Errors of the Bible?

Question:: 
hi i have a weird question that maybe you can help solve i've been researching this for some time. i have heard and found contradictions and outright scientific errors in the bible and i am trying to find a way to prove that errors and or contradictions are there let me give you a few examples, the one that talks about four legged insects is claimed to be false because there is no such thing as a four footed insect but butterflies do have four legs so is their something i'm missing here or what. and the whole bats aren't birds their mammals well my mom asked me what exactly is the classification of mammal and i really don't know, these are only a few and i'm trying to research them all so any help on this would be appreciated. also my mom told me that the errors in the bible can easily be explained using cross referencing and a good bible dictionary and concordance but those weren't written until years after so any errors that you know about either through science.historical etc in the bible any information on said thing would help a lot in my research.
Atheist Answer: 

You're really going at this. Good on you.

Butterflies are all in fact six-legged. The two front legs are sometimes non-functional (an evolutionary hold-over, like the remnants of our ancestors' tails) and are tucked up against the body where they're difficult to see.

Mammals are uniquely identified by the presence of sweat glands, and the related glands which produce milk. All female mammals nurse their young (except in the mammal species that was clever enough to invent "baby formula", although we do still have the option of course). Bats have both.

Birds, on the other hand, are defined most reliably by the presence of feathers, which bats definitely do not have. The only non-bird creatures which ever had feathers were specific late-age species of dinosaur identified as the ancestors of birds.

Internal errors in the Bible (that is, the Bible disagreeing with itself) can be explained, sure, but not always easily or satisfyingly. The Skeptics' Annotated Bible is the best-known repository of Biblical contradictions. Just look for the Contradictions section.

In the interests of fairness, Christian responses to each contradiction are linked in at the bottom of each comparison in the SAB. This doesn't always help the Bible's case, because the explanations given are often quite long and elaborate and not always convincing. But you can decide that for yourself. You've already realised that people have believed the whole book, and some continue to do so, without bothering to reconcile the apparent contradictions.

More difficult to reconcile with the Bible, of course, is scientific reality. The six-day creation story set six thousand years ago contradicts most of biology, geology and cosmology (which is like astronomy but more theory-based and less observational). Just looking at the earth, we have billions of years' worth of sediment under us and just as much evolutionary progress around us and within us. The response by those who still think Genesis is literally true nowadays is to argue that Noah's Flood (not an accepted historical event either) created some of the apparent signs of an old Earth in under a year, and God did the rest via intelligent design and various miracles. This view has yet to gain mainstream scientific support.

On a smaller scale, some of the individual stories contradict ordinary historical evidence. Take Moses, for example. There's no indication that the Israelites were ever in Egypt, let alone working as slaves, wandering in the desert for forty years or forcibly taking any land for the "12 tribes". The Egyptians would have written about some of this, had it happened. The Tenth Plague, which supposedly killed the first-born in most families in the capital including the Pharaoh's, would also have rated a mention. So there's really no place in real-world history for Moses.

Good luck with your own research.

- SmartLX

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thanks

ok thanks for your help i thought there would be a way to debunk the whole butterfly thing and the bat think thanks for the info. now i have a random side question well afew actually i have been looking aroung for places where you can find acelogical or historical referances about the things that happened like moses and noah do you know a good sourse for information, i've also been curious about the ten commandment and if the said tablets were ever found. also random question i've seen a map of asia minor and such which i believe is the place moses sopposedly was lost for forety years, my question is would it even be possible to be lost for forty years? i mean asia minor ain't that big, they would have had to found somewhere? anyway thanks for the info.

For historical questions, I

For historical questions, I have to admit that my first source is always Wikipedia. People like Moses always have a section on their historicity, and high-profile figures like Jesus have a separate article on the subject. The important thing is not to take any Wikipedia article at face value, because they can be changed or corrupted almost instantly. Follow the links at the bottom to get more stable and reliable sources for the information.

The Commandment tablets were supposedly stored in the Ark of the Covenant, which is now most famous for its appearance in the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark. In reality, not only has it never been found but it most likely doesn't exist. Even some of those who believe in it think it was destroyed.

You're dead right about the desert. The Sinai peninsula is about 60,000 square kilometres, and well under 400km wide in any direction. By rough calculations, the Israelites would have stretched for something like 240 kilometres by just marching in rows of ten, so if they'd just maintained a straight line until those at the back reached a marker left by those at the front, those at the front would have been out, or reached the sea.

