AW! Epistles
From Russell Odell 5
Abstract
Wednesday, October 04, 2000
Agnostic Adventures
© 1986 Russell Odell
Hello again Mike.
Thought I would let you see some of the trouble an agnostic runs into with the pious crowd.
A few months ago I was invited to a small social gathering that unbeknownst to me was a private Bible Study group. In a way I think this was a planned entrapment. Being an agnostic sometimes get into more trouble than an atheist. After all the pleasantries of small talk and introductions they got down to talking about the validity of the Holy Ghost. I let them rave on for about 15—20 minutes until some one asked me what I thought of the Holy Ghost.
I think I shocked them when I told them I gave up believing about Santa Claus, Peter Rabbit, the Trinity and Mother Goose years ago. You could hear a pin drop. I told them point blank that I thought they were a very naïve group of adults. My friend had told me this was a science group not a religious Bible study group. They countered that they were Christian Science, the science of the Bible.
I told them Christian Science has about as much science to it that the Pope had years ago when he put Galileo under house arrest for finding the moons of Jupiter and that the surface of the Sun had spots on it. I told them I would give my viewpoints on the subject if they wanted to listen and I would be willing to listen to their side. They chose not to. I excused myself and went . Sad to say, I haven’t heard from my friend in over three weeks. So be it.
Trinity
© 1986 Russell Odell
Previous to this encounter I had written to 17 of the stalwart television Bible thumpers and gave them my Bible verses, and asked them to comment on how they strengthened or weakened the Trinity Theory. After weeks, only one had the courage to answer. He didn’t answer my questions, he only commented width "You are in error&because you do not know the scriptures!!!" I took this as more of a "put down" to my lack of intelligence. Here is my answer to Mr. Rob Robinson of robrobinson@calvarychapel.com . I get these guys every so often through E-mail . I love taking them on. They finally drop out when the plot thickens.
I wonder if I will hear from Mr. Robinson again?? I suppose you get involved with one of these pious gentlemen once in a while too. I like them because it helps to keep the mind sharp.
Dear Mr. Robinson:
Thank you for your reply to my questions concerning the Trinity. I had sent out 17 E-Mails to such noted religious stalwarts as Casey Treat and John Hagee and others. You were the only one that replied. My compliments!
I am trying to find the validity for believing in the Trinity. That, and nothing more. I am not criticizing anyone for their beliefs, what ever they may be.
I have difficulty believing the Trinity philosophy when I read in Matthew 3:17
"And lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." How could he be Jesus being , and at the same time be God in heaven complimenting himself? This shows that the Trinity theory of 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 is a pious error.
1 Timothy 2:15 reads, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and man." Is not Christ the one mediator between God and man? This verse shows another weakness in the Trinity theory.
Another verse that proves the fallacy of the Trinity doctrine is Luke 23:46.
"And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. If God was Jesus incarnate, this means that God, not his son, was crucified and was dead for three days. If this be true, who raised Jesus from the dead on the third day? A few Bible students told me that the Holy Ghost raised God/Jesus from death. However, that cannot be true because the Trinity claims that the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost are the same ONE. The enigma of the Trinity falls apart.
Answer me as to whom was Jesus praying to during the entire Chapter of John 17? If there was a Trinity, was he praying to himself? Is this sort of a religious self analysis?
In Mark 14:35, 36 we can read, "And he went forward a little and fell down on the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee, take away this cup from me: never the less, not what I will, but what thou wilt." If the Trinity doctrine is stable, to whom was Jesus asking this of? It is very evident that Jesus himself didn’t know about this riddle of the Trinity!
Because you did not have the knowledge to answer my question, you chose to slough it off by telling me "you do not know the scriptures". (How untrue, I am quite a Bible student). The truth of the matter is you are ignorant of scriptural knowledge and therefore unable to answer the question. Don’t feel incapacitated about your lack of knowledge in this particular incident. I have a cousin with a Ph.D. in Theology, a minister of a large Church back East, who tells me the "only way your can believe in the Trinity is by Faith and Faith alone. There is no concrete evidence in the Bible per se. It is purely a matter of spiritual interpretation and belief." [He too, believes it. I don’t!!!]
