I. CONTRADICTIONS IN MATTERS OF FACT AND IN DOCTRINES.
1. Was it death to eat the forbidden fruit? Yes: "In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die" (Gen. II. 17). No: "And all the-days of Adam were nine hundrcd and thirty years" (Gen. v. 5).
2. Can a woman, according to scripture, ever speak on religious matters? Yes: "The same man had four daughters—virgins—who did prophesy" (Acts xxi. 9). No: "I suffer not a woman to teach, but to be in silence" (1 Tim. ii. 12).
3. Should a man ever laugh? Yes: "There is a time to weep and a time to laugh" (Eccles. iii. 4). No: "Sorrow is better than laughter" (Eccles. viii. 3). Yes: "I commend mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry" (Eccles. vii. 15).
4. What is our moral duty relative to trimming the hair on our heads? "There shall no razor come upon his head,... let the locks of his head grow" (Num. vi. 5). "If a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him" (1 Cor. xi. 14).
5. Is there any remedy for a fool? Yes: "The rod of correction will drive it far from him" (Prov. xxii. 15). No: "Though thou bray a fool in a mortar, yet will his foolishness not depart from him" (Prov. xxvi. 6).
6. Should we pay a fool in his own coin? Yes: "Answer a fool according to his folly" (Prov. xxvi. 5). No: "Answer not a fool according to his folly" (Prov. xxvi. 6).
7. Is man's life threescore years and ten? Yes: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten" (Ps. xc. 10). No: "His days shall be a hundrcd and twenty years" (Gen. vi. 3).
8. Is it desirable to be tempted? Yes: "Count it all Joy to be tempted" (Jas. i. 2). No: "Watch and pray, that ye enter not Into temptation" (Matt. xxvi. 41).
9. Which is the tempter, God or the devil? The devil: The devil tempted Christ and Judas. (See Matt. iv. 1). God: God tempted David (2 Sam. xxiv. 1).
10. Does the Lord ever tempt man? No: "Neither tempteth he any man" (Jas. i.13). Yes: "And God did tempt Abraham" (Gen. xxii. 1). No: "He blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts" (John xii. 40).
11. Can God be tempted? No: "God can not be tempted" (Jas. i. 13). Yes: "They have tempted me, the Lord, ten times" (Num. xiv. 22).
12. Is any thing good? Yes: Every thing (1 Tim. iv. 4). No: "Every thing is corrupt" (Gen. vi. 12).
13. How many Gods are there? One: "The Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. vi.4). Several: "Let us make man in our own image" (Gen. i. 26). Three: "There are three that bear record in heaven, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost" (1 John v. 7).
14. Is God omnipresent? Yes: David declares the Lord is everywhere, In heaven and earth, and even in hell (Ps. cxxxix. 7). No: "The Lord came down to see Sodom" (Gen. xviii. 20). Yes: "There is no place where the workers of iniquity can hide themselves" (Job xxxiv. 22). No: "Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord" (Gen. iii. 8). No: "Cain fled from the presence of God" (Gen. iv. 16). Yes: "Man can not get out of his presence" (Ps. cxxxix. 7).
15. Is God omniscient? Yes: "He knoweth the hearts of all men" (Acts i. 24). No: "The Lord had to prove the Israelites, and also Abraham, to know what was in their hearts" (Deut. viii. and Gen. xxii.).
18. Is God omnipotent? Yes: "With God all things are possible" (Matt. xix. 26). No: "He could not drive out the Inhabitants of the valley, because their chariots were made of iron" (Judg. i. 19).
17. Is God unchangeable? Yes: With him "there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning; I change not" (Mal. iii. 6). No: "And the Lord repented of the evil he said he would inflict upon the Ninevites" (Jon. iii. 10).
