Harry Potter is Inerrant

1.1 In recent surveys, 40% of my fellow Americans believe that the Earth was created less than 10,000 years ago. Thus they believe that God created Earth at least 100,000 years after humans began using fire, but never mind scientific facts for the moment.

1.2 That American Christians cling to literal creationism is understandable, since the Bible does teach creation as if it were history. This view of the Scriptures requires an absolute trust in the text itself. It requires what is called "Biblical inerrancy". According to Biblical inerrancy, the Bible is internally consistent, as well as consonant with external reality: and this is necessary in order to accept it as God's Word. If it had discrepancies, which could not be explained away, the Bible could not be God's Word.

1.3 As a Christian, I hid the following discrepancy for many years. Somehow I managed to believe and act faithfully to the Bible as the Word of God, while knowing that the following (and other) contradictions existed within it. I realize now that I should have brought out these verses to my fellow Christians, in the interest of honesty. I really should have "repented" and told the truth. Yet I remained silent.

1.4 Now as an agnostic, I feel the need to expose this particular discrepancy to the public eye. My apologies to Bible believers for the following disclosure, but even as Jesus says, "the truth shall set you free". John 8.31.

1.5 Let me assume that the Bible must indeed be totally inerrant. For this study I will use the King James, since it is still is a very popular version. Other versions show the same.

1.6 Our question is, When did Jesus call his first disciples?

Matthew

4.12 John was cast into prison

4.18 Jesus...called Peter and Andrew, his brother

Mark

1.14 John was put in prison

1.16 he saw Simon and Andrew

Luke

3.20-21 John baptized Jesus, then was put in prison -summary by JB.

5.3 Jesus said to Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men

John

1.35 John stood, and two of his disciples

1.37 the two disciples...followed Jesus

3.24 John was not yet cast into prison

1.6 So according to the three synoptic gospels, John the Baptist was put in prison, and later Jesus called Simon and Andrew. But according to John's gospel, John the Baptist was "not yet cast into prison" when Jesus called Simon et al. In fact, they were the Baptist's disciples; he was right there!

1.7 Did Jesus call his disciples before, or after John the Baptist was put in prison? A few people have attempted to resolve this contradiction, but their apologetics are far-fetched and specious.

Most Christians apparently have not noticed it, or perhaps they do not recognize it for what it is: an irremediable contradiction in God's Word.

1.8 Christians can do with this information what they wish. I am sure someone will produce an "explanation", to set the Bible back in order, to preserve belief in its inerrancy. When a Christian, I tried to do the same. Yet although I could not answer when Jesus called his disciples, somehow I continued believing, and concealing especially this contradiction.

2.0 Then there are Christians who wave their hands over the Bible, and say that the "spirit is more than the letter", or some such. If this is so, what parts of the Bible must be believable, just as they are read? If creation is not literal, and if there is no certainty when Jesus called his disciples, why believe in a literal Jesus at all?

2.1 Would it not be simpler, as well as more honest in the light of reason, to reject the Bible as the Word of God? But then one might begin to question Christianity itself.

2.2 Now I do not read the Bible much anymore, but I have read secular books such as Harry Potter. Strangely, when compared to the Bible, and the Book of Mormon, and probably the Qur'an as well, Harry Potter has no internal contradictions.

2.3 In the apparent absence of contradictions, and since it does not pretend to be history, but is content to be fictional, I find Harry Potter much more inerrant than any holy books. Too bad it does not tell me how to live, or I would become a great wizard.