People Share Their Views On Religious Plot Holes And Contradictions They Don’t Understand
Their answers will give you something to think about.
Religions are very complex. That’s hardly surprising if you consider they took centuries to build. Their teachings have been interpreted so many times, translated to different languages…
Probably some things were added, and some things were lost. So to really understand a religion, a person must be genuinely devoted. And of course, there are bound to be some confusing moments along the way.
Redditor u/sebastian-yrigoyen called people to share the “plot holes” they have observed while practicing their religion. And the answers were quite interesting.
We have selected some of the most interesting ones and we know they will make you wonder.
1. Men wrote the bible.
"Bring on the downvotes bc I know I'm going to get them.
No bible is the word of God written by man. They are the words of MEN written by MEN.
FFS there are over 1,000 denominations of Christianity alone, each knowing their version is the right one and all others are blasphemy.
Not to mention every bible from each religion is packed with contradictions..."
2. Wife?
"In the beginning there was Adam and Eve" Ok, I'm following that. 2 people on the planet.
They had 2 sons named Cain and Able. Yep, still with it. 4 people on the planet.
Cain killed Able. Ok, thats down to 3 people on the planet.
Cain took a wife. Wait, wut?"
All these "plot holes" that people noticed in their religious research basically highlight the underlying differences between religion and science. The National Academy of Medicine (formerly The National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine) shared their view on the topic:
"Science and religion are based on different aspects of human experience. In Science, explanations must be based on evidence drawn from examining the natural world.
Scientifically based observations or experiments that conflict with an explanation eventually must lead to modification or even abandonment of that explanation. Religious faith, in contrast, does not depend only on empirical evidence, is not necessarily modified in the face of conflicting evidence, and typically involves supernatural forces or entities."
3.
"Virgin Mary had a child. Glances suspiciously at churches/catholic schools stating abstinence is 100% effective in avoiding a pregnancy."
The National Academy of Medicine claims that since they are not a part of nature, supernatural beings cannot be studied by science. In their opinion, science and religion are completely separate and address elements of human comprehension in unique ways.
Efforts to pit religion and science against each other create a dispute that does no good.
4. Adam and Eve
If Adam and Eve were the first two people on Earth and are responsible for the birth of all people ever, than the entire human race is the product of incest.
Although, to be fair, that does explain quite a lot.
5.
"I would say about 3/4 of hardcore Christians think being LGBT is wrong and against their god, but then also say that "God created everyone exactly how he wants them to be" like ?????"
6. Wrath
"God is perfect and cannot sin. There exists “the wrath of God.” Wrath is one of the seven deadly sins."
7.
"I could live my entire life, adhering completely to the Christian moral compass, save millions of lives, treat every person with the utmost respect and dignity, refuse all toxic thoughts and actions, and yet (according to most Christian dogma) I would still burn in hell for eternity if I didn’t believe the Christian God exists.
That sentiment alone tells me that morality, and the course of our lives in general, is irrelevant in the end. All that matters is that the Christian God gets recognition. That God, to me, sounds more narcissistic than benevolent and loving. And therefore, is not a God I wish to worship.
There’s also issues such as, if God is truly omnipotent and omniscient then he could have purged the world of all suffering and pain. But he hasn’t because... he loves us? Because somehow the gift of free will, and therefore the gift of imperfection is more important than letting your children suffer and experience pain? Some children are born into poverty, beaten, starved, and killed before 10 years of age, without ever seeing kindness. What’s the lesson there God? Why must you treat the creations you love with such disdain solely to “make a point.”
I could go on. There’s so many issues I have with that belief system and narrative."
8.
"God teaches us that it is a sin to be envious, and to be prideful, and that we must have compassion and understanding for others. And yet he will literally condemn someone to an eternity in hell for not worshiping him, even if said person has literally never heard of him."
9.
"I don't know if this is considered as a plot hole:
Judas Iskariot was essential to Jesus' plan. If he didn't sold Jesus out then the prophecy will not come true.
