Chapter Six

The Flip-Flopping Bible

Fatal Flaw #5: If the Bible Has One Author, Allegedly God, Then Why Can’t It Keep Its Own Story Straight?

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”

-The Bible (on its claim to divine authority),
Second Timothy 3:16

“But to the rest speak I, not the Lord.”

-The Bible (contradicting that claim),
First Corinthians, 7:12

A joke commonly told about the Bible is that you can use it to justify any opinion as long as you know which verse to cite and how to interpret it. This cynical observation is all too reflective of this muddled, contrary tome. Steve Wells, author of The Skeptics Annotate Bible, documented over 350 self-contradictions in the Bible, ranging from whether or not it’s a sin to drink alcohol to what the last words of Jesus on the cross were.[1]

For the sake of brevity, this book will focus on the seven most divisive or glaring self-contradictions of the Bible and how they have led to so many different factions of Christianity. After finishing this chapter, the reader may come to understand how all of these denominations manage to consider themselves the “true” version of Christianity. It’s all a matter of which passages of the Bible you care to read.

Seven of the most significant biblical contradictions analyzed in this book are:

1. The Two Contradictory Creation Stories in Genesis

Fundamentalist Christians are often upset about the teaching of evolution in public schools, complaining that such lessons contradict the biblical account of how the life came to be. However, there is no consistent account of the creation of life offered in the Bible. Which chapter of Genesis would they teach? The first and second chapters completely contradict each other and yet both are claimed to be equally part of the “Word of God”.

In the first chapter, Yahweh creates:

the plants,
then the fish and the birds,
then the animals,
and then humans (man and woman at the same time).

Genesis 1:11-12 ("the third day of creation") And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:20-21 ("the fifth day of creation") And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:24-26 ("the sixth day of creation") And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:27 ("the sixth day of creation") So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

In the second chapter, Yahweh creates

man,
then the plants,
then the animals and the birds
and then woman.

Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air…

Genesis 2:22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Examining the two accounts more closely, one can almost see a splice mark just before Genesis 2:4 where apparently the two different stories are rammed together with no segue or attention to continuity.

Genesis 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Genesis 2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

The verse Genesis 2:3 brings to a conclusion the first creation story, featured primarily in the first chapter of Genesis. The verse Genesis 2:4 seems to be starting an entirely new story from the beginning. Not only do these two fables have a different order of events but the writing style also seems to be different. Where the first is a chronological account, focused primarily on what was made on which day, the second is more of a narrative yarn, discussing the story of Adam and Eve’s early experiences in the Garden of Eden.

“God” vs. “The Lord God”

Even the way that the Bible’s god is referred to noticeably changes. The first account refers to the biblical god as “God” (Elohim, the Hebrew term for god or gods). The second account refers to the biblical god as “the Lord God” (YHWH, often pronounced as "Yahweh", the name of the biblical god).[2] It’s a subtle distinction but quite noticeable in the way it’s repeated. The first account says, “God created…, God swept…, God said…, God saw…” and so on. The second account, abruptly starting at Gen 2:4, says, “the Lord God made…, the Lord God had…, the Lord God formed…, the Lord God planted…”.

The author of the first account never calls God “Lord” (YHWH). The author of the second account never fails to call God “Lord” (the author uses YHWH instead of Elohim). By this finding alone, it’s clear that the two accounts have two different authors.

The “Sixth Day Elaboration” Apology

One explanation offered for the two Genesis accounts of Creation is that the second chapter is an elaboration of the “Sixth Day” when Yahweh created humanity. There are a number of problems with this apology:

First, the Bible specifies in the first chapter that Yahweh created plants on the “third day” (Gen 1:11-12), three creation days before creating humans. However, the first few verses of the second account (Gen 2:5) state that plants didn’t come to be until after he created man (Gen 2:7).

Second, the Bible specifies in the first chapter that Yahweh created man and woman at the same time (Gen 1:27). In the second chapter, Yahweh created Adam (Gen 2:7) well before creating Eve (Gen 2:22). In fact, Yahweh apparently didn’t even think of creating woman until after Adam could not find a suitable companion among the animals.

Genesis 2:20 …but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

Evidently, Yahweh hadn’t thought to create woman (and presumably the females for all the animals) until after it was clear that Adam wasn’t happy with just animal companionship.

A third problem with the sixth day elaboration apology concerns the animals. Again, some of them were created a creation day before man (on “the fifth day”) in the first chapter of Genesis. See the quoted passage of Genesis 1:20 earlier when Yahweh created birds out of the waters. However, in the second chapter, Genesis 2:19, Yahweh creates birds out of the ground and after creating man (but before creating woman).

There is too much inconsistency between the first and second chapters to consider that the second was an elaboration of a part of the first.

The “Pre-Adamite” Apology

Another apology for the two creation accounts is that Yahweh made two different creations, one in Eden and the other elaborated upon in the first chapter. This is also known as the “Pre-Adamite” theology, named for the humans of the first chapter being “Pre-Adamites”.