18. Is God a merciful being? Yes: "The Lord is very pitiful, and full of mercy" (Jas. v. 11). No: "I will not pity nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy" (Jer. xiii. 14) Yes: "His tender mercies are over all his works" (Ps. cxiv. 9). No: "Have no pity on them, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling" (Sam. xv. 2). Yes: "His mercy endureth for ever" (1 Chron. xvi. 34). No: "I have taken away my loving kindness and mercies" (Jer. xvi. 3).
19. Does God over hate? No: "God is love" (1 John iv. 16). Yea: "He hated his own inheritance" (Ps. cvi. 40).
20. Is God's anger perpetual? No: "His anger endureth but a moment" (Ps. xxx 5). Yes: "Mine anger shall burn for ever" (Jer. xvii. 4).
21. Is God the author of evil? Yes: "I make peace, and I create evil" (Isa. xiv. 7). No: "Out of his mouth proceeds not evil" (Lam. iii. 38).
22. Is God in favor of war? No: "He is the God of peace." Yes: "The Lord is a man of war" (Exod. xv. 3). No: "He is not the author of confusion, but of peace" (1 Cor. xiv. 33).
23. Is the spirit of God for peace? Yes: It is "love, peace, joy, gentleness, and goodness" (Gal. v. 22). No: "The spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he slew a thousand men" (Judg. xv. 16). Yes: "The spirit of the Lord begets love, peace, and goodness" (Gal. v. 22). No: "By the spirit of the Lord Samson slew thirty men" (Judg. xiv. 19).
24. Has any man seen God? Yes: "Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Ablho, and the seventy elders of Israel" saw the God of Israel (Exod. xxiv.9). No: "No man hath seen God at any time" (John i. 18). Yes: "I have seen God face to face, and my life has been preserved" (Gen. xxxii. 30). No: "There shall no man see me, and live" (Exod. xxxiii. 20). Yes: "I saw also the Lord standing upon the throne" (Isa. vi. 1). No: "Ye have never seen his shape" (John v. 37).
25. Can any man hear God's voice? Yes: "I heard thy voice in the garden" (Gen. iii. 9). No: "Ye have never heard his voice at any time" (John v. 37).
26. Does God dwell in light? Yes: "He dwelleth in light which no man can approach to" (1 Tim. vi. 16). No: "The Lord said he would dwell in thick darkness" (1 Kings viii. 12).
27. Does God dwell in temples? Yes: "I have chosen this [Solmon's] temple for a house" (2 Chron. viii. 16). No: "The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands" (Acts xvii. 24).
28. Does God ever tire? Yes: "God rested, and was refreshed" (Exod. xxxi. 17). No: "God fainteth not, neither is he weary" (Isa. xl. 28).
29. Is God a respecter of persons? No: "There is no respect of persons with God" (Rom. ii. 11). Yes: "And God had respect to Abel and his offering" (Gen.).
30. Can God always be found? Yes: "Those who seek me early shall find me" (Prov. viii. 17). No: "They shall seek me early, but shall not find me" (Prov. i. 28).
31. Does the Lord believe in burnt offerings? No: "I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs or of he-goats" (Isa. i. 11). Yes: "Thou shall offer every day a bullock for a sin-offering" (Exod. xxix. 36).
32. Does the Lord believe in animal sacrifices of any kind? No: "Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me" (Jer. vi. 20). Yes: "Burnt sacrifices are sweet unto the Lord" (Lev i. 9).
33. Does God believe in human sacrifices? No: For he condemned the human sacrifices of the Gentiles. (See Deut. xii. 30.) Yes: "For his anger was abated by David's hanging the five sons of Michal in the hill before the Lord." (See 2 Sam. xxi. 8, and Judg. xi. 30.)
34. Does God ever repent? Yes: "It repenteth the Lord that he had made man" (Gen. vi. 6). No: "The Lord is not a man that he should repent" (Num. xxiii. 19).
35. Is all scripture given by inspiration of God? Yes: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim. iii. 16). No: "I speak it not after the Lord" (2 Cor. xi. 17).
