons is examined.
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Hello everyone,
Unless someone has something else substantive to add, I’m going to ask that we wind this down. The conversation has drifted into all kinds of different directions, but we’ve largely left behind the original topic.
Kathy, I do hope you’ll take some time and do some deep research into some of these issues. I also hope you’ll read Jesus, Interrupted by Bart Ehrman. The reason people keep suggesting him to you is that he covers information about the texts of the New Testament that you don’t usually hear about, but it’s common knowledge among biblical scholars, and it’s not considered controversial. Once you’ve finished that, I suggest following it up with How We Got the Bible by Neil Lightfoot. He’s a Christian who very much believes in inspiration and probably believes in biblical inerrancy. He’ll cover some of the same ground that Ehrman does, but from a different perspective, which should help give you a well-rounded picture of those particular issues.
Finally, I also recommend Inspiration and Incarnation by Peter Enns. He’s a Christian as well, and his book focuses on the Old Testament and how it fits within the culture of the Levant during that time.
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“Further When the world has only people who trust in God”
Munich – Speech of April 12, 1922
Adolf Hitler
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RE: “the very fact you have to make these twisted claims that somehow God is responsible for the holocaust says it all.”
First of all, YOU’RE the one who said, “god used Hitler” – YOUR words, not mine.
Further, could your god have foreseen it? If not, he’s not omniscient. Could he have prevented it? If not, he’s not omnipotent.
If he existed, and was the omniscient, omnipotent god he advertises to be, he could have foreseen it, could have prevented it, but allowed it to happen, when he has intervened (according to the Bible) in countless other lives – then, yes, he is directly responsible.
How about when he had all of the first-born of Egypt killed, after having deliberately “hardened Pharaoh’s heart,” thereby removing his free will? He was directly responsible for those deaths, as well (HAD the fabricated Exodus story been true).
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“I’ve been berating skeptics for years”
Thats probably correct as well. do better and I can stop 🙂
Mike, why is it you can make comments to me about trivial things but you won’t answer the other questions I have posed to you 3 times ?
One more time ………..
1.)“The ammonites were suppose to be a mystical creation of the bIble but then ooops evidence was found.
2.) the kingdom of David was supposed to be mythical but oops then they found evidence for that
3.)Belshazzar that Nate mentions (and claims to know for fact was not related to Nebuchadnezzar) was for claimed for MANY years according to Skeptics a completely made up character but then ooops they found evidence of that and then
He was never a ruler of Babyon but oops that held up too”
Who were the scholars and their credentials who claim 1 & 3 didn’t exist ???
Answer to 2.) BTW they have found 1 piece of evidence with “A” David’s name on it. Here is what the Jewish Virtual Library has to say about that 1 piece of evidence.
“Until very recently, there was no evidence outside the Bible for the existence of King David. There are no references to him in Egyptian, Syrian or Assyrian documents of the time, and the many archaeological digs in the City of David failed to turn up so much as a mention of his name. Then, on July 21, 1993, a team of archaeologists led by Prof. Avraham Biran, excavating Tel Dan in the northern Galilee, found a triangular piece of basalt rock, measuring 23 x 36 cm. inscribed in Aramaic. It was subsequently identified as part of a victory pillar erected by the king of Syria and later smashed by an Israelite ruler. The inscription, which dates to the ninth century BCE, that is to say, about a century after David was thought to have ruled Israel, includes the words Beit David (“House” or “Dynasty” of David”). It is the first near-contemporaneous reference to David ever found. It is not conclusive; but it does strongly indicate that a king called David established a dynasty in Israel during the relevant period.”
If WE were using just 1 piece of evidence to support any of our claims and scholars referred to it as “Not conclusive” YOU would laugh it off instantly !
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RE: “I have previously addressed the dating of the period as far from a settled matter.” – For once, we agree, it’s GOTTA be hard to pin an exact date on a non-existent event.
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ROFL….HAHAHAHA…..Farrel Till….oh my.
You’ve made my day Ron. I might find the time to deal with him (yet gain) over the weekend. I think nate should put up a piece about him seeing he’s all your hero and it would be fun to have all my debunking of Mr till in one place.
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“Further When the world has only people who trust in God”
On the Jews and Their Lies (1543)
By Martin Luther (1483 – 1546)
Part XI
[ Chapter XI is the most well known section in this book]
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Ron, you’re a veritable fount of information, but I can’t get the link to work on “Tall Tales of Wilderness Wanderings” – I suppose it could be my browser, but could you give me an actual URL, just in case?
Thanks —
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@ Arch
It seems to work for me, but here it is again:
http://www.theskepticalreview.com/AuthorFarrellTill1.html
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Why don’t you just ignore Ark like the rest of us, and allow this topic to run it’s course? The hits certainly aren’t hurting you in the Google ratings, and even Mr. Twister has to run out of hot air SOMEtime!
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Arch, “I finally concluded that old Moses – being, after all, a guy – just refused to stop and ask for directions.”
Well said ! I believe Moses may have been the “Father of guilt trips” too. Remember why God wouldn’t allow him to cross over into the promised land ? . Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land because of a transgression (Deut. 32:48-52). Moses was told to speak to a rock to get water from it, but instead he struck the rock repeatedly with a rod, showing improper anger and a lack of faith (Num. 20:7-13). (http://www.jewfaq.org/moshe.htm)
What did he tell the children of Israel the reason was ? Deut 3: 23 At that time I pleaded with the Lord: 24 “Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? 25 Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.” 26 But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me.
The he repeats it again in Deut 4: 21 The Lord was angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. 22 I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land.
This may have been where Christianity got the idea of using guilt to keep people in line. Just my opinion. 🙂
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Thanks, Ron.
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KC – ask any Jew, baseball may well be our national pasttime, feeling guilty is theirs. They’ve turned it into an artform.
Have you seen THIS? There’s a Jewish belief that cemeteries can somehow infect you with evil – don’t ask me – this gentleman, seated among other passengers on an airliner, has entirely encased himself in a full-body condom (plastic bag), so that in the event, the plane should inadvertently fly over a cemetery, he won’t get any evil on him.
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