More Proof the Bible is Bull Shit.

Jehovah’s Witness and Bible thumpers like to continually harp on the scientific accuracy of the Bible as proof it was written by God. In an earlier post, I debunked the notion that the bible said the Earth was round before science proved it and when most people though it was flat, a little biblical factoid the Witnesses like to crow about. 

Recently I was on a JW Q&A, where as per usual, I stir shit up. It’s a gift. I asked if Jesus was wrong when he said in Mark 4:31: 

“Like a mustard grain, which at the time it was sown in the ground was the tiniest of all the seeds that are on the earth” New World Translation.

The American Standard Version says: “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds that are upon the earth,” 

The New English Bible says “It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground”

The King James Version says: “is less than all the seeds that be in the earth”.

The New Jerusalem Bible says “It is like a mustard seed which, at the time of its sowing, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.

“The Catholic Douay Version says: ” It is as a grain of mustard seed: which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth:”

Jesus was apparently using the illustration that good things can come from a very small beginning, or something like that. His point is irrelevant. The real point is the glaring scientific inaccuracy of his statement. In fact the mustard seed in not the tiniest, smallest or “less” than all the seeds “in the earth”, “on earth” or “upon the earth”. Since they are some of the loudest Bible pounders, I’ll let the Jehovah’s Witnesses elaborate.“So Jesus was not “teaching a lesson in botany.”  Well, In Isaiah, Chap 20 where the Witnesses point to God looking at the “circle” of the earth as proof the bible is scientifically accurate, is God there giving an Astronomy lesson? I’ve already debunked that piece of disinformation, but they jump on it as proof of the Bible’s authorship.

From the Watchtower of 5/15/92, page 5:

Botany: Some wrongly conclude that the Bible is inaccurate because Jesus Christ spoke of “a mustard grain” as “the tiniest of all the seeds.” (Mark 4:30-32) Likely, Jesus meant the seed of the black mustard plant (Brassica nigra or Sinapis nigra), which is only about 0.039 to 0.063 inch [1 to 1.6 mm] in diameter. Though there are smaller seeds, such as fine-as-powder seeds of the orchid,  Jesus was not talking to people who grew orchids. Those Galilean Jews knew that of the various types of seeds sown by local farmers, the mustard seed was the tiniest. Jesus was talking about the Kingdom, not teaching a lesson in botany.

Is the fact the that he was “not teaching a lesson in botany” give him license to state a provable unscientific fact? What would be the point? Jesus was wrong. The mustard seed is not the smallest seed in creation. The seed of the orchid is. But God and/or God’s son, (choose your own theology) didn’t know this fact or chose to state a scientific inaccuracy. He could have said the mustard sees is “one of the smallest”, is “among” the smallest or that it simply “is very small”. His audience would have gotten the sense of his illustration. It was not important for him to say “It is like a mustard seed which, at the time of its sowing, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.” The fact that it was very small and recognized for being so by his audience would have been sufficient for him to make his point. He didn’t say that. He said the smallest seed in creation. Science proves otherwise.

Jesus was wrong.The brain dead, delusional religious morons on the Q&A responded as expected. In order to believe in and have faith in things you cannot see, you have to suspend your ability to think critically, analytically and logically. No where was this more apparent than in the responses to my post.“You’re nit picking!!” they cried, accusatorily wagging the cyber finger of divine justice in my face. Hey, I didn’t say Jesus was God/God’s son and thus perfect and all knowing, they did. I don’t believe the Bible is God’s word or that Jesus ever lived. But, if he is wrong, just once he is not, by definition perfect. He was wrong. Don’t kill the messenger. Explain the verse, answer the question.

 “It’s not important. It’s the message”. Bullshit, it is important, it’s very important. If the opposite was true, you can bet your ass the JW’s and every other delusional Bible thumper would be screeching about how the Bible was so scientifically accurate. “How could Jesus know that the, mustard seed was the smallest in the whole earth unless he had that divine knowledge? See, the Bible is from God!!!”

Do you want to talk about nit picking? Get in on the argument about John 1:1. They will argue endlessly over the notion that Jesus was “a” god, or Jesus was “the” God. The nit picking charge, is itself not relevant, as most Bible controversies are, by definition, nit picking. Brilliant men, spend there lives pouring over ancient manuscripts to answer such “nit picky” questions.

“Oh, but you have to take his comment about the mustard seed in context. His audience knew it to be the smallest seed, so it made sense to them”

Well, who is Jesus’ audience? Do Jehovah’s Witnesses and other modern day Christians think of themselves as Jesus audience? Does Jesus talk to you through the pages of the Bible? Was Jesus not capable of thinking ahead and realizing that a future audience, with accurate botanical knowledge may know that indeed the mustard seed is not the smallest seed “in the world”?

Would it not, then in the much broader context, have made sense for the all knowing Jesus to say “one of the smallest seeds in the WHOLE earth? Or, is the Bible, not from God, written by men, who at that time thought the mustard seed indeed was the smallest seed in the whole earth?

If you’re a Christian, you better be able to reconcile in your own mind that Jesus made a provable scientific error here and therefore is not perfect. If you choose to ignore the obvious, than you have surrendered all you critical, logical and analytical thinking skills, to what ever authority figure you’ve attached yourself to. How many Christians who read this will actually think about it, research it and give it an honest appraisal. Few, if any.

Most Christians will dismiss me as a ranting, demon possessed hater of God, whose primary purpose in life is to rob them of their precious relationship with the Almighty, to screw up their chances of salvation.  Well, you can rest easy about me. I don’t give a flying fuck what you believe or weather you live or die. In other words, I care as much about you as you do about me.  

The real funny thing is that all you hopelessly delusional competing groups of “Christians” think every  other group is trying to do what you accuse me of, rob you of your salvation, block your entrance to heaven, turn you against Jesus/God.

And you’re right!  To, Jehovah’s Witnesses, if you ain’t one of them, God is going to kill you. The Baptists think all the Witnesses are going to hell. The Catholics, as enunciated by Pope Benedict think all none Catholic Churches are counterfeit. You all think your right and God is going to punish everyone else.

 This is a fine kettle of fish, as my old grandma would say.

Hoards of delusional, or worse self delusional assholes, frantically running in circles, trying to please their version of God as given the them by their Authority Figure. Who claims exclusive communication with the Almighty, who incidentally probably failed botany class.

In my fantasy, I picture myself sitting on the periphery of your circle in a beach chair drinking a Corona, watching you all frantically chase after salvation, Occasionally I will put out my foot and trip one of you with a post like the above. It’s just fun to watch you flail and fall face down into the sand.

Religion is such bull shit. I mean , com’on!!!