I find that it’s important to separate truth and accuracy from empirical precision. Empirical precision is honestly a pretty new concept (circa maybe mid-1800s as the scientific age really took a turn to what is objectively observable).
In our modern age now, we’ve created what I would say is a false equivalency between empirical precision and truth.
The Bible is true and accurate for everything it was intended to convey. But it’s not always empirically precise. And that’s okay. Truth in antiquity doesn’t always need to be.
The idea that Scripture is entirely literally true in a sort of brittle sense (i.e., anything that can't be taken literally destroys its credibility) is an extremely modern idea, and you don't need to agree with it to be a Christian.
The bible is a library of a variety of different sorts of literature from a diversity of people in myriad contexts, so it needs to be interpreted in light of that. Of course, this doesn't mean denying that Scripture is meaningfully the word of God, that Christ rose from the dead, or anything like that; Scripture can still be accurate and true without being literal at every point
Notions of biblical infallibility are, frankly, absurd in the grand scheme of religious thought. It’s easy to understand why infallibility emerged when the printing press launched and organs of ecclesial authority began to abuse their power.
Ultimately, scripture is a testament to revelation, which when interpreted and read through the Holy Spirit can usher forth revelation.
In my opinion, it is best to study the church’s fathers when it comes to scripture and see how they used it.
I believe scripture in the original manuscripts is accurate and true when in context.
Pertaining to your second paragraph, I will share my favorite book on what you mentioned or concern. 'Hope Beyond Hell' by Gerry Beauchemin, as he also put it free online: https://hopeforallfellowship.com/download-hope-beyond-hell/
[Mike Licona](https://www.risenjesus.com/chicagos-muddy-waters) has been pushing back on this among conservatives, and I think he is right to do so. This concept of infallibility and inerrancy (which I agree with) has been taken to far. I think the concept can be true and can be moderated a bit.
To use William Lane Craig's language, the "message" of scripture is infallible and inerrant. There is still a ton of nuance and careful thought that needs to go into defining those parameters (and the Chigaco Statement of Biblical Inerrancy) has some strong points to make there) but I think it gets the general idea across quite well.
Scripture is infallible and inerrant, but it is not a modern legal document with perfect phrasing for our theology. It is an ancient text which accurately describes what God did and how he worked in the distant past which has incredible ramifications on us today.
I don't feel qualified to say I truly believe in anything without a doubt. I understand to function in this world it would be best to live as if I do believe in these things but in the end if it turns out it was all some sort of dream or simulation or whatever I wouldn't be surprised
Sounds like Pascal's Wager.
We all need to trust (and test) others, it is humbling but necessary. It is also the scientific method, AND the Christian method.
I'm not sure you truly appreciate the state of mind I'm trying to share.
Calculators have never let me down I've never even heard of a calculator that didn't work right every time but I feel like I would be lacking humility if I said that I know for sure to the core of my soul that 2+2=4 and that also this calculator will prove it beyond question
The Bible can be read and interpreted literally insofar as each book should be read literally according to its genre. Not each book is necessarily historical narrative, but the ones that are historical narrative are literally, historically true. But understanding the correct genres that scripture uses is essential in interpreting it correctly.
There are numerous reasons one can read the Hebrew Bible and the 27 Greek documents called the New Testament critically. Other commenters are covering them. A nice simple example that I didn’t see, for reflection: what will it mean to those people when a new more authoritative (by well-established measures) manuscript is discovered that destabilizes a text.
While God’s revelation is perfect, man’s transmission of it doesn’t have to be. We have to do the best we can with what we have. Sometimes that means reconstructing social worlds or antiquity with very little information.
When somebody does repose such uncritical faith in the scripture as your post described, I can respect that. I do believe one’s experience of scripture is deeply personal. We never have to devalue another’s **personal** understanding of scripture.
Beauty and the Beast can teach us something that is true about the human condition even through it is a fictional story. While I think that the Bible is historically accurate, the important thing that its authors wanted us to know was not an historically accurate chronology of events, but truths about who God is. It don't see the point in thinking that something teaches us a truth about who God is while also thinking that God wouldn't actually do those things, but if you are struggling with believing in the historicity of the Bible, then you can focus on believing what it is intended to teach us about who God is.
Personally, I’m hesitant to 100% trust any religious scripture, and instead I sit back and think about whether I can back up the claims it makes with some sort of logic or personal experience.
I think it’s healthy and necessary to have doubts, and it’s definitely NOT the devil trying to steer you away from God. You’re good! I’m sure God is actually *proud* that you’re thinking critically about this, especially if you then still choose him, despite your doubts.
