Experimenting with the Eucharist: Pope Francis vs. the Raëlians

Jerry Coyne has an excellent article on a recent experiment on the Eucharist that was done by the Raëlians. Yes, that's right, the folks who believe that life on earth was planted by extraterrestrials (the Elohim) and that human prophets (including Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, and Joseph Smith) were sent from the Elohim civilization to enlighten us here on earth.

Now beliefs like those can make Catholic beliefs about transubstantiation seem almost plausible in comparison. And yet the Raëlians have performed a nice experiment on Catholic beliefs about the Eucharist. They subjected consecrated hosts to DNA testing and found only wheat DNA. So if Jesus is really present, he's a plant.

Of course, Catholics will tell you that this result is consistent with their beliefs. Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist -- body, blood, soul, and divinity. It's just that it doesn't look (and taste) that way. The "substance" of the bread has been miraculously and completely changed into the "substance" of Jesus. Only the "appearance" of the bread remains.

Still, if Catholic doctrine is true, there should be some way to detect Jesus's presence in "the Blessed Sacrament." And there are many examples of Catholic "experiments" that claim to do exactly that. One of the most interesting of these involves Pope Francis.

Pope Francis's Eucharistic Experiment

The story begins in 1996 when Pope Francis (Jorge Bergoglio) was Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires. On the evening of August 16, a priest in Buenos Aires was distributing communion at mass, when a woman came up to him with a wafer (presumably consecrated) that she found at the back of the church.

Now the ordinary procedure in such cases is for the priest to consume the wafer, but he decided not to, since he didn't know where this wafer had been. So he did the next best thing: he placed it in a bowl of water and put the bowl in the tabernacle for safekeeping. (The idea here is that the wafer will dissolve in the water and the resulting solution can then be poured down a special sink in the sacristy which is plumbed directly to the ground instead of the sewer.)

Eight days later, on August 26, the priest opened the tabernacle and found this:

The priest contacted Bishop Bergoglio and asked him what to do. The future pope said to take a picture of it, and a picture was taken two weeks later on September 6. (The above picture is the one that was supposedly sent to Bishop Bergoglio.) In the meantime, the priest kept the whole bloody mess locked away in the tabernacle for three years, without telling anyone else about it.

Finally, in 1999, the now-Cardinal Bergoglio decided to have it scientifically analyzed. So it was sent to Frederick Zugibe in New York for analysis. Care was taken, of course, not to tell Dr. Zugibe where it came from to avoid prejudicing the analysis.

The analysis showed that the sample contained human DNA and was composed of human flesh and blood. Dr. Zugibe was able to show that the tissue was from the left ventricle of a human heart, and he found that it contained numerous white blood cells. From these results, he concluded that the heart was alive and under severe stress at the time the sample was taken.

What now?

So what in bloody hell is going on here? If Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, why would he hide from the Raëlians while exposing himself to the pope? And why, if the Buenos Aires miracle actually happened, doesn't the pope talk about it now?

I think it's time to repeat the Buenos Aires experiment.

Now we just need some material to work with.

Guest Post: Apparent Contradictions #2, by Berend de Boer

This is the second guest post by Berend de Boer. For this post, I invited him to have the floor to discuss contradictions that he thinks I should remove from the Skeptic's Annotated Bible. Berend created a website called "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered", where he has went through the entire SAB with his comments, alongside mine, explaining his stance on the relevant verses.

Here's an example page from his website.

It took him 7 years to complete, so it's pretty clear that although he's a believer, he does really know his Bible. So let's hear what he has to say. So far he's given me 5 explanations of contradictions. I'm going to post them one at a time so we can examine them here at the blog.

Is marrying or not marrying good?

Mr. Wells claims another contradiction in comparing 1 Corinthians 7:1 with Proverbs 18:22. 1 Corinthians 7:1 says:

It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

And Proverbs 18:22 says:

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing.

Let's turn this into a syllogism:

1. All who marry do well (Proverbs 18:22).
2. All who do not marry do well (1 Corinthians 7:1).
3. Therefore we have a contradiction.

