The most sensible explanation...

NonStampCollector

The most sensible explanation...

4/18/2014

20 Comments

AZSuperman01 link

4/19/2014 01:04:14 am

Amen!

Mike

4/19/2014 01:46:33 am

Even more convincing than the accounts of Judas death are the accounts of the purchasing of the field by both Judas and the Pharisees. The critical point is that both of the parties are said to purchase the same field with the identical, numerically singular set of 30 pieces of silver.

Don

4/19/2014 11:10:27 am

I've studied numbers based on 10, and based on 2, and based on 16 but the numbers based on the bible just don't make sense.

sudon't

4/19/2014 11:48:40 pm

I always thought the best explanation was Chinese telephone, (no offense, Chinese people. It's the only name for it I know). These are orally passed down stories, only committed to papyrus many decades later. You can't tell a story once without embellishments creeping in, let alone thousands of times.

4/20/2014 12:40:35 am

I believe that's just called "telephone" or "the telephone game" or something. I've never heard it as Chinese. I guess heresy would be the best name for it.

sudon't

4/24/2014 10:59:41 am

It likely you are younger than I am. Back in the day, they added the epithet "Chinese" to anything confusing or complicated. That is how "Chinese checkers" and "Chinese fire drill" got their names. That the younger generation hasn't even heard these names would indicate they are dying out.

Kyle

4/20/2014 03:43:34 am

Decades?? Try generations!! These oral traditions/stories predate literature. Stories based on what primitive, preliterate people saw in the stars were passed back and forth for eons over campfires before writing ever developed...

sudon't

4/24/2014 11:04:51 am

We're speaking specifically about the Gospels, which were written between 40 and 90 years after the death of Jesus. Still, plenty of time for nonsense and exaggeration to creep in. Not to mention mistranslations and copying errors, once they were committed to paper.

exnihilonihilfit

4/20/2014 12:08:38 pm

Is "Probably just got written down wrong or something" the best way to explain the data that Christians will not accept, or is there a comprehensive way to understand the texts that atheists refuse to explore or accept?

NSC

4/22/2014 07:34:58 am

If there IS a comprehensive way to understand the texts that atheists refuse to explore or accept, that manages to reconcile the contradictions throughout even only the new testament, ....
then it would need to be applicable to OTHER texts as well. If it was a 'special' way of reading the bible and the bible only, but couldn't or wouldn't be used to look at any other documents from history, then no. Not unless you're happy to admit that the only way to read the documents and reconcile them to one another is simply, and definitively, "SPECIAL PLEADING".

David Zyngier

4/22/2014 10:56:56 am

Can you please contact me about working together to remove Special religious Instruction from our Primary Schools!

Kyle

4/25/2014 06:50:32 pm

Every time I see "Father into your hands, I commit my spirit", System of a Down starts singing Chop Suey in my head. So obviously, it's both.

Paul Michael

4/27/2014 12:24:23 am

First I would like to compliment you on the videos you have put up on YouTube. I just recently came across your channel and I have found your videos very humorous. Your comedic delivery is quite good. Second, I am curious if you, and the other atheist youtubers (Darkmatter, The Atheist Experience), have ever considered doing an actual live action film (not a documentary). I may be wrong about this, however, I think that you could get a fair amount of donations (from fellow atheists) to get a project started. The publicity could be overwhelming (if done properly). Perhaps snag a few film students, then choose the most gifted ones to direct such a movie. I for one would volunteer my time (and some coin) to get such a project started. Although I am in Grad School at the moment..so my time is limited until March of 2015.

Paul Michael

4/27/2014 12:34:32 am

By the way, I am not a film student (or actor).. so I am not looking to direct a film or act in a film...That being said...The argument for Creationism being taught in schools worries me a bit, and I believe an Independent Film (if done properly) would get the attention of many. I think of movies like "God Is Not Dead" and I am amazed by the publicity it received, although it employed "B" actors and a poor script.

Samuel

4/28/2014 10:14:51 pm

Hey NSC,

First of all, also compliments from me for such a funny youtube channel! I've actually learned quite a few new things to use in debates, especially from the Noah video. Never knew unicorns were in the bible. I hope you don't mind me borrowing arguments, I'll point my adversaries towards your channel when I can.