By the way Mike, I think I will write an article on this Trinity Theory. Maybe you can use it on your Internet Site. It is a hot subject with the churches here in the US.
Trinity Mathematics: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1
© 1986 Russell Odell
In 1915 I went to a little country one room schoolhouse. It was where I began learning about that stuff called "read’n ’n write’n ’n a-RITH-ma-TIC." I even remember the school teacher’s name, Miss Mae. She was the minister’s wife as well as my Sunday School teacher. I had about a dozen classmates of various ages in various stages of getting through grammar school. I spent a couple of years in that school and Miss Mae taught me how to add, subtract and multiply. I was good at it and I thought myself quite a mathematician, sort of border line genius. I knew that 1 + 1 = 2, and I was thoroughly convinced, and still am, that 1 + 1 + 1 = 3.
A little later in school studying elementary physics I learned that no two bodies could occupy the same space at the same time. You don’t have to be too smart to learn that these two bits of learning are true regardless of where you are in the world and it is also true when astronauts are two or three miles up in the sky circling planet earth.
Mother, being a devoted Christian carted me off to Sunday School. Here I learned about God and Jesus. In these early years no one talked about the Holy Ghost. Only in the last 15—20 years has the Holy Ghost became very prominent in religious circles. The reason for its spectacular attention is because no one can explain what it is. I note that the religious hierarchy like to have something they can make the people believe that only the elite can understand even though it confuses the sheep they shepherd.
There are many wishy washy attempts and fantastic long winded interpretations trying to establish the Third Party in the heavenly realm. Of all the religious books on the market I have never seen one explaining the Holy Ghost synopsis. It is evident the Church believes in the old adage, "Let sleeping dogs lie." However, if one pious soul should attempt such an undertaking, he/she would write it with all the honesty they believed in. I do not doubt their sincere honesty in writing what they believe. It is not their intent to mislead anyone. They are really sincere in what they believe and they have proven it to themselves beyond all doubt. As an agnostic I know how difficult it is to prove something to ones self.
When I ask my Christian friends , "What is the Holy Ghost?"
They answer, "The Holy Ghost is the Trinity."
Then I ask , "What is the Trinity . I can’t find that word in my Bible?"
"The Trinity is God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost."
"Then you believe in three Gods?"
"Oh heavens no," they exclaim in a frightened voice, "I believe in only one God. God the father!"
"Then you don’t believe that Jesus is a God?"
"Of course I do. Jesus and God are the same."
"How does the Holy Ghost fit into this heavenly group?" Their answer bewilders me. "God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are all the same person. They are not three separate beings. They are one. There is only one God. This is what we call the Trinity."
I have a mental flashback to what Miss Mae taught me in a-rith-ma-tic. 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. Religious addition is 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. They must have gone to a different school house and their teacher was not as smart as Miss Mae.
Their belief in the Trinity is that there is only one God. That God consists of The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. They are incorporated into ONE. When their Jesus came to earth, it was God himself, not a son of God. It was God incarnate. If this be true, God was a mere babe in arms of a defenseless Jewish maiden. The world, at this time, was without God for the many months "HE" was in this infancy stage. I have never heard this point brought out in any of the sermons I have heard concerning the birth of Christ. Why not? It would of course, hamper believing that 1 + 1 + 1 = 1.
I asked for Bible verses to prove their doctrine. Very readily they gave me, John 4:24 God is Spirit; John 5:26 God is life; Psalms 145:3 God is infinite; James 1:17 God is immutable. Matthew 19:26 God is almighty. Their big verse is 2 Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."
When I point out that not one of these verses claim to be the answer to the question, they do get a bit perturbed and ridicule me for not being able to understand the scriptures and having faith in my church leaders.
