What are some of the more controversial and perhaps illogical sayings from the New Testament?

Jesus spoke of hating ones parents and family, and to abandon them in order to follow him. In fact, one man wanted to go bury his dead family,and Jesus ridiculed him for it.

As a counterpoint to your friend, Jesus said he did not come to usurp the OT, but to uphold every law of that older book. So when the religious say the OT does not apply, they should remember that Jesus said that it does.

To answer part of my own Q, I did some more googling and have the answer to the part of my Q asking about marriage between homosexuals. Apparently, the new testament does condemn it according to this:

“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”

Romans 1

source

for some real fun, read Thomas Aquinas’ writings, that boy was uptight about everything, including having sex with your spouse to produce offspring.

@Psychedelic_Zebra =) The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

I apologise in advance if this triggers a pro-/anti-bible shit storm. I still think this is a just and helpful answer to the question.

As for illogical things, there was one guy who was executed and came back to life three days later. Weird stuff. :/
The guy also lamented on the cross why god had forsaken him (Matthew 27:46), but everyone says he had meant to get nailed to the thing all along and his whole life was one big suicide mission. Because almighty Jehovah could not forgive the people of the world for not being created perfect unless they killed his son first. Mysterious ways indeed.
And there was water that changed into wine, blind and lame people who were healed, dead people rising from their graves (but not eating people’s brains), and the aforementioned fellow walking on water.
People always focus on the minor scientific inaccuracies and contradictions and just gloss over the glaringly obvious ones. Apparently rabbits being said to chew cud is more unscientific than blatant magic.

Outside the miracle department, it was said Jesus’ second coming would occur within the current generation (Matthew 24:29–34, 16:27–28). And it was said Satan took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8). Even the ones on the other side of the GLOBE.

And that’s all I can think of off the top of my head. Fortunately, the internet knows everything.

@Fyrius Mysterious ways indeed.

lol. If I worked in sorts of mysterious ways God did I be trying not to drop the soap until I could get back in my orange jumper.

1 Corinthians 6:9 says homosexuals will not be in heaven.

I think the biggest problem with the New Testament (and the old, I don’t really see a separation here) is that it promotes the ridiculous notion that there is a God who:
1. Imposes a law that is part of his own character (extreme narcissism and intolerance).
2. Punishes people for breaking this law (cannot allow dissent).
3. Places himself as a substitute, but only for those who will subsequently align themselves with him (reminds me of parents who say “I’m not forcing you to make x decision, but if you choose the wrong thing I may have to overrule you.”)
4. Expects us to see that as love.

The reasonable approach, in my opinion, would be to allow differences of opinion but only help those that agree.

@FireMadeFlesh the OT also says that those people that are mutilated in the genitals won’t get to heaven either. I suppose Ernie Hemingway must be in the other place, eh?

@Psychedelic_Zebra sorry, I had to look up who he was. What do you mean?

Earnest Hemingway received a wounding in his privates during his stint in the war. He used that little fact about himself as fodder for several of the characters in many of his books, including The Sun Also Rises.

@Psychedelic_Zebra Ahh wow. Not sure if that’s better or worse than PTSD…. or death.

St. Paul had some views about the position of women in the church that have been a source of much controversy even within the church.

1 Timothy 2:11–15 (American Standard Version):

11 Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection.

12 But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.

13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve;

14 and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression:

15 but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.

And 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 (American Standard Version):

34 let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law.

35 And if they would learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home: for it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church.

@Harp
Ahh to be so blessed. Why can’t I meet these women?
But we all know that Satan created The View..