Issue #192-Commentary, Letters, Some Final Words

Biblical Errancy Issue #192-Commentary, Letters, Some Final Words

As was announced in June, this will be the last issue of Biblical Errancy. After presenting the second half of our listing of biblical contradictions begun last month and relating some concluding letters by our readers, we will consummate 16 years of publishing with our ultimate denouement.

Proverbs
6:19 ("A false witness...is he that soweth discord among brethren") versus Gen. 11:7 in which God says, "...let us go down and confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

26:4 ("Answer not a fool according to his folly....") versus 26:5 ("Answer a fool according to his folly....")

30:30 ("A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any") versus Gen. 9:2 ("And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth....")

Ecclesiastes

3:2-3 ("a time to be born , and a time to die...a time to kill, and a time to heal...") versus Ex. 20:13 ("Thou shalt not kill")

Isaiah

2:4 ("...and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more") versus Joel 3:10 ("Beat your plowshares into swords, your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say I am strong")

6:1 ("I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up....") and 6:5 ("for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts") versus John 1:18 ("No man hath seen God at any time")

39:1 ("At that time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon....") versus 2 Kings 20:12 ("At that time Berodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon...")

54:7 ("For a small moment have I<God>have forsaken thee....") versus Deut. 4:31 ("For the Lord thy God is a merciful God; he will not forsake thee....") and 1 Sam. 12:22 ("For the Lord will not forsake his people....")

Jeremiah

3:12 ("...for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever") and Micah 7:18 ("...he retaineth not anger forever") versus 17:4 ("...for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn forever")

4:2 ("And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness") versus Matt. 5:34 ("But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven....")

4:14 ("O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved") versus 2:22 ("Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me")

13:14 ("And I will dash them one against another, even the father and the son together, said the Lord: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them") versus James 5:11 ("...the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy") and 1 Chron. 16:34 ("...the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth forever")

31:34 ("...saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more") versus Eccle. 12:14 ("For God shall bring every work into judgment...whether it be good or bad")

32:4 ("And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes") versus Jer. 52:11 ("Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried him to Babylon...."). Zedekiah's eyes were put out but he later saw the king of Babylon.

42:17 ("So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them") versus 44:28 ("Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah....")

52:25 ("He took also out of the city an eunuch, which had the charge of the men of war; and seven men of them that were near the king's person....") versus 2 Kings 25:19 ("And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence....")

52:31 ("And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year...in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach....") versus 2 Kings 25:27 ("And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year...in the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach....")

Ezekiel

5:7 ("...Because ye...have not walked in my statutes...neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you") versus 11:12 ("...for ye have not walked in my statutes...but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you")

21:3 ("Thus saith the Lord...I will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked") versus Psalm 37:17 ("For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous")

Daniel

12:2 ("And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting contempt") versus John 5:28-29 ("...for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And they shall come forth....")

Hosea

8:13 ("they<Ephraim>shall return to Egypt") versus 11:5 ("He<Ephraim>shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king....")

Micah

7:18 ("God does not retaineth his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy") versus Matt. 25:46 ("And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal")

Zechariah

1:1 ("...came the word of the Lord unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet....") versus Ezra 5:1 ("...and Zechariah the son of Iddo....")

Malachi

1:4 ("...The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever") versus Num. 14:18 ("The Lord is long suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression....")

Matthew

1:11 ("Josias<Josiah>begat Jechonias <Jeconiah>....") versus 1 Chron. 3:15-16 ("And the sons of Josiah were...the second Jehoiakim...And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son....")

1:23 ("...a virgin shall be with child...and they shall call his name Emmanuel....") versus 1:25 ("...till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and called his name JESUS")

4:10 ("Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve") versus Eph. 6:5 ("Servants, be obedient to them who are your masters according to the flesh....")

5:45 ("...your Father who is in heaven: for he...sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust") versus 2 Chron. 6:26 ("When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee")

6:6 ("When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret") versus 1 Tim. 2:8 ("I will therefore that men pray everywhere...")

6:19 ("Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth...") versus Prov. 15:6 ("In the house of the righteous is much treasure....")

