The Bible contradicts it self?

I usually don't bother with such... bullshit.?

 

This isn't exactly news. All of human existence is full of paradoxes and contradictions. So what? Are you gonna go roll up and die because of it?

The only thing more boring that mindlessly whining for religion is mindlessly whining against it.

 

Well, I’m putting up with you.

If you’ll please notice the OP says:

And instead of one at a time as I asked, you posted 3 long posts of cut and paste that most of which are on their face are not contradictions.

Now you’re getting all bunchy because I asked you to follow the OP.

So if you don’t want to bother, then don’t.

 

You hit it out of the park. That is quite a list!

 

Not really, this is one of those that is not contradictory on it’s face. If you read the context of Matthew 10:34 Jesus is not talking about an actual sword, the word sword is being used to symbolize the tribulation one would experience from becoming a Christian.

On the other hand at Matthew 26:52 an actual sword had been used and Jesus was warning his disciples not to take up the use of an actual sword in their lives.

Not contradictory at all.

 

I really meant the entire list. I only quoted the first item because the list is so long. I should have been more clear.

 

That would not be a contradiction within the Bible though, would it?

 

Thanx, sorry I misunderstood.

For me the problem, as I’ve mentioned, with these long cut and paste lists is that they look impressive but they generally have very little substance.

People tend to take for granted that because they are so long, then it must mean that the Bible is just filled with contradictions.

But taken one at a time, like I’ve asked, they can usually be resolved very easily.

 

Depends which of "those wars" you are talking about.

War is bad. We've all heard it. Was WWII a "bad" war. Sure untold numbers of people lost their lives, and I am greived because of it, but really is this war justified to stop the killing of another untold millions of innocents.

Is the war in Irag justified...probably not.

 

I'm just chiming in here to say that I agree with OWB here...
all those lists do is show me somebody knows how to copy and paste.
Taken in context, and seriously considered and read, I'd be curious as to what
"contradictions" are to be found for I find the bible to be rather strangely free of true contradictions - seeing as how many people "authored" the book we call the bible.
The "differences" in resurrection stories; for instance, are merely different viewpoints, perspectives and certainly not contradictions.

 

I have always liked the term "Living Word" .. to me although I may differ on others interpretation, heck I differ on mine a good deal of the time.

But the term allows for growth

 

I'm not trying to prove the bible wrong, but I want to understand it better. I've been wondering about this lately.

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, even the Son of man which
is in heaven.
- John 3:13

... and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
- 2 Kings 2:11

Enoch was also taken away by God instead of dying and Jesus talked with Moses during the transfiguration. So they must have been in heaven before Jesus or where were they?

 

The problem with something composed entirely of human language and differing, subjective human accounts of events that happened thousands of years ago is that the subject material can be interpreted to suit almost any ideology or religious inclination. As far as I'm concerned the bible is both contradictory and perfect and I'm not even going to bother trying to prove otherwise. Who even knows to what extent the English translation honours the original hebrew text?

 

Thanks but we're talking about apparent contradictions and just saying you think the Bible is contradictory is not an apparent contradiction that we can discuss.

How the Bible is interpreted and whether it has been translated correctly is and has been the subject of other threads.

 

Looking first at John 3:13, it states plainly that no one before Jesus has entered into heaven and there are any number of other scriptures that show this as well. So that means that anyone who died before Jesus came to earth is not and never will be in Heaven and this would include the faithful men of old such as Abraham, Moses, David, Elijah, Enoch and even John the Baptist.

But if this is true, what about the other scriptures in the question?
Let’s look at 2 Kings 2:11, after this took place we see Elijah alive and well later (2Ch 21:12-15), so knowing that no man can see God and live, it is easy to see that heaven in this case is the earthly heaven, the sky, where there are whirlwinds and not the Heaven where God resides.

Next Enoch (Ge 5:24; Heb 11:5, 13) because nothing is said about him going to heaven per say this is not a contradiction but some may wonder what is meant by God “took him” and how he was “transferred so as not to see death,”. God “took him,” that is he cut short his life at the age of 365, an age far below that of most of his contemporaries. Enoch was “transferred so as not to see death,” which may mean that God put him in a prophetic trance and then terminated Enoch’s life while he was in the trance so that he did not experience the pangs of death.

Last, What about the transfiguration?
Jesus himself called what took place a “vision” (Mt 17:9) so Moses and Elijah need not have been there in person.

 

Thanks OWB. Elijah, Enoch and the tranfiguration make sense. I always thought that Abraham was in heaven, but I guess he is in paradise or Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22). Then when Jesus was on the cross and he said to the criminal on his right that he would be in paradise today. He must have meant Abraham's bosom. Interesting.

 

There are two ideas about what Jesus said to the criminal, one is as you said, that Jesus told the criminal that the criminal would be in heaven that very day, the other idea is that Jesus was saying that I'm going to tell you today, that you will be in paradise at some time in the future. The latter is more likely the case since Jesus would not ascend into heaven for another month and no one not even this criminal could ascend into heaven before Jesus,

 

What is the current status of Paradise?

 

Everything is in place but it still awaits Armageddon.

 

Are heaven and paradise the same? Jesus also said "father into your hands I commit my spirit". (Luke 23:46). So his soul/spirit must have left his body and gone into paradise(Sheol) I assume until his ressurection 3 days later.