I have found one gentlemen, a James Watkins who tries to tie the Holy Ghost into the Old Testament, and does a fair job of it, by saying:
Who is the Holy Spirit? In the second verse of Genesis we find "the Spirit of God" hovering over the yet to be formed earth (Gen 1:2). Throughout the Old Testament we find references to God’s prophets or messengers being inspired and empowered by his Spirit. But it’s not until the New Testament that the Spirit of God is called by name as "The Holy Spirit." (Lk 1:35).
Here is a man that is really trying to pull the religious chestnuts out of the fire. However, if that is what he believes, so be it.
The Holy Ghost is not mentioned in the Old Testament. It is strictly a coined New Testament word. No where in the New Testament is the holy ghost defined. The name originated by different clergy concocting a new name based on how they interpret certain verses in their Bible. It doesn’t matter what the Bible’s words say, it is how they interpret them. This is what I call—open season. It is based on inspiration, talks with God, revelations with the spirits or asking for understanding through prayer.
I will quote Bible verses to make 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. Just like Miss Mae taught me when I was about five years.
Our first encounter with the holy ghost comes from Matthew 1:18 and 20, where it tells, before Joseph married Mary, she was already pregnant by the Holy Ghost.
Luke tells the story of Mary’s pregnancy by saying an angel of the Lord appeared to Mary and told her that she was going to be with child. Mary questioned this because she had known no man. In Luke 1:35 the angel tells her the Holy Ghost shall come up on her in a shadow and she would conceive. For Gods to impregnate humans is nothing new in some religious faiths. The Greek god Zeus was a supreme god, the son of Uranus whom he succeeded. Zeus was also an amorous god with hot pants who loved many goddesses, nymphs and also mortals. It is said he had 115 mistresses and 140 children. It is possible that some of these little bastards became gods. This is why the men like to sing, "Give me that Old Time Religion!" Sacramental sex must be sensational.
Here is what Jesus had to say about the Holy Ghost, John 14:16 and 26 (Note: All Bible verses are from the King James Bible). Jesus tells his disciple that when he leaves them:
And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever… But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to our remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 15:26:
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.
John 16:7:
Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Notice in all there verses, Jesus was one; He spoke of his Father, as one, and he spoke of the Holy Ghost as another one that will be sent. Miss Mae was right, 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. Not only did Miss Mae teach this but Jesus expounded it with these three verses.
Even with these three verses of Jesus, we are not told what the Comforter is. What was sent? I have heard many answers to this question. Each answer an opinion called an interpretation. If we don’t know what it is, how will we be able to recognize the Holy Ghost when it comes? The Holy Ghost is a very gray matter in religion. Many believe in it but none call tell you what it actually is. Of course, you can always accept it on faith. This Comforter (Holy Ghost) that Jesus is talking about disproves the Trinity theory. If the Trinity is God, Jesus and Ghost all in the same body, why did Jesus say "I will send him unto you" (John 16:7).
For anyone to concoct and idea and ask people to believe it without any substantiating evidence except faith is a cruel way of explaining something to get people to believe. Giving the word three, the pious interpretation of Trinity disguises the belief in more than one God. Any school kid knows that three is more than one and no religious shenanigans can change that simple mathematical fact that we learn in First Grade. As I said before, "naming something doesn’t explain it." Let me prove it. Because names can be very confusing.
The Laughing Jackass is not a jackass with the giggles. It is the Kookaburra bird of Australia.
The Flying Fox is not a fox with wings. It is a large tropical bat.
The Ladybird is nor a bird. It is a small beetle.
A Mud Puppy is not a puppy that likes to play in the mud. It is a large aquatic salamander.
A Sea Elephant is not an elephant that goes to sea. It is a type of seal.
A Shipworm is not a worm. It is a shellfish that burrows into wooden ships.
Thus you can see that names can be very misleading and the word Trinity is one of them. It tries to make three look like ONE!
There is a good reason why the Churches wants to make three into one. They are cleverly thinking beyond the sheep they are shepherding. It can be explained this way.
