Overt Spiritual Contradiction
1 4 This chapter will provide examples to illustrate how religious texts directly contradict themselves.
In the Torah
2Much of the five books of the Torah involve mythical events such as the creation of the world and the flood of Noah, so contradictions are almost expected. 3But if you are going to found a religion based upon certain historical events, you would at least expect them to be written with consistency.
4The problems start from the very beginning: the creation of Earth. 5There are two accounts of this particular event (one wonders why it needs to be included twice), that differ substantially from one another.
6I n Bereshit 1:1 – 31 and Bereshit 2:1 – 3, the Torah presents the sequence of how God created the Heavens and the Earth, separated light from darkness and then proceeded to create trees, fruit, creatures, birds, fish, livestock, animals and finally, man and woman at the same time. 7Curiously, Bereshit 2:4 follows immediately after this with a completely contradictory creationist story. BIt commences by stating that this is the account of how the heaven and earth were created . gIn this version, water floods the earth, then God forms Adam only. 1OIt is only then that God gives him trees, then animals, birds and wild animals. 11It is not until Bereshit 2:21 – 23 that God causes Adam to sleep and takes a rib from him to form Eve to be his helper.
120f course, no one was around to witness it, but if the information was provided by God himself, then why does the story change?
13The legendary story of Noah and the ark includes a command to bring animals on board. 14But how many?
“ You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. (Bereshit 6:19)
“Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth (Bereshit 7:2 – 3)
15The Torah is very clear on appropriate relationships, specifically forbidding incestuous relationships of any kind. 16But it seems just fine for Abraham to marry his own half-sister:
Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father s daughter or your mother s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. (Vayikra 18:9) Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. (Bereshit 20:12)
In the Bible
171t is commanded very clearly in the Ten Commandments that: Thou shall not kill , yet there are many occasions when it is directed that people be put to death, as was discussed in an earlier chapter.
181n a sense, we ve already covered some Biblical contradictions since the books of the Torah are also part of the Old Testament.
19Here are a few additional examples, taken mainly from the New Testament, to balance things out.
20Though they seem like small matters, there are several historical details that vary from one book to the next. 211t may not seem relevant but if you are going to look to certain writings in order to understand religious events, you have to wonder why they do not match. 22This begs the question: who is right, and how can you trust any of the recollections to begin with?
23One such example is the story of Jesus s crucifixion. 241t is a crucial event for his followers, the pinnacle of modern Christianity, yet three different versions of the last words are recorded across three of the Gospels:
“About three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? (which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? ) (Matthew 27:46)
“Jesus called out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit . When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)
“When he received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished. With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)
25Some may venture to argue that you cannot condemn an entire faith based on such minute details, but you have to wonder about any sort of accuracy when even such important historical moments are recorded inconsistently.
26Having our sins forgiven by God is vital for salvation, but are the rules for this forgiveness consistent? 27Are some sins unforgivable or can all acts be forgiven by God?
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
“Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin. (Mark 3:28 – 29)
“Joshua said to his people, ‘You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God, he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. (Joshua 24:19)
28The first verse makes it clear that all of our transgressions can be forgiven by God. 29But there are many further examples where certain sins are unforgivable. 30The example from Mark even contradicts itself in the next verse.
In the Quran
31The text of the Quran is written in a fairly poetic style which isn t always that straightforward, particularly when it's been translated into English. 32This makes it harder to pull out concrete points on a verse-by-verse basis. 33Still, there are a few clear contradictions that stand out.
340ne notable religious restriction for Muslims is that alcohol is not to be consumed. 35But the Quran also says that strong drink is good for you:
“Strong drink and games of chance. Say: in both is great sin (Sura 2:219)
“And of the fruits of the date-palm and grapes, whence ye derive strong drink and good nourishment. Lo! Therein is indeed a portent for people who have sense (Sura 16:67)
36There are further contradictions that are more fundamental to the beliefs of Muslims than just prohibited foods. 37How should Muslims treat non-believers, for one thing? 381t s a bit of a stereotype that Muslims are hostile towards non-Muslims, but the Quran is a little confusing on the subject:
“Tell those who believe, to forgive those who do not hope for the Days of Allah, it is for Him to recompense (for good or evil) each person according to what they have earned (Sura 45:14)
“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth (Sura 9:29)
39What about the nature of evil? 40Are we responsible for evil actions or does that come from Allah? 41The Quran claims both:
“If some good befalls them, they say ‘This is from Allah. But if evil, they say ‘This is from thee (0 prophet). Say ‘All things are from Allah (Sura 4:78)
“Whatever good, (0 man!) happens to thee, is from Allah. But whatever evil happens to thee, is from thyself (Sura 4:79)
42What makes these contradictory statements even more interesting is that they are literally beside each other in the Quran. 430ne line says that all things come from Allah, but the very next verse says that evil comes from yourself.
Compared to Modern Knowledge
44A lot of writings in these books make reference to supposed facts that have since been discovered to be false or at least incorrect. 45For a book that supposedly came from God himself, how could this be?
46Shouldn t everything be accurate regardless of accepted human knowledge available at the time? 47We ll leave the very questionable issues of the creation of the world out of this since the bad science involved there would take an entire chapter (but you can read more on this in the next chapter on Creationism).
48Many entries in each of the holy books appear to be written in metaphor or otherwise poetic text, so you have to accept that some phrasing isn t intended to be scientifically accurate.
49During ancient times, it was believed that the Earth was flat, and knowledge of the sun, the planets and stars was limited. 50This is often reflected in the holy texts:
“Till, when he (the traveller Zul-qarnain) reached the setting-place of the Sun, he found it going down into a muddy spring. (Sura 18:86)
“Tremble before him, all the Earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. (1 Chronicles 16:30)
“The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. (Matthew 24:29)
51The realms of astronomy aren t the only places where we find erroneous information in mainstream religious texts. 52Biology is another area where these books fall short. 53Many 0ld Testament people are described as living for many hundreds of years, and creatures such as the unicorn, sea leviathan, satyrs and a cockatrice are all mentioned (though modern translations have removed these fanciful references).
Many Books Equals Many Thoughts
54Religions that rely on a collective of texts, particularly those written over a long period of time by many writers, are the most likely to be contradictory. 55When a faith uses a single book (like the Bible or the Quran), contradictions are a significant problem, especially when the books are declared to have been inspired by God. 56Clearly, when things are stated that are in direct opposition to another, many questions should arise. 57Yet it seems to be less of an issue for believers since their faith requires them to believe regardless of the details.
58For faiths that are built upon separate texts, the need for them to be perfectly aligned is not as important. 59Hindu scriptures, for example, do not claim to be infallible nor unquestionable. 60Their belief is that each is valuable in its own right, with the aim to bring one closer to the Divine.