Is Christianity Nonsensical and Painfully Undefinable?
You Decide
The entire foundation of becoming a Christian, must be rooted in and based upon Biblical Scripture. It is the only source that proclaims itself divinely inspired and the only source that attempts to inform about a person called Jesus while declaring Him to be the only Name under heaven whereby a person can be saved (Acts 4:12).
So let’s review and engage in a sincere study of the Bible and maybe without the assumption that everything our preachers and parents and apologists taught us is completely accurate. Let us examine exactly what it really says. If one accepts that salvation is necessary, then there cannot possibly be anything that is more important than getting it right.
All quotes from the Bible are from the NASB version, reputed by many scholars to be the most accurate. I hope we can agree that a perfect and all knowing God cannot possibly contradict Himself, nor should any important message from Him be ambiguous or difficult to comprehend.
We will begin by looking at exactly what the Bible says and then conclude by summarizing several alternative opinions of what this all means.
Galatians 2:16 & Romans 3:20 state that salvation is by faith alone. James 2:21–24 teaches that it is by works. Acts 2:21 & Romans 10:13 instruction is to just call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved; however, Matthew 7:21 states that not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Matthew adds in 25:34–46 that heaven can be obtained only by helping the poor and needy and without doing those things one is eternally condemned.
Mark 16:16 declares that you must be baptized, but in 1Corinthians 1:14 we hear the great missionary Paul thanking God that he didn’t baptize any of them, except for one or two. Philippians 2:12 warns the reader to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, while John 3:16 says all you need to do is believe. James 2:14 makes it clear that faith alone is of no value.
Romans 8:29–30 & 9:15–18 clearly tell us that salvation is only the result of election and predestination by God, regardless of what anyone does. Let’s look at Romans 9:15–18 word for word: For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy, and I will show compassion to whomever I show compassion.” So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very reason I raised you up, in order to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
Yet, in the same book we are instructed in Romans 10:9 that we must actually confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord AND believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead. Romans 2:13 teaches that you must keep the law and in Matthew 10:22 & Mark 13:13 we hear that only those who endure to the end will be saved.
Luke 21:19 teaches salvation is achieved only by standing firm while 1Chronicles 28:9 claims that all we have to do is seek Him. Hebrews 9:28 says even in sin, if we eagerly await His second coming, He will give us salvation. We hear in Acts 10:35 that in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
If anyone is still confused about what the Bible teaches concerning salvation and what they need to do to obtain eternal life, we can read the very words that John quotes Jesus as saying in John 6:53–54 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
If a perfect God inspired the Bible, is it possible for there to be any mistakes or confusion in it? If the most important thing in life is your eternal destiny, should not the requirement(s) for salvation be crystal clear so that everyone can understand it?
Many will say that it is only because of sin that the Bible seems confusing, but if God is trying to save sinners, this argument is discredited.
There are hundreds of Christian denominations, that in addition to the above, also have major controversies about each of the following Scriptural issues. There have been violent debates, wars, tortures, and countless killings because many of these are just not clear.
Regarding baptism: should it be sprinkled or full immersion, with the words being “in the name of Jesus” or “in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost?” And should babies be baptized or only those who understand and accept the Gospel? If one is not baptized are they eternally damned?
The Eucharist or communion: Should real wine or Welch’s grape juice be used; and regardless, does it or does it not turn into the actual and literal flesh and blood of Jesus, and if so when?
Are babies saved if they die (despite no scriptural support that they are); can women teach or even talk in church; are black people fully human?
Is marriage limited to one man and one woman, or can a man have multiple wives, like the wisest man on earth according to the Bible had. Solomon was allowed 700 wives with 300 concubines while his father King David, had eight.
Is speaking in tongues of God or of the devil? Are demons and witches real, or should witches be burned at the stake as is commanded by the Bible? Is hell literal, and if so, is it eternal with outer darkness or red hot fires? The Bible describes it as being both.
Does the Bible contain any myths or analogies, or must you believe that every story is literally true? Is the age of the earth appropriately 6,000 years, or is it permissible to accept the findings of science that 4,500,000,000 years is much closer?
How about the end of time? Does the Bible teach that there will be a pre-rapture (before the “tribulation”), post-rapture or no rapture?
Can you simply punish a disobedient child or must you stone it to death as is commanded in Deuteronomy 21:18–21?
Is divorce and remarriage authorized, or like many denominations teach; it is a sin for an abused wife to ever divorce an abusive husband? If it is, must she really count it as joy to be beaten, or can she at least call the police?
Is it all right to violate the ten commandments by working on the sabbath, or other laws that forbid things like the eating of pork and shellfish?
Are movies and dances sinful? Is drinking permitted? How about smoking or even coffee drinking? How short can a skirt be? Can women wear slacks, or can men wear long hair? There are many other disagreements that are directly based on something the Bible records; including are Mormons even Christians? (Franklin Graham said no until Mitt Romney, a Republican Mormon, ran for president. Then they all magically, (pun intended), became great Christians the same day.)
Oh, how the Bible so quickly can say whatever the preacher wants it to say. And they all use verses from the Bible in support of each of their desired beliefs.
What does all of this mean? What conclusions and questions are there that reasonable people might make? Let’s consider a few of them that deserve serious consideration.
Preachers and apologists try to justify the confusion by suggesting it is all because of our sin. But if it is sinners that God is trying to reach, this argument is nonsensical.
Given the enormous number of contradictions and disputes about basic doctrinal issues, no one can believe that their denomination or belief system is the right one.
Could a perfect and good God who intended to communicate a message to His creatures, possibly fail in that attempt by having it so flawed and convoluted to such a degree that it actually inspired wars, murders, racism, woman abuse, “witch burnings,” slavery, and among other atrocities, genital mutilation?
Is it not possible for anyone to really understand what God is trying to communicate? Maybe re-read the above list of problems if you are not sure.
Preachers and apologists tell us that we just have to have faith. But would that not make any side of any contradiction or controversy absolutely correct for whoever placed their faith in the side they decided to believe was right? After all, anything can be believed in if all you need is faith. It is subjective without evidence. That is why there have been thousands of gods throughout history.
Could it be possible that Christianity is just as wrong as the other hundreds of religions there are on earth and it’s God, just as fictitious as the thousands of other Gods that have been worshipped and served for the whole of all history?
Can a savior really love someone and then torture them for an endless eternity, if that person does not love him back?
Is it not true that the vast majority of people throughout history basically believed what their parents and culture taught them with little or no doubt that it was the truth? Most had absolutely no way to fact check anything even if they wanted to. And many do not fact check much today.
That is why most people in America are Christians, most Indians are Hindus, most Chinese are Buddhists, and most people in the Middle East are Muslims.
Would not the vast majority of Christians be Muslims if they were born and raised in Saudi Arabia and vice versa?
Speaking of the thousands of gods that have been invented by mankind, the fact is, it is extremely easy to create a religion or god that soon is believed in by many. Just think about recent history. Mormonism was founded around 1830 with almost 20 million members. Jehovah Witnesses has over 100,000 congregations with nearly 10 million members, founded in 1870. Scientology founded in 1950 has nearly 50,000 members paying massive amounts of money. Seven Day Adventist has well over 20 million members and started in 1863.
For another very recent religion that even has their own personal new god, please read Oh How Easy it is to Create a God. Two other short articles on topic are Ten Reasons No One Should Still Believe the Bible and Ten Fatal Flaws of the Bible.