36. Is war and fighting right? No: "They that take the sword shall perish with the sword" (Matt, xxvi. 32). Yes: "He that hath no sword, let him sell his coat and by one" (Luke xxii. 36). No: "Beat your swords into plowshares, and your spears into pruning-hooks" (Mic. iv. 3). Yes: "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears" (Joel iii. 10). Yes: "Cursed be he who keepeth back his sword from blood" (Jer. xlviii. 10).
37. Shall nation war against nation? Yes: "Nation shall rise up against nation" (Matt. xxiv. 7). No: "Nation shall not rise up against nation" (Mic. iv. 3).
38. Shall we love our enemies? Yes: "Love your enemies" (Luke vi. 27). No: "Bring my enemies, and lay them before me" (Luke xix. 27).
39. Is hatred right? No: "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer"(1 John iii. 15) Yes: "You must hate father and mother, brother and sister, &c., or ye can not be true followers of Christ" (Luke xiv. 26).
40. Is anger commended? Yes: "Be ye angry, and sin not" (Eph. iv. 26). No "Anger resteth in the bosom of fools" (Ecclcs. vii 9).
41. Is it right to steal and rob? No: "Thou shalt not steal" (Exod. xx. 15); "Neither rob" (Lev. xix. 13). Yea: The Israelites took from the Egyptians "Jewels of silver and Jewels of gold, and raiment, and they spoiled the Egyptians" (Exod. xii. 35).
42. Is it right to kill? No: "Thou shalt not kill" (Exod. xx. 13). Yes: "Kill every male child amongst them." Yes: "Go ye out and slay every man his companion and every man his neighbor, and every man his brother" (Exod. xxxii. 27).
43. Is it right to lie on any occasion? No: "All liars are to be punished with fire and brimstone" (Rev. xxi. 8). Yes: "Go put a lying spirit into the mouths of all the prophets" ( I Kings xxii. 21). No: "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. xii. 22). Yes: "The harlot Rahab lied, and was justified by works" (Jas. ii. 25). No: "Say nothing but the truth" (2 Chron. xviii. 15). Yes: "If the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie for his glory, why am I adjudged a sinner?" (Rom. iii. 7).
44. Is God in favor of lying and deception? No: "Thou shalt not bear false wit-ness" (Exod. 20). Yes: "If a prophet is deceived, I the Lord deceived that prophet" (Ezek. xiv. 9).
45. Is a pious life a happy life? Yes: "Come unto me, and I will give you rest" (Matt. xi. 28). No: "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John xvi. 33).
46. Will righteousness make a man happy? Yes: "There shall no evil happen to the just" (Prov. xii. 21). No: "It is through much tribulation the righteous enter the kingdom of heaven" (Acts xiv. 21). Yes: "The righteous shall flourish" (Ps. xcii. 12). No: "The righteous shall perish" (Isa. lvii. 1). Yes: "The prayer of the righteous availeth much" (Jas. v. 16). No: "There is none righteous; no, not one" (Rom. iii. 10). Yes: The righteous to be slain with the wicked (Ezek. xxi. 3). No: The "righteous not to be slain" (Exod. xxiii. 7).
47. Can we live without sinning? Yes: "Those born of God can not sin" (1 John iii. 9) No: "There is no man that sinneth not" (I Kings viii. 46). Yes: "He that committeth sin is of the devil" (1 John ill. 8). No: "There are none that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Eccles. vii. 20).
48. Does wickedness shorten a man's life? Yes: "The years of the wicked shall be shortened" (Prov. x. 27). No: "The wicked live, and become old" (Job xxi. 7). Shall we resist evil? Yes: "Put away the evil of your doings" (Isa. i. 16). No: "Resist not evil" (Matt. v. 37).
49. Who can know whether the golden rule is right or wrong? Right: "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do you even so unto them" (Matt. vii. 12). Wrong: "Spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling" (1 Sam. xv. 3).
50. Is wisdom desirable? Yes: "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom" (Prov. iii. 13). No: "Much wisdom is much grief, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow" (Eccles. i. 18). Yes: "Get wisdom with all thy gettings" (Prov. iv. 7). Yes: "Be wise as serpents" (Matt. x. 16). No: "The wisdom of the wise shall be destroyed" (1 Cor. i. 19).
51. Shall we aim at a good reputation? Yes: "A good name is better than riches" (Prov. xxii. 1). No: "Woe unto you when all men speak well of you" (Luke vi. 26).
52. Are riches desirable? Yes: "The rich man's wealth is his strong City" (Prov. x. 15). No: "Woe unto you that are rich" (Luke vi. 24). Yes: "Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord,... wealth and riches shall be in his house" (Ps. cxii.). No: "Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God" (Luke vi. 20).
53. Can a righteous man be rich, or a rich man be saved? Yes: "In the house of the righteous is much treasure" (Prov. xv. 6). No: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Matt. xix. 24).
54. Does the Lord believe in riches? Yes: "The Lord blessed Job with fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen," &c. (Job xiii. 12). No: "A rich man can not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. xix. 24). Yes: "Wealth and riches shall be in the house of the man that feareth God" (Ps. cxii. 1). No: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth" (Matt. vi. 19).
55. Shall we use strong drink? No: "Wine is a mocker, and strong drink is raging" (Prov. xx. 1). Yes: "Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish" (Prov. xxxi. 6).
56. Should we ever use wine? No: "Do not use wine nor strong drink" (Lev. x. 9). Yes: "Use a little wine for the stomach's sake" (Tim. v. 23). No: "Look not upon the wine when it is red" (Prov. xxiii. 31). Yes: "Give wine to him that is of heavy heart" (Prov. xxxi. 6).
57. Is it right to eat all kinds of animals? Yes: "There is nothing unclean of itself; eat every moving thing" (Gen. ix. 3). No: "Swine, hares, and camels are unclean; ye shall not eat of their flesh" (Deut. xiv. 7).
58. Is it good to eat flesh? Yes: It is good to eat flesh (Deut. xii. 20). No; It is not good to eat flesh (Rom. xiv. 21).
59. Is man justified by works? Yes: "Abraham was justified by works" (Jas. ii. 21). No: "A man can not be justified by works" (Gal. ii. 16).
60. Is man saved by faith? Yes: "Man is saved by faith without works" (Rom. iii. 28). No: "Man can not be justfied by faith without works" (James ii. 24).
61. Should our works be seen? Yes: "Let your light shine before men" (Matt. v. 16). No: "Do not your alms before men" (Matt. vi. 1),
62. Is public prayer right? No: "Enter into thy closet, and shut thy door" (Matt vi. 6). Yes: "Solomon prayed before all the congregation" (1 Kings viii. 22).
63. How can it be a moral duty to pray, there being no certainty of an answer? "Every one that asketh receiveth" (Matt. vii. 8). "They that seek me early shall find me" (Prov. viii. 17). "Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but shall not find me" (Prov. i. 28).
64. Is man to be rewarded in this life? Yes: Both the righteous and the wicked an to be rewarded on earth (Prov. xi. 31). No: They are to be rewarded after death (Matt. xvi. 27).
65. Are children punished for the sins of their parents? Yes: "The iniquities of the father are visited upon the children" (Exod. xx. 6). No "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father" (Ezek. xviii. 20).
66. Should marriage be encouraged? Yes: "Marriage is honorable to all" (Heb. xiii. 4). No: "It is good for a man not to touch a woman" (1 Cor. vii. 1).
67. Is divorce right or wrong according to the Bible? Right: "If thou have no delight in her (thy wife), then thou shalt let her go" (Deut. xxi. 11). Wrong: "Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the crime of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery" (Matt. v. 32).
68. Is it right to marry a brother's widow? Yes: "If a man die childless, his brother shall marry his widow" (Deut. xxv. 5). No: "To marry a brother's widow is an unclean thing" (Lev. xx. 21).
