Bible Contradictions and Questions

[Ellusion]

So where do I start... Well how about a little history: I myself would consider myself agnostic. I find that evidence of God is lacking, as is evidence of the Big Bang. Therefore, I remain in the middle. I think Thomas Aquinas's First Mover argument is valid (unless someone will disprove that for me), so I believe in the possibility of a Creator. However, I do not believe in the Christian God (omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, etc etc).

I was raised a Catholic, yet, turned away around age 14 and I am 17 now. I used to go to Church every week and spend my time reading the Bible because of its vivid adventures, so I know the bible somewhat.

Here are my questions:

-If Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge (i.e. The tree that would tell them from right and wrong), how were they to know not to eat from the fruit if they could not differentiate between right and wrong?

-What race were Adam and Eve? How is it we have come to be with asians, hispanics, whites, blacks, and all the other races/hair colors/ cultures?

-Did they truly live as long as the bible stated? Somewhat close to 800 years?

-Is it not contradictory for God to smite an entire city because of their homosexuality? (Sodom and Gamorrah [sp?])

-Why is there suffering? In Job, it is suggested it is to test our faith and to reward those who remain faithful even in the harshest of times. Yet then why does God supposedly lead Moses into Egypt to deliver the Jews through a series of Miracles? And then why, later, does God leave the Jews to burn during the Holocaust?

-If we regard the entire OId Testament as metaphorical and to be taken symbolically, why did Jesus sacrifice himself for us? Was it not to wipe away Original Sin? Which came from Adam and Eve eating from the tree?

-How are we to know when the Second Coming of Christ is? I mean, if people believe that Jesus was honestly the first coming, how do we know history will not repeat itself? Jesus came, called himself the Son of God, and he was brutally nailed to 2x4's by his own people because of blasphemy. I think the only thing that will convince people of the Second Coming of Christ would have to be a display of power, which, would render the idea of faith useless.

I hope I don't insult anyone... These are just questions that I've had for a while and people have been unable to answer for me. I was hoping to find some answers here...

 

[BobRyan]

A majority of the modern christian population base their lifestyle on the words of what is widely called "the bible"
quoting and paraphrasing from the book as in stating facts and evidence about life all together.
often forgetting that
1. over 1500 years ago, there was no such thing as the bible.

Hint: The books of Moses were written 1500 years B.C. not 500 A.D.

God existed long before that -- which explains why the Bible shows God speaking to men directly before the writings of the books of Moses -- vs men "reading scripture".

2. nearly 2000 years ago there were no such things as the apistles, which make up a majority of the new testament.

Paul's letter to Timothy says "ALL scripture is given by inspiration from God AND is profitable for reproof and for doctrine" 1Tim 3:16. The Bible writers of the NT never gave out a message of the form "scripture is not yet complete so you can't really go by that yet... just keep waiting".

the new testament was many different letters and second, third, etc. accounts that were scattered over many areas, then gathered up and bound under one book by a group of people who worked for a roman emperor.
in turn this book was then formulated by the full grown christian church that took nearly 500 years

Christians were reading Paul's letters in the FIRST century AD -- nobody was "waiting for 500 years so someone could tell them to go ahead and read the letters of Paul along with the rest of scripture".

Now would it stand to reason that man would have his own agenda at presenting what is to be accepted as the word of God?

Indeed -- like the "epistle of Barnabas" but God overruled -- God is "able" to manage the assembly of His own Bible.

Christ came and sacrificed himself to tear down the veil and reveal god so that ALL who seek shall find.

That information comes only from the Bible. Christ is the greek term for Messiah, "sacrifice himself" is only needed in the atoning sacrificial system described in Lev 16.

in Christ,

Bob

 

[Ellusion]

Ok. For suffering, because Adam and Eve sinned, God decided to damn the future of mankind?

Is it not promised to us that if we sin in our lifetime, we can ask for forgiveness and be forgiven because God loves us at all times? It seems kind of harsh to damn the rest of the human race because of the mistakes of two people?

Doesn't it seem hypocritical for God to demand that we do not kill when he clearly slaughters people in the Old Testament? I mean killing seems like a direct violation of God's Law (i.e. a sin).