7:1 ("Judge not, that ye be not judged") versus Lev. 19:15 ("Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment...but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor")

7:14 ("Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it") versus Luke 3:6 ("And all flesh shall see the salvation of God") and John 12:32 ("And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me")

7:21 ("Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven....") versus Acts 2:21 ("And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved") and Rom 10:13 ("For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved")

10:1 ("And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease") versus 17:16 ("And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him")

16:13 ("Jesus asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?") versus Psalm 146:3 ("Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help")

12:36 ("But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment") versus Psalm 103:3 ("Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all diseases") and Psalm 103:12 ("As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us")

21:7 Mod Lang. ("They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their coats on them, and He seated himself on them") versus Mark 11:7 ("And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him")

Mark

12:26 ("God spake to him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob") versus 12:27 ("He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living...."). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not living when this was said.

15:17 RSV ("And they clothed him in a purple cloak...") versus Matt. 27:28 ("And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe")

Luke

3:27 ("Salathiel, which was the son of Neri") versus Matt. 1:12 ("Jechonias begat Salathiel")

9:28 ("And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray") versus Matt. 17:1 ("And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart")

10:25-28 ("And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law?.... And he<lawyer>answering said, Thou shalt love, the Lord thy God...and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right....") versus Matt. 22:35- ("Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God...Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"). Who said the commandment, Jesus or the lawyer?

22:34 ("And he said, I tell thee Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me") versus Matt. 26:34 ("Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice")

24:40 ("And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet") versus John 20:20 ("And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hand and his side")

20:23 RSV ("If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained") versus Mark 2:7 ("Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?")

Acts

1:1-2 ("In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up....") versus John 21:25 ("And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written")

1:24 ("...Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men....") versus Deut. 8:2 ("...the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness...to know what was in thine heart....")

16:6 ("Now when they...were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia") versus 19:10 ("...so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks") and 19:22 ("So Paul sent into Macedonia two of them...but he himself stayed in Asia for a season")

20:22 RSV ("I<Paul>am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there") versus 21:4 RSV ("And finding disciples...who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem")

27:10 RSV ("And Paul said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo...but also of our lives") versus 27:43-44 RSV ("but the centurion, wishing to save Paul...ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for land...And so it was that all escaped to land")

Romans

(Heading=The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans) versus Rom. 16:22 ("I Tertius, who wrote this epistle....")

3:10 ("As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one") versus James 5:16 ("...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much")

4:5 ("But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness") versus Prov. 17:15 ("He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord"). God justifies the ungodly; yet, considers those who justify the wicked to be abominable.

5:14 ("...death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression....") versus Heb. 11:5 ("By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him...")

9:18 RSV ("So then he has mercy upon whomever he wills, and he hardens the heart of whomever he wills") versus 11:32 RSV ("For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all")

11:26 ("And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written...") versus Matt. 8:12 ("But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth") and Zech 13:8-9

15:33 ("Now the God of peace....") versus Ex. 15:3 ("The Lord is a man of war....") and Psalm 144:1 ("Blessed by the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war....")

1 Corinthians

2:15 ("But he that is spiritual judgeth all things") versus Luke 6:37 ("Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not....")

3:11 RSV ("For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ") versus Eph. 2:20 ("And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone")

1 Cor. 7:23 ("...do not become slaves of men")
versus
Eph. 6:5 ("Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters....") and
1 Peter 2:18 "Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

11:14 ("Does not nature itself teach you that for a man to wear long hair is degrading to him") versus Num. 6:5 RSV ("All the day of his vow of separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long")

12:10 ("To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy...to another divers kinds of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues") versus 14:2 ("For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him...")

2 Corinthians

6:17 ("Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate...and touch nothing unclean") versus Mark 16:15 ("And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature")

Galatians

1:10 Mod. Lang. ("Am I now trying to win men's favor, or God's? Or do I seek to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I would not be a slave of Christ") versus Rom. 15:2 ("To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some") and 1 Cor. 10:33 ("Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many....")

Colossians

2:9 ("For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily") versus 1 Kings 8:27 ("But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded")

2 Thess.

3:12 ("...we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread") versus Matt. 6:31-33 ("Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you")

1 Timothy

2:6 ("Who gave himself a ransom for all....") versus Matt. 15:24 ("...I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel")

Philemon

12 RSV ("I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart") versus Deut. 23:15 ("Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee")

Hebrews

6:2 ("Of the doctrine of baptisms....") versus Eph. 4:5 ("One Lord, one faith, one baptism...")