Between the last chapter of Malachi in the Old Testament and the first chapter of Matthew in the New Testament there is a span of 400 years. During these 400 years and long before this, the Hebrews worshipped their one and only God. The Gentiles, had many gods. All during history, man has, for some reason, had to have a god. It was sort of a safety net, a security crutch. When you can’t face up to a problem it is comforting to have something to lean on even if it is only a myth. Then, if it doesn’t work out, you can always blame the "crutch" . Chinese call this kind of stuff face-saving. It was something they secretly depended on when things didn’t go as planned. They had to have a god to pray to, to ask for help, they established rituals and sacrifices and many doctrines. In other words, they created the kind of god they wanted. This is why there is a variety of gods. They are made to order. They don’t just happen.
Even though the Jews were always in trouble with their neighbors ( and they still are) they are somehow protected. It took them 40 years to get out of Egypt and they wandered another 40 years in the inhospitable desert. During those 80 years of suffering they still believed in that one god. After 80 years they were safe again. Today, in Israel they are still on top because God made the United States their protector. They still believe in their one god.
During the 400 years of silence between the Old and the New Testaments, the Gentiles could not help but notice that belief in one god produced better results than their belief in many. They decided to copy the Hebrew’s philosophy. They didn’t want to become Hebrews but like the Hebrews they wanted to set up their own religion with only one god instead of many. The Gentiles felt if they took the Hebrew’s god they might be considered Jews. They didn’t want that. But the Hebrews God was a strong God. There was talk that God was going to send his son to help the Jews. When the Son came along the Gentiles made him their God. So we have a New Testament for the Gentiles and the Old Testament for the Jews.
Somewhere along the line the Gentiles had two Gods, God the Father and Jesus Christ. They we getting away from their One God doctrine. As time went on the Gentiles added the Holy Ghost. Now they had THREE Gods. Their doctrine got so tangled up they couldn’t straighten it out and get back to the doctrine of one God like the Jews. They came up with a simple fix. God the Father, his son Jesus and the Holy Ghost where the same ONE. They were not three separate entities. They invented a new Trinty Math:
1 + 1 + 1 = 1.
Religion is complicated enough without screwing up the little kids’ arithmetic. Maybe the Jews should teach the Gentiles how to add.
Now to straighten out the religious math and make 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. How would a Trinity believer explain the baptism of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 3:17. "And lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." How could God be Jesus being baptized and at the same time be the God in heaven saying, "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased?
When Jesus hung dying on the cross he said, as recorded in Luke 23:46, "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." If Jesus was God incarnate, this means that God was dead for three days. Then who raised Jesus from the dead? I have had Bible students tell me the Holy Ghost raised Jesus. If all three were of the same body, what kept the Holy Ghost alive during the crucifixion?
In Mark 14:35-36 we read:
And he went forward a little, and fell down on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee, take away this cup from me: never the less not what I will, but what thou wilt.
If you believe in the Trinity, to whom was Jesus praying to?
One odd thing I notice in churches is who they pray to. They pray to God the Father, they pray to Jesus Christ, but they never pray to the Holy Ghost. They pay their respects to the Holy Ghost by closing with, "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost." The Holy Ghost is tacked onto the end of a prayer with about the same importance that a period is added to close a sentence. It has to be there. It is a religious closure to a prayer like, "Sincerely Yours" or, "Very truly yours," at the end of a letter. The Holy Ghost does not seem to have the same status as God, or Jesus Christ. This is why I wonder about its importance. It appears as an after thought.
I know what Miss Mae taught me over four score years ago is still good a-RITH-ma-TIC, 1 + 1 + 1 still equals THREE.
Copyright the Bible?
© 1986 Russell Odell
A circled "c" (©) is the recognized worldwide copyright symbol. What does it mean? It is the statutory right of the creator to exclusive control of an original literary or artistic production. The copyright holder may reproduce his work or license others to do so for a fee (royalties)., or grant permission to publish for free.
The US Copyright Law (rewritten in 1978) extends protection for the creator’s life, plus fifty years. Books, plays, musical compositions, sound recordings, photographs, works of art, and other original creations may be copyrighted.
