Romans 4:2
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory.

James 2:21
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

If you will continue reading in James 2 (as well as the entire epistle of James) you will see that he compares 2 kinds of faiths, faith that is alive (one that causes works to happen) and faith that is dead/useless (it has no works). James uses the well known example of Abraham (the same one Paul used in Romans, although Paul had a different purpose, to show that faith saves us then the works come because his audience had it backwards, you guys really need to study the subject before making ridiculous remarks about contradictions).

Let us see what James said

James 2:21-26
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

James makes his case, if it is just faith and then no works (ie life transforming faith) then that is not real faith, in fact it is dead faith. If it is real faith then it will be seen in action. That is why he says faith is perfected in works (ie made known to be real).

I could do this for every so called cotradiction presented in the skeptics Bible but I do have a life and people to share the Gospel with and teach how to study the Scriptures so they will not believe every false thing they hear (like what you guys are doing).

Please take a Bible and study it for yourselves instead of being deceived by stuff that is just not true. I was like you once so I know that you can change.

Some “believers” believe very much that the whole Bible is intended to help people understand God. This does not mean it is the only way to understand God. Many believers are convinced that God is alive, listening, and concerned. They are convinced that they can and should talk to him as a friend. For those with a relationship with God, he is comfort on lonely days, and a guide when the world is confusing and frightening.

Not all Christians are embarrassed of the Old Testament. Stories like David remaining the King of Israel after committing adultery and killing a man (at least indirectly) are to many, inspiring. They remind people that God has never exalted the “perfect,” but rather has accepted us all as screw ups. I know that many Christians don’t preach that message, but I think it is in the Bible to be found.

The same is true of the “ten commandments.” You reference them in many of your posts, but not all “believers” believe the ten commandments are the rule book of life. Maybe the problem is biblical illiteracy. Jesus, when asked to sum up the law in a phrase, never mentioned Moses or Mt. Sinai. Instead, he said that people should love God with their whole heart, mind and soul, and that they should love their neighbors as themselves. I assure you, there are believers who carry this as their sacred truth. You can find them all over the world, helping sick kids or risking their lives in war torn countries while trying to deliver food. What would the world be like if people made it of primary purpose to act with love towards others?

You point out that believers remind one another of the truths of the Bible weekly and imply that this indicates they don’t believe in God but rather in belief. This doesn’t follow for me. I’m a Christian, and I believe the Christian life is counterintuitive to my nature. If someone treats me unkindly, my gut reaction is to respond in kind. Many Christians gather every Sunday to remind themselves that “loving your enemy” is the life Jesus preached. For some believers, church is a place to find strength and belonging. Its a place to find people that are caring and open. Although it may be a country club for some, or a way to exclude others, it isn’t for everyone.

Its sad to me, that the first thing so many think of when they think of Christ, is judgment or intolerance. It isn’t what he stood for. It isn’t what he preached. Jesus was a radical who would condemn many of the judgmental churches of today. I dare say he would have unkind words for the “believers” in your post. Jesus called the religious elite of his day a “den of vipers,” white washed tombs that appeared clean on the outside, but on the inside were dead. When he saw people using the temple to make money, he overturned the tables. When he saw someone pick up a stone to kill an adulterous, he stepped in and asked the one without sin to cast the first stone.

Perhaps you are right to criticize “believers,” but please don’t confuse that term with those who genuinely and meaningful believe in the message Jesus preached. Every group has members who are uninformed or disingenuous , but it is not fair or logical to judge that group’s beliefs by its most embarrassing representatives. Islam is not evil because some Muslims are terrorist. The law is not useless because some lawyers steal. Medicine is not ineffective because some doctors commit errors, and Christianity is not false because some “believers” are confused.