6:13 RSV ("For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself") versus Matt. 5:34 ("But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne")

6:18 ("That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie") versus Matt. 19:26 ("But Jesus...said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible")

7:19 ("For the law made nothing perfect....") versus Psalm 19:7 ("The law of the Lord is perfect....")

10:31 ("It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God") versus 2 Sam. 24:14 ("And David said unto Gad...let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man")

11:17 ("By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son") versus Gal. 4:22 ("For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman")

13:14 ("For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come") versus Matt. 5:5 ("Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth")

James

1:2 ("My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations") versus Matt. 6:13 ("And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil")

4:11 ("Speak not evil one of another....") versus Phil. 3:2 ("Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers....")

1 John

1:10 ("If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us") versus 1 John 3:9 ("Whoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God")

4:9 ("...God sent his only begotten Son into the world....") versus Job 1:6 ("Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord....")

4:18 ("There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear....") versus Deut. 6:5 ("Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart....") and Deut. 6:13 ("Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God....")




LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter #803 from LR from Oregon

Things have been a bit rocky this past week or so... The Public Access TV equipment suddenly started ''acting up.'' The Public Access equipment would not work on Mondays or Thursdays, (the days I view our tapes), but would work at all other times. This unexplainable phenomenon had everyone here puzzled. The fact that the equipment would fail on only the days that I wanted to show our tapes, but would suddenly ''repair'' itself on all other occasions is, we all decided, proof of demons, and anybody who would deny that demons are at work here, is in denial of the facts! How else could you explain such an extra- ordinary happening? I told the local manager of the Cable service that I intended to talk to the City Attorney and the City Manager in hopes of getting city funding to hire an exorcist, with a rank of no less than Bishop, to expel the demons. The mere mention of the City Attorney was enough to clear up the problem almost that very day! Twas truly a miracle, as anyone can plainly see! Because of these extraordinary and unbelievable interruptions, obviously caused by ''things not seen, nor known by man,'' I'm about two weeks behind. Will be starting tape #12 this coming Monday, demons permitting, and hope to be back on schedule....

I called a local religious radio program and asked them if they knew anything about the ''terrible slanderous things being said about the beloved and inerrant Bible'' on the Public Access Channel and learned that the local clergy are going to start a ''refutation hour.'' ...You will be happy to know, that in this little town...I have 13 pastors, ministers, preachers, priest (one), deacons, and deaconesses ...copying your tapes in order that a proper and complete refutation can be made of all the ''things taken out of context."

I am absolutely having a ball!........ I suspect that things are going to heat up considerably in the coming months... I hope you can keep the tapes coming!... I LOVE IT! ...Cheers and Hugs!

Letter #804 from JK of Honolulu, Hawaii

I have only recently discovered and begun studying your periodical.... It is truly a noble endeavor, and quite courageous, to openly criticize the central tome of a religion followed by virtually all of this nation's political leaders.... Your publication, to me, represents the epitome of first amendment freedom of expression. For that alone, you should be very proud.

I was raised an Episcopalian and attended Sunday school where I dutifully memorized songs about the sanctity of the Bible.... Although I was never devout, it never occurred to me to question this book until college.... Your periodical helped me clarify what bothered me so much about "Bible- thumping" -&endash; it's essentially the worship of a book in which critical thought is strictly forbidden.

I am writing to you now in response to some of your Closure remarks in the June Issue No. 186. The tone of your comments struck me as fatalist, even apocalyptic. I sincerely hope you believe, as I do, that your work will continue to reach and influence people all over the world, even after 1998. Remember that your periodical flourished for nearly two decades in a predominantly Christian nation. Through the web, it can continue to open minds and encourage honest, critical thought (as it did for me). "Biblical Errancy" can continue to educate far beyond its mere regularity.

