We Need a Ranking of the Most Ridiculous Claims in the Bible



How many claims from the Bible can you think of that are ridiculous? My ancient brain can only keep in mind a few at one time. There is raising the dead, walking on water, loaves and fishes, water into wine, flooding the entire world, the all-knowing and many others. Some believers will say the biggest fish stories are in the Old Testament. But, no, the New Testament also has some doozies.

The tall tales begin right away in the New Testament, in its first book, Mathew. My favorite passage from Mathew is about what happened when Jesus was killed. It says the earth shook. It shook so hard graves opened up and long dead people walked out of these graves. Here, the author senses any reader may have some doubts. These doubts may have been expressed when the tale was told after dark as part of evening entertainment when light, like fires, was too expensive. Perhaps a wise-acre child said, "I doubt that." The story-telling entertainer might have replied, "The formerly dead people walked into town where they were seen by many." The Bible includes this "proof" that the skeletons were seen in town.

This story from Mathew is not blown off as ridiculous by many believers, of course. They continue to read the passage as actual history. Some also look for "evidence." Now, someone claims there is evidence there might have been an earthquake about that time. Every reader knows there are earthquakes all the time. One can read about what causes them. I read it is next to impossible to determine when they happened in the past. In the Bible a specific date is claimed. No one has ever written they recall this earthquake or saw Jesus killed. No one says they saw the earthquake open up graves and watch dead people wake up and walk out. 

I don't know how I would vote if asked to rank the tallest tale in the Bible. There is one I wish were true and would be performed right now for me. It was Jesus changing water in wine. That would save me a little money and the effort of hauling wine to our place.

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