The Pre-Adamite apology does explain certain classic problems of the Bible such as “where did Mrs. Cain come from” (obviously Cain met her after leaving Eden, upon coming to the land of the first chapter of Genesis). However it has a number of problems:

Why did Yahweh not think to create woman as “a helper as (Adam’s) partner” at first? He had already performed another creation a chapter back that involved both men and women.
Why did no plants grow in Eden because (Gen 2:5) “there was not a man to till the ground.”? That wasn’t a problem on the “third day” (Gen 1:11-12) when Yahweh didn’t create man or woman until three “creation days” after creating plants.
Why did Yahweh need to re-create birds out of the ground in chapter 2 (2:19) when this had already been accomplished with the sea in chapter 1 (1:20)? Was there a reason that the chapter 1 birds couldn’t fly into the Garden of Eden?

The Pre-Adamite apology does not sufficiently address the inconsistencies between the first two chapters of Genesis.

2. The Mixed Messages Regarding Salvation

Is salvation by faith or works?

This is a very important issue here. Our souls are at stake. Eternity stands before us. There are some people who have faith who are not good people and there are some people who do not have faith (or alternatively have faith in the “wrong” religion) who are good people. How does the Christian god decide who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell?

For example, is Mahatma Gandhi in Heaven or Hell? He was quite arguably a man of good works who contributed much to our world but he wasn’t a Christian. What about Torquemada, who was so devout in his Christian faith that he terrorized, tortured and killed thousands in its promotion? He was quite arguably a man of great faith and horrible works. Is he in Heaven or Hell?

We should expect that, with the stakes so high, the Bible ought to make a point of being clear on this issue.

It isn’t.

There are passages that can be used to justify either view.

"Salvation Is by Faith, Belief or Baptism":

Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Acts 2:21: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.[3]

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

"Salvation Is by Words, Deeds or Our Ability to Forgive Others":

Psalms 62:12 Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Ezekiel 18:27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 7:1-2 Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Matthew 7:21-27 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;[4] but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:… And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand…[5]

Matthew 12:36-37 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Matthew 19:17: ...but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Matthew 19:21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.[6]

Matthew 25:45-46 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.[7]

Luke 6:37-38 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Romans 2:6 (God) will render to every man according to his deeds:

First Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? …

Second Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Second Corinthians 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

First Timothy 2:15 Notwithstanding she (the woman) shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. [8]

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

1st Peter 1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

Revelations 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Revelations 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Has the Jury Reached a Verdict?

Are we judged by our faith or our works? It’s easy to understand why there is such a theological dilemma here, especially when you consider examples of non-Christians who are good people or examples of pious Christians who are cruel or sadistic. Piety and morality are, at best, unrelated. As an anonymous source put it, “Morality is doing what is right, regardless of what you’re told. Religion is doing what you’re told, regardless of what’s right.”

Apologists may try to evade this question of their god’s justice by claiming that people like Torquemada aren’t “true Christians” even though they may profess to be. Are good people who aren’t Christians examples of people who aren’t “true non-Christians” even though they profess to not be Christians? We can’t logically examine this claim, since “true Christian” is such a nebulous term that defies objective definition.

The Dilemma for Christianity

Let’s examine the claim of First Peter 1:17 (cited earlier). If Yahweh does judge each without partiality according to our works, that means that we can’t bribe him with flattery or faith. Without partiality must mean a fair evaluation of our true character, regardless of what religion we joined in life. We should therefore expect him to judge the Hindu with the same standard as he judges the Christian. This would make Yahweh just and good but then what do we need religion for? What motive is there to convert others if salvation doesn’t hinge on that conversion?

No religion interested in its own growth would claim, “Don’t worry about converting to the right religion, just be a good person. God is just.”

On the other hand, if Yahweh evaluates us according to our faith, then Christianity abandons any pretense that their god is just or good. Heaven is offered as a reward while Hell is used as a threat. These are powerful motivations to convert others or to be converted but they do not reflect well on the morality of their deity.

Any god who demands worship on pain of Hell should not be considered worthy of it. Such a deity is both immature (thinking that love can be bought with bribes or extorted with threats) as well as evil (eternal torture for refusal to give love can’t be considered anything but evil).

This dilemma is summed up in “Stuart’s Wager”[9]:

If God is just, what does the unbeliever have to fear?
If God is not just, what does the believer hope to serve?

Nature’s God and Salvation

Should we be “God-fearing”?

In order for “salvation” to have any meaning, there must be a damnation to save us from. What in nature gives any indication that Hell is real? We do not see a god that goes about smiting those who do not comply with religious laws (as often happens in the Old Testament of the Bible). There is no reason to believe that this jealous, insecure, attention-craving god exists at all. Our Creator is most even handed and doesn’t deny life or prosperity to those based on their creed.

Ask Yourself Which Is More Likely:

Is it more likely that God created Hell and will throw us into it into unless we choose the right religion but left not a single indication as to which religion is the correct one (if any)?

Or…

Is it more likely that Hell was invented by religion as a tool of control, with which they can intimidate both non-believers into joining and believers into greater obedience?

We don’t see any indication that Nature’s God has any desire to be worshipped at all. Christians have created this concept of a god in their minds that is a powerful creator of the universe and yet so emotionally insecure that he requires the validation of sycophantic mortals.

