The backbreaker

[Wyrd of Gawd]

I've spoken with Christians who are OK with contradictions in the Bible, Christians who believe in the Big Bang and unguided evolution, and Christians who disregard the unsavory things in the Old Testament. But I have never seen a good response to my backbreaker here.  The Christian retreats behind the shield of faith, no longer even sure what that faith is in.

It's a simple question:
Is God above the law or not?

It would seem to me that the answer to this question is an obvious no. Jesus had to die because of the weight of the law. If God was above the law then he would just forgive everyone without sending his son to pay for the debts.

But then there is a problem. Deuteronomy 24:16 says,

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

This, presumably, is directly from God.

Then in 2 Samuel 12:13-20, David's son is killed by God because of sins committed by David.

So it looks like God actually is above the law.  Why, then, did Jesus die on the cross?  Surely it was not for his own amusement.  Ultimately there was no reason for it since God, being above the law, can wipe the slate clean with no need of a human sacrifice.

Therefore Christianity, a belief system based entirely on the "fact" that Jesus rose from a death that was necessary for our salvation, renders itself pointless.

That passage from Deuteronomy is basically identical to the one in Ezekiel so they must have been written at the same time.  We know that the one in Deuteronomy didn't alter anyone's behavior about putting people in the woodchipper.

[drfuzzy]

There is another duplicate passage - a long one, one in Isaiah and one in 2 Kings.  Two books written about 100 years apart. The meme says "The Most Outrageous Error in the Bible" - I don't think it's outrageous, a lot of Bible passages were copied from other sources.  But it is a fun fact.  

[Nihilist Virus]

There is another duplicate passage - a long one, one in Isaiah and one in 2 Kings.  Two books written about 100 years apart. The meme says "The Most Outrageous Error in the Bible" - I don't think it's outrageous, a lot of Bible passages were copied from other sources.  But it is a fun fact.  

How is that an error?

[Excited Penguin]

Which is why the bible needs to be read and swallowed but not analysed critically.

Everything can be explained by a simple "it isn't the word of god".

It should be titled: The idiots guide to mental self enslavement.

(Emphasized word is of my own addition).

[drfuzzy]

There is another duplicate passage - a long one, one in Isaiah and one in 2 Kings.  Two books written about 100 years apart. The meme says "The Most Outrageous Error in the Bible" - I don't think it's outrageous, a lot of Bible passages were copied from other sources.  But it is a fun fact.  

How is that an error?

There are people who say that two books of the Old Testament, written a century (give or take a bit) apart should not have long identical passages.  One person commented that it was proof that the book was not written by god, and was not divinely inspired.  I do not think it is an error.  As I said in a previous post, we know that it was common practice to copy from older texts.

[Nihilist Virus]

How is that an error?

There are people who say that two books of the Old Testament, written a century (give or take a bit) apart should not have long identical passages.  One person commented that it was proof that the book was not written by god, and was not divinely inspired.  I do not think it is an error.  As I said in a previous post, we know that it was common practice to copy from older texts.

Yeah. I just wish atheists stuck with the points that are actually good. The Bible has enough errors, we don't need to over reach and then be proven wrong, poisoning the well.

[drfuzzy]

There are people who say that two books of the Old Testament, written a century (give or take a bit) apart should not have long identical passages.  One person commented that it was proof that the book was not written by god, and was not divinely inspired.  I do not think it is an error.  As I said in a previous post, we know that it was common practice to copy from older texts.

Yeah.  I just wish atheists stuck with the points that are actually good.  The Bible has enough errors, we don't need to over reach and then be proven wrong, poisoning the well.

That is a good point.  There are many better examples.

[Ravenshire]

@ NV, I see you have to resort to grade school tactics to reply to Christians with knowledge of the scriptures. So, you think that God will eternally punish those people who have to work on the Sabbath, doctors, nurses, ect. Yeah right. I'm done with this conversation, your back breaker has backfired on you.

GC

Yeah, I know. You've got me on ignore because you can never actually counter my argument so you don't want to hear them, but here goes anyway.

If NV took it to a grade school level, you can at least thank him for bringing it down so you could understand. I don't think he ever claimed gawd would ever punish those who have to work on the sabbath (a clearly defined day that you choose to ignore) but that there are examples in the buy-bull of people being stoned to death for choosing to (I wouldn't expect you to pick up the subtle difference, but it is there). Those people would have been condemned by your almighty gawd to eternal punishment. Eternal punishment for a finite transgression that harms nothing and no one beyond your almighty gawd's tremendously fragile sensibilities.

[robvalue]

Yeah, that's not so much an error as a display of incompetence. God isn't much of an editor, clearly.

[Wyrd of Gawd]

@ NV, I see you have to resort to grade school tactics to reply to Christians with knowledge of the scriptures. So, you think that God will eternally punish those people who have to work on the Sabbath, doctors, nurses, ect. Yeah right. I'm done with this conversation, your back breaker has backfired on you.

GC

Yeah, I know. You've got me on ignore because you can never actually counter my argument so you don't want to hear them, but here goes anyway.

If NV took it to a grade school level, you can at least thank him for bringing it down so you could understand. I don't think he ever claimed gawd would ever punish those who have to work on the sabbath (a clearly defined day that you choose to ignore) but that there are examples in the buy-bull of people being stoned to death for choosing to (I wouldn't expect you to pick up the subtle difference, but it is there). Those people would have been condemned by your almighty gawd to eternal punishment. Eternal punishment for a finite transgression that harms nothing and no one beyond your almighty gawd's tremendously fragile sensibilities.

According to Leviticus 23:26-32 if anyone ate anything or did any work of any kind on the Day of Atonement they were to be killed.  No eating/no work allowed at all.  
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?se...EV;NIV;NLV

Leviticus 23:26-32 (MSG) = "26-32 God said to Moses: “The tenth day of the seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly, fast, and offer a Fire-Gift to God. Don’t work on that day because it is a day of atonement to make atonement for you before your God. Anyone who doesn’t fast on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who works on that day. Don’t do any work that day—none. This is a perpetual decree for all the generations to come, wherever you happen to be living. It is a Sabbath of complete and total rest, a fast day. Observe your Sabbath from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”"