Hearing the conclusion, most people would say:
“huh?” This is an example where there is nothing wrong
with the premises. The problem is that the conclusion does not
follow. It's a so called “non sequitur.”

As an Euler circle it looks as follows:

The diagram demonstrates there is no contradiction: both things
are good, one does not come at the exclusion of the other.

To make this into an actual contradiction we would need premises like:

1. All who marry do well.
2. All who marry do not well.

And the corresponding Euler circle:

From this diagram it is immediately clear we would have a
contradiction. But this is not something the Bible claims.

EJ&T - Deuteronomy 8 - 10: Circumcise the foreskin of your heart

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

Bless God when you finish eating.

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Deuteronomy 8:10

Don't forget God.

Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 8:11

Thou shalt remember the LORD thy God ... if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God ... I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. Deuteronomy 8:18-19

Circumcise the foreskin of your heart.

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart. Deuteronomy 10:16

Circumcise ... the foreskins of your heart. Jeremiah 4:4

Stop being stiffnecked.

Be no more stiffnecked. Deuteronomy 10:16

Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were. 2 Chronicles 30:8

Cleave to God.

To Him [God] thou shalt cleave. Deuteronomy 10:20

Cleave unto him [God]. Deuteronomy 11:22, Deuteronomy 13:4

Do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you ... to cleave unto him. Joshua 22:5

EJ&T - Deuteronomy 7: Genocide and intermarriage

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

When God takes away land from other people and gives it to you, you must kill, without mercy, all of the current land's inhabitants.

When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them ... nor shew mercy unto them. Deuteronomy 7:1-2

Thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them. Deuteronomy 7:16

Don't take any strange wives.

Neither shalt thou make marriages with them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. Deuteronomy 7:3-4

The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness. Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons. Ezra 9:11-12

We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: Ezra 10:2

Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives. Ezra 10:10

That we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, not take their daughters for our sons. Nehemiah 10:30

And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves. Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? ... even him did outlandish women cause to sin. Shall we then hearken unto you to do all this great evil, to transgress against our God in marrying strange wives? Nehemiah 13:25-27

The Mormon church finally admits that Joseph Smith had many wives (to "raise up seed unto God" by making big Mormon families)

Something strange is going on in Salt Lake City.

Last week the official website of the Mormon church (LDS.org) showed off its magic underwear; this week it admits that Joseph Smith was a polygamist.

And this is just the latest of their most recent public confessions. In the last year or so they have also: admitted they were wrong about race (while keeping their racist beliefs); pretended to deny (but didn't) that Mormon men get their own planets after they die; and admitted that Joseph Smith didn't translate the Book of Abraham.

Now, in a series of recent articles at LDS.org, the Mormon church comes clean on its dirtiest little secret -- that Joseph Smith Jr. was a polygamist. This, of course, is not news to anyone who knows anything about Joseph Smith. But it is news to most Mormons, since the Mormon church never mentions it to its own members. Not until now, anyway.

I suspect that there are two reasons for this new openness: the internet and the Book of Mormon musical. The embarrassing aspects of Mormon beliefs and history are readily available on the internet and are openly mocked in the musical. When the whole world is laughing at your beliefs, its time to face up to them.

In its article, Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo, the church begins by saying that monogamy "is the Lord’s standing law of marriage." But sometimes the Lord changes his standard and forces men to marry more than one woman.

Latter-day Saints believe that monogamy—the marriage of one man and one woman—is the Lord’s standing law of marriage.¹ In biblical times, the Lord commanded some of His people to practice plural marriage—the marriage of one man and more than one woman.²

Since I couldn't recall any biblical passage in which God commanded a man to have multiple wives, I checked their footnote. Note 2 refers to Genesis 16, which includes the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Sarah's female slave, Hagar. (Abraham and Sarah's names were "Abram" and "Sarai" until God changed them in Genesis 17 to celebrate Abraham's circumcision.)

Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived. Genesis 16:1-4

So the reference to Genesis 16 doesn't work. God didn't tell Abraham to have sex with (or marry) Hagar. Sarah commanded Abraham, and he did as she told him to do. God was an innocent bystander.

