This book represents a restructuring and a shorter version of the material contained already in my book “God’s False Mirror – A critical analyses of Genesis chapters 1-11”. For whoever wishes to read the longer version “God’s False Mirror”, it is still available for sale. Nevertheless, you can find in either of the titles the arguments which demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt the existence of countless contradictions in the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis. For me, as a Christian, it is now clear that the first 11 chapters of the Bible don’t explain credibly how the universe and humankind came into existence. If someone has another opinion, he or she has to be able to demonstrate, with real and honest arguments, that he or she is right, after reading my argumentation. I have considered with maximum attention and responsibility all arguments which plead for the reliability of the biblical texts and unfortunately, most of them, I didn’t find convincing.

In this study, the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis are read carefully with a critical eye and not at all dogmaticaly and also with added attention to the consistency of each story and of the narratives of creation as a whole. The details of each biblical account are compared one with the other and all contradictions are underlined.

The stories of the book of Genesis must have a superior meaning if they are inspired by God. They also should have a general coherence which gives their unity, allowing them to be a valid general account of the origins of the universe and humankind. Where coherence is lacking and absurd conclusions are generated by the texts, following their logical consequences, their divine inspiration is in doubt. This is a proof that it wasn’t a superior intelligence that inspired the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis, but they are the product of ancient human beings striving to make light in a complicated world.

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The present analysis tries to answer to a fundamental question. What kind of modifications, if any, happen in the content of a personal Christian faith when one has to admit by the force of evidence, that the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis are neither factual nor inspired by God? The conclusion that Adam and Eve haven’t been real historical personages but only legendary heroes cannot leave the doctrinal and dogmatic fundaments of the classical theism unscathed but it bears important theological consequences. What these consequences are is an issue of concern for me and I am sure for many others also. In my opinion, the answer to this question can be obtained by comparing the lack of arguments for the factuality of the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis with the most cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith which are based on those alleged facts. This lack of arguments is associated with many contradictions and absurdities found in the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis.

To be sure, I didn’t start my work from a preconception, meaning that I didn’t aim to find contradictions in the Bible with any cost, as if I wished to do such thing in purpose. I didn’t like that the Bible is filled with contradictions because this reality undermines in a way my personal faith in God, subverts that part which is related to how He is described by the Bible. Years after years, I have accepted, for the sake of conformism that the Bible is the word of God which cannot err. Moreover, I preached this principle, which is fundamental for the majority of Christian denominations, as a Christian evangelist, teaching people the Gospel of Jesus based also on the book of Genesis. I have considered the Bible to be the infallible word of God because it seemed to me as being important that every believer should have a strong textual basis for his or her faith.

In the same time, in the process of studying attentively the Bible, I noticed that some of its allegations are categorically in contradiction with others and some propositions are utterly absurd. It wasn’t easy for me to admit the reality of these findings and for this reason I have tried to identify serious documentation to contradict them and to uphold the validity of the biblical texts under scrutiny. The explications given by the defenders of the accuracy of the Bible didn’t look convincing to me; some explanations seem to be naïve, others insincere and still others trying to cheat the good faith of the readers. The very few explanations which apparently were more rational were greatly contradicted by the findings of modern sciences and they are in reality false constructions. Many of these explications can be found in the present work.

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Loosing trust in some of the biblical texts, I didn’t reject the faith in God because this is based on a personal experience with Him and not on the validity of some texts written over 2,000.00 years ago, such as the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis. Nevertheless, knowing the truth is more important than anything, and knowing the truth about God is an important area of knowledge.

How God really is? The character of the One in whom so many people invest their trust is an essential problem. The O.T. says that God would have killed through the Flood 99, 99% from the population of the earth at that moment, millions of human beings including innocent children, because of their wickedness, even if, after that imaginary event, the world was worse than before. This image is in a flagrant contradiction with what Jesus said about His Father who is perfect and who loves His enemy. (Matthew 5; 48) Something is wrong with the Bible. If the Flood would have done the world better we may doubt the means, used to attain this purpose, but the Bible says that the world became worse, for example, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah happen after the Flood. Why God would have killed so many humans and animals, through the waters of the Flood, if instead of the world becoming better it became much worse? There is an explanation. The Flood is a myth and not a reality therefore God didn’t generate in practices that genocide. The Bible doesn’t give us a fact but a legend in this case and in others. These kinds of absurdities prevent the Bible to be considered the infallible word of God. Many people don’t believe in God because He is described incorrectly by the religious institutions which interpret the Bible. 

It is very important to cease maintaining that the Bible is the inspired word of God, in all its texts, because if we continue to promote this false presupposition we persist to feed a wrong image of Him. God is not as He is presented by the majority of Christian doctrines and dogmas which are based on a literal interpretation of the Bible, but He is how He presents Himself in our consciousness and He is a Father who helps us becoming better human beings. God doesn’t dwell in buildings made by man but in the minds of the believers (Acts 7; 48) God’s temples are the individual human beings and not religious organisation with their institutional settings. (1 Corinthians 3; 16) Religious institutions have their role to play but nothing can replace the personal relation and direct experience of an individual with God. Only this type of personal relationship with God can give us enough support against so many contradictions in the Bible and against the biblical absurdity.

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