Please don't quote Dr. Hovind... I remember I watched a video on one of his lectures and claimed that scientists were able to accelerate and slow down light and "proved" the earth was 6000 years old by showing something about decaying circles or something. I mean if you want to use half-lives, there are plenty that show the earth is a few billion years old. Not to mention the fossil record, the decoding of the human genome, earth's layers, etc. I mean the man claimed to teach science for years and got a degree at some unaccredited college. Isn't he in jail for tax evasion, for making tons of money through his lectures and tapes? Good thing he's donating that to charity and not hoarding it for himself... oh wait...

I looked the sites JohnMuise...

Read the verses carefully and you will see that there is no contradiction. They had chariot teams with ten horses and ten men per chariot in case you got a flat tire! If he had "four thousand stalls for horses and chariots" he would need fourty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots. Many modern versions of the Bible try to "fix" what they thought was a mistake and actually created an error.

Really? A flat tire? Because the romans used inflatable rubber tires, right?

Deuteronomy 23:1 A castrate may not enter the assembly of the Lord.
Isaiah 56:4-5 Some castrates will receive special rewards.
So what? A guy with a machine gun is not allowed into the White House. Some guys with machine guns got purple hearts from the president.

You see? His logic is disgusting. His analogy does not pertain to the Bible contradictions at all... A man with a machine gun is potentially dangerous to the public and President. A soldier is fighting for his country... the context is completely different. Hovind is a fool.

"Yes -- but when you constrast "did they truly" vs "As the Bible Stated" you are arguing either for a video or something in the Bible that says "nope -- I did not really mean what I said".

We have neither."

What?

The entire city was corrupt according to the text of Genesis. Also take a look at Leviticus 18 -- that sin is one of the sins that God said he judged the nations for that existed prior to Israel AND in that chapter God said that IF Israel engaged in those same sins he would wipe them out as well.

Believe it.

So why doesn't God smite the blasphemous homosexuals that exist now?

Had they not sinned - no starvation, no predation, no disease, no suffering. God MADE the whole thing perfect, sinless, harmless.

Except for the big ol' Tree-of-eternal-suffering-for-the-rest-of-mankind-if-you-eat-this-fruit-here.
and the talking serpent with legs that's evil by nature (yet it seems that if "God saw that all was good", he would've taken this little fellow out).

and Jesus said to the Jews (in Matt 23) "Behold your house is left unto you desolate" (referring to the temple and the curse of Solomon given in 1Kings 9:8.

But doesn't he also say forgive them, for they know not what they do?

The Holocaust was nothing compared to what the Roman Emperor did to the Jews - and after that for 500 years it was then illegal for Jews to even BE in the land of Israel.

And God cares about that? He's thinking "Well pff, they've suffered through worse. They can just suck it up and live with it"? If I had a promised people that I loved so dearly, I don't think letting them suffer is exactly the first thing I'd do.

I would think that people who take the Old Testament symbolically are people who believe in evolution. I think it seems a little ridiculous not to. I mean, when we discovered Lucy... what's the biblical explanation for that? What's the biblical explanation for Darwin's trip on the Beagle when he brought back a multitude of animals with documentary on all of them?

In mid-Tertiary strata, the fossil record shows the common ancestor of dogs and bears, and in earlier strata, they find a common ancestor between dogs and cats. There is also a striking similarity between humans and chimpanzees anatomically. The differences are arm and leg proportions, mobility of the thumb, body hair, skin pigmentations, and size of the central nervous system.

 

[Prycejosh1987]

Here are my questions:

-If Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge (i.e. The tree that would tell them from right and wrong), how were they to know not to eat from the fruit if they could not differentiate between right and wrong?

-What race were Adam and Eve? How is it we have come to be with asians, hispanics, whites, blacks, and all the other races/hair colors/ cultures?

-Did they truly live as long as the bible stated? Somewhat close to 800 years?

-Is it not contradictory for God to smite an entire city because of their homosexuality? (Sodom and Gamorrah [sp?])