But then I checked out the other reference in note 2, the one from The Doctrine and Covenants (D&C). Here are the relevant verses:

God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises. Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it. D&C 132:34-35

The discrepancy between these two Mormon scriptures is explained in the Mormon church's intro to Section 132 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

Section 132: Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, recorded July 12, 1843, relating to the new and everlasting covenant, including the eternity of the marriage covenant and the principle of plural marriage. Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, evidence indicates that some of the principles involved in this revelation were known by the Prophet as early as 1831. See Official Declaration 1.

And that pretty much explains it. God changed the story in Genesis 16 to provide a justification for Joseph Smith's multiple wives.

Still, it wasn't easy for God to get Joseph Smith to take plural wives. Abraham was easy; he just did as Sarah God commanded. But God had to send an angel who threatened to kill Joseph if he wouldn't comply, as the article explains:

... Joseph told associates that an angel appeared to him three times between 1834 and 1842 and commanded him to proceed with plural marriage when he hesitated to move forward. During the third and final appearance, the angel came with a drawn sword, threatening Joseph with destruction unless he went forward and obeyed the commandment fully.

And that did the trick. Joseph Smith obeyed the sword-bearing angel, marrying as many women as he could. God only knows how many, since all of his marriages (except his first marriage to Emma Hale) were secret and illegal. But estimates run from 30 to 50, nearly all of which occurred within a few years (1841 to his death in 1844). Among his known wives were five pairs of sisters, one mother-daughter pair, and twelve women who were married to other men (Fawn Brodie, 1971, No Man Knows My History, p.336).

So Joseph Smith was just doing what God commanded. But why did God command it? For this reason, as the article explains:

God declared in the Book of Mormon that monogamy was the standard; at times, however, He commanded plural marriage so His people could “raise up seed unto [Him].”⁴⁴ Plural marriage did result in an increased number of children born to believing parents.

Note 44 refers the reader to a verse in the Book of Mormon, Jacob 2:30, which contains a loophole for polygamy.

For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things.

God forced plural marriage on Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other Mormon men from 1843 to 1890 to make big Mormon families -- just like it says in the last verse of Joseph Smith American Moses from the Book of Mormon musical (begins at about 5:00).

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For more information about Mormon polygamy, I recommend that you watch this excellent 4-minute video:

The Mormon church shows off its magic underwear (and then lies about them)

I guess we should be used to it by now.

In the last year or so, the official website of the LDS church has produced a series of videos that lie about address some of its more well-known (and absurd) beliefs.

First they admitted they were wrong about race (while keeping their racist beliefs); then they pretended to deny (but didn't) that Mormon men get their own planets after they die; and they admitted that Joseph Smith didn't translate the Book of Abraham.

Now they are exposing their magic underwear in front of God and everybody.

Of course, they insist that their magic underwear are neither magic nor underwear.

Many faithful Latter Day Saints wear a garment under their clothing that has deep religious significance. Similar in design to modern, modest underclothing, it comes in two pieces and is usually referred to as "the temple garment."

Some people incorrectly refer to temple garments as "magical" or "magic underwear." These words are not only inaccurate, but also offensive to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There is nothing magical or mystical about temple garments....

And yet temple garments are underwear since they are garments worn under clothing, similar to "modern, modest underclothing."

And Mormons believe that their underwear are magic, as the official LDS church handbook makes clear:

When properly worn, it provides protection against temptation and evil.

So if you wear the special underwear properly, they will protect you against temptation and evil.

Sounds like magic underwear to me.

Still, for the magic to work, you've got to wear the underwear properly, day and night. Don't ever take them off, if you can help it. And if you can't help it, put them back on as soon as possible.

Endowed members should wear the temple garment both day and night. They should not remove it, either entirely or partially, to work in the yard or for other activities that can reasonably be done with the garment worn properly beneath the clothing. Nor should they remove it to lounge around the home in swimwear or immodest clothing. When they must remove the garment, such as for swimming, they should put it back on as soon as possible.