Ironically enough, it is this lack of demand to be worshipped that should make God worthy of being genuinely revered. Love can’t be bribed with rewards or commanded with threats. It can only be given freely and unafraid, out of sincere respect and admiration.

Reason tells us to live our lives as well and productively as we can and let death tend to itself. It seems unlikely that we were put on this earth to spend all our time preparing for death. If there is a salvation message, we should be confident that God would have provided some means of telling us other than the hearsay of alleged revelation.

3. No One is Righteous, No Not One …Except For All The Ones Who Are

Christians who believe that faith is the only means to salvation often say that it is because no one is righteous enough to make it into Heaven on their own. They say that is why we require a redeemer in Christ to provide us the necessary grace to wash us clean of our sins.

The Bible is not nearly so clear on this matter. The Bible says that no one is righteous in God’s eyes…

First Kings 8:46 …for there is no man that sinneth not…

Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

…except for the ones who are:

Genesis 6:9 …Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

First Kings 15:5 Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

First Kings 15:14 But the high places were not removed: nevertheless Asa's heart was perfect with the Lord all his days.

First Kings 22:42-43 And he (Jehoshaphat) walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord…

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Job 1:8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Isaiah 3:10 Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.[10]

Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man…

Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust

Matthew 13:49 …So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,[11]

Mark 6:20 For Herod feared John (the Baptist), knowing that he was a just man and an holy…

Luke 1:5-6 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Luke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout…

Luke 23:50 And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:

Acts 10:22 And they said, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God…

First Thessalonians 2:10-12 Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe:[12] As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as father doth his children.

2nd Peter 2:7 And (the Lord) delivered just (righteous) Lot…

The question of whether or not we can be righteous in God’s eyes is an important one as it relates to the Christian message of salvation by our belief in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. If we can be good enough to make it into Heaven based upon our own moral character, then the entire sacrifice of Christ will have been pointless. A path of salvation would already exist without it.

Jesus Is the Only Way, Except For All the Exceptions

The Bible at one point says that one can only come to Heaven by the grace offered by Jesus (bold emphasis added):

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Except that, according to other parts of the Bible, this isn’t true. There are Old Testament characters that Yahweh took into Heaven prior to their deaths:

Second Kings, 2:11 …and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

So Elijah and Enoch “came to the father” without Jesus’ help.

Some apologists will answer that Jesus is God (at least the ones who believe that Jesus is God incarnate), so Elijah and Enoch aren’t violations of the John 14:6 rule. However, if Jesus is God, then the whole passage of John 14:6 becomes a bit of tautological nonsense: “…no man cometh unto me, but by me.”

More on the dilemma of whether or not Jesus is God will be covered later in this chapter.

4. Does Yahweh Want to Save Everyone?

So with the path of salvation being so nebulous, is the Bible at least clear on the image of Yahweh as a loving being who wishes all to achieve salvation?

No.

Some denominations of Christianity believe that Jesus came to save everyone if we would all but harken to the Word. Others claim that Yahweh has hardened the hearts of some skeptics to use them as objects of wrath. They can both find biblical passages to justify their positions.

The denominations that claim that Yahweh wants to save everyone will favor these passages of the Bible:

First Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Second Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The denominations that favor the concept of pre-destination, that there exist an “elect” of favored mortals who will come to salvation and all others are inevitably destined to be condemned, favor these passages of the Bible:

Proverbs 16:4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

John 15:19 because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.[13]

Romans 8:29-30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Romans 9:11 …For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth…

Romans 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.

Ephesians 1:4-6 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Second Thessalonians 2:11-12 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

So by the lights of these latter passages, a Christian might say that those who do not see the Bible as God’s Word are being deliberately deluded by God that we might be condemned in the hereafter. One can only make sense of the paradoxes and absurdities of the Bible if he or she has the “Holy Spirit”. We, the unbelievers, are “objects of wrath” as the term is often used, serving no purpose but to satisfy Yahweh’s sadistic glee upon Judgment Day.

What a spoiled brat Yahweh is! Even if he were real, would he be worthy of worship?

Clearly, Yahweh is a character of questionable maturity, emotional stability and morality, but what about his alleged son, Jesus? Is he the paragon of virtue, the source of wisdom and consistent “rock of ages” that he is said to be?

5. The Flip-Flopping Jesus

Jesus, we are often told by Christians, is the one human who ever lived who was without sin. He was flawless in his virtue, infinite in his wisdom and a role model for everyone in every age. “What would Jesus do?” is offered as the question we should ask ourselves to understand the right and moral thing to do in any situation. However, when we read about his story in the Gospels, we find a confusing and conflicted depiction of a deeply inconsistent character.

The Prince of Peace?

We often think of Jesus as the gentle teacher who admonished his followers to “turn the other cheek” but it really depends on which passages in the New Testament that you read.

Sometimes the Gospels depict a Jesus that champions the cause of peace:

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Matthew 26:52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

Sometimes the Gospels depict a Jesus that is a warmonger:

Matthew 10:34-36 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

Luke 22:36 Then said he (Jesus) unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.