- They were commanded by God to do something, they choose to use their free will to disobey. Think about a kid that does exactly what you told them not to do.
- I see that they were multiracial, but remember Noah had a mixed race family. Everyone was mixed race. I think in the tower of babel, the Spirit didnt just mix language but possibly races too.
- Its possible, as the line got longer it became weaker and harder to stay straight. Ages decreased over time, there are exceptions. Isnt it the same today, one lives to 70 the other lives to 120.
- I think the people that were in Sodom and Gomorrah sinned were totally rebellious and were completely evil. They were in line with sin and nothing and no one would be able to change that. They even wanted to rape the angels they knew as beautiful men, no exceptions. Jesus says they will receive the least punishment at the judgement, when Jesus judges the world.

 

[OzSpen]

- They were commanded by God to do something, they choose to use their free will to disobey. Think about a kid that does exactly what you told them not to do.
- I see that they were multiracial, but remember Noah had a mixed race family. Everyone was mixed race. I think in the tower of babel, the Spirit didnt just mix language but possibly races too.
- Its possible, as the line got longer it became weaker and harder to stay straight. Ages decreased over time, there are exceptions. Isnt it the same today, one lives to 70 the other lives to 120.
- I think the people that were in Sodom and Gomorrah sinned were totally rebellious and were completely evil. They were in line with sin and nothing and no one would be able to change that. They even wanted to rape the angels they knew as beautiful men, no exceptions. Jesus says they will receive the least punishment at the judgement, when Jesus judges the world.

Why is this thread being revived, since the guest has not been here since 2008? Why don't you start a new thread with your chosen topic?

 

[WIP]

Please start a new discussion thread in the appropriate forum.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

If Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge (i.e. The tree that would tell them from right and wrong), how were they to know not to eat from the fruit if they could not differentiate between right and wrong?

God told them NOT TO EAT of that tree. No mystery at all.

-What race were Adam and Eve? How is it we have come to be with asians, hispanics, whites, blacks, and all the other races/hair colors/ cultures?

Apparently they bore the genetics of ALL races which simply developed from a common source. My 4 kids are all different, obviously bearing come common traits of my wife and I, but one could "Pass" for a number of different races, and another two are stereotypically Caucasian. My Father who was 100% Italian, was darker than many Negroes.

-Did they truly live as long as the bible stated? Somewhat close to 800 years?

There's no reason why they couldn't. Our bodies re-make themselves completely every few years, no reason God couldn't control that process to be accurate, yielding continuous regeneration, and extended life spans - OR at his pleasure, allow it to controllably degenerate. Psa 90:10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

-Is it not contradictory for God to smite an entire city because of their homosexuality? (Sodom and Gamorrah [sp?])

Not at all, in the Old Testament People couldn't change - i.e. be indwelled by the Holy Spirit - And Homosexuality wasn't the ONLY problem in S&G, just one of 'em. People who have SINNED, are already under sentence of Death, so WHEN it happens isn't terribly important, if all they can do is keep growing constantly WORSE (and accruing greater punishment) in the sight of God.

-Why is there suffering? In Job, it is suggested it is to test our faith and to reward those who remain faithful even in the harshest of times. Yet then why does God supposedly lead Moses into Egypt to deliver the Jews through a series of Miracles? And then why, later, does God leave the Jews to burn during the Holocaust?

Job's suffering wasn't to "Test Him", it was to REVEAL TO HIM to specific areas that he needed to change: Personal PRIDE (leviathan), and the tendency to think only in terms of his OWN ABILITIES and Strengths (Behemoth). The suffering was to successfully bring him to repentance (Job 42:6). The Jews, of course, IN SPITE of having the revelation of God (which they'd largely forgotten when Jesus came as promised) turned away from their deliverance, and Murdered the Son of God. They STILL refuse to accept their Savior, for the most part.

-If we regard the entire OId Testament as metaphorical and to be taken symbolically, why did Jesus sacrifice himself for us? Was it not to wipe away Original Sin? Which came from Adam and Eve eating from the tree?

It WAS NOT to "wipe away original sin" (There's no such thing anyway - everybody is judged for their OWN SIN). Jesus sacrifice was a perfect SIN OFFERING, so that whosoever placed their FAITH (Gifted by God) in that offering would have THEIR PERSONAL SIN ELIMINATED, become perfect in the sight of God, and be indwelled by the Holy Spirit, who would then change them to become mature in the knowledge of God.