The underwear are sacred and must be treated with respect. Keep them clean, off the floor, and don't hang them to dry in places where the neighbors might see them.

The garment is sacred and should be treated with respect at all times. Garments should be kept off the floor. They should also be kept clean and mended. After garments are washed, they should not be hung in public areas to dry.

And for God's sake, don't display your magic underwear in front of the gentiles (non-Mormons).

Nor should they be displayed or exposed to the view of people who do not understand their significance.

Oops, I guess the LDS church just broke its own rule on that one!

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For a much more honest look at the LDS church's magic underwear, see this video from The Thinking Atheist:

EJ&T - Deuteronomy 6: Love God; swear by his name; talk about his laws; memorize them; write them on your hand, forehead, door posts, gates, etc.

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

Love God.

Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5

Love him [God]. Deuteronomy 10:12

Thou shalt love the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 11:1

Hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God ... with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 11:13

Love the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 11:22

Love the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 19:9, 30:20

I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 30:16

Do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God. Joshua 22:5

Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. Joshua 23:11

Love the LORD, all ye his saints. Psalm 31:23

Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. Matthew 22:36-38

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mark 12:30

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind. Luke 10:27

Keep yourselves in the love of God. Jude 1:21

Know all of God's laws by heart.

These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. Deuteronomy 6:6

Lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul. Deuteronomy 11:13

Teach God's laws to your children.

Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. Deuteronomy 6:7a

Ye shall teach them [God's laws] [to] your children. Deuteronomy 1:18

Talk about God's laws when you're sitting in your house, when you're walking, when you lie down, and when you get up.

Talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 6:7

Speaking of them [God's laws] when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 11:19

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth. Joshua 1:8

Write God's laws on your hand and forehead.

Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. Deuteronomy 6:8

Bind them [God's laws] for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. Deuteronomy 11:18

Write God's laws on your door posts and gates.

And it shall be for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt. Exodus 13:16

Thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. Deuteronomy 6:9

Thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates. Deuteronomy 11:20

Swear by God's name.

Thou ... shalt swear by his name. Deuteronomy 6:13

Swear by his name. Deuteronomy 10:20

Don't tempt God.

Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 6:16

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Matthew 4:7

Do good.

Thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD. Deuteronomy 6:18

Do good. Psalm 34:14, 37:3, 37:27, 1 Peter 3:11

Learn to do well. Isaiah 1:17

Make your ways and your doings good. Jeremiah 18:11

Cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:9

Ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. 1 Thessalonians 5:15

Stablish you in every good word and work. 2 Thessalonians 2:17

Be not weary in well doing. 2 Thessalonians 3:13

Be ready to every good work. Titus 3:1

Learn to maintain good works. Titus 3:14

To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17

EJ&T - Deuteronomy 4: Don't add to or take away from God's laws

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

Don't add to or take away from God's laws

Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2

Thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. Deuteronomy 12:32

EJ&T Numbers 36: Inter-tribal marriages

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

A woman who receives an inheritance must not marry outside of her father's tribe.

Every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. Numbers 36:8

In Numbers 27, the daughters Zelophehad (the first feminists in the Bible?) told Moses that they should be able to inherit from their father since he had no sons. Moses asked God and God agreed with the daughters Zelophehad, issuing commandment 383.

But now a new problem arose. What if a woman inherits from her father in accordance with commandment 383 (because her father had no sons) and then marries a man from another tribe? If that happens, then the inheritance will belong to her new husband, and her new husband's tribe.

So Moses asked God what to do. To address the problem, God issued commandment 373.

Alma 26: I'm not bragging, I'm just really happy about how awesome my God is

After their great success converting the Lamanites, Aaron and his brothers (Ammon, Omner and Himni) were pretty happy. Ammon started to give a little speech, rejoicing and HooRah-ing about their triumph of converting so many Lamanites. (There isn't a whole lot to this chapter besides Ammon's boring speech, and a small argument between Aaron and Ammon.)

And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?  26.1 

And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell? 26.2  

Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.  26.3 

Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God. 26.4 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted. 26.5 

Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day; yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them. 26.6 

But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day. 26.7 

Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name, for he doth work righteousness forever. 26.8 

For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God. 26.9

 Aaron was getting sick of Ammon's speech, so he accused him of bragging.

