Why are there so many Biblical Contradictions ?
—CAF, Europe
Dear CAF,
The Bible as we have it today was composed and compiled in a very dark time for our planet (Descending Kali Yuga). In the thousands of years since it was written, much has been distorted, mis-translated, left out, and so on.
Nevertheless, Paramhansa Yogananda said about the present Bible that parts of it were divinely inspired, and can still be very spiritually inspiring for us to read. These parts are especially the books of Genesis, Revelation, and the first four gospels in the New Testament.
But even with these recommendations, he said that one needs to be a God-realized Master to be able to understand the Bible at its deepest and truest levels.
For example, Jesus seems sometimes to contradict himself, when in reality he spoke only the highest truths. The seeming contradiction is either a problem with the way his words were recorded, or is in the way we interpret them from our own lower levels of consciousness.
Thus, it is wise to read what Yogananda or other great Masters have had to say about what various parts of the Bible actually mean. And it is also wise to meditate deeply both before and after you read any scripture, praying for help and guidance, so that you will be able to discern the deepest truths coming from them.