-How are we to know when the Second Coming of Christ is?

We WON'T KNOW. We may see things happening that match things in the Bible about the general timing, but the day and the hour is, and will continue to be a mystery. I'll in all likelihood get to watch it all from the other side of the grass (78 and in poor health). He'll be back when it's God's TIME for Him to return, and people will have made their decisions about him by then: Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

 

[Frances]

So where do I start... Well how about a little history: I myself would consider myself agnostic. I find that evidence of God is lacking, as is evidence of the Big Bang. Therefore, I remain in the middle. I think Thomas Aquinas's First Mover argument is valid (unless someone will disprove that for me), so I believe in the possibility of a Creator. However, I do not believe in the Christian God (omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, etc etc).

I was raised a Catholic, yet, turned away around age 14 and I am 17 now. I used to go to Church every week and spend my time reading the Bible because of its vivid adventures, so I know the bible somewhat.

Here are my questions:

-If Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge (i.e. The tree that would tell them from right and wrong), how were they to know not to eat from the fruit if they could not differentiate between right and wrong?

-What race were Adam and Eve? How is it we have come to be with asians, hispanics, whites, blacks, and all the other races/hair colors/ cultures?

-Did they truly live as long as the bible stated? Somewhat close to 800 years?

-Is it not contradictory for God to smite an entire city because of their homosexuality? (Sodom and Gamorrah [sp?])

-Why is there suffering? In Job, it is suggested it is to test our faith and to reward those who remain faithful even in the harshest of times. Yet then why does God supposedly lead Moses into Egypt to deliver the Jews through a series of Miracles? And then why, later, does God leave the Jews to burn during the Holocaust?

-If we regard the entire OId Testament as metaphorical and to be taken symbolically, why did Jesus sacrifice himself for us? Was it not to wipe away Original Sin? Which came from Adam and Eve eating from the tree?

-How are we to know when the Second Coming of Christ is? I mean, if people believe that Jesus was honestly the first coming, how do we know history will not repeat itself? Jesus came, called himself the Son of God, and he was brutally nailed to 2x4's by his own people because of blasphemy. I think the only thing that will convince people of the Second Coming of Christ would have to be a display of power, which, would render the idea of faith useless.

I hope I don't insult anyone... These are just questions that I've had for a while and people have been unable to answer for me. I was hoping to find some answers here...

Alot of questions all on once, but here goes: 1. Genesis 2:17, NLT: "except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die. '" 2. The bible does not stipulate that, probably because it wasn't important. The entire Bible is about our souls/spirits, not color. There are many books on this subject, color that is. Having to do with where we were living, example very constant hot sun, people tanned in browns and blacks, could be also the soil and waters and other earthly factors. 3. No. He had already told his people what is sinful and they refused to listen. Those towns were literally dens of iniquity. The men who come to Lot's house could have just easily prophesied to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah that they must repent or they will be destroyed, like Jonah did at Nineveh. They didn't. 4. Age No, we do not have proof, of course. As the Bible is the word of God I believe what is said. 5. God gave man free will and the choice to do good or evil. Mankind has been the author of many of the travesties that have occurred on this planet. I am glad we were given free will, as we have always had choices in our lives. Better than being a robot. 6. People that believe in God does not believe it as metaphorical or to be taken other than the word of God. If you read documentaries, search sites which talk about history you will find much of the OT has been verified for people, events and places. Christ died for ALL of mankind's sins. To many think they can just sin and ignore OUR CREATOR'S commandments. Instead of being thankful for their existence, they defy the Lord instead. 7. I think you should read Revelations because you wouldn't be asking how will we know when Christ comes. We will not be able to miss it. There are many things to come to pass, reading those will also help answer that question. These are my beliefs, opinions and understanding of the Bible. I am sure there are others that can add, or even correct me. I am elated your wanting to know. Read the NT and you will see how Christ is loving and caring and the life we can have with him and his Father.

 

[Frances]

Ok. For suffering, because Adam and Eve sinned, God decided to damn the future of mankind?