And it came to pass that when Ammon had said these words, his brother Aaron rebuked him, saying: Ammon, I fear that thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting. 26.10

It didn't get Ammon to shut up, though. Ammon deflected it, saying that he was just rejoicing in God. He'd be nothing without the big guy.

But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. 26.11 

Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever. 26.12

Ammon continues on for the rest of the chapter, singing praise to God, and talking about how great He is for enabling the Lamanite conversion. It seems like he could go on forever.

Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice? 26.13 

Yea, we have reason to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren from the chains of hell. 26.14 

Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work. 26.15 

Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. 26.16
Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and polluted state? 26.17 

Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church. 26.18 

Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair? 26.19 

Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls. 26.20 

And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent. 26.21 

Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing -- unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance. 26.22 

Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, we go up to the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they laughed us to scorn? 26.23 

For they said unto us: Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as stiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delight in the shedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning? Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language. 26.24 

And moreover they did say: Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them and their iniquity out of the land, lest they overrun us and destroy us.  26.25 

But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls. 26.26 

Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success. 26.27 

And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world -- not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God. 26.28 

And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their synagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been stoned, and taken and bound with strong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again. 26.29 

And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. 26.30 

Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us. 26.31 

For behold, they had rather sacrifice their lives than even to take the life of their enemy; and they have buried their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards their brethren. 26.32 

And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not, even among the Nephites. 26.33 

For behold, they would take up arms against their brethren; they would not suffer themselves to be slain. But behold how many of these have laid down their lives; and we know that they have gone to their God, because of their love and of their hatred to sin. 26.34 

Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name. 26.35

But then, suddenly he ends the speech, right after dealing a final blow to Aaron for interrupting him earlier and accusing him of boasting. (That asshole has a lot of nerve...)

Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land. 26.36 

Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever. Amen. 26.37

EJ&T: Leviticus 33-35: Canaanites, Cities of Refuge, Revengers of Blood, and the two-witness rule

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

Make six cities of refuge (three on each side of the Jordan River), where accidental murderers can flee.

Ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares. And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment. And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for refuge. Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that killeth any person unawares may flee thither. Numbers 35:11-15

Then Moses severed three cities on this side Jordan toward the sunrising; That the slayer might flee thither, which should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not in times past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: Namely, Bezer in the wilderness, in the plain country, of the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites. Deuteronomy 4:41-43

Thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to possess it. Thou shalt prepare thee a way, and divide the coasts of thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee to inherit, into three parts, that every slayer may flee thither. And this is the case of the slayer, which shall flee thither, that he may live: Whoso killeth his neighbour ignorantly, whom he hated not in time past; As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live: Lest the avenger of the blood pursue the slayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake him, because the way is long, and slay him; whereas he was not worthy of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past. Wherefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt separate three cities for thee. And if the Lord thy God enlarge thy coast, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which he promised to give unto thy fathers; If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day, to love the Lord thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three: That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. Deuteronomy 19:2-10

The Lord also spake unto Joshua, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses: That the slayer that killeth any person unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he that doth flee unto one of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city, and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. And if the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because he smote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime. And he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled. Joshua 20:1-6

Murderers must be killed by "the revenger of blood" (the victim's nearest male relative).

And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him. But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him. Numbers 35:16-21

But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee. Deuteronomy 19:11-13

If someone kills another person accidentally, then the congregation sends him to a city of refuge, where he shall live until the high priest dies.

(If the killer leaves the city of refuge before the high priest dies, the revenger of blood can kill him.)

But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait, Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm: Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments: And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil. But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood: Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession. Numbers 35:22-28

It takes two witnesses to kill a murderer.

Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Numbers 35:30

EJ&T - Leviticus 30: Promises

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

Men must keep their promises.

If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. Numbers 30:2

A woman who lives in her father's house doesn't have to keep her promise, unless her father agrees with it.