Why then is he considered a villain? He should be at the top! He got the job done!"
10. The Sun
"I don't believe in any kind of God but I've always found it funny how in the bible, God made the sun on the fourth day. How could there have been any days before that?"
11.
What happened to all the fresh water fish in the flood
12.
"This isn’t my religion, but I always found it hypocritical that the gods punished Oedipus for sleeping with his mother without realizing it, despite the fact that Zeus married his own sister while being fully aware that they were siblings."
13. The only one
"Plot hole: there are hundreds of other religions that also claim to be the only true one"
14.
"Late to the party, but in Islam there's the belief that God knows everything you will do before you're even born. Meaning that we don't control our own actions.
At the same time, to get into Heaven, you need to-- of your own accord-- pray 5 times daily, read the Quran, etc. So my thing is this: If God knows what everyone is gonna do beforehand, and He knows people aren't gonna do what it takes to get into Heaven (cause he is omniscient); doesn't this then mean that God has already decided who goes to Heaven and who gets Hell?
Cause there's no possible way in any Abrahamic religion (cause they all operate under the "do this to get into paradise" thing and all have God knowing everything before it happens) that we'd be able to try to get into Heaven. And this is just the tip of the iceberg on questions"
15.
"I want to know why so many Christians say that murder is wrong but ignore all the killing that God did in the Bible. Like, how do they justify drowning everyone except Noah and his family?"
16. Dinosaurs
"The lack of dinosaurs."
17.
"Evidence."
18.
"We can read Egyptian hieroglyphics. They kept extensive records. No mention of using Jewish slaves to build the pyramids, them revolting, a royal named Moses or a Red Sea parting."
19. Man wrote the Bible
"If man is not perfect, but man wrote the Bible how am I supposed to trust what I’m reading from the Bible. How do I know they didn’t mess anything up?"
20.
"Not really a plot hole in the Christianity , but a plot hole in the interpretation of it.
Christianity was originally highly Jewish based and they didn’t like Romans, a few centuries later it was Roman/ European based and they heavily discriminated Jewish people. Wut"
21.
"I'm a lapsed catholic. Idolatry is one of the biggest "plot holes." If you worship the virgin Mary or any other saint you are as a matter of fact doing blasphemy. Don't come with the argument of them being a "middle man." Speak to god directly. The worship of saints is pretty much polytheism with yahweh (christian god) being Zeus's equivalent."
22. Satan
"Why would satan punish humans for rebelling against god, something that he himself once did. I've always thought of it as hypocritical, and that satan would reward the human for exercising their free will and living a life free of religious constraints."
23.
"It's not my religion but - I love everyone no matter what" followed by "You better love me back or I'm gonna hate you forever and torture you for eternity" followed by "I don't love those people neither should you, what you should do is make their lives a living hell".
24.
"An omnipotent being is used to explain the origin of everything in this universe, but there's no explanation for the origin of said omnipotent being."
25. Sinners hate sinners?
"If Satan punishes those who sin, wouldn't he be considered a good guy?
Alternatively, if Satan is a bad guy, why would he punish other sinners?"
26.
"What happened to Jesus in his teen years tho?"
27.
"The concept of eternal peace and joy in heaven sounds very psychologically degrading long term. It sounds like living like a pet dog."
28. White people
"Why do Christians think the characters in the bible are white or very caucasian looking?"
29.
"Former catholic.. still waiting for somebody to explain Jesus's DNA situation is.. is he haploid? Where does his Y chromosome come from? So many questions."
30. Confusion
"I am a Christian and a thing that has really puzzled me is that if Adam and Eve ever gave birth to a child wouldn't it be a sin even if marriage wasn't a thing back then? Like despite marriage not being a thing back then it would still technically be a sin in the future. Or did God make marriage a thing in the future and just brush it off since Marriage wasn't a thing back then? I am confusion."