A Ministry of Love?

At some points in the Gospels, Jesus admonished his followers to love others and treat them fairly:

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.[14]

Luke 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Yet this very same Jesus promises to be quite fearsome and hateful at his second coming, playing an active role in bringing eternal misery to those who of the wrong religion:

Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe (Noah) were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.[15]

Mark 16:16 …he that believeth not shall be damned.

Luke 3:17 (Jesus’) fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

Does this sound like a loving being?

Should We Forgive Others?

The message of “turn the other cheek” is widely known. In some passages of the Bible, Jesus preaches a message of forgiveness:

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Luke 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

Yet the same Jesus is hardly forgiving when he’s rejected:

Matthew 11:21-24 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

The Gospel Jesus can’t even forgive a fig tree for not bearing figs when they’re not in season. His vindictive (and immature) nature is exposed in this story:

Mark 11:12-21 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it…(verse 21) And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.

Wouldn’t the wise Jesus be expected to understand that the fig tree wasn’t in season? Wouldn’t a better miracle be for the fig tree to bear figs out of season?

A Gentle and Merciful Lord?

According to Gospel accounts, Jesus espoused the virtues of mercy:

Luke 6:36-38 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

Yet how can such instructions be taken seriously when the same character says such things as:

Matthew 13:41-42 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

A Man of Family Values?
At times the Gospel Character, Jesus, seems to support the “family values” as they were practiced at the time:

Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.[16]

These days, family counselors don’t exactly endorse the death penalty for disobedient children but such a practice was apparently the custom of those who wrote this so-called “Word of God”.

This same Jesus also said some shocking things about how we should treat members of our own families:

Matthew 8:21-22 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Matthew 10:37-38 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Whenever conservative Christians talk so self-righteously about “traditional Christian family values”, perhaps they should remember the above passages.

Jesus preaches this message of devotion to him above all else, even if it means spurning loved ones. He uses a rather gruesome metaphor to drive this point home:

Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

This gruesome and disturbing admonishment is a metaphor for troublemakers within a church (or family). It is better to cast them out of a church (the analogy to the church cutting off its own hand) than to bring the whole congregation to hell (book burnings, censorship and the silencing of dissent is the only way such religions as Christianity can prosper). Unfortunately, some Christians might take this parable literally as did the third century Origen, who castrated himself apparently because he couldn’t control his feelings of lust.[17] A wise avatar of God should have known better than to use such bloody analogies that could lead to such a tragic misunderstanding.

Was Jesus Compassionate for the Poor?

In some passages of the Gospels, Jesus preaches a message of compassion for the poor and warns that the rich shall not attain salvation:

Mark 10:21-25 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. …And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.[18]

Yet Jesus doesn’t seem inclined to deny himself the comforts of wealth at one point in the Gospel story:

Matthew 26:6-11 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.[19]

Truly this example of hypocrisy is the stuff of satire. A sanctimonious preacher goes about telling others to live a pure life, eschewing their material desires, but unabashedly indulges in worldly pleasures as he wills. There seems to be a difference between “What would Jesus do?” and “What would Jesus tell you to do?”.

Liar, Lunatic, Lost-in-Legend or Literary Fiction?

There are basically four possible reasons for such a muddled depiction of the central icon of Christianity:

Jesus was just making everything up as he went along.
Jesus was insane.
We’re not getting the true story of Jesus.
Jesus was and is a fictional character. Perhaps he was fabricated over time by many authors whose contributions were based on traditions and myths.

Christian apologists want to hastily rule out the first two options, often claiming that such a paragon of virtue and wisdom couldn’t possibly be either deceitful or insane. Here's how Christian apologist Josh McDowell tries to reject the idea that Jesus was a liar:

“…if He (Jesus) was a liar, then He was also a hypocrite… More than that, He was a demon… If Jesus was a liar, a con man, and therefore an evil, foolish man, then how can we explain the fact that He left us with the most profound moral institution and powerful moral example that anyone has ever left?”
-Josh McDowell, “Evidence for Christianity" [20]

This argument starts with false assumptions and then it oversimplifies in its conclusion. As we've already reviewed, it’s highly questionable that Jesus was especially consistent in his moral teachings or actions. Neither is the “institution” he left behind, Christianity, especially moral. Is this not the same religion responsible for the Crusades, the Inquisition, the burning of witches, the persecution and torture of heretics and incalculable bloodshed over the centuries? False assumptions aside, it’s an oversimplification to say that anyone who’s ever told a lie is a “demon”. Lies are morally questionable, to be sure, but necessarily demonic? The severity of a moral wrong depends on the motivation and the situation. What if Jesus’ motive was to create a more compassionate religion, softening the austere god of the Old Testament, and felt the lie was justified by this desired outcome? In this case, he becomes like the Shakespearean tragic hero and pays the ultimate price for his moral failing. He might be a rascal and/or a fool but would he be a “demon”, incapable of uttering any moral platitudes or occasionally acting humanely?

Apologist Lee Strobel tries to use a similar tactic to spuriously dismiss the idea that Jesus might have been crazy:

"In the meantime my talk with Gary Collins prompted me to spend time that night carefully rereading the discourse of Jesus. I could detect no sign of dementia, delusions or paranoia. On the contrary, I was moved once more by his profound wisdom, his uncanny insights, his poetic eloquence, and his deep compassion."
-Lee Strobel, “The Case for Christ” [21]

“No sign of dementia”? Did Strobel think it particularly sane for Jesus to suggest that any human being who believed strongly enough could order mountains into the sea (Matthew 21:21)? Was it profoundly wise to advocate self-mutilation to gain salvation (Mark 9:43-47)? Was it deeply compassionate to promise to bring “fire” (war and conflict) to the earth and express a longing for it to be kindled (Luke 12:49)?

In fairness, Strobel didn’t mention which discourses of Jesus he was referring to. Just as you can use the Bible to support any view you like by selective reading, so too it seems that you can make Jesus into whomever you want him to be by the same process. Liberals might like the hippy Jesus and his message of peace and charity. Conservatives might like the stern Jesus who admonished us to repent and hearken to the “Word of God”. Perhaps his story was written to be so flexible, that he might appeal to as broad a base as possible.

This brings us to the topic of what was Jesus. Even this is not clear.

6. Was Jesus God or a Separate Being From God?

This issue is probably the most divisive paradox of the Bible. Was Jesus a human being, the Son of God who was divinely inspired to be God’s messenger and lamb for the salvation of all of humanity? Or was Jesus part of God, much like a human manifestation or avatar of God? By the latter view, the humanity of Jesus was just a shell, a veneer for our benefit and ability to understand.

Different denominations of Christianity can find their own passages of the Bible that justify their positions. In particular, the Book of John seemed to strongly favor the idea of Jesus as the incarnation of God:

John 1:1-14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Verse 14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 10:30 (Jesus said) I and my Father are one.

John 10:38 (Jesus said) But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 20:28-29 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

Philippians 2:6 (Jesus), being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

First Timothy 3:16 …God was manifest in the flesh…

Revelations 22:13 I (Jesus) am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Some of the other disciples and passages in the Bible disagree with this assessment, depicting Jesus as a separate being from God. Even John contradicts it. Here are just a few prominent examples:

Matthew 26:39 (Jesus said) …O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Mark 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

Mark 15:34 (Jesus said) …My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Luke 23:46 (Jesus said) …Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit…

John 14:28 (Jesus said) …I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

First Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Colossians 3:1 …Christ sitteth on the right hand of God

First Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

The very act of Jesus praying to God, as with Matt 26:39, Mark 15:34, and Luke 23:46 would imply that Jesus was a separate being. Otherwise, we have the tautological absurdity of Jesus crying out, “Me, me why have I forsaken me?”

Throughout the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), Jesus speaks about Yahweh in the third person and to him in the second person. Conversely, Yahweh speaks to Jesus or about him as if he were a separate being:

Matthew 3:17 And lo a voice from Heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 17:5 While he spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from Heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

A Christian theologian would be hard pressed to find any material in the synoptic Gospels that supports the belief that Jesus is God.

It’s also worth noting that the word “Christ” isn’t a name but a title, as in “Jesus the Christ”. The title translates to mean, “the anointed one”.[22] This fact would seem to imply that Jesus was a separate being from God, since God allegedly anointed him. A divine self-anointing would seem rather pointless.

Either way, with Jesus the Avatar or with Jesus the Son of God, Christianity has a serious logical problem.

If Jesus is God, We Have a Most Ridiculous Paradox
If Jesus is God, then it means that God sent himself down to earth to sacrifice himself to himself because it was the only way that he could convince himself to forgive all of us and change a rule that he made in the first place.

This mess of a foundation for an entire faith is so absurd as to defy analysis.

Why does Yahweh need to sacrifice himself just to convince himself to change a rule? Does Yahweh make the rules or doesn’t he? If he makes the rules and answers to no one then he can simply choose to change them and dispense with the whole masochistic ritual. If he desires to forgive, he can accomplish this simply by choosing to. We are capable of forgiving others without the need of self-sacrifice. Should Christians seriously suggest that we are more capable of forgiving than God?

A sacrifice only makes sense if there are factors beyond the sacrifice’s control. A common analogy of self-sacrifice to save others involves a live grenade that lands in a foxhole. One soldier leaps upon the grenade, using his body to absorb the deadly shrapnel and thereby save the lives of his comrades. In this example, there is a factor beyond the soldier’s control (the grenade) and it is clear how the sacrifice helps to make the situation better for his comrades that he is saving.

With the Christian concept of the sacrifice of Jesus, we have neither an understanding of how Hell (and who goes there) is beyond God’s control nor do we understand why a human sacrifice somehow makes God more likely to forgive those who believe this absurdity. Does God make the rules or not? Is God compelled by some higher force to have a sacrifice ritual necessary before some can be forgiven for their sins?

If Jesus is not God, Then Christianity Violates the First Commandment.
The Old Testament makes it clear that Yahweh is a jealous being, hungry for the adoration of humans, and that he delegates his role as the judge and savior of humanity to no one.

Exodus 20:3 (First Commandment) Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

“No other gods before me” flies in the face of Jesus’ claim that no one comes unto God except through him [23]. In the Old Testament, Yahweh had no middleman and conversed with humans directly. Furthermore, Yahweh made it clear that he tolerated no rival gods that might distract his followers from paying homage to him.

Yahweh articulates this demand in Isaiah for direct attention and denies that there are any even subservient gods (in a way that would fly in the face of Christian practices). Bold emphasis added:

Isaiah 43:11-12 I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.

It’s very clear from this passage that the Christian view of Jesus sitting beside God as his right hand is inconsistent with Yahweh’s Old Testament claim that there is no savior besides him. Yahweh is proclaiming that he alone saves and he alone is Lord. If Jesus is not God, then all Christians are in violation of the first commandment for they are turning to a human for salvation.

Does it make any sense that this same god of the Old Testament would appoint a middleman to take the spotlight? The very religion that is supposed to serve Yahweh is named after this other man and the symbol of this religion becomes a cross, which evokes the memory of his sacrifice. This same jealous, insecure, adoration-hungry being of the Old Testament suddenly changes in the New Testament and decides to willingly fade into a mysterious background while this young upstart takes center stage?

Nonsense to Explain Nonsense: The Trinity

Apparently unable to find a better resolution to the question of what exactly Jesus was, early Christian theologians who gathered at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD agreed upon the paradoxical concept of the Trinity: Jesus was wholly man and yet also wholly divine. Somehow the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were one substance and yet distinct beings at the same time. How can this apparent oxymoron be true? It’s a matter beyond human comprehension (or so we’re told).

What seems more likely is that the Council of Nicaea was unable to figure out how to reconcile two contradictory worldviews that were mixed to give birth to Christianity: Judaism and Paganism. With the Jewish faith, their god is a deeply jealous (insecure) being that demands undivided human attention and hungers for mortal adoration. With Paganism, specifically the “Mystery Religions” (discussed in greater detail in Chapter 8), the divine was considered out of reach and salvation required a demigod child to be the intercessor for humanity.

The conundrum of reconciling the Old Testament god with the New Testament god is what brings us to our last major biblical contradiction:

7. The Evolving Biblical God

Reading the Bible cover to cover, we get a sense that the biblical god changed over a period of time. As tribal Judaism morphed into global Christianity, this religion’s view of God transitioned from henotheism (i.e. “other gods exist but the one that we worship is the strongest of them all”) to monotheism (such as it is, discussed later). At first, Yahweh had a body like the other anthropomorphic gods of his day and later shed his body to become a more spiritual being. The biblical god started out as mighty but limited, eventually to become “omnipotent”.

From Henotheism to “Monotheism”

The Bible says there is only one god…

Deuteronomy 4:35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.

Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

Isaiah 44:8 …Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

Isaiah 45:5-6 I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me…

Isaiah 46:9 …for I am God, and there is none else…

Mark 12:32 …for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

First Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father…

…except for the others:

Exodus 12:12 ... against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.

Exodus 15:11 Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?

Exodus 18:11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

Exodus 23:32 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.

Numbers 33:4 …upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments.

First Samuel 6:5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods [tumors], and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

Psalms 82:1-7 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. …I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

Psalms 86:8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

Psalms 97:7-9 worship him, all ye gods… For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.

Psalms 136:2 O give thanks unto the God of gods...

It is interesting to note that most of the passages that suggest multiple gods in the universe come from the earlier books in the Bible. On the other hand, among the passages that suggest Yahweh is alone as the only god in the universe, only the Deuteronomy passage (4:35-39) occurs earlier than the “prophetic books” in the Old Testament Bible. It seems the Jewish faith started as henotheistic or possibly even polytheistic with Yahweh as the head of their pantheon.

Some scholars have noted evidence for ancient Hebrew polytheism:

The Hebrew polytheism is reflected in the various biblical names for “God”, the oldest of which were the plural Elohim, Baalim and Adonai, representing both male and female deities. In order to make the Hebrews appear monotheistic, the biblical writers and translators obfuscated these various terms and translated them as the singular “God” (Elohim), “the Lord” (Adonai), “the Lord God” (Elohim YHWH) or “the Lord” (YHWH/IEUE).[24]

The plural term Elohim appears over 2500 times in the Old Testament but is falsely translated in most versions. The fact of plurality explains why in Genesis “Gods” said, “Let us make man in our image.”[25]

-Acarya S, "The Christ Conspiracy"

That verse she refers to:

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…

Christian apologists often try to explain that Yahweh’s curious habit of using the “royal we” when reasoning out loud to himself is actually a reference to the Trinity. In essence, the “Father” is having a discussion with the unborn Jesus and the Holy Spirit. However, there is no reference to either the begotten part of the Trinity (Jesus) or the Holy Spirit in any part of the Old Testament. Neither is there any reason to think that the ancient Jews believed in any such things.

This is not to say that Christianity is monotheistic. This religion features a three-in-one god so it’s arguably polytheistic. Additionally, Satan is called a “god” in the Bible (bold emphasis added):

Second Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

The “god of this world” = Satan? It seems so from this passage. Who else has allegedly been given dominion over this world? Who else would allegedly be working so hard to keep some from “seeing the light of the Gospel”?