If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth; And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand. But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the Lord shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her. Numbers 30:3-5

A married woman desn't have to keep her promise, unless her husband agrees with it.

And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the Lord shall forgive her. Numbers 30:6-8

And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath; And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the Lord shall forgive her. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void. But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them. But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity. Numbers 30:10-15

Widows and divorced women must keep their promises.

But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her. Numbers 30:9

Alma 25: Another Lamanite conversion

The Laminates who hadn't converted were more angry than ever. Instead of sticking around to kill the Anti-Nephi-Lehis, though, they decided to take their armies into Zarahemla to attack the people in the land of Ammonihah. They killed everyone there. 

And behold, now it came to pass that those Lamanites were more angry because they had slain their brethren; therefore they swore vengeance upon the Nephites; and they did no more attempt to slay the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi at that time. 25.1  

 But they took their armies and went over into the borders of the land of Zarahemla, and fell upon the people who were in the land of Ammonihah, and destroyed them. 25.2

But after killing the Ammonihahites, the Lamanites lost many battles to the Nephites. Among those who were killed were almost all of Amulon's descendants, and most of the descendants of Noah's other priests.

And after that, they had many battles with the Nephites, in the which they were driven and slain. 25.3

And among the Lamanites who were slain were almost all the seed of Amulon and his brethren, who were the priests of Noah, and they were slain by the hands of the Nephites; 25.4

The remaining Lamanites fled to the wilderness. Out there, they remembered the words of Aaron and many of them converted. The remaining descendants of Amulon were not happy about this conversion, though, so they started burning to death any new converts.

And the remainder, having fled into the east wilderness, and having usurped the power and authority over the Lamanites, caused that many of the Lamanites should perish by fire because of their belief -- 25.5 

For many of them, after having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, began to be stirred up in remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in their land; therefore they began to disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them converted in the wilderness. 25.6 

And it came to pass that those rulers who were the remnant of the children of Amulon caused that they should be put to death, yea, all those that believed in these things. 25.7

Of course, the new converts weren't too happy about being burned to death. They started hunting down the Amulon's descendants and killing them. Unfortunately, they didn't get them all. The ones that they didn't kill fled into the east wilderness.

Now this martyrdom caused that many of their brethren should be stirred up to anger; and there began to be contention in the wilderness; and the Lamanites began to hunt the seed of Amulon and his brethren and began to slay them; and they fled into the east wilderness. 25.8

The descendants of Amulon are, TO THIS DAY, hunted by the Lamanites. This fulfills the dying words of Abinadi, who predicted that the Lamanites who burned him and so many of his people would be scattered across the land and slain.

And behold they are hunted at this day by the Lamanites. Thus the words of Abinadi were brought to pass, which he said concerning the seed of the priests who caused that he should suffer death by fire. 25.9 

For he said unto them: What ye shall do unto me shall be a type of things to come. 25.10 

And now Abinadi was the first that suffered death by fire because of his belief in God; now this is what he meant, that many should suffer death by fire, according as he had suffered. 25.11 

And he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; and now behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and they were smitten. 25.12

When the Lamanites finally realized that they couldn't beat the Nephites, many of them decided to join the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. They buried their swords, bows and slings, and started worshipping God and following the laws of Moses.

And it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites they returned again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi. 25.13 

And they did also bury their weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes. 25.14  

Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them. 25.15

Ammon, Aaron, Omner and Himni were very pleased. They had successfully converted most of the Lamanites. Hip hip .... Horoay! Hip hip .... Hooray!

And now behold, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brethren did rejoice exceedingly, for the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord had granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular. 25.17 

 

Guest Post: Apparent Contradictions, Part 1, by Berend de Boer

For this post, I invited Berend de Boer to have the floor to discuss contradictions that he thinks I should remove from the Skeptic's Annotated Bible. Berend created a website called "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered", where he has went through the entire SAB with his comments, alongside mine, explaining his stance on the relevant verses.

Here's an example page from his website, and here's a link to the preface of his website.

It took him 7 years to complete, so it's pretty clear that although he's a believer, he does really know his Bible. So let's hear what he has to say. So far he's given me 5 explanations of contradictions. I'm going to post them one at a time so we can examine them here at the blog.

A note about the comments for this post: I usually allow just about any comment to be published on this blog, but for this post I'm going to delete any comment that is more name-calling than substance. 

Apparent contradictions

In a court room we often hear the claim that two witnesses contradict one another. But a claim does not an argument make. Everyone recognises that such claims come from a source with a bias: the lawyer for one of the parties. The claim needs to be proven.

Every Bible scholar will recognise that there are apparent contradictions in the Bible. But do they ever rise to a true contradiction? One party believes that the Bible is a book written by fallible humans, copied with errors over the ages, and yes of course, things have gone wrong here and there. Another party even believes that there was intention to deceive, the Bible can't be trusted. And then there's the party to which I belong which believes that although humans were used to write the Bible, they were moved by the holy Spirit, and that God has preserved his Word uncorrupted throughout the ages. And the latter party is at odds with the first two.

In this article I want to advocate for an approach to raise the discussion above a ‘he said’, ‘she said.’ It's an approach I've used when I wrote a full reply to all issues raised by the author of the Skeptic's Annotated Bible, and occasionally have spelled out in detail. My challenge to the author of the SAB is to rewrite all suitable contradictions as a syllogism.

The earliest form of the syllogism comes from Aristotle, and its most famous example is as follows:

1. All men are mortal. [major premise]
2. Socrates is a man. [minor premise]
3. Therefore Socrates is mortal. [conclusion]

In addition I will use Euler circles (think Venn diagrams) for those who are more visually oriented. The syllogism expressed as an Euler circle:

This diagram shows the set of mortals, men are a subset of this, and Socrates is a subset of men. It clearly shows that yes indeed, Socrates is a mortal.

Did Moses marry a Canaanite women?

Let's apply this approach to some contradictions. The first one is Numbers 12:1. The relevant portion of the verse:

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married.

Mr Wells comments:

Miriam and Aaron (Moses' brother and sister) criticize Moses for marrying an Ethiopian woman and thus breaking the law of God ... But God makes it clear that his rules don't apply to his favorites, and he strikes Miriam with leprosy.

Let's rewrite this as a syllogism:

1. God forbade to marry a daughter of the Canaanites.
2. The Ethiopian woman was the daughter of an inhabitant of Canaan.
3. Moses married her, therefore he broke God's law.

Instead of using a syllogism to highlight the logic, we can use an equivalent Euler circle:

The argument is that Moses' wife was an Ethopian woman, and an Ethopian woman was a Canaanite, which was in the class of women God had forbidden to marry.

Back to the syllogism: if the major and the minor premises hold (the first two clauses), then the conclusion is unassailable: Moses broke God's law. But that however is not the case, the minor premise is false: Ethiopia happens to be quite outside Canaan. It's like saying: the Native American woman was the daughter of an inhabitant of Russia.

The correct Euler circle demonstrates this clearly:

The two categories of women don't overlap. So there is no contradiction.

Conclusion

I challenge Mr. Wells to give his contradictions as a syllogism. If Mr. Wells gives his contradictions as a syllogism, the correct conclusion then depends on the application of logic, and he can argue if his premises are correct.

I have given three examples of this: one where his minor premise was incorrect, one where his conclusion did not follow, and one where his major premise was incorrect.

I'm certain that in almost every instant it is clear that either his logic or his premises are incorrect. There may be remaining cases where it is very hard to argue either way, due to the distance of time, but regardless it will not be impossible to show that a reasonable defence is possible.

---

Berend de Boer has an M.Sc in software engineering, and currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand. He is interested in applying more logic and computation to apologetics and theology. A few years ago he completed giving a response to all issues raised by the Sceptics Annotated Bible.

Eid al-Adha

It's Eid al-Adha agian. You know, the day where you're supposed to kill an animal for God in honor of Abraham's willingness to kill his son.

Hundreds of millions of animals throughout the world will have their throats slit today just to make Allah happy.



It is amazing how much evil can be caused by an imaginary God.