Bible is right

It was never stated that the english translations were right it is the origional texts in greek and hebrew that are 100% right and inherent. Also it is very easy to take the bible out of context as many christians take it out of context all of the time. Could I suggest that you read the whole passage and if a verse seems to be contradicting that it would be looked up in the language that it was written in. Im not trying to prove you wrong I just have been doing a lot of research and have found that most people on both sides do not do their homework in trying to prove or disprove the Bible. If you could please try this and see if there are any errors in the Bible then you can tell me about it and everyone else but if you dont want to I understand because that would mean a lot of work for you. Also one more thing to ask you in the evidense for evelution what are the intermediate species and why do we no loneger see evelution and at the same time i would want to ask why is there still apes around that we have evolved from, i think that if the apes are still around why isnt there any of the intermediate forms today on this earth please explain this to me also. At the same time please give me some of the reasons why the Bible is not historically accurate with information and citings that prove it. I would also like the scientific questions to be anwsered as well with citings that would be nice. But please do the Home work for it before you anwser me and i will do mine when i return the favor because i do want to know that my beliefs are true and evertything that i have researched so far keeps it concluded that way

Thank you so much

Joshua Regitz

Various answers

It has in fact been declared by some that an English translation is inerrant. The King James Only movement variously holds that the King James Version (KJV) is a perfect translation, is divinely inspired itself or is in fact a new revelation from God.

Here's an article on a simple error which refers back to the original wording: it says pretty clearly in Leviticus that there are insects with four legs. There aren't.

To address your first evolution question, here's a list of hundreds of transitional fossils or intermediate species.

We didn't evolve from the apes that are still around. We and they both evolved from a different ape which isn't around anymore. Modern apes are our cousins, not our ancestors. Evolution is not a chain, it's more like a family tree which branches off continuously. Beginning with the older ape species, some of their descendants got smarter and less hairy and ended up becoming us. Other descendants just changed shape or colour, and became new kinds of ape.

The number one historical inaccuracy in the Bible is that the Earth is only thousands of years old, when in fact it is billions of years old. It never actually gives the Earth an age, but there is an unbroken line of descent from Adam to King David which cannot span more than a few thousand years. The primary reason (but not the only one) why we know this is incorrect is that radiometric dating has given results for earthly objects ranging up to the billions of years. Creationists have therefore criticised radiometric dating heavily, but poorly. Here is a basic primer: Radiometric Dating 101 (scroll down a little bit).

Good on you for wanting to examine your own beliefs.

hey

i got a comment ok i see what your are saying and i took your advice and reaqd through the entire bible and studied some of the greek, latin, aramaic and did some research into a lot of the errors while i'll admit thAt some of them seemed less an error after my research many errors still exist. if you would like a list i can provide.

now on to another topic of grave importance (that ties in with this)
first and foremost i'm not saying there isn't a god i'm Agnostic and stand on the i don't know principle while i believe that scientist are right about how we came to be and the big bang thery and all that(btw i did research on that one) but the possiblility of a god is possible though not likely and if there is a god woppty doo! but as i said in my other post there is no scientific or historical evedence for a lot of things in the bible ....if i'm wrong about that please tell me i'd like to know.

but my question is is if there is a god then what makes people so certain it's the god of the bible maybe if there is a good he's up their laughing at us thinking"won't u all be surprised".....so me myself i want to know what is true....i don't stand on faith i stand on facts they are much less likely to fall.

hey i made a comment and

hey i made a comment and then realized i had another thought about the butterfly thing mom told me that the two front legs on a butterfly are not considered legs because they aren't used to walk....help me what do u say to that?

Answers for Amber

I'd like to see a couple of examples of the errors which are still outstanding after your research, Amber.

If butterflies' front legs aren't used anymore, then that makes them vestigial legs. They're still officially legs, for instance by virtue of their anatomy (they've still got all the parts). What they're not is functional legs.

I agree with your agnostic position. I'm an agnostic atheist: I don't know, and I don't think so.

Most people believe in their specific gods because they've been brought up to do so, or if they were converted later in life they inherited a god from the people who converted them. When asked to justify their selection, Christians will often point to the Bible and attempt to establish it as a truly reliable source. Josh McDowell and Gary Habermas are two well-known authors who do this a lot.

They rely on the merit of the Bible itself as a historical document, rather than back it up with physical evidence they don't have. That doesn't mean it's an invalid argument, it just means it can only ever be at best a good argument and not a proof.

a short list

Who is the father of Joseph?
MAT 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

LUK 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.

The number of beasts in the ark
GEN 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

GEN 7:8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth, GEN 7:9 There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.

Is it folly to be wise or not?
PRO 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

ECC 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

1CO 1:19: "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent

Human vs. ghostly impregnation
ACT 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

MAT 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

The bat is not a bird
LEV 11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
LEV 11:14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
LEV 11:15 Every raven after his kind;
LEV 11:16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
LEV 11:17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
LEV 11:18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
LEV 11:19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

DEU 14:11 Of all clean birds ye shall eat.
DEU 14:12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
DEU 14:13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,
DEU 14:14 And every raven after his kind,
DEU 14:15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
DEU 14:16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,
DEU 14:17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,
DEU 14:18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

Insects do NOT have four feet
LEV 11:21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
LEV 11:22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
LEV 11:23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.

Snails do not melt
PSA 58:8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun

Snakes, while built low, do not eat dirt
GEN 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:

Order of creation
Here is the order in the first (Genesis 1), the Priestly tradition:

Day 1: Sky, Earth, light
Day 2: Water, both in ocean basins and above the sky(!)
Day 3: Plants
Day 4: Sun, Moon, stars (as calendrical and navigational aids)
Day 5: Sea monsters (whales), fish, birds, land animals, creepy-crawlies (reptiles, insects, etc.)
Day 6: Humans (apparently both sexes at the same time)
Day 7: Nothing (the Gods took the first day off anyone ever did)

Note that there are "days," "evenings," and "mornings" before the Sun was created. Here, the Deity is referred to as "Elohim," which is a plural, thus the literal translation, "the Gods." In this tale, the Gods seem satisfied with what they have done, saying after each step that "it was good."

The second one (Genesis 2), the Yahwist tradition, goes:

Earth and heavens (misty)
Adam, the first man (on a desolate Earth)
Plants
Animals
Eve, the first woman (from Adam's rib)

Righteous live?
PSA 92:12: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree."

ISA 57:1: "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart."

Jesus' first sermon plain or mount?
MAT 5:1,2: "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying...."

LUK 6:17,20: "And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people...came to hear him.. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said..."

Jesus' last words
MAT 27:46,50: "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" ...Jesus, when he cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost."

LUK 23:46: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, "Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit:" and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."

JOH 19:30: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished:" and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

Tempts?
"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." (GEN 22:1)

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." (JAS 1:13)

Judas died how?
"And he cast down the pieces of silver into the temple and departed, and went out and hanged himself." (MAT 27:5)

"And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all of his bowels gushed out." (ACT 1:18)

What was Jesus' prediction regarding Peter's denial?
Before the cock crow - MAT 26:34

Before the cock crow twice - MAR 14:30

How many beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount
MAT 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
MAT 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
MAT 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
MAT 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
MAT 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
MAT 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
MAT 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
MAT 5:10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
MAT 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

LUK 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
LUK 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
LUK 6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
LUK 6:23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Do you answer a fool?
PRO 26:4 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.

PRO 26:5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.

How old was Jehoiachin when he began to reign?
2KI 24:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

2CH 36:9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD

Did those with Saul/Paul at his conversion hear a voice?
ACT 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

ACT 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.

Good deeds
Matt 5:16 "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (NIV)

Matt 6:3-4 "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (NIV)

For or against?
MAT 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
(default is against)

MAR 9:40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
(default is for)

LUK 9:50 And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
(default is for

Strong drink?
PRO 31:6,7
JOH 2:11-11

How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign?
2KI 8:26 22

2CH 22:2 42(not possible unless he was two years older than his father)

What did they give him to drink?
MAT 27:34 vinegar

MAR 15:23 wine with myrrh

ok i lied this isn't a short list but compared to all the errors contradiction and thing known today as the all insprired word of god this is but a few and thats not to mention the repulsive obsenities in the bible.
if you know anything about more errors or referances of research having to do with this send them my way.

SAB

Most of these look like they're from the Skeptic's Annotated Bible. You will have noticed, Amber, that there are direct links from there to responses by Christians, mostly the site LookingUntoJesus.net. Have you read the responses to these contradictions, and what do you think of them?

back at ya

i come here way too much lol but no..
i did notice some of these on the sceptics annotated bible and did read the christian apologetics responces and though the apologetics make a few good arguements they really have no basis to hold their claims and so i still see the things they try to explain away as out right errors and contradictionsi'll review them again and bring examples of what i mean.