The endless list of faults of the Bible

A camel passing through the eye of a needle ws a real life expression of the time with basis in fact.... that's all I'm going to tell you but here's a hint.... it had to do with getting through the gates into the city after hours.... seriously. Now go do your homework bitches.

And the number one fault of the Bible......

No Mary Magdelene centerfold......

OK. Genesis. When you point out that Adam and Eve had two sons, one of whom killed the other, before going off and finding a wife to have children with, the question comes up, "where did this woman come from". Did he have sex with his mother? Was the "first family" an incestuous one. The normal reply I hear is that the Adam and Eve tale is symbolic. It's priceless the way theists are able to arbitrarily choose which bible tales are symbolic and which are literal.

Move on now to the new testament, and the issue of ancestral sin. We're all born with the sin of Adam eating the apple. So in order to forgive us, god manifests himself as man in the person of Jesus Christ in order to be tortured and murdered, so that as yet unborn generations can be forgiven for the sin committed by Adam, who being a symbolic character NEVER EXISTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. And remember, if he did exist, then that was one screwed up family. You can't have it both ways guys!

Wilso, your question about the contradictions leading to the conclusion of the incestuousness of our supposedly first ancestors reflects the kind of fundamentalism (literalness) that bores me as much as does the literalness of fundamentalist TVangelists. I know your thinking is normally of a higher calibre than that.

Polar Bear,
I have done my research. I am currently reading a book called "The Book of General Ignorance" which is about common misconceptions. Which is more related to a tiny thread, a camel of a thick rope?

Wilso,
I see the paradox you are refering to and I don't think it should be dismissed as JL has done. However, perhaps Jesus came to suffer for the current generations' sins. I don't really know the Bible well, so can anyone cast some light on the topic?

Oh, and well done on locking up that thread. I just ask that you don't let the same amount of emotion loose in this one. Try to keep emotions out of it.

That's fundamentalism? Oh well. pffffffffffffffft to you.

The Bible mentions that Adam and Eve had sons and daughters (both plural). Only a few of the sons are mentioned by name because their actions had a significant impact on the story of succeeding generations as it unfolds.

For anyone who takes the story to be that of a literal man and woman, the natural conclusion is that the sons married the daughters, not the mother.

Yes, you are right Wilso, this family was a mess. Even if there had been other women on earth for the boys to marry-- one brother murdered another and the father blamed his wife for his failure to obey God. A mess.

When sin came in, it isn't a pretty picture. At least, that's the way I see it.

Yep, all I see here is fundamentalism, no attempt to decode metaphors.

Substantiate....

what are you talking about?

Which sounds better and makes more sense:

It is harder for a CAMEL to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

It is harder for a ROPE to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

?

Which word is more related/connected to/associated with a thread (of fabric):

Rope
Camel

?

Jesus says "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man, to enter into the kingdom of heaven." Jesus through this parable is trying to show, that those who are in love with the material things of this world will not enter into heaven. He is not saying that it is a common thing for camels to fit through that tiny hole in a needle, he is saying it is impossible to get into heaven if u are inlove with the things of this world.

camel through the eye of a needle was a mistranslation. In Jesus's time there was an entrance to the city which was so narrow it was called the needles eye. travellers passing through it had to unload their camels in order to fit through the narrow opening, Hence it is ment to read " it is harder for a camel to pass through the needles eye" as in harder for them to fit through the city gate

Hi, so your view is that Jesus was just a good moral teacher if he existed?

Try as I might, I can't see anything sexist in this-
"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will preach, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. On my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will speak." (Joel 2:28-32)

In fact there have always been special women in the Bible -
Miriam who saved her baby brother Moses from death when she was just a child;
Deborah, prophetess, judge and military leader;
Huldah who taught at the college in Jerusalem.;
Rahab the prostitute who sheltered the two fugitive Israelis,

And the early Christian group in Phrygia was led by Montanus and two preachers, Priscilla and Maximilla..
The evangelist Philip had four daughters who were preachers;
And Paul paid glowing tributes to women -"I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea..she has been a great help to many people, including me..
Greet Priscilla , my fellow worker in Christ Jesus, she risked her life for me.
Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you..
Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa and Persis, those women who work hard in the Lord.
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.
Greet Julia.." (Romans ch 16)

And he reminds us -
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28 )
Jesus said to the snooty priests-"The prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you" (Matt 21:31)

Here's a little tale i've woven around the "woman at the well" incident in John chapter 4 involving a woman we'll call Leonora-
Leonora had had a rough life. A string of lovers had treated her bad, and now she'd ended up with another here in this remote village in old Samaria miles from anywhere, going out of her skull with boredom and feeling as if life was passing her by.
Then her latest fancy man shouted from the other room telling her to go get some water,so she trudged wearily down the road in the sweltering heat to the well.
A few travellers who she'd never seen before were sitting there in the shade of the trees looking tired, yet good-humouredly talking among themselves, and one of them smiled and asked her in a Galileean accent to draw some water for them.
She was surprised that a Jew would talk to a Samaritan , but he chatted a bit more with her about "living water" and other matters, and about her poor track record with men who used her like a doormat.
She told him how she yearned for the bright lights of Jerusalem where things happened and where it said in the ancient scriptures the Messiah would appear, though if and when that would be, nobody knew.
She said she liked to dream what he'd be like, a warrior king maybe, in bright silver armour riding a proud white horse, and that he'd explain everything to the people once and for all.
"Huh! i'll never see the Messiah stuck out here" she said as a tear rolled down her cheek, "when i die that's it, nobody'll remember me or even know i existed, and he wouldn't want to talk to a nobody like me anyway"
The man gently brushed away her tear with his fingertips, lifted her chin, gazed straight into her eyes and softly replied with a smile:-
"I'm him. He's talking to you now!"




"The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." (John 4:26)