Is it not promised to us that if we sin in our lifetime, we can ask for forgiveness and be forgiven because God loves us at all times? It seems kind of harsh to damn the rest of the human race because of the mistakes of two people?

Doesn't it seem hypocritical for God to demand that we do not kill when he clearly slaughters people in the Old Testament? I mean killing seems like a direct violation of God's Law (i.e. a sin).

Please don't quote Dr. Hovind... I remember I watched a video on one of his lectures and claimed that scientists were able to accelerate and slow down light and "proved" the earth was 6000 years old by showing something about decaying circles or something. I mean if you want to use half-lives, there are plenty that show the earth is a few billion years old. Not to mention the fossil record, the decoding of the human genome, earth's layers, etc. I mean the man claimed to teach science for years and got a degree at some unaccredited college. Isn't he in jail for tax evasion, for making tons of money through his lectures and tapes? Good thing he's donating that to charity and not hoarding it for himself... oh wait...

I looked the sites JohnMuise...



Really? A flat tire? Because the romans used inflatable rubber tires, right?



You see? His logic is disgusting. His analogy does not pertain to the Bible contradictions at all... A man with a machine gun is potentially dangerous to the public and President. A soldier is fighting for his country... the context is completely different. Hovind is a fool.



What?




So why doesn't God smite the blasphemous homosexuals that exist now?




Except for the big ol' Tree-of-eternal-suffering-for-the-rest-of-mankind-if-you-eat-this-fruit-here.
and the talking serpent with legs that's evil by nature (yet it seems that if "God saw that all was good", he would've taken this little fellow out).



But doesn't he also say forgive them, for they know not what they do?




And God cares about that? He's thinking "Well pff, they've suffered through worse. They can just suck it up and live with it"? If I had a promised people that I loved so dearly, I don't think letting them suffer is exactly the first thing I'd do.

I would think that people who take the Old Testament symbolically are people who believe in evolution. I think it seems a little ridiculous not to. I mean, when we discovered Lucy... what's the biblical explanation for that? What's the biblical explanation for Darwin's trip on the Beagle when he brought back a multitude of animals with documentary on all of them?

In mid-Tertiary strata, the fossil record shows the common ancestor of dogs and bears, and in earlier strata, they find a common ancestor between dogs and cats. There is also a striking similarity between humans and chimpanzees anatomically. The differences are arm and leg proportions, mobility of the thumb, body hair, skin pigmentations, and size of the central nervous system.

Mankind since Adam and Eve has always had a choice on how to live our lives. God didn't make us sin, we did that ourselves. He created us and gave us everything that was good and man decided he was more intelligent and better than God. What we have is Free Will and I do wonder sometimes gave that to us, outside of the fact he wanted our love and obedience. Giving my love and obedience is easy, God gave me existence. I owe him everything.

Existing on this planet means many things. We are to be the caretakers of our once paradise, man has failed miserably. I think how boring it would be to not have all the experiences we have had. Free will gives us these opportunities.

We are man, not God, not Jesus Christ or Angels. We were given our own home to live in without complaint. Things are not perfect, but again wars are by men, killings are by man, planetary destruction is done by man. Inventions that are destructive are by man. I cannot see why mankind wants to make God the scapegoat for their own sins and errors

Just because life finds a way to evolve, to me there is no mystery about this. The Bible would reach to the moon if every question man has was answered. The Bible is about salvation. Look to books written about the subjects you want to know about. Look to the Bible for getting to know our Father and his Son.

 

[Bob Carabbio]

So where do I start... Well how about a little history: I myself would consider myself agnostic. I find that evidence of God is lacking, as is evidence of the Big Bang. Therefore, I remain in the middle. I think Thomas Aquinas's First Mover argument is valid (unless someone will disprove that for me), so I believe in the possibility of a Creator. However, I do not believe in the Christian God (omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, etc etc).

I was raised a Catholic, yet, turned away around age 14 and I am 17 now. I used to go to Church every week and spend my time reading the Bible because of its vivid adventures, so I know the bible somewhat.

Here are my questions:

-If Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge (i.e. The tree that would tell them from right and wrong), how were they to know not to eat from the fruit if they could not differentiate between right and wrong?

They were given a direct command,and they weren't IDIOTS.

