Fundamentalism--The belief that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and literally true word of God--thrives on ignorance, not just a general sort, but an ignorance of the Bible itself. The ability to perceive contradictions in a written text, to appreciate the nuances of historical and literary context or the intentions that ancient writers hide beneath their words are hard-acquired skills in the best of times. Fundamentalism presupposes none of them. Rather, it marks a return to the rote memorization of tropes and verses that stood at the beginning of the demystifying process. When a fundamentalist says he "knows" the Bible, he means only that he can repeat its content selectively, often citing the Old Testament as though it were little more than a prelude to the New.
The wearing of long hair by men sanctioned.
And no razor shall come on his head; for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb. (Judg. 13:5)
All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head; until the days be fulfilled in the which he separateth himself unto the Loard, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of his hair of his head grow. (Num. 6:5.)
The Wearing of Long hair by men Condemned
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hairit is a shame unto him?
Now why was it so holy for Samson to wear long hair, where he magically got his strength, but Paul said it was a disgrace for men to have long hair?? What does it matter whether a man has long hair or short hair any way???
Christ taught nonresistance
Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matt. 5:39.)
All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. (Matt. 26:52.)
Christ taught and practiced PHYSICAL RESISTANCE.
He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one . (Luke 22:36)
And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple. (Johyn 2:15.)
Whoa!!! One moment Jesus is a pacifist and then the next he advocates the buying and use of weapons and angrily drives out people before him with a whip! One of two things: either a schizoid personality or a double standard of hypocrisy.
Christ warned his followers not to fear being killed.
Be not afraid of them that kill the body. (Luke 12:4.)
Christ himself avoided the Jews for FEAR of being killed.
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.
Interesting! Christ encourages people not to fear to be killed yet he himself was afraid of being killed! A character flaw? Failure of nerve? The man was supposed to be perfect.
Good works to be seen of men.
Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works. (Matt. 5:16)
Good works NOT to be seen of men.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them. (Matt. 6:1)
Doublespeak!! It is either one or the other, not both. Which did Jesus really mean?
There died of the plague twenty-four thousand.
And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. (Num. 25:9.)
There died of the plague but TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND.
And fell in one day three and twenty thousand. (1 Cor. 10:8). A discrepency of 1,000. Somebody better do a recount!
Christ was crucified at the third hour.
And it was the third hour and they crucified him. (Mark 15:25.)
Christ was not crucified until the SIXTH hour.
And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour; and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your king...Shall I crucify your king? (John 19:14,15.)
Somebody better go back to school and relearn how to tell time!!
Abraham departed to go into Canaan
And Abram took Sarah his wife, and Lot, his brother's son,...and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came.(Gen. 12:5.)
Abraham went not knowing WHERE.
By faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went. (Heb. 11:8.)
Get a load of that would ya!! Same event, same story, in the first telling Abram knew where he was going, in the second telling he had no idea!!! What is going on here? Either he did or he didn't. Which is it?
The Earth is to be destroyed.
The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Pet. 3:10.)
They shall perish, but thou remainest. (Heb. 1:11.)
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was no place found for them. (Rev. 20:11.)
The Earth is NEVER to be destroyed
Who laid down the foundations of the earth that it should not be removed forever. (PS. 104:5).
But the earth abideth forever.(Eccl. 1:4)
Same subject, two very different versions about the fate of the Earth. Which shall it be, oh revealed word of God?
No evil shall happen to the Godly.
There shall no evil happen to the just. (Prov. 12:21.)
Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? (1 Peter 3:13).
Evil DOES happen to the Godly.
Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son he receiveth. (Heb. 12:6.)
????? Either yes or no. ????????
Christ's witness of himself is true.
I am one that bear witness of myself...Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true. (John 8:18,14.)
Christ's witness of himself is NOT true.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. (John 5:31.)
WOW!! From the supposed lips of the supposed god himself!! Such a glaring contradiction from one who is claimed to be perfect in every way!!!
The Law was superseded by the Christian dispensation.
The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached. (Luke 16:16.)
Having abolished in the flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances. (Eph. 2:15)
But now we are delivered from the law. (Rom. 7:6)
The Law is NOT superseded by the Christian Dispensation.
I am come not to destroy the law but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law til all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:17, 18, 19.)
Well there you go folks! You hear one thing and then another about the very same subject!! Do you still say the Bible is without contradictions? You must be either very blind or very stupid to even still condider that notion! But if so, continue on, there is more!
Does God need rest...?
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Ex. 31:17.)
I am weary with repenting. (Jer. 15:6.)
Hast thou not heard that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?
Now waith a minute here!!!! In the first instance God is mentioned as weary and needing rest, but in the next he never needs rest!!! Now which is it?!! He is either one or the other, not both. This is a glaring inconsistency.
Does God command, approve of and delight in burnt offerings, sacrifices, and holy days?
Thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement. (Ex. 29:36.)
On the tenth day of this seventh month, there shall be a day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. (Lev. 23:27.)
And thou shalt burn the whole ram upon the altar...it is a sweet savor; an offering made by fire unto the Lord. (Ex. 29:18)
And the priest shall burn it all on the altar to be a burnt sacrifice. an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. (Lev. 1:9.)
For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. (Jer. 7:22).
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me. (Jer. 6:20)
Will I eat of the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most high. (Ps. 50:13, 14.)
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting...To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord. I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath reqauired this at your hand. (Is. 1:11-13.)
Remarkable!! God seems to both delight and abhor sacrifices and solemn holy days!!! What would you call that? I call that wishy-wasy at best, schizoid at worse!
Should an Israelite despise the Edomite?
He [Amaziah] slew of Edom, in the valley of Salt, ten thousand...And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 14:3,7.)
Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother. (Deut. 23:7.)
Another contradictory attitude on the deity's part! In one instance the Lord sanctions hatred and killing of an ethnic group, then in another it is commanded that an Edomite should not be the object of hate. Go figure!
Get the numbers straight!!!
And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.(Num. 25:9)
And fell in one day three and twenty thousand. (1 Cor. 10:8.)
This is a difference of 15,983!!
A Greek or Canaanite visitor??
And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is greivously vexed with a devil. (Matt. 15:22.)
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by nation, and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. (Mark 7:26.)
Enough said!
[The following is taken from "The Secular Humanist Bulletin, March 1991, Vol. , No. ]
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