Despite being a holy book, the Bible, just like every other book, has many editions and translations that differ widely from one another. Some of these differences are so drastic that non-believing readers raise questions about the credibility of the narrator. Some believe, as part of their faith, that the holy book has more than one writer. While the believers have reasons and evidence to explain the contradictions in the Bible, non-believers see it as proof to reject the book and its teachings.
At one point in the Bible, God marks Sabbath day as holy, but at another point, He dislikes the notion of considering one day more esteemed than the rest.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” — Exodus 20:8
“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” — Romans 14:5
Not only in the teachings, we see contradictions in the biblical stories too.
“Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.” — Genesis 7:2-3
“And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.” — Genesis 6:19-20
Before going forth, one must know that incest was allowed only in the beginning when it was necessary to increase the world's population. This was before any law was a writer, but after the Exodus (departure of Israelites from Egypt), incest was prohibited and never allowed again.
A more in-depth and critical study of the Bible proves that the holy book is filled with contradictions. There are contradictions in Old Testament, New Testament, International, and King's edition, etc. If in one verse, God forbids incest, then in another, he allows it and even blesses it. The list of contradictions in the Bible is long and hard to explain in a few chosen words, but there is much about it said in Cletus McMurtry's book, “Is that really in the bible?” McMurty takes every rejection of the non-believers and tries to explain it as logically and reasonably as possible. The fact that he is one of the few authors who has looked at the Bible objectively aside from being a religious texts helps strengthen his prose.
Some of the objectives taken by McMurty to explain the contradictions in the Bible are admirable hence worth mentioning. He explains the nuances involved in translating ancient texts many centuries after their first publication and asks his readers to think about context, perception, and interpretation. There is also the matter of the personal input of the interpreter and how a simple word can have different meanings, depending on how and when it has been said. For further information, you must read chapters 3 and 4 of his book as he explains the core of contradictions in the Bible quite exceptionally.
While the Bible provides enough ground to reject its credibility, there is much to be said about his followers who have never claimed it to be unchanged and untampered, unlike some other holy books. There is acceptance among Christians that the Bible today is not the book's religion. Over the years and many translations later, much of its wordings have been swapped or changed altogether, yet its core ideology remains the same.
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