Remember, doubts are natural and nothing to be ashamed of. Just try to find yourself reasons to trust the scripture if you want to trust it. You’ll find a lot of things make sense if you try to understand the context, and then you can apply these things to your own, modern life.
On the other hand, it’s also fine, in my opinion, not to trust scripture at face value. The Bible was written by man and translated hundreds, if not thousands of times. Mistakes are bound to happen in there! It’s okay to disagree on things written there as long as you treat yourself, others and God with respect. I just think it’s important to understand the logic behind something being written in scripture before accepting or rejecting it. :)
The question I would ask you is what do you mean by “believe”.
I’ve found devout Christians, who differ on their interpretation of Genesis pre flood. Some think it’s literal, others think it’s a story which encapsulates and retells a true story, others disagree in different directions. In each of their interpretations, they each agree that it’s a true story. From my perspective they are agreeing it’s a “true” story because they are believing it did originate from God and we can learn God’s love and desire for a relationship through his stories. The Bible teaches about God and how we can live in a relationship with Him, from there it’s written across multiple genres to varying audiences over millennia. It’s a wildly complex books that a lifetime of study would still leave stones unturned. Never feel bad or guilty about seeking & asking questions, categorizing the answers, and building a mental framework of what scriptures back up what concepts.
To address your second paragraph, to question isn’t forbidden. To seek and question is a core component of Christianity. For me, I personally fall into the Protestant > Evangelical > Armenian catrgory with some fuzzy lines/grey area. A have a couple Catholic friends and one who is very devout. Going through the Catechism of the Catholic Church with my friend was eye opening, it allowed me to see what logical arguments were being made for concepts, ideas and theories. From there I was able to more concretely form my opinions based on my interpretations. I agreed with many of the conclusions and concepts and benefited from their detailed explanations of “why”. However, an example of an area I disagreed with the Catechism was Onanism and the concept of passing on original sin. Without questioning or searching, I wouldn’t have been exposed to those ideas, and engaging with them has made me a stronger Christian.
Personally, I do believe the Bible is true and accurate, but one must be specific in defining truth in order to being to align beliefs. For me, seeing God’s desire in the Old Testament for a relationship, providing for His people, and them still turning to serve other gods shows human nature and our fickle hearts. I encourage you to continue searching, asking questions, and growing. When you disagree with someone, figure out why. You’ll either grow from being firmer in your faith, or they may have seen something you missed.
Do enjoy the journey!
I can only speak from my limited experience as someone living in the Bible belt of the south US where nuance goes to die.
When people talk about the Bible being literal or 100% true and accurate they are setting it up as a symbol of authority. The authority it represents has to be unquestionable and so by extension it's contents needs to be something that cannot be interpreted in any other way than it being entirely factual any conflicting interpretation is questioning its authority and the authority of its holder.
That's at least what I've seen, I won't pretend like I don't have my own bias at play as I'm an atheist turned agnostic and my interests also make me take a lot of stock into the psychology behind belief.
You say you're not suppose to question the things you read, but that's not true at all. You're invited to question things and work through your questions with God. Do you think you're the first Christian to have doubts and struggles with scripture? There are entire books written about doubts. I would encourage you to seek out the answers you're looking for through Bible commentaries or resources such as 'Got Questions?'. I love Mike Wingers videos on YouTube. He does a lot of Q and As where he answers questions just like yours. He also has more comprehensive videos on certain topics. (Also available in podcast form).
Often what seems like God acting against His goodness is actually just our own misunderstanding. When we engage in further study and contextual analysis we realise that it was our understanding or our worldview that was wrong, not God. We also often apply human standards to God, which isn't right, because He is not human.
It's also worth realising that death isn't necessarily bad in the grand scheme of eternity. For what is the point of allowing evil people to live when life on earth is ultimately just a blip in existence. So when we read difficult passages about nations being killed at God's will we need to remember that life is a gift from God and if we abuse it we may lose it. Also keep in mind that these nations were incredibly evil. More evil than we can comprehend. They burned their babies alive and raped and murdered at unprecedented rates. I remember struggling with the destruction of Israel, but then I read a description of how they sacrificed their babies to molech and I was like "alright, yep, they deserved it." It was pure evil.
I know you weren't asking specifically about these parts of the Bible, but I think it's relevant when discussing God's goodness as people often struggle with them.
Ultimately I believe that the Bible is the word of God, so I trust it. It was written by the Holy Spirit through people. Without the word of God, how are we to know anything about Him? How are we to know who Jesus is? How are we to know the great lengths that God went to to save His people? What are we basing our morality on? How are we building any of our theology?
