Book of Contradictions: A Challenge

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Killing forbidden
Ex 20:13 Thou shalt not kill

Sorry mate,bad example. The actual commandment is "Thou shalt commit no murder"

Unfortunately for apologists, that is not as simple as it seems. Then as now it was not seen as murder to kill an enemy or as capital punishment.

And exactly who was your enemy? Well pretty much everyone who was not a member of your tribe. It is my understanding that in many societies, a 'stranger' was at the very least considered a potential enemy until proven otherwise.That may have been one reason for the development of strict laws of hospitality;they protected the stranger from being casually murdered for his horse or his clothing.

As for capital punishment. Until quite recently, most societies had a long list of capital crime. A few still do..


I'm being pedantic; EACH of the holy books of the Abrahamic faiths is so full vaguaries and contradictions that without exception,every believer is forced to cherry pick the emphasis of his personal faith. Invariably that emphasis reflects the individual's needs,character,times and culture. Hence we have Fred Phelps and Mother Theresa, suicide bombers and sufi mystics.

In my opinion, the complexity and contradictions contained in all holy book is a powerful argument for them having been written by men for men. Surely, if as claimed,they were the revealed truth of a deity, they would be simple and easily understood by anyone who read or even heard them. There would be no need for priests or any organised institutions.

The claim that any god needs a specialist intermediary/interpreter between him/her and worshipers is I think one of the greatest confidence tricks ever perpetrated on the human race.