Copyright laws first appeared in the 15th century, when printing began in Europe. The earliest American statute was passed in 1780. The US, with most other nations, subscribes to the 1952 Universal Copyright Convention.
The first book copyrighted in America was The Philadelphia Spelling Book, June 9, 1790, written by John Barry, a book to help children learn to read as well as spell. The book was later released as The American Spelling Book.
This article is copyrighted by me. I created it. No one can claim authorship to it. It is mine for the rest of my life, plus fifty years after my demise. If anyone uses it without my permission, I can sue in the courts for infringement of my copyright and, perhaps, collect more than the article is worth. After that time has expired, it is up for grabs. However, if the material copyrighted was a money-maker, heirs of the creator can reinstate ownership for a specified time, and continue to squeeze every last dollar from it. The copyright law can get sticky and some lawyers specialize in Copyright Law.
A money-maker bonanza would be to find some way you could copyright the Bible. Every year it is a top seller. Think of the money you could make if you could copyright the Bible, have it printed, gold edge and bound in leather. But, can you copyright the Word of God? This was tried in 1808, by Charles Thomson, a former Secretary to the Continental Congress. He translated the Bible from the Greek. Jane Aitken had it published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thomson, very proud of his work, and with an eye on the buck, had it copyrighted, September 12, 1808, in the District of Pennsylvania.
Copyrighting the Bible caused quite a disturbance with religious groups. They claimed Thomson did not write the Bible, he only translated it. No one could copyright the Words of God. The Bible is God’s book. Thomson didn’t make any money on the deal.
The Bible has always been considered to be the perfect book. No one can improve on God’s Word. To do so was sinful to the extremes. Such a religious financial plum was too tempting to be left hanging on the money-tree. There had to be a way to finagle a loophole in the law. God could not copyright it because He didn’t write it. The Bible writers who did write it lived in times when such shenanigans were not the vogue. This bothered the religious profiteers for many years. A way had to be found because there was money to be gained—and it was!
A group of overzealous sanctimonious do-gooders got together, and decided, the old King James English had become passé. Such words a thou, thee, ye, hath, saith, keepeth, and similar words had to be replaced. This probably came to them in some divine revelation after much praying and fasting (???). Then a few more words had to be changed to make the Bible more readable. Add a few colorful, maps of the times relating to the times, add a bit of commentary, once this was done, it was copyrighted. They had plucked the plum from the money-tree. The old King James Bible version with its, thous, yeahs, goeth and cometh is not used in the modern churches. (I have always wondered what was meant by a "modern" church). They have their own copyrighted version. The Bible folk jumped on the Bible publishing band wagon . There are many new versions in the Bible Stores. If some secular group would have done this… ?
I have seven or eight new versions. You should know that there are several hundred different versions of the Bible. I think the money-crazed idea of copyrighting your own Bible began in the early 60s and has flourished ever since. I will quote one verse (Job 13:3) to see how four of them differ to gain copyright status:
- Quoted from my uncopyrighted King James Bible Version.
.Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.
- The copyrighted Amplified Bible reads,
Surely I wish to speak to the Almighty, and desire to argue and reason my case with God [that He may explain the conflict between what I believe of Him and what I see of Him].
- The copyrighted New American Standard Bible reads,
But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue with God.
- The copyrighted New International Bible reads,
But I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God.
Note that the King James version has a smooth approach to " talk" with the Almighty, "I desire to reason with God." The new versions are more demanding and aggressive in their approach to talk with the Almighty. They want to get into an argument with God. It appears they no longer trust God’s judgment for they say they want, "to argue my case with God." If they get into an argument with God I think they will come up short. The people disobeyed God back in Noah’s time and look what happened to them, God got mad and drowned every one of them except eight.
There is an old Jewish proverb that says, "Man thinks, and God Laughs." I would advise them to use great caution and get a good lawyer.