69. Is it ever right to marry a sister? No: "Cursed shall he be who does so" (Deut. xxvii. 22). Yes: "Abraham married his sister, and was blessed" (Gen. xx. 2).
70. Does the Bible allow adultery? No: "Whoremongers and adulterers God will Judge" (Heb. xiii. 4). Yes: "The Lord commanded Hosea to take a wife of whoredoms" (Hos. i. 2).
71. Is fornication sinful? Yes: "You should abstain from fornication" (1. Thess. iv. 8). No: "Every woman who hath not known man by lying with him, save for yourselves" (Num. xxxi. 18).
72. Should we always obey kings and rulers? Yes: "To resist [them] is to resist the ordinance of God" (Rom. xiii. 3). No: "Whether it is right to obey God or man, judge ye." Yes: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake" ( 1 Pet. ii. 14). "Whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do" (Matt, xxiii. S). No: "We ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts v. 29).
73. Is the obedience of servants a duty? Yes: "Servants, obey your masters" (Col. iii. 22). No: "Be ye not the servants of men" (1 Cor. vii. 23).
74. Is slavery right? No: "Be not called master;" "Break every yoke" (Isa. lviii. 6). Yes: "Ye shall buy of the children of the stranger, &c., and they shall be your possession" (Lev. xxv. 46). No: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land" (Lev. xxv. 10).
75. Who can tell if baptism is an obligatory ordinance? Yes: "Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them," &c. (Matt, xxviii. 19). No: "Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel" (1 Cor. i. 17).
76. Is image-making right? No: "Ye shall make no image of any thing" (Exod. xx. 4). Yes: "Moses made an image of a serpent" (Num. xxi. 9).
77. Is circumcision right? Yes: "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of men, ye can not be saved" (Acts xv. 1). No: "If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing" (Gal. v. 2). Yes: "Ye must be circumcised" (Acts xv. 24). No: "Circumcision is nothing" (Cor. vii. 19).
78. Is it right to swear? No: "Swear not at all" (Matt. v. 35). Yes: God swore eleven times, says the Bible.
79. Why was the sabbath instituted? Because "God rested on the sabbath day" (Exod. xx. 11). Because "he delivered his people on that day" (Deut. vi. 15).
80. Is it right to observe the sabbath? Yes: "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy." No: "Your new moons and your sabbaths,... I can not away with. It is iniquity" (Isa. i. 12).
81. Is it right to judge? Yes: "Judge righteous Judgment" (John vii. 24). No: "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matt. vii. 2).
82. Can a man work miracles without divine aid? No: "No man can work such miracles except God be with him" (John iii. 2). Yes: "The Egyptians did in like manner with their enchantments" (Exod. vii. 10).
83. Can any man ascend to heaven? Yes: "Elijah ascended in a chariot of fire" (2 Kings ii.11). No: "No man hath ascended up to heaven" (John iii. 13). Yes: "All men must see death" (Heb. ix. 27). No: "Enoch did not see death" (Heb. xi. 5).
84. Should we fear death? Yes: "Christ walked not in Jewry because the Jews sought to kill him" (John vii. 1). No: "Fear not them that kill the body" (Matt. x. 28).
85. Will the earth ever be destroyed? Yes: "The earth also shall be burned up" (2 Pet. iii 10). No: "But the earth abideth for ever" (Eccles. i. 4).
86. Does the Bible teach a future life? Yes: "They shall go away into everlasting punishment" (Matt. xxv. 46). No: "For that which befelleth men befalleth beasts;... as the one dieth, so dieth the other," &c. (Eccles. iii. 19).
87. Does the Bible teach a future resurrection? Yes: "The dead shall be raised" (Cor. xv. 52). No: "They shall not rise" (Isa. xxvi.14). Yes: "The saints came up out of the ground" (Matt, xxvii. 62). No: "Those who go down into the grave never come up again" (Job vii. 9).
88. Are the actions of men ever to be judged according to the Bible? First, "The Father judgeth no man" (John v. 22). Second, "I [Jesus Christ] judge no man" (John viii. 15). So there is to be no judgment.
