Dear Mr. Gleaton, Thank you very much for taking the time to read my little essay and to respond. As a layman, I have thoroughly studied the Bible for 50 years or so, and I have yet to find a contradiction, and have found no actual truth to the various disputes. In my associated studies of the Arts and Sciences, the Greek and Hebrew languages, History, Concordances, etc. my examinations have uncovered only misunderstandings and confusion on the part of cursory reading and sometimes arising from wrenching passages out of their contexts and splicing them together into a confusing mishmash created from associating assemblages of personal philosophies rather than academic study. Allowing the Bible to speak to one's brain instead of approaching it with preconceived notions also helps. Understanding the difficult process of translation from original manuscripts or for that matter, translating from any current language into another might also shed some light on your confusion. I realize you don't think you are confused. I know when I was much younger that I had much confusion and many questions. Now, my assurances of the veracity of the Bible comes from Applied Science just as much as from the perspective of literary studies. They are confirmed in real life. So, I have been persuaded that the Bible is a trusted source for understanding God, Jesus, and the new life He freely gives through the saving knowledge unveiled in the Gospel. Like every other pursuit it all begins at the beginning: Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3. To run in a race people have to start at the starting line.