To pursue this further I wonder how, or why, any group of educated people, those with the proper intellectual credentials such as Ph.D., D.D., TH.D., Ed.S., LL.D. and so forth, can meet together and grant to themselves the audacity to alter the Word of God to suit their pious whims. They fit perfectly into Carl Sagan’s famous quip, "Intellectual intelligence is no guarantee against being dead wrong."
I have learned that when one begins to feel their own importance they begin to create for themselves little special privileges and they find it annoying if others don’t accept their pet idiosyncrasies. However, if you want to make a buck you make personal exceptions and laugh all the way to the bank.
I could go along could go along with changing the Old English words of thee and thou, but to make any other changes I think they should have gotten written permission from God. If that was unattainable, let it alone. There is no place in religion for self appointed authority to administer to the masses.
Whether we like it or not, there are contradictions in the Bible. I think that is understandable when you take into consideration it was written by 40 authors. Most did not know each other, lived at different times and locations over a period of 1600 year. Not one word of it was written in the English language. The King James Version has 31,102 verses and 775,693 words. Try copying that with pen and ink and translate it the same way. How many mistakes would you make. If you don’t want to be critical of yourself, why be critical of others? It was a humongous job to do with only pen and ink.
The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew with some parts written in Aramaic, the language Christ spoke. Later it was translated into Greek. The New Testament was written in Greek. This was all hand copied, every word transcribed by hand. The Bible we have today is a further work of more translations. So, some contradictions were bound to creep in. We have to learn to live with them and let our common sense separate the chaff from the wheat. We don’t have to get panicky and jump off the bridge of doubts.
Occasionally, a few Apologetics will appear with an article and try an explain away a biblical boo-boo. I don’t think that is necessary. Philadelphia lawyers didn’t write the Bible and I don’t think any of those who wrote the Bible could pass a standard High School graduation examination. They wrote and copied to the best of their advantage. Give them credit for getting the message out. That was the main purpose. Why get picky with punctuation and syntax and try to block the doorway to understanding. You have to learn to roll with the punches. Everything is not perfect and hat includes you and I. Does the Bible have contradictions? You can bet the farm on it. Let me give you a couple of examples.
Christ said in Matthew 10:34, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household."
Christ also said in Luke 9:56, "For the Son of God is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.
This is what I would call a contradiction. Let me give you another. In Genesis 32:30 Jacob says he saw God face to face. In John 1:18 Christ says, no man hath seen God at anytime. This too is a vivid contradiction. No doubt about it.
Here is another. We can read in 2 Kings 2:11 that Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. Christ says in John 3:13, "No man hath ascended up to heave." Are not these biblical contradictions? Who can deny it?
Did Christ want his message preached to the Gentile? I think not. Read Matthew 19:5, "Jesus sent them forth and commanded them saying. Go not into the way of the Gentile, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not." In the same Gospel, go to 28:19-20 and read,
"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded, even until the end of the world. Amen." I know many Gentiles that don’t like this. It shows discrimination to the hilt.
I could quote you more but this is enough to show hat there are serious contradictions in the Bible. Many well learned Christians have written many words to try and weasel-word these contradictions to make them mean something else because of the times, or do to translation problems. Look what happened to President Nixon when he tried to cover up the truth.
God never wrote one word of the Old Testament and Christ never wrote one word of the New Testament. The Bible was written by man, a human and humans make mistakes. Let’s not complicate the Bible.
Some tell me that every word of the bible was written as God inspired them to write. I cannot find such a statement in the Bible. I can find, in 2 Peter 1:21 "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." They were moved as they SPOKE, not as they WROTE. Perhaps if they were moved by the Holy Ghost as they "wrote," there would have been less errors. Of course this is only my opinion. You are entitled to yours. But that is all we have—opinions, yours and mine. To form a substantial opinion ,if it’s worth its salt, takes a lot of careful thinking. Even then, you could be 100% wrong, but, it helps to pacify you.
I cannot see how God would inspire anyone to write Isaiah 36:12, 2 Kings 18:27, Deuteronomy 25:11-12, Levitcus 26:29 or Numbers 31:17-18. There are others but these I firmly believe were never inspired by God. Look them up and see if you agree.