-What race were Adam and Eve? How is it we have come to be with asians, hispanics, whites, blacks, and all the other races/hair colors/ cultures?

Not known - no information given

-Did they truly live as long as the bible stated? Somewhat close to 800 years?

No reason to assume that they didn't. Since the human body replicates itself every so many years, no reason the process couldn't be perfect - then.

-Is it not contradictory for God to smite an entire city because of their homosexuality? (Sodom and Gamorrah [sp?])

Not contradictory at all, Humans are ALL under sentence of Death for their SIN.

-Why is there suffering? In Job, it is suggested it is to test our faith and to reward those who remain faithful even in the harshest of times.

Job had TWO personal issues that God wanted to deal with: "Leviathan" - Job's personal pride, and "Behemoth" - Job's tendency to rely on his OWN personal strength and wisdom instead of relying on God. It's a behind the scenes look at how far God will go to cleanse us from our personal issues and make us better.

Yet then why does God supposedly lead Moses into Egypt to deliver the Jews through a series of Miracles? And then why, later, does God leave the Jews to burn during the Holocaust?

Jews in the last century had moved FAR away from where they SHOULD BE Spiritually, and had murdered their SAVIOR out of unbelief and political expediency.

-If we regard the entire OId Testament as metaphorical and to be taken symbolically, why did Jesus sacrifice himself for us? Was it not to wipe away Original Sin? Which came from Adam and Eve eating from the tree?

Nope - there's no such thing as "Original sin", and there's no such thing as a "Sinful nature". There's only a HUMAN NATURE same as you me Adam and Jesus have. Jesus didn't fall into Sin, and therefore His BLOOD was valid as a SIN OFFERING which, when we place our FAITH (Gifted to us by God) in Him, Our Sin is cleansed, and we are perfect in the sight of God.

-How are we to know when the Second Coming of Christ is?

WE won't know, although we should be able to recognize the signs of the "end times", and keep purselves in a state of readiness as we see the times approaching.

I think the only thing that will convince people of the Second Coming of Christ would have to be a display of power, which, would render the idea of faith useless.

The CONVICTION OF SIN and of judgement by the Holy Spirit, up front and personal, will convince those upon whom he comes, and remove all doubt. Then under conviction, the person can surrender, Repent and call in FAITH on God for salvation.

SO - no "Contradictions" - only false interpretations of what the Bible says.

 

[PaulChristensen]

-If Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge (i.e. The tree that would tell them from right and wrong), how were they to know not to eat from the fruit if they could not differentiate between right and wrong?

God gave them an instruction. They knew that if they ate the fruit they would be disobeying His instruction. So it's not a matter of know whether the eating of the fruit was right or wrong; it was a matter of whether they were going to follow God's instruction or not.

-What race were Adam and Eve? How is it we have come to be with asians, hispanics, whites, blacks, and all the other races/hair colors/ cultures?

There is only one race - the human race. The different characteristics of people are due to genetic changes because of environment. If a person is pure white or black we would be calling the coroner. In fact, we are all various shades of brown according to the amount of melanin in the skin. Those in equatorial climates have more melanin in their skin than those in temperate climates. Migration has "muddied the waters" somewhat though.

-Did they truly live as long as the bible stated? Somewhat close to 800 years?

They did. This was because the genetics were pure. The reason why life spans decreased was because of the genetic degradation over time. Also, God Himself decided to limit the average human life span to around 70 years. Some live less and others live more.

-Is it not contradictory for God to smite an entire city because of their homosexuality? (Sodom and Gamorrah [sp?])

It wasn't just because of homosexuality. That was just one of the components of the evil nature of those people. When we understand the holy nature of God and His standards, then when people went over the edge into depravity and beyond redemption, it was necessary to wipe them out to prevent them infecting the rest of the world. It is important to note that Abraham negotiated with God and got Him down to if there were just ten righteous men living in the city he would spare it. But there weren't - just one - Lot. God however arranged for Lot and his family to be rescued so they wouldn't perish with the others.

-Why is there suffering? In Job, it is suggested it is to test our faith and to reward those who remain faithful even in the harshest of times. Yet then why does God supposedly lead Moses into Egypt to deliver the Jews through a series of Miracles? And then why, later, does God leave the Jews to burn during the Holocaust?