Letter #805 from JB Via E-mail

I looked at BE on the web and I saw that you are discontinuing the publication. I understand your argument, and I don't take issue with your reasoning. I believe you are correct that unbelievers, for the most part, are unwilling to become activists for unbelief. However, I wanted to express my opinion to you, that your writings have a great deal of influence that is hidden from you -- influence that occurs when a believer quietly and covertly takes a look at your web pages, and influence that happens when an unbeliever uses your material in private conversations with believers, conversations that will never be repeated by either of them to anyone else because of their intimacy. The critical mass needed for a sweeping renunciation of Christian superstition by our society does not exist at this time in our history. Regrettable as this may be, there is definitely a quiet, almost invisible, undercurrent of skepticism which is being fueled by solitary and one-on-one use of your material, and other material like it.... I personally use your material, and other material like it, with believers whenever I have the opportunity. As a consequence, my rational unbelief has become widely known through whispered conversations and prayer requests among my relatives and their believing friends. Without material such as yours, they could easily dismiss my unbelief, but because of the existence of your material they have been left dumbfounded and confused, and very likely doubting, although they would never let me know this. I have become a constant and tangible reminder to them that their faith may indeed be groundless. I do not believe that I am an isolated case. I believe many new unbelievers are finding material like yours on the internet and using it the same way I'm using it. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to convince you to go on with a project that will not meet your declared criteria for success. I'm simply remarking on something that you undoubtedly already know, but perhaps don't remind yourself of very often, namely, that much of the influence that your work has is ongoing, but quiet, and nearly invisible because it happens in corners through solitary browsing of the internet or in one-on-one interactions. Personally, I believe this kind of influence will prove the strongest, since fundamentalists and evangelicals, who are rather impervious to reason when it is presented by untrusted heathen, will often listen to a trusted friend or relative in a private setting. By no means is your work all for naught. It only seems to me that its influence is strongest in ways which you were not explicitly aiming for. If its flame hasn't swept the country, it is only because the tinder is wet, not because the match isn't hot. Since I hold different criteria for success than you do, I consider your work an unqualified success. I hope that you will not be unduly discouraged with the fruit of your own labor simply because current popular sentiment causes society to be relatively unswayed by vital issues.


SOME FINAL WORDS

Well. We have come to the end of a long journey, a long journey, indeed. To say that it has been an enterprise well worth the effort is an understatement of the first magnitude. Not only do I feel a tremendous amount of enlightenment with respect to Scripture has been brought to thousands of people but from a purely personal standpoint I have not only increased my knowledge of the Bible's failings but honed my writing skills by a sizable factor. Our readers have ranged all the way from vociferous critics to staunch supporters, and I have welcomed the presence of each and every one. Without their letters, even those of a critical nature, we could never have highlighted so many issues so clearly. Over the years we have managed to create a vast body of knowledge with regard to Scripture that should be of tremendous value to untold numbers of people now living and yet to come. Hopefully they will be able to use it as effectively as have many of our subscribers. We have not discussed all of the inadequacies of Scripture because that would require many volumes and more time than I have available, but we have certainly accumulated far more than enough information to persuade any reasonably intelligent and fairly objective observer that the Bible is anything but the inerrant word of a perfect being.

We would be remiss were we not to offer a final word of gratitude to all those who have gone out of their way to aid us in oh so many ways, especially in regard to finances, time, research, playing video tapes, media interviews, TV recording sessions, and distribution of our tapes and materials. Without all of this selfless devotion to the cause, our efforts would have been considerably less successful. One of the most enjoyable by-products of this undertaking over the years has been that I have come to know a great many fine people on a purely personal level, people who sincerely seek the truth and care about the deleterious influence of religion in general and the Bible in particular on their fellow man. And I can say without reservation that I have never met a more decent community of admirable individuals. The assertion by many religionists that you must believe in some kind of supreme being or divinely-sanctioned holy book in order to be moral, honest, conscientious, humane, and fair is unable to withstand scrutiny and decidedly at odds with reality. Far too much data exists to the contrary. In fact, all too often the opposite is true.

Two of the most prominent newscasters in American history were Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite. The former nearly always ended his programs by saying, "Good bye and Good luck," while the favorite closing remark of the latter was, "That's the way it is." With the inordinant and deleterious influence exercised by the Bible upon society being what it is, I can think of no more fitting final statement with which to conclude our sixteen years than by combining & paraphrasing the words of both to say, "Good bye and good luck, because, although that's the way it is, it need not be."