89. No: "God saw every thing was corrupt" (Gen. vi. 11). Yes: "God saw every thing he had made was good" (Gen. i. 31).
90. Yes: "God forgives the sinner" (Jer. xxxi. 34). No: "God kills the sinner" (Ezek. xviii. 20).
91. Yes: "God justifies the ungodly" (Rom. iv. 5). No: "God will not clear the guilty" (Exod. xxxiv. 7).
92. Yes: "Man is justified by the law" (Rom. ii. 13). No: "Man can not be justified by the law" (Gal. iii. 11).
93. Yes: "Many have sinned without the law" (Rom. ii.12). No: "Where there is no law there is no transgression" (Rom. iv. 18).
94. Yes: "Heaven is a kingdom that can not be moved" (Heb. xii. 18). No: "I will shake heaven and earth" (Heb. xii. 26).
95. Yes: "Every thing is afraid of man" (Gen. i. 28). No: "The lion is not afraid of man" (Prov. xxx. 30).
96. Yes: "Every man in his own tongue" (Gen. x. 5). No: "The whole earth one tongue" (Gen. xi. 1).
97. Yes: "All things are become new" (2 Cor. v. 17). No: "There is nothing new under the sun" (Eccles. i. 9).
98. Yes: "You shall make a likeness of a serpent and a cherubim" (Exod. xxv. 18). No: "Make no likeness of any thing in heaven above or the earth beneath," &c. (Exod. xx. 4).
99. Yes: "Deborah the prophetess judged Israel" (Judg. iv. 4). No: "A woman is not to judge or rule a man" (1 Tim. Ii. 12).
100. Yes: "God's people shall be ashamed" (Hos. x. 6). No: "God's people shall never be ashamed" (Ps. xxxvii. 19).
101. Yes: "Blessed are the fruitful" (Gen. i. 28). No: "Blessed are the barren" (Luke xxiii. 29).
102. Yes: "Edom being thy brother, do not abhor him" (Deut. xxiii. 7). No: "He slew of Edom ten thousand" (2 Kings xiv. 7).
103. Yes: "Bear ye one another's burdens" (Gal. vi. 2). No: "Every man must bear his own burden" (Gal. vi. 5).
104. Yes: "Labor not for meat" (John vi. 27). No: "He that labors not shall not eat" (2 Thess. iii. 10).
105. In Genesis vi. 5 God declared he would pour out his curses because "the imagination of man's heart is evil, and only evil continually." In Genesis viii. 21 he gives the same reason for not cursing the world.
And these are mere specimens of a vast number of similar kind. Kings and Chronicles especially are full of such discrepancies of dates, numbers, names, &c. In one case the author of Chronicles makes a son two years older than his father, the father being forty and the son forty-two. For proof, compare 2 Chron. xxi. 20 with xxii. 1, 2. And observe, the author of 2 Chron. xvi. 1 has Baasha, King of Israel, fighting against Judah ten years after the author of 1 Kings xvi. 8 has him dead and buried. But we have not space to spare to continue the list, as it would comprise a large chapter. Let the reader compare the names and numbers of the leaders, families, tribes, &c., of the children of Israel, as recorded by Ezra (chap. ii.), with those of Nehemiah (chap, vii.), and he will find more than a dozen discrepancies and contradictions; the difference amounting in some cases to thousands. He will also find a difference with respect to the coronation, period of rule, and termination of the reign of various kings, and wide differences tracing genealogie, families, tribes, &c., if he will compare Kings, Chronicles, Samuel, Ezra, Nehemiah, &c. Such are the verbal discrepancies of the "Word of God;" such is arithmetic when "inspired."
Two questions upon the above: 1. How much older can a son be than his father according to scripture, basing the inquiry upon Chron. xxi. and xxii.? 2. How long can a man continue to fight after he is dead and buried, as is illustrated in the case of Baasha, King of Israel? (See contradictions 142, 143, and 144.)