We live in an imperfect world. God has given all people free will to choose how they want to live their lives. He did not create a race of programmable robots. Concerning the Jews, because they were unfaithful to God and lost their promised land as a result, the consequences that they would be outcasts and hated of all people until the time came to restore them back to their own land, which took place in 1948.

-If we regard the entire OId Testament as metaphorical and to be taken symbolically, why did Jesus sacrifice himself for us? Was it not to wipe away Original Sin? Which came from Adam and Eve eating from the tree?

The Old Testament is the "back story" of how Christianity came into being. The historical books of the Old Testament are just the history of Israel. The Prophetical books are the warnings the prophets gave to the people of Israel of the possible consequences of being unfaithful to God, and the blessings and restoration if they returned to Him.

-How are we to know when the Second Coming of Christ is? I mean, if people believe that Jesus was honestly the first coming, how do we know history will not repeat itself? Jesus came, called himself the Son of God, and he was brutally nailed to 2x4's by his own people because of blasphemy. I think the only thing that will convince people of the Second Coming of Christ would have to be a display of power, which, would render the idea of faith useless.

Jesus Himself said that no person knows the hour or day when He is to come again. The Father is the only One who knows that.
You have made a good point about God's power. In the First Century AD, the power of God was very evident in the signs and wonders that we along with the preaching of the Gospel. You can read about all those in the Book of Acts. The problem with today's churches is that the power is absent and all they have now is just words. There are many good reasons for that, which is out of scope of this Q and A thread.

I hope I don't insult anyone... These are just questions that I've had for a while and people have been unable to answer for me. I was hoping to find some answers here...

I have tried to give you my answers as I see them. I haven't tried to preach to you like others on this thread. Preaching religion at you won't give you the answers you need.

 

[Adradtos275]

So where do I start... Well how about a little history: I myself would consider myself agnostic. I find that evidence of God is lacking, as is evidence of the Big Bang. Therefore, I remain in the middle. I think Thomas Aquinas's First Mover argument is valid (unless someone will disprove that for me), so I believe in the possibility of a Creator. However, I do not believe in the Christian God (omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, etc etc).

I was raised a Catholic, yet, turned away around age 14 and I am 17 now. I used to go to Church every week and spend my time reading the Bible because of its vivid adventures, so I know the bible somewhat.

Here are my questions:

-If Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden with the Tree of Knowledge (i.e. The tree that would tell them from right and wrong), how were they to know not to eat from the fruit if they could not differentiate between right and wrong?

-What race were Adam and Eve? How is it we have come to be with asians, hispanics, whites, blacks, and all the other races/hair colors/ cultures?

-Did they truly live as long as the bible stated? Somewhat close to 800 years?

-Is it not contradictory for God to smite an entire city because of their homosexuality? (Sodom and Gamorrah [sp?])

-Why is there suffering? In Job, it is suggested it is to test our faith and to reward those who remain faithful even in the harshest of times. Yet then why does God supposedly lead Moses into Egypt to deliver the Jews through a series of Miracles? And then why, later, does God leave the Jews to burn during the Holocaust?

-If we regard the entire OId Testament as metaphorical and to be taken symbolically, why did Jesus sacrifice himself for us? Was it not to wipe away Original Sin? Which came from Adam and Eve eating from the tree?

-How are we to know when the Second Coming of Christ is? I mean, if people believe that Jesus was honestly the first coming, how do we know history will not repeat itself? Jesus came, called himself the Son of God, and he was brutally nailed to 2x4's by his own people because of blasphemy. I think the only thing that will convince people of the Second Coming of Christ would have to be a display of power, which, would render the idea of faith useless.

I hope I don't insult anyone... These are just questions that I've had for a while and people have been unable to answer for me. I was hoping to find some answers here...

About 800 year bit no they didn't live that long i think anyone with common sense knows thats not literal and its not supposed to be that is if they have really thought about it ..the problem with just taking it on faith is that you are accepting whatever without questioning . Thats not faith its infantile. No offense intended but if God made you he gave you a brain for a reason ..although mine seems to be misplaced most days lol