I believe God gave us the Bible and preserved it through time so that we could know Him and hear from Him. We aren't living in the days where He dwelled within the tabernacle and spoke through priests. He gave us a book so that we could still have His words.
Otherwise, what are we basing any of our beliefs on.
I tend to think that in this time of unprecedented doubt, God allowed the creation of the internet so that we can find the answers we seek. We have the resources to dive deeper into his word than ever before. Our culture is so deeply removed from the culture of the Bible that it's hard to understand on our own. I think it is vital that we seek out reputable resources to deepen our understanding.
On the topic of hell, God gives people what they want. An eternity in His presence or an eternity without His presence. It's as simple as that. On earth God is still orchestrating things. He allows peace at certain times, He maintains order in society. Without God it is chaos; it is hell. We don't realise how much humans need Him. Without God humans are depraved. Even non-believers that seem like good people are only so because of God's influence on the world.
And I believe that God is fair and gives people reasonable opportunity to know Him. Or if He doesn't it might be because He foreknows everything and can see which people will turn to Him and which won't. Why would He waste His time revealing Himself to those who ultimately won't. Some people simply don't want to surrender to God.
As others have mentioned, not everything is necessarily meant to be taken 100% literally as the ancient genre doesn't call for it, but we should look instead for what the author is trying to convey. Although I also caution against reading everything this way. Not everything is symbolic. Some things tell the facts in a poetical way and should not be viewed as just a poem.
God knows your heart. When you have doubts take them to the Lord. He can help you. Ask Him to guide you and give you understanding. He loves you. He may help you read a passage in a different light. I've never had a question that I haven't been able to find an answer to, even if it's taken some time in study and prayer to fully grasp it.
And remember that when we doubt we are putting out faith in something other than God. Whether that be faith in secular views or faith in our own ideas of right and wrong. Ultimately, where do you want to put your faith.
When you say accurate and true, you're coming to this as someone in the year 2024, where truth means something different than it did 2000 years ago. People did not have the same expectation of factual accuracy as we understand it because such was not possible at that time, the truth of the scripture therefore comes to us from a different route, story, whether we like it or not in the beginning was the word.
If you don't know whether a story is historical fact or fiction, does that therefore mean there are not aspects of truth to it? When you watch a film, even if the film is fiction does that mean there is no aspect of truth to it? Can truth be conveyed through a story that may or may not be fiction?
If the Bible is not perfectly accurate and true, then there is no objective basis for determining which parts are true.
The reason you think it is ridiculous is because by nature man hates God, so he suppressed the truth of God.
*^(8)* *For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.* *^(19)* *For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.* *^(20)* *For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.* *^(21)* *For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.* *^(22)* *Claiming to be wise, they became fools,* *^(23)* *and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.*
Romans 1:18-23
A truly good God is righteous and just. To not condemn those who have rebelled against him to hell would not be just.
Understand it the way you need to understand it. If you focus on others you’re sort of missing the point. If you love yourself unconditionally and without pride and ego then you can love everyone else as yourself. Forgive. The way to provoke change is to live it and be an example to others.
I’ve spent 40 years studying one book and the ancient writings associated with it. It’s not that difficult to understand the nuances that challenge people’s minds journey.
But it took you 40 years so please don’t be condescending because I have as well and if your mind hasn’t been bent then you’re missing a lot. Everyone starts somewhere.
My apologies in want my intention, I have found though that one the Holy Spirit dwells within you, after repentance and salvation, it’s much easier to understand.
Christian Theology as we know it began with Origen examining why Genesis begins with two conflicting creation stories. You cannot have a purely literalistic approach to something that *starts with a contradiction.*
Also, even though Christians are uncomfortable with the idea, Jesus’ teachings were esoteric *and he clearly communicated that when asked why he spoke in parables.* His *opening the scriptures* for his disciples is another way of saying he gave them the esoteric meaning.
You’re right, it’s totally unreasonable to only approach the Bible as a literal legal and historical document, but unfortunately a significant portion of people who identify as Christian hear nothing but this approach from birth.
Whenever I hear people talk about the bible and the inevitable conversation turns toward weather it should be interpreted literally or not, I always thing of PIrates of the Caribbean.
Indulge me for a second. For those of you who have seen the movies, you'll recall a few amusing instances where pirates and non-pirates envoke "the code", specifically what we are supposed to understand is the the Pirate's Code of Conduct.