The author of this passage is clearly calling Satan a “god”. Indeed, what else could you call a being so powerful as to allegedly be God’s archenemy and have dominion over this world? Even assuming that Jesus and Yahweh are the same being, there are at least two gods in this faith, making Christianity henotheistic.

Is the Bible Itself a God?

Is the written “Word” a fourth part of the Trinity? Is the Bible a little piece of God on earth? Christians may deny that they worship the Bible but they certainly treat it as such. If you criticize the Bible, to them you criticize God. If you throw away the Bible, to them you are throwing away God. If you respect the Bible, to them you are respecting God. It seems clear the Christians regard the Bible as a little piece of God on this earth.

There is a word for treating man-made objects and idols as gods and worshipping them as such: Idolatry. The Bible supports this idolatrous view:

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The “Word” is capitalized by Christians as if a being unto itself, with Yahweh at the beginning of Creation and made flesh in Jesus. Each printing of the Bible is a part of this god. It’s quite arguably an unofficial fourth part of the trinity.

The founder of one Protestant Sect, Lutheranism, had this to say about the Bible:

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”
-Martin Luther,[26]

That actually sounds quite scary.

A more modern example of Christian idolatry is found in the screams of protesters when the government removed a 10 commandments monument (“Roy’s Rock”) from the federal courthouse in Birmingham Alabama:

"Put it back! ... Get your hands off our God, God haters!" [27]
-Protesters

“Their god” is apparently the 10 Commandments monument itself. Ironically, one of the commandments on the monument they idolatrously revere forbids idolatry.

From Anthropomorphic to Purely Spiritual

The nature of Yahweh changed from the Old Testament, where he had a body like all the other “Pagan” gods of his day to the New Testament, where he became a purely spiritual being.

Old Testament Verses that describe Yahweh’s Body (bold emphasis added):

Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

Exodus 33:11 And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

Exodus 33:20-23 And he (the Lord) said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. …And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Exodus 34:5 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

Ezekiel 1:27 And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

Ezekiel 8:2-3 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber. And he put forth the form of an hand…

Habukkuk 3:4-5 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

In the New Testament, Yahweh’s body is not described. Instead, their god becomes a spiritual being:

John 4:24 God is a Spirit…

From Merely Powerful to Omnipotent

In the Old Testament, Yahweh is usually described as mighty and powerful but clearly not omnipotent.

Numbers 23:22 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn.

It’s difficult to say for sure just how strong a unicorn is supposed to be. The New Oxford translation is a little easier to understand, since they replace this mythical being with a “wild ox”.[28] Oxen are certainly strong beings relative to humans but they aren’t omnipotent.

An example of Yahweh’s limitations includes one incident where he failed to conquer an army that possessed iron chariots.

Judges 1:19 And the Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.

Freethinkers everywhere should get a chariot of iron just in case Yahweh turns out to be real.

Other passages of the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, say that Yahweh is omnipotent:

Matthew 19:26 …with God all things are possible.[29]

By the end of the Bible, Yahweh is officially proclaimed “almighty” (a verse made especially famous in Handel’s “Messiah”).

Revelation 19:6 …Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Satan Evolved Too!

Interestingly, Satan is barely mentioned in the Old Testament but has a prominent role in the New Testament (as well as in modern Christianity). The only time Satan appears in the Old Testament is in the Book of Job. At this point in the Bible, Satan is not the hated enemy of the biblical god but rather seems more like the most cynical member of his court.

At most, he acts more like the leader of the “loyal opposition” than an adversary. Consider the beginning of the story (bold emphasis added):

Job 1:6-12 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.

The New Oxford Version translates “sons of God” as “heavenly beings”[30], as if this were a gathering of angels. The fact that “Satan came also among them” (“them” meaning the other “heavenly beings”) as they presented “themselves before the Lord” rather implies there was a gathering of Yahweh’s court and that Satan, if he wasn’t a member of that court, was at least welcome to attend. The rather polite debate that follows between Yahweh and Satan is not consistent with what we might expect between two bitter enemies (although apparently Satan does feel free to openly disagree with his lord).

Sometimes a Snake Is Just a Snake

Contrary to the belief of many Christians, there’s no reason offered in the Old Testament to conclude that the serpent of the Book of Genesis was supposed to be Satan. Consider how the serpent character is introduced (bold emphasis added):

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

The New Oxford Version translates “beast of the field” as a “wild animal”.[31] Notice how the serpent character is introduced as one of the wild animals “which the Lord God had made” and not as a fallen angel or a supernatural being in disguise. Neither is the serpent ever called “Satan” in the Old Testament. From reading the Book of Genesis alone, it seems clear that the snake is just another of God’s wild animals (except that animals apparently were very smart and could talk back then, which might explain why Noah could ask a dove to go out, search for dry land and return with a branch).

Later in this chapter, Yahweh curses the snake and affirms that this character is just an animal and not a fallen angel (bold emphasis added):

Genesis 3:14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

The New Oxford Version translates “cattle” as “animals” and “beast of the field” as "wild creatures”[32] but the message is the same: the snake is clearly just another one of the animals. Apparently, this story is a mythological parable to explain how the snake came to crawl upon the ground. The snake character represents snakes in general (regarded obviously as hated evil creatures by the people who wrote the story) not a supernatural being of any kind.

It’s not until the very end of Revelation that the snake is retroactively declared to be Satan (bold emphasis added):

Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

This verse reads as if the declaration that the “old serpent” (implicitly although not definitely the one of Genesis) is almost an afterthought, as if someone later inserted the phrase “that old serpent” to try to tie in Satan’s involvement in humanity’s “fall from grace” in Genesis. Note how the whole verse would work adequately well without that phrase: “And he laid hold on the dragon, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,”

It’s as if someone decided that the story of Jesus’ sacrifice required a fall from grace brought about by a devil. This way, the story comes full circle. A supernatural agent tempted humanity into sin, a supernatural agent came to save us and the two are playing tug-o-war for your soul. The story wouldn’t work nearly as well if natural snakes were responsible for our “fall”.

Thus, the nature of Satan was changed in the New Testament. Here, we see Satan take on a new role as the hated enemy of Yahweh and all of humanity. The change was sensible. Satan is always there to save the day when Christian leaders find themselves in a theological quandary.

The reason for the evolving nature of the biblical characters is most likely that religions are much like any other art form in that they evolve over time. As one culture is exposed to another, the mythmakers borrow from one another and their faiths are thereby embellished. As the chapter eight will explore, Christianity itself seems to be an amalgamation of Judaism, Mithraism and a variety of other religions. These changes over time are to be expected from a human-made religion.

Conclusion

It’s an unfortunate fact of story-telling that as you add multiple authors to any fiction series, continuity gaffes will inevitably crop up. Sometimes even one author can make such a mistake over time. They are, after all, only human. However, we should expect more consistency if the Bible had only one author, God. God is not a “flip-flopper”. We need only observe our universe, governed by its unchanging laws, to gather that much.

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[1] Steve Well’s work can be found on the web at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/. His exhaustive analysis also includes many other Bible flaws, from absurdities to cruelties, as well as many links of interest to freethinkers, news items relating to religion and an online discussion board.

[2] Special thanks to whoever it was that sent me the email while I was the author of deism.org which pointed this quirk of the Bible out. Unfortunately, I have since lost that email and thus am unable to identify the contributor by name.

[3] Author’s note: My sister’s a devout Christian. Am I saved?

[4] Note the direct contradiction to Acts 2:21.

[5] This passage should give conservative Christians pause!

[6] Repeated in Mark 10:21-22

[7] You don’t often hear conservative Christians quoting this verse.

[8] “Childbearing” could be considered a form of “works” although it’s rather strange for the Bible to hinge salvation upon it.

[9] Stuart (who asked his last name not be used since he lives in a Christian community and fears what might happen if he came out as an atheist) posted this wager on the now defunct Universist online forum.

[10] There are actually numerous other Old Testament verses similar to this one that speak of the “righteous” or “just” people (particularly in Psalms and Proverbs) but for the sake of brevity, this shortened list doesn’t include them.

[11] There are numerous other passages in the New Testament that speak of the righteous and just but again for the sake of brevity, they’re not included in this shortened list.

[12] Paul is a most modest servant of Christ, calling himself holy, blameless and pure.

[13] The persecution complex seems to run strong among the pious.

[14] Repeated in Mark 12:31 and paraphrased in Luke 10:27.

[15] Repeated in Luke 17:26

[16] Repeated in Mark 7:10

[17] Kenneth Humphreys, “Jesus Never Existed”, Uckfield, U.K.: 2005, p 320.

[18] This passage is roughly repeated in Matt 19:21-24.

[19] This story is roughly repeated in Mark 14:3-7 and John 12:1-8.

[20] Josh McDowell, “Evidence for Christianity”, Nashville, TN, 2006, p 380

[21] Lee Strobel, “The Case for Christ”, Grand Rapids, MI, 1998, pp 153-154

[22] Robert Price, “The Incredible Shrinking Son of Man”, Amherst, NY: 2003, p 269

[23] See John 14:6

[24] Acharya S, “The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold”, Kempton, Illinois, 1999, p.89

[25] Ibid, p.91

[26] Martin Luther, “The Table Talk of Martin Luther”, Editor: Thomas S. Kepler, Mineola, NY, 2005, back cover.

[27] Cliff Walker, “Positive Atheism: List of Scary Quotes (Roy Moore)”, http://www.positiveatheism.org/hist/quotes/scar_m.htm accessed on April 15, 2006.

[28] New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, New Revised Standard Edition, Editor Michael D. Coogan, (New York, 2001), p 221 Hebrew Bible

[29] This verse is repeated in Mark 10:27.

[30] New Oxford Annotated Bible, Third Edition, New Revised Standard Edition, Editor Michael D. Coogan, (New York, 2001), p 728 Hebrew Bible

[31] Ibid, p 14 Hebrew Bible

[32] Ibid, p 15 Hebrew Bible