Atheists, Agnostics, and/or any skeptic of the Bible: What errors do you see in the Bible?

Question

I am studying the subject of Biblical Inerrancy. Contradictions are examples of the many "errors" in the Bible, but even though contradictions are there, they could very well be copyist errors or the same story told from different perspectives.

Some New Atheist websites state that there are scientific errors in the Bible. Other than the creation order of Genesis 1 being different from biological macro-evolution and the earth sitting on pillars, what other scientific errors are in the Bible?

Please give me as much information as you can about the errors in the Bible. Please include links and other sources of information.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Please see:

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/donald_morgan/inconsistencies.html



and

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart Ehrman



That should give you plenty of material to examine for while.

Answer 2

The Bible has David coming to the royal court in two completely different ways in different stories. That's not "the same story told from different perspectives," it's two completely different stories. Same with the birth stories in Matthew and Luke - the two authors get Jesus born in Bethlehem but raised in Nazareth through two completely different and incompatible stories. And what about the two different sets of commandments? The Exodus 34 version, the one that's actually called the "ten commandments" in the text, is not the one taught in churches.



I don't have time for a more complete list, but what I wrote barely scratches the surface of the contradictory stories in the Bible.



Scientific errors - what about the four legged fowls? The idea that you get striped goats by having your goats copulate in front of striped sticks? That snakebite can be cured by gazing at a brass snake on a pole? That leprosy can be cured through a bizarre ritual involving two dead birds? What about stars falling from the sky? Or the way God makes rain start to fall by opening windows in heaven, and stops the rain by closing the windows?





EDIT for Meg, who doesn't think the Bible says anything about the earth resting on pillars:



1 Samuel 2:8



"The pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them."



Job 9:6



" Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble."

Answer 3

There are no contradictions nor errors in the Bible. You would need to read it first in order to criticize it. And, once you do, you will note there are no contradictions or errors.



Whoever says that the Bible says that the “earth is sitting on pillars”, has never read the Bible. The Bible says no such thing.



The Bible is 100% accurate because it is in fact God inspired.



More than 3,000 years ago the Bible accurately said that the earth “hangs on nothing” – see Job 26:7 in the Bible.



At Isaiah 40:22 it refers to the earth as being a circle: “There is One who is dwelling above the CIRCLE OF THE EARTH, the dwellers in which are as grasshoppers, the One who is stretching out the heavens just as a fine gauze, who spreads them out like a tent in which to dwell.”

Answer 4

If you're going to talk about biblical contradictions, you first have a decision to make:

Are you going to go by the plain meaning of the text or are you going to go by "whatever I can reinterpret it into, no matter how ridiculously far-fetched, as long as it'll allow me to say that there's no contradictions".



In other words, do you have a starting assumption that there are no contradictions or are you willing to read what the text actually says.



There's no contradiction that can't be interpreted away, if you're willing to go far enough. So, there' no point in highlighting any particular contradiction until you've first determined your position on the first matter.

Answer 5

Rumor has it that Jesus, being eternal, was present on whichever day of Creation brought forth the teeny tiny germs and parasites.



Yet, even though He was allegedly well aware of the existence of germs and parasites, and well aware that diseases are NOT caused by either a vengeful Jehovah nor by rampaging demons, He is quoted as saying that it is perfectly fine to touch food, in the custom of the times, one common dish shared by all, without first washing hands.



Nowhere does He advise that diseases are caused by germs or parasites.



He either did not actually know, OR He didn't give a crap HOW many people suffered needless pain, agony, and death.

Answer 6

Just the one between the front and back covers. In other words it's one big load of blatant bullsh!t.

Answer 7

The biggest one...



Accepting it as anything more than a collection of stories written by man.... which explains the contradictions quite nicely...



There is plenty of evidence for this and absolutely none regarding the involvement of any gods...



ALL claims to the contrary are those made by 'man'...



IMHO

Answer 8

There is a reference in the bible about people not being able to live past 120 years



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/08/oldest-person-to-ever-liv_n_490828.html



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment

Answer 9

Everything in the bible relies on the existence of God for it be true. Guess what determines the existence of God? The Bible. It is circular logic taken to its utmost conclusion and by its very nature is illogical.

Answer 10

what do you expect from a book written 5,000 years ago

Answer 11

Well lets just say this about the "errors" in the bible...

I was born and raised in a Christian household.

Then when I was old enough to read it for myself instead of having people choose the passages to read to me, I stopped being a Christian.

To be clear, I was a Christian, until I read the bible...

Answer 12

Snakes don't talk

Women don't become pillars of salt

Women are not made of men's ribs

Men are not made from dirt

People do not rise from the grave and go wandering about town

The earth cannot simply stop in it's orbit for 24 hours

There cannot be a global flood that lasts 40 days and then recedes and life goes on as normal

Donkey's don't talk

Staffs don't turn into snakes

Water doesn't turn into wine

It's not possible to walk on water

Bushes do not burn without being consumed

Seas do not part



Most of the bible contradicts REALITY.



None of those things have ever happened, to any society or culture on the planet, at any time in the known history of the world.....except in that one book of stories.



Kind of like no one has ever attended Hogwarts or flown brooms or clicked their ruby slippers together and gone home from Oz.

Answer 13

I personally consider the lack of evidence for any of its supernatural claims to be the biggest problem I have with it, even ignoring contradictions within it.



A book with or without errors in the items that have evidence for them is useless for things it claims to be factual with no evidence after all.

Answer 14

Here's a pretty good list: http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/science/long.html