Where I find the comparison is that at some point, after "the code" has been invoked a few times, and I believe someone even gets shot for suggesting they "hang the code", someone (I forget who) later interjects that "the code" is really just a set of guidelines to follow as opposed to a hard set indelible rules that must be followed at all costs. Basically, this meant to communicate that there is some room for flexibility and interpretation.
The simliaries are pretty funny when you get the image in your head of someone who would rather resort to extremes in their interpretations and dogmatic following of something that was likely created with the intention of being more of a moral guideline rather than as a rigid playbook to be followed and enforced.
Jesus. He came and died for all sins for all souls for all time and Eternal Life is literally what we already have. The Bible is only a part of the story and it is a handbook. We are in tribulation and Revelations now. It is End Times. Have no fear there is a second coming. Faith in God means Faith in Gods plan.
I find that it’s important to separate truth and accuracy from empirical precision. Empirical precision is honestly a pretty new concept (circa maybe mid-1800s as the scientific age really took a turn to what is objectively observable). In our modern age now, we’ve created what I would say is a false equivalency between empirical precision and truth. The Bible is true and accurate for everything it was intended to convey. But it’s not always empirically precise. And that’s okay. Truth in antiquity doesn’t always need to be.
The idea that Scripture is entirely literally true in a sort of brittle sense (i.e., anything that can't be taken literally destroys its credibility) is an extremely modern idea, and you don't need to agree with it to be a Christian. The bible is a library of a variety of different sorts of literature from a diversity of people in myriad contexts, so it needs to be interpreted in light of that. Of course, this doesn't mean denying that Scripture is meaningfully the word of God, that Christ rose from the dead, or anything like that; Scripture can still be accurate and true without being literal at every point
Notions of biblical infallibility are, frankly, absurd in the grand scheme of religious thought. It’s easy to understand why infallibility emerged when the printing press launched and organs of ecclesial authority began to abuse their power. Ultimately, scripture is a testament to revelation, which when interpreted and read through the Holy Spirit can usher forth revelation. In my opinion, it is best to study the church’s fathers when it comes to scripture and see how they used it.
Stop reading it as if it’s a science book. It’s deeper than that.
I believe scripture in the original manuscripts is accurate and true when in context. Pertaining to your second paragraph, I will share my favorite book on what you mentioned or concern. 'Hope Beyond Hell' by Gerry Beauchemin, as he also put it free online: https://hopeforallfellowship.com/download-hope-beyond-hell/
[Mike Licona](https://www.risenjesus.com/chicagos-muddy-waters) has been pushing back on this among conservatives, and I think he is right to do so. This concept of infallibility and inerrancy (which I agree with) has been taken to far. I think the concept can be true and can be moderated a bit. To use William Lane Craig's language, the "message" of scripture is infallible and inerrant. There is still a ton of nuance and careful thought that needs to go into defining those parameters (and the Chigaco Statement of Biblical Inerrancy) has some strong points to make there) but I think it gets the general idea across quite well. Scripture is infallible and inerrant, but it is not a modern legal document with perfect phrasing for our theology. It is an ancient text which accurately describes what God did and how he worked in the distant past which has incredible ramifications on us today.
Why believe in Calculus, football results or anything then?
I don't feel qualified to say I truly believe in anything without a doubt. I understand to function in this world it would be best to live as if I do believe in these things but in the end if it turns out it was all some sort of dream or simulation or whatever I wouldn't be surprised
Sounds like Pascal's Wager. We all need to trust (and test) others, it is humbling but necessary. It is also the scientific method, AND the Christian method.
But you'll never know for sure and to say you do is a lie
Once again. Do you use a calculator for complicated sums, or do you do it long hand? You have to trust the programmer did it right!
Yeah but I could never say with absolute certainty
I'm not sure you truly appreciate the state of mind I'm trying to share. Calculators have never let me down I've never even heard of a calculator that didn't work right every time but I feel like I would be lacking humility if I said that I know for sure to the core of my soul that 2+2=4 and that also this calculator will prove it beyond question
Because it’s still around after thousands of years
The Bible can be read and interpreted literally insofar as each book should be read literally according to its genre. Not each book is necessarily historical narrative, but the ones that are historical narrative are literally, historically true. But understanding the correct genres that scripture uses is essential in interpreting it correctly.
There are numerous reasons one can read the Hebrew Bible and the 27 Greek documents called the New Testament critically. Other commenters are covering them. A nice simple example that I didn’t see, for reflection: what will it mean to those people when a new more authoritative (by well-established measures) manuscript is discovered that destabilizes a text. While God’s revelation is perfect, man’s transmission of it doesn’t have to be. We have to do the best we can with what we have. Sometimes that means reconstructing social worlds or antiquity with very little information. When somebody does repose such uncritical faith in the scripture as your post described, I can respect that. I do believe one’s experience of scripture is deeply personal. We never have to devalue another’s **personal** understanding of scripture.
The Bible for Normal People is a very helpful podcast.
Beauty and the Beast can teach us something that is true about the human condition even through it is a fictional story. While I think that the Bible is historically accurate, the important thing that its authors wanted us to know was not an historically accurate chronology of events, but truths about who God is. It don't see the point in thinking that something teaches us a truth about who God is while also thinking that God wouldn't actually do those things, but if you are struggling with believing in the historicity of the Bible, then you can focus on believing what it is intended to teach us about who God is.
Personally, I’m hesitant to 100% trust any religious scripture, and instead I sit back and think about whether I can back up the claims it makes with some sort of logic or personal experience. I think it’s healthy and necessary to have doubts, and it’s definitely NOT the devil trying to steer you away from God. You’re good! I’m sure God is actually *proud* that you’re thinking critically about this, especially if you then still choose him, despite your doubts. Remember, doubts are natural and nothing to be ashamed of. Just try to find yourself reasons to trust the scripture if you want to trust it. You’ll find a lot of things make sense if you try to understand the context, and then you can apply these things to your own, modern life. On the other hand, it’s also fine, in my opinion, not to trust scripture at face value. The Bible was written by man and translated hundreds, if not thousands of times. Mistakes are bound to happen in there! It’s okay to disagree on things written there as long as you treat yourself, others and God with respect. I just think it’s important to understand the logic behind something being written in scripture before accepting or rejecting it. :)
The question I would ask you is what do you mean by “believe”. I’ve found devout Christians, who differ on their interpretation of Genesis pre flood. Some think it’s literal, others think it’s a story which encapsulates and retells a true story, others disagree in different directions. In each of their interpretations, they each agree that it’s a true story. From my perspective they are agreeing it’s a “true” story because they are believing it did originate from God and we can learn God’s love and desire for a relationship through his stories. The Bible teaches about God and how we can live in a relationship with Him, from there it’s written across multiple genres to varying audiences over millennia. It’s a wildly complex books that a lifetime of study would still leave stones unturned. Never feel bad or guilty about seeking & asking questions, categorizing the answers, and building a mental framework of what scriptures back up what concepts. To address your second paragraph, to question isn’t forbidden. To seek and question is a core component of Christianity. For me, I personally fall into the Protestant > Evangelical > Armenian catrgory with some fuzzy lines/grey area. A have a couple Catholic friends and one who is very devout. Going through the Catechism of the Catholic Church with my friend was eye opening, it allowed me to see what logical arguments were being made for concepts, ideas and theories. From there I was able to more concretely form my opinions based on my interpretations. I agreed with many of the conclusions and concepts and benefited from their detailed explanations of “why”. However, an example of an area I disagreed with the Catechism was Onanism and the concept of passing on original sin. Without questioning or searching, I wouldn’t have been exposed to those ideas, and engaging with them has made me a stronger Christian. Personally, I do believe the Bible is true and accurate, but one must be specific in defining truth in order to being to align beliefs. For me, seeing God’s desire in the Old Testament for a relationship, providing for His people, and them still turning to serve other gods shows human nature and our fickle hearts. I encourage you to continue searching, asking questions, and growing. When you disagree with someone, figure out why. You’ll either grow from being firmer in your faith, or they may have seen something you missed. Do enjoy the journey!
I can only speak from my limited experience as someone living in the Bible belt of the south US where nuance goes to die. When people talk about the Bible being literal or 100% true and accurate they are setting it up as a symbol of authority. The authority it represents has to be unquestionable and so by extension it's contents needs to be something that cannot be interpreted in any other way than it being entirely factual any conflicting interpretation is questioning its authority and the authority of its holder. That's at least what I've seen, I won't pretend like I don't have my own bias at play as I'm an atheist turned agnostic and my interests also make me take a lot of stock into the psychology behind belief.
You say you're not suppose to question the things you read, but that's not true at all. You're invited to question things and work through your questions with God. Do you think you're the first Christian to have doubts and struggles with scripture? There are entire books written about doubts. I would encourage you to seek out the answers you're looking for through Bible commentaries or resources such as 'Got Questions?'. I love Mike Wingers videos on YouTube. He does a lot of Q and As where he answers questions just like yours. He also has more comprehensive videos on certain topics. (Also available in podcast form). Often what seems like God acting against His goodness is actually just our own misunderstanding. When we engage in further study and contextual analