BIBLICAL DISCREPANCIES
and UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

In reading thru the various versions of the Bible, I have been confused by the discrepancies in the text. At the same time I am also amazed at the number of similarities. Perhaps I read one meaning and you will read another.

The Stars, Astrology and Divination

Genesis
1:15-17 (KJV)
'And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.'

Genesis
1:14
'And God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.'

Luke
21:25 (KJV)
'And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars......'

This seems to reference the 'stars, sun and moon'. Isn't this what astrologers use to 'divine' the heavens as a way of understanding what is happening, or will happen, on Earth? It would appear to be the reason God put them in the sky. Popes and Kings used astrologers to foretell the future usings stars. Doesn't this support the theory of astrology? That God instructs his people to 'look' to the heavens for signs?

Deuternomy
18:10 (KJV)
'There shall not be found among you any one that.....useth divination.......'

Ezekiel
21:21 (NKJV)
'For the king of Babylon stands at the parting of the road, at the fork of the two roads, to use divination: he shakes the arrows, he consults the images, he looks at the liver.'

This appears to contradict the usage of 'signs' and 'divination'.

The Book of Proverbs vs The Pagan Golden Rules

Almost all Pagans/Witches/Wiccans will agree there is a set of 'Rules' to live by. These Rules, known as The Wiccan Rede, are how we live our lives and are taken very seriously. The wording is different from tradition to tradition, but the meaning is still the same.

Some of these 'Rules' include:

* Harm none (this includes yourself).
* Do not give your word of honor lightly, for you are bound by your words and by your oaths.
* We believe that what we do affects others, and what others do affects us.
* We believe in responsibility and consequences.
* We believe in the expression of religious beliefs through rituals and festivals.
* We believe that everything in Nature is of equal importance.
* Give respect to others and expect respect in return.
* Do not belittle another's religious beliefs.

According to the Bible itself, the Book of Proverbs (KJV) contains just that.... wise sayings or advise condensed into a few words or a single sentence. This 'advise' was meant to be studied and followed.

1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to percieve the words of understanding
1:3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity
2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee
3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it
3:29 Devise not evil against thy neighbour
3:30 Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm
4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding
9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning
10:2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing
13:5 A righteous man hateth lying
14:5 A faithful witness will not lie
16:19 Better it is to be of a humble spirit
19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape
19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end

So many of these beliefs are repeated in the Pagan and Christian world. We are really the same. So why do so many Christian Faiths choose to single out those who do not believe as they do? From personal knowledge, 'most' Pagans DO NOT recruit members for groups. Pagans are everyday people who: hold a job, raise children, go grocery shopping, visit with friends, drive a car, go to college, join the Military forces to keep our country free, plant gardens and struggle to hold onto the 'American Dream'. We seek to live in harmony with Nature and their Neighbors.

Catholic and Pagan Values

The following comes from the Synod of Bishops (established by Pope Paul VI, September 15, 1965) 1997:

According to the answers to the Lineamenta questions, '...among the values of these cultures compatible with the Christian faith are the following: a great love for one's own land, a respect for ancestors and community traditions, the religious sense of life and death as expressed in ritual celebrations enlivened with dancing, music and singing as well as the belief in a life beyond this one.'

Do these Christian values not sound the same as Pagan Values? So why do the Christians seek to convert Pagans? As a Pagan, I do not seek to convert Christians.

The 10 Commandments

(Exodus 20)
I have quoted from various versions of the Bible for comparison.

KJV: 4. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
5. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.."
ICB: 3. You must not have any other gods except me.
4. You must not make for yourselves any idols. Don't make something that looks like anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water below the land.
5. You must not worship or serve any idol. This is because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.

I personally do NOT want a God (or Goddess) who is jealous. I WANT a God (or Goddess) who is fair, just, firm, loving, understanding, patient and caring.

Now along another line, let me tell you about some other Commandments that are very similiar to Pagan views:

Exodus 20
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

These are ALL very good rules to live by, not matter what religion you are.

More than 1 God?

Gen.1 :26 'And God said, let us make man in our image.
Ex.15: 11 'Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods?'
Ex.22: 28 'Thou shalt not revile the gods.'
Ex.23: 13 'Do not invoke the names of other gods......'
Ps.96: 4 'For the Lord ... is to be feared above all gods.'

This sounds like the Christian 'God' admits there is more than 1 God. So, in this light, how can He claim to be the 'only God' or the 'one true God'? This is just a sampling of verses that refer to 'more than 1 God'.

Destruction of Other Religions by Christians

Deuteronomy 12:2-3 'You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place.'

WOW!! This sounds like a good thing!!! Just destroy other religions without any regard to others beliefs.

Leviticus 26 This whole chapter is full of hate and destruction and judgement. It basically says that if 'you do what God says, then he will take care of you'. It also tells of what God will do if you don't conform to His rules.

On Women

1 Corinthians
14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.
14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
1 Timothy
2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Ephesians
5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife...
1 Peter
3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands

With phrases and beliefs like this, no wonder women have had such a bad time attaining equality. No woman living in the 20th century can leave unexamined the spiritual assault on the nature and rights of women, perpetrated by 2000 years of Religions of the Book. It is time to look elsewhere for a philosophy which celebrates the living human being, gives honor and respect, and embraces the divine in all things.

Sources:
King James Bible, Holman Publishing, 1924
The Bible Gateway
Synod of Bishops 1997
The Rain
The Skeptics Annotated Bible

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BIBLICAL DISCREPANCIES and UNANSWERED QUESTIONS