What Have I Gained?

Over the last year, I've had many Christians tell me that I only stopped believing because I wanted to. I think this is primarily used to deflect the conversation away from the actual issues I've brought up (like the ones I've been posting about). But maybe these people really believe that. Is it true that…

Why Do I Blog?

I thought it might be helpful to take a break in my current vein of posts to talk about why I'm actually doing this at all. A lot of people have been bothered by my recent posts, and I can understand that. I currently hold a much different position than I used to, and that's…

Contradictions Part 10: Conclusion

The first post in this series can be found here. For those of us who were raised to believe that the Bible is God’s inerrant word, trying to consider the possibility that the Bible could be false is very difficult. We approach any other religion with the attitude that it should be proven to us…

Contradictions Part 9: The Resurrection

The first post in this series can be found here. A couple of years ago, I was teaching a high school Bible class on the life of Christ. Throughout the study, I had trouble reconciling the different versions of some of the stories in the gospels, but nothing was more difficult to piece together than…

Contradictions Part 8: The Crucifixion

The first post in this series can be found here. The gospels are usually viewed as simply 4 equally true perspectives of the same events. But upon closer inspection, many of their differences are not just differences in perspective; often, they are contradictory. We've discussed a some of these issues already, but there are a…

Pat Robertson on Marriage

Thought I'd take a break from the Contradictions series to post this. It can also be found at AtheistConnect. Recently, Pat Robertson (of the 700 Club) received a question about marriage on his "Bring It On" segment, which is an online question and answer program that allows him to dole out wisdom and advice to…

Contradictions Part 7: Judas

The first post in this series can be found here. You may already be familiar with this one, but please don’t skip it. There are some serious issues to think about here, and there are probably one or two points you haven’t considered. Judas’s death is recorded for us in two places. The first is…

Contradictions Part 6: Jesus’s Genealogy

The first post in this series can be found here. Personally, I think this is one of the clearest contradictions in the Bible. Why does the Bible give us Jesus’ genealogy? I can think of no other reason than for it to serve as proof of his descent from David. But it fails this purpose…

Contradictions Part 5: Out of Egypt

The first post in this series can be found here. In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, we aren’t told how or why Joseph and Mary are in Bethlehem. We also aren’t told exactly how old Jesus was by the time the wise men came, but it’s possible that he was already a year or two…

Contradictions Part 4: Hares Chewing the Cud

The first part in this series can be found here. Leviticus 11:6 tells us that hares chew the cud. They do not. Animals that chew the cud are called ruminants. When they eat plant matter, it goes to their first stomach to soften, and then it’s regurgitated to their mouth. They spend time re-chewing it,…