In the comment section of the 'Jesus: the cover-up' video, you address "Peta Flux" who challenged you to do a video about islam. You said you knew next to nothing about islamic faith, so I thought I'd offer some constructive advice. Islam is basically judeo-christian plagiarism, with the devil in the details. In islam, people are created, from blood and not dust. Abraham (or: Ibrahim) sacrifices his son Ismail, instead of Isaac. This is celebrated yearly, it's called the Feast of the Sacrifice. Like other faiths, islam requires obedience, it's in the name ofcourse. It also claims to be the last of three: judaism and christianity are versions of one and the same faith. Islam is - according to islam - the last and best version. And this is were a personal favorite comes in:

Now, islam also has a calendar. In ye olde days (7th century), a calendar was based on 12 months and each month was a mooncycle. This is 29/30 days. 12 months is a sunyear. However, there is a difference of 11 days. And you can't adjust the perfect religion to reality, so the Feast of the Sacrifice was on the 15th of october in 2013 and will be on the 4th of october in 2014. Same goes for Mawlid, the birthday of the prophet Mohammed. It was on the 14th of january this year, it will be on the 3rd of january in 2015. In 2016, Mohammed and Jesus will have their birthday on the same date. Arabic calendars used to have leap years, but that was heresy, so it was scrapped. Finally, a new month begins when a muslim has spotted the hilal, the crescent moon. Because we all live in different time zones and different places, muslims all over the world see the moon at different moments at different angles. Surely, a perfect God would have come up with a better measurement of time than the moon?

And then there is this site, full of islamic contradictions: http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/

I hope this offers some inspiration,
Kind regards, Samuel

Samuel

4/29/2014 12:03:26 am

I should add to my last comment that Mohammed's birthday is not exactly on the same date as Jesus. Mawlid is on the 24th, Jesus on 25th and 26th. Jesus has got two birthdays, Mohammed just one. Perks of being the son of God. That's another thing, in islam you can find the definition of god and Jesus hits all the marks. But then the Quran rejects Jesus as divine. See also http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/jesus_creator.htm

Tim Branin link

4/29/2014 01:39:44 am

In my experience, the answers would be more like this...

1. The theives reviled him in a SPIRITUAL sense.

2. Those were his SPIRITUAL last words.

3. They were there in SPIRIT

4. See above.

5. It was a SPIRITUAL hanging.

Apologetics 101. If something doesn't make sense, just add the word SPIRITUAL to it.

0nlyThis

5/7/2014 05:56:31 am

Contradictions and discrepancies among the four gospels is a relatively modern concern, at least since the invention of movable type and the introduction of general literacy.
It is quite certain that none of the otherwise unknown evangelists considered that they were creating "scripture" or that their narratives might end up 300 years later as part of a set of four "gospels" opening an anthology of writings called "The New Testament".
On the contrary, they expected their works to be read to, and interpreted for, predominantly illiterate congregations of some Christian sect or other (and there were many) of their own day.. Due to the difficulty and expense involved in acquiring and hand copying manuscripts, it is unlikely that any one congregation of the 1st and 2nd century ever had read to them any more than a single gospel version -or - that they were even aware that there were other versions or, for that matter, other Christian sects.
The consensus among non-apologetic bible scholars is that Mark was the first gospel and that the authors of Matthew and Luke redacted Mark and added whatever would suit the doctrinal needs of the particular congregation each was addressing. The John gospel is in a class of its own.
So, if there are indeed discrepancies among the narratives, it’s because the were intended to be there.

fotost

5/27/2014 08:44:04 pm

Come on... Don't be so fuzzy.

It's only the bible not something important like religion or such...

Sinjid

4/28/2016 08:23:25 am

I love how you used comic sans for the Biblical Inerrantist column. If you ever need any graphic design/photoshop/editing help, let me know.

NonStampCollector

Youtube antitheistic video maker. See "info" section above for more of who I am.
This blog is a place for me to write or present things that are too long for twitter, and not of a 'video' nature.
Follow me on twitter (above) or sub to the RSS feed (below) to be notified of when I've put something up.
Thanks for taking a look, feedback welcome.
NSC.

The most sensible explanation...

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