Question:
There are many, many, inconsistencies in the bible...? pt.2?
2008-09-29 22:19:11 UTC
Original Post:
"To Christians:

Do you just ignore these inconsistencies, and why?

inconsistencies i.e. creation story, age of earth, much of the old testament, etc.

How do you feel about "Occam's razor", which can be paraphrased to say that if something has a few known inconsistencies, it probably has many more, if not entirely false?"

Here are some inconsistencies with the creation story:

-The bible speaks nothing about the universe as a whole, just our earth, which goes along with the fact that back when it was written, they knew very little of out universe, which suggests in total that the whole thing was made up.

-It says god created the earth in seven days. Impossible due to relativity. It would have taken an infinite amount of days (revolutions) as the earth's mass would change from zero, to what ever the hell it is today; so, why does it say seven?

-If god is all-powerful, why would it take him "seven days" anyways?

-A community of species is said to have at least 150 organisms to thrive and populate. Two sufficing is a bit of a stretch.

-The listing of things created (by days) is very vague.

So much more, feel free to add.

This is just the first chapter of the bible, only 10,000 to go.
Four answers:
KIm
2008-09-29 23:10:11 UTC
How many people do you think would even take the time to read the bible if it was made big enough to put every little creature one by one that was made by God? No one would even be able to keep it in their house. And you say he couldn't of made the world in 7 days then you turn around and say "why would it take him 7 day?"....



You need something a little better than what you have listed up top.
jojojubi
2008-09-30 05:40:23 UTC
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? " When I read these verses, I feel so teensy-tiny compared to the enormity of the universe! Maybe it's just me, but to me that speaks entirely of the universe. Another can stand here beside me with a slide-rule and calculator, but he's just as teensy-tiny as me, and my life's too important to trust to him. He could make a mistake and not know it, and ba-da-boom I'd lose a chance for eternal life.

Actually, God created the universe in 6 days and rested on the 7th. You say impossible due to relativity, which you cannot prove, that is why it is called a theory. I believe God could have created the universe instantly, but He enjoyed doing it and put on a show for the angels to watch.

"Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? "
KAL
2008-09-30 06:19:56 UTC
As a Christian, I don't ignore "inconsistencies", I do everything in my power (and ask for his help) to resolve them...allow me to demonstrate with your so-called "inconsistencies" in the creation story.



The earth-centric perspective of Genesis does NOT suggest the whole thing was made up. For one, an omnipotent God would KNOW that the people he told that story to for the first time would have NEVER understood anything more complex...heck, they struggled even with what he did say because it was beyond their comprehension. Yes, it reads like a children's fairy tale...to us...but that makes perfect sense because compared to our understanding of the universe, he WAS telling the story to children!



More importantly, the bible clearly wasn't written to explain how God created the universe...it exists to teach human beings what God created them to be and do. Of course it doesn't provide details about the universe or even the nature of this planet...God knew that we would be able to discover the answers to those questions on our own. Instead, it answers the one question that we can't answer without his help...what is his purpose for us.



Again, you have to consider that the majority of people living on this planet today don't understand relativity. In addition, you have no way of knowing exactly when relativity came into existence. Relativity doesn't exist in a void...it exists in this universe...and Genesis said that God existed in the void before the universe existed. We couldn't create the universe in seven days, but we are a part of this universe...God is beyond it and thus, we can't possibly say that he didn't create everything in seven days.



Why would it take him seven days...don't know...maybe he was simply setting an example for us...a time reference that he later used to advise us to work from sunup to sundown six days a week...rest each night...and then take a full day of rest on the seventh. Not bad advice to maximize the productivity of human beings!



Based on our understanding of the environment we live in now, yes, 150 organisms (75 mating pairs) is a good average estimate of the number required to create a growing/thriving population. However, you have NO way of knowing that this was always the case. Consider the fact that we can create a new breed of dog in about 40 years starting with just two animals...and yes, if we keep inbreeding for 40 or more years to force the breed characteristics we desire, we will create a breed that suffers from any number of hereditary genetic flaws as we repeatedly replicate genetic flaws that existed in the first two dogs. ...but if Adam and Eve had no genetic flaws and, as the bible states, they lived for hundreds of years (another indication they were far stronger genetically than we are today), it is entirely feasible that two genetically perfect humans could create a population of thousands of people with few (if any) genetic flaws.



Of course the listing of things created by days is vague...again, you think that people who didn't have access to a telescope, to knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and more would have understood something more complex than the simplistic story God told them? Would a two-year-old understand the complete, scientifically detailed answer to the question, "where do babies come from"?...of course not...and a parent would be stupid to try to explain fertilization, cell division, gestation, and more to a child that was still learning to talk. Instead, most parents will offer an explanation the child will understand (e.g., the stork brought you from the baby factory)...and some parents are smart enough to tell their children the truth...tailored to their level (e.g., mommy and daddy love each other and that love created a baby...mommy carried the baby in her tummy until it was time to go to the hospital).



As you noted this is just the first chapter of the bible (the first two actually)...and there are still more like 1,895 to go (no where near 10,000). But doesn't the fact that God devoted just 12 chapters to describing what happened on this planet from the beginning until the time of the flood tell you that you're putting more weight on the questions it answers than he did! Even if the bible did say that the earth was only about 6,000 years old (and it doesn't!), doesn't the fact that God devoted just 1% of the story to describing the first 2,000 years and then spent the remaining 99% to describe the next 2,000 years tell you that he had no desire to explain how he created the universe...he just wanted us to accept that he did before he started answering the important questions?
[ ★♏ . A I R ]
2008-09-30 05:26:10 UTC
i believe it says stuff about incest too, which would be inviting incest among life with only 2 beings which causes deformities and other conditions


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