this post was submitted on 31 May 2025
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Typically this is a Christian argument used against Islam - but I'm actually curious if this is seen as a valid argument from a secular point of view? (Even if it's not the "best")

Because essentially it's "your holy book contradicts the holy book it claims to be endorsed by", which personally I think I can see working on a secular level, even if you don't actually believe in the Bible either.

spoiler

! Also, full disclosure: Yes, I am a Christian. !<

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This is all just "my fairy tale book is better than your fairy tale book", except with a lot of people dying.

[–] pelespirit 22 points 5 days ago

lmao, this is so to the point. I've had a Jehovah Witness try and convince me through scripture in the bible and he couldn't wrap his head around that the bible holds no weight in my mind.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

this video is from an organisation whose stated goal is to convert muslims to christianity.

in fact, i could not find any secular sources for this so called dilemma, only texts for christians who wish to convert muslims. since there are no objective descriptions of the problem, and no incentive to be objective, there is no way to reason about it on equal footing.

it's not a valid dilemma because it's blatantly propaganda.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 days ago

these old, shitty tomes are written by man to control man. that there are inherent contradictions in books compiled over a millennia should be expected and treated as irrelevant as the books themselves.

why anyone would give them any more weight than say, a comic book, is beyond me.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's pretty simple

None of their books have a shred of credibility.

That which is stated without evidence (can be dismissed without evidence

The very thought of their god existing falls apart when you consider the omnipotence paradox.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

How would you explain the omnipotence paradox?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

Can a god create a rock it cannot lift?

The very concept of omnipotence is a logical fallacy.

Given that the whole basis of the fairytale relies on their god being omnipotent, it kinda falls at the first hurdle

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Everybody's holy book says everyone else's holy book is ballocks. I submit to you that this provides excellent anecdotal evidence that all of them are ballocks.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago

Everybody’s holy book says everyone else’s holy book is ballocks. I

Not really.

For the Abrahamic ones they built off the earlier ones.

The most named person in the Quran is Jesus after all, and I wouldn't be surprised if Jesus beat out John Smith in the Book of Morman either.

Sometimes they rewrite it, sometimes they just copy/paste

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

I just skipped through the video to get the gist of the topic.

All I think of is Harry Potter vs Lord of the Rings. Both speak of good and evil and magic and miracles.

You could use either set of books to disprove the claims of the other, but it wouldn't get you any closer to understanding the world we live in.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Lord of the Rings is clearly superior.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago

Blasphemer! Prepare to suffer for your crimes against Dumbledore!

[–] throwawayacc0430 1 points 5 days ago

I personally prefer The Magicians (The TV series) than either of the two you mentioned. I like the honesty of how the gods are just evil and fucked up. (Well except that one Human that became a god for a while, and that Demigod child of the Trickster god.)

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 days ago

All I see is people fighting and killing people over fictitious books

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 days ago

Ironically this means you'd have to accept Jewish people telling you that the New Testament isn't canon also.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

This has the same energy as Twilight fans arguing who's hotter: Edward Cullen or Jacob Black

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 days ago

I don't see why that should be my concern

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago

They don't believe in either so the Dilemma is not a dilemma for them.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Not an athiest but not a Christian or Muslim either. I used to be a Christian. At roughly the minute mark, the presenter claims that the Bible says that god is a Trinity. The video references Matthew 28:18-20 (about baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). While it's true that Matthew says that about baptism, that verse doesn't say that God is a trinity. Trinitarianism is one doctrine some have derived from the Bible but the Bible doesn't contain the concept directly or Christians wouldn't have had so much fighting about it. That's not even getting into the nature of Jesus himself which spawned some humdinger disagreements over time. 🥴

Slightly before that, the presenter claims that the Bible is our only source of truth (paraphrasing ... not going back to get the exact wording). The video doesn't prove that and it's not true that the Bible is our only source of truth.

It also relies on a lot of ignorance of the Quran at the very least on the part of the people watching it. I'm not in a position to speak much to the Quran other than to note that a devout Muslim would likely not find those arguments compelling.

This kind of "apologetics" / evangelical effort aren't edifying or useful to the believer or the unbeliever. To borrow a concept I heard from Christians while I was one ... those who can be argued into converting can be argued out of it. This kind of presentation is the sort of thing unprincipled people use to grift money out of believers in the idea that this will convert unbelievers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

I had the exact same thoughts. And I am also an ex-christian.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It doesn't explicitly use the word "trinity" but it does describe God as a three-in-one deal numerous times throughout the old and new testaments.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 days ago

Not really keen to get into a theological argument about a sacred text I don’t believe in. However, if you gave a neutrally translated Bible to someone who had never heard of the Trinity, it’s extremely unlikely they would come to Trinitarianism on their own.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

my God is better than your God

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I don't, personally. As long as you aren't hurting anyone, I don't care what you believe. Its your life to live, do what you want with it.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 days ago

The problem is that you do hurt people by believing in untrue and harmful ideologies such as Christianity and Islam, both of which harm people, especially children.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Exactly the same as nerds arguing about contradictions in their favorite fiction written by a normal person who doesn't care but is rolling in their money

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Islam states that the Quran was literally dictated by an angel and is the direct word of God.

The Quran also states that the Bible was written by human fans of Jesus, who was loved so much his true message about God was forgotten.

I don't think this argument does much to convince anyhow who isn't already of the mind that "the Bible is the sole source of truth in reality", which obviously the majority of the world isn't, (and probably all Muslims).

[–] sbv 1 points 5 days ago

I don't think about it at all.

[–] throwawayacc0430 0 points 5 days ago

Abrahamic religions are the worst, regardless of which variant.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

How many hundreds of millions of people have died, and will continue to die, over invisible 'truths' cooked up by liars looking for power?

The bible peddles the 10 commandments. My favorite example is a very simple rule 'from God': Thou shalt not kill. How many have died at the hands of 'protectors of the faith'?