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Goodbye Jesus

Contradictions in the bible about healing


Simone

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Hi everyone,

 

In my deconversion process, the unanswered prayers helped to go out as probably many of ex-christians. One of the most choquing experience is

when I was in a pentecostal church and I remember a woman who was paralyzed with a horrible disease  (I do not remember the name

of this disease but she had big pimples every where, it was not chickenpox) and  the pastors and church prayed for her healing but she never recovered.

Same another time, a new born who was very sick, we prayed for him and he died. Theses two souvenirs have been traumatic and the point where I could

not continue to believe in a God full of love.

 

Recently I remembered two verses in the bible where it seems that Paul and Jesus do not agree

 

In Mark 16:16

 

Jesus said :

 

Then he said to them, “You must go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. He who believes it and is baptised will be saved, but he who disbelieves it will be condemned. These signs will follow those who do believe: they will drive out evil spirits in my name; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous it will do them no harm; they will lay their hands upon the sick and they will recover.”

 

But Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:7

 

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

 

Jesus said as I myself understand that all believer should be able to heal by laying their hands upon the sick. But Paul mentions that the Holy Ghost gives different gifts and it seems that

not all christians receive the gift of healing. So I conclude not every christian can heal the sick people.

 

So don't be surprise that the bible is a mess !!

 

Have you also noticed these contradictions ?

 

And so many of us have been witnesses of no healing, unanswered prayers...when I think about these poor christians that needed so to be healed 🥺

 

This is the reasons why I left christianity...Stopto believe to lies and false promises and go out of mind control. Good work !

 

 

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Hey, @Simone,

 

One could argue that Jesus was referring to the entire believing body when he, supposedly, described the "powers" they would have. He may have meant that each would have their own single or set of the described attributes.

 

In the end, however, we know this is all antiquity times "logic" and really has no place today.

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37 minutes ago, Simone said:

Hi everyone,

 

In my deconversion process, the unanswered prayers helped to go out as probably many of ex-christians. One of the most choquing experience is when I was in a pentecostal church and I remember .............

 

Quote

(concluding that:)

 

............not all Christians receive the gift of healing. So I conclude not every Christian can heal the sick people.

 

 

You might say that none, including Jesus, have ever had the gift of healing. The biblical person of Jesus probably never existed in the first place as well as God of the bible. As for me, I don't believe in any kind of God. The only gifts for healing are education and experience where through the application of technology, medicines, diagnostics, transfusions, therapy of different types, sleep, rest etc.,  some people can be healed.

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Oh, I remember thinking along these lines, as well, many years ago.

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6 hours ago, Simone said:

they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous it will do them no harm; they will lay their hands upon the sick and they will recover

Now here's one for the books.  Not too far from where I live there are snake handling churches--churches where they literally pick up snakes as an act of worship.  Not just little ol' garden snakes, either; they handle timber rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouths: the real poison boys.  

 

So, a few years back, a preacher got bit in one of these churches.  Bit bad by a rattler.  Well, he refused to go to the doctor, or even let anybody call an ambulance for him.  No, instead, you guessed it, he had the church folks gather around him and lay their hands on him for his healing.  They prayed over him for hours as he slowly slipped into oblivion on account of the rattler venom.

 

He went on to be with the lord that night.  Reckon heaven needed another idiot.

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Ah, those snake handlers. Honestly, I admire them more than I do most Christians. They're dead wrong about everything but at least they walk the walk where others just talk. They also occasionally offer the world proof that sincere belief, faith and prayer are useless.

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11 hours ago, Simone said:

In Mark 16:16

 

Jesus said :

 

Then he said to them, “You must go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. He who believes it and is baptised will be saved, but he who disbelieves it will be condemned. These signs will follow those who do believe: they will drive out evil spirits in my name; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous it will do them no harm; they will lay their hands upon the sick and they will recover.”

 

 

This verse is a later interpolation so historians would say that Jesus cannot be considered to have said this in any historical sense. Mark actually ends at 16:9 in our earliest most accurate copies. 

 

One of the major contradiction's I find with healing is not within the bible, but with what the bible says and reality. It's suggested in the bible that healing should be a fairly common occurrence if one has faith. If that was the case we'd expect to see a lot less Christian's in hospital dying from cancer. However what we see is Christian's in the hospital dying at the same rates as anyone else when all other factors are taken into account.

 

Prayer studies have been done and it's been shown that prayer is about as useful as flipping a coin.

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2 hours ago, LogicalFallacy said:

it's been shown that prayer is about as useful as flipping a coin.

I disagree with this.  Even if you get tails when you wanted heads, you still have a coin that you can go spend based on its inherent value as legal tender.  When prayer doesn't work, you've got nothing at all of any value.  Just a lot of wasted time, effort, and oxygen.  

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6 hours ago, TheRedneckProfessor said:

I disagree with this.  Even if you get tails when you wanted heads, you still have a coin that you can go spend based on its inherent value as legal tender.  When prayer doesn't work, you've got nothing at all of any value.  Just a lot of wasted time, effort, and oxygen.  

 

Good point, good point. Ok I'll let you have that one.

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9 hours ago, LogicalFallacy said:

This verse is a later interpolation so historians would say that Jesus cannot be considered to have said this in any historical sense. Mark actually ends at 16:9 in our earliest most accurate copies. 

 

Not just that, Paul would have been around before Mark either way. With the interpolation extending out beyond that. So it would be a situation where whoever Paul was saw it as limited gifts, and then much later the mystery writer later assigned the name "Mark" changed it up and exaggerated the original thought. Through his fictional writing about this jesus character. 

 

Supposed events > Paul's writing > the first gospels > interpolations added to the gospels

 

A contradiction, but a contradiction between what appears to be fictional writers. Where the latter writer became much more grandiose in retelling older myths. And then more writers came in behind him and continued adding more and more grandiose and supernatural content. With John being the latest and most grandiose of the former three gospels and Paul. 

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6 hours ago, LogicalFallacy said:

 

Good point, good point. Ok I'll let you have that one.

To speak to your point, though: flipping a coin actually gives better odds than prayer.  With a coin, there is a 50% chance of getting the desired result; because there are only 2 possible outcomes.  Prayer has 3 potential outcomes: "yes," "no," or "wait."  This yields only a 33.3% chance of obtaining the desired result--16.7% lower than flipping a coin.

 

One can increase one's odds by praying for things that are likely to happen anyway.  "lord, please let my paycheck come in on Friday."  One can also increase the odds by redefining what is being prayed for.  "lord, please let me find a good parking spot."  "Good" could mean a spot close to the building; or it could mean a spot further away but under a nice shady tree.  

 

But when it comes to making decisions, like should I take this new job or try to get a promotion at my current job, a coin is much simpler, less confusing, and just as effective as prayer.

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