M. L. Gutierrez - The Bible dilemma: historical contradictions, misquoted statements, failed prophecies and odditities in the Bible

Historical contradictions, misquoted statements, failed prophecies and oddities in the Bible

By M. L. Gutierrez

Imprisonment of the mind is the worst imprisonment of all. It is without walls, without bars, without chains, without keys. It is the most binding, the most self-imposing and self-inflicting. It is blind, it is enslaving, and it has the most willing victim.

The Author

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

I. Introduction

As the main religious text of Judaism, the Catholic Church, and all other Christian denominations, the Bible has been one of the strongest influences throughout history. It has instructed the formulation of laws and governments as well as the development of social norms and practices.
The exact interpretation of the Bible varies depending on denomination. The composition has also evolved over the centuries, based on decisions made by various religious councils, such as the hypothetical Jewish Council of Jamnia (AD 85-100), The First Council of Nicaea (AD 325), the Council of Trent (AD 1546), and the Hampton Court Conference (AD 1611) under the leadership of King James I of England.
In the past, church leaders declared canons and decrees limiting or prohibiting biblical reading. In November of 1229 AD, the Council of Toulouse created a special tribunal known as the Inquisition, issuing the following decree:
Canon 14. We prohibit also that the laity should be permitted to have the books of the Old or the New Testament; unless anyone from motive of devotion should wish to have the Psalter or the Breviary for divine offices or the hours of the blessed Virgin; but we most strictly forbid their having any translation of these books.
On April 8, 1546, the Council of Trent also prevented laymen from accessing the Bible, stating that ordinary citizens must not rely on their own interpretations, but should refer to the ecclesiastical authorities for biblical guidance. On November 18, 1965, the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, under the leadership of Pope John XXIII, issued a document called Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum). This document declared God to be both the inspiration and author of the Old and New Testaments. The Council allowed the Catholic Bible to be read solely under a priests guidance, and declared non-Catholic Bibles off-limits to Catholics.
Contradicting these determinations, in 1898, Pope Leo XIII decreed a threeyear indulgence of spiritual reading to anyone who read the Bible with great reverence for at least fifteen minutes a day. This decree was in line with the Handbook of Indulgences, which states that those who kiss the Gospel Book while reciting the following verses will be granted five hundred days of indulgences: May our sins be blotted out by virtue of the words of the Gospel, May the reading of the Gospel be our salvation and protection, May Christ teach us the words of the Holy Gospel.
Since its conception, the Bible has been highly regarded and widely read, serving as an essential guide and reference for human conduct. Since so many view its passages as the word of God, the Bible is considered beyond reproach. A closer look at biblical writings; however, reveal failed promises and prophecies, along with major contradictions.
This book is written to make a list of the major historical contradictions, misquotations, borrowed statements within the Bible and from non-biblical sources, failed promises and prophecies, scientific errors, and non-existing books mentioned in the Bible. It also makes a list of the different names of God, the gods in the Bible, the myths and legends similar to the biblical stories and the arguments against Jesus Christ being the Messiah.
Unless otherwise stated, the King James Bible is the Bible version used entirely in this book.

II. Historical Contradictions and Absurdities
1. Old Testament

A. The story of creation
1. The chronological events of creation

2. The creation of heaven and earth

3. The waters had to be separated from the waters?

4. When did God create the trees?

5. The plants were all created for human consumption

6. When did God create the animals?