Some people say the bible has been edited over the centuries to make it look good, but if that's so, why have all the discrepancies been left in?
@High Strangeness,
Beyond 'inconsistencies' there are contradictions, omissions, and errors. The bible is the product of many authors a couple of hundred years after the so-called events.
I have had the opportunity to visit Israel a couple of times, but especially the holy sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. As an atheist, I found those sites and the Dead Sea fascinating. My sister is a devout Christian, and I've often thought of taking her to Israel. She would enjoy the sites more than I. I have taken her to Egypt and Jordan many years ago.
@cicerone imposter,
Gospel-writers Matthew and John were two of the actual disciples, you can't get better eyewitness testimonies than that..
@High Strangeness,
cicerone plays a little fast and loose with the facts about the bible don't he...
@cicerone imposter,
We were larning about the synoptic poroblem is Catholic school in the late 1960's. That, and the actual historicity of some of these characters makes the NT a 2nd century (CE) "comic book" without graphics.
The Big Question is- why on earth would anybody want to sit down and cook up a character called Jesus and a religion called Christianity?
What was in it for them?
@High Strangeness,
call me Ishmael, or Superman, who'd make up such characters , and for what reason??
@farmerman,
What I found to be fascinating is how the paintings of Jesus looks similar no matter which country's church is visited. Who painted the original?
@cicerone imposter,
they were copied from his high school yearbook pictures. Somebody posted a picture of what a jesus woulda looked like. more like Buddy Hackett
You guys must have missed my question earlier so I'll ask it again- why on earth would anybody sit down and invent Jesus and Christianity, then go spreading it around and getting hassled?
For example Paul took terrible stick as he tells us here-
"I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,
I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false brothers.
I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep, I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.."- (2 Cor 11:23-29)
@cicerone imposter,
Pretty funny. Who was this Matthew guy and where did he get that bible...
@Leadfoot,
You'll have to contact the folks at:
http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/page/bible-contradictions
to get your answer. I'm not familiar with the bible.
@cicerone imposter,
cicerone imposter wrote:
What I found to be fascinating is how the paintings of Jesus looks similar no matter which country's church is visited. Who painted the original?
I Imagine that would be something to do with the Greco Roman influences on Early Christian church, or Roman influences when it was annexed by Rome. I haven't really studied it, so odds are, I could be partially or entirely incorrect
It is far more likely that this Jesus Character was Middle Eastern.
Somebody said-
"Matthew's Bible was the combined work of three individuals"
---------------------------------
Ah yet another conspiracy theory!
Let's guess their names, Larry, Curly and Moe?..
@High Strangeness,
to be fair, all translations will have a degree of translation bias, and/or translational error. Larry Curly and Moe could just as easily have worked on any of them.
Of course there are ways to get past translation bias/error, you just have to put the work in
@Smileyrius,
The old King James Version is fearless!
Some modern translations are gutless and pol-correct, for example the KJV calls heathens "heathens" but some modern translations call them "nations".
@High Strangeness,
Is this the King James bible that had the Jews celebrating Easter?
Could you give me some good examples of Heathens being translated as Nations, I quite like sample texts to compare
Cheers ears
@Smileyrius,
Is the Jews celebrating Easter yet another consp-theory?
As for the word 'heathens', there are plenty of examples here of how wimpy modern translations change it to 'nations'-
http://biblehub.com/2_kings/17-11.htm
@cicerone imposter,
No sweat CI, I'm much more interested in what you and other a2k'ers think than a link to atheist or other websites.
Find out for yourself what the bible says rather than taking others word for it.
It really does not matter who wrote it, it's the story that matters.
