About other gods-question for theists

[Jenny A]

The question I have to ask is would you ever turn yourself in such mental knots to defend the truth of any other book?

Yes. I believe logic to be reliable despite the numerous 'alleged contradictions' logicians and philosophers have amoungst themselves.

I don't think they are merely "alleged discrepancies." Most of them were not discovered by atheists but by theologians during the middle ages. So it's clear that anyone reading the Bible can see them. So? Are they explained by the apologists? I don't think so. Mostly the apologists require us to take a highly unlikely or convoluted reading of the text to arrive at that determination. Besides, if the solution were obvious because there was no contradiction, then the apologists ought to agree on the solution. But, alas they do not agree.

For example:

Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

Mathew 24:34

Some say this is because generation means race in this verse and the Jews have not yet died out. Others say generation means humanity and humans are still alive. Still others have said that generation means the generation that will see the signs mentioned in the preceding verses and that we haven't yet seen the signs. Others say that these things have already happened. And then then there's that wandering Jew explanation (I'm fond of the wandering Jew). I'm probably missing a few explanations. But if it were not a real contradiction, wouldn't there be a single obvious explanation? And not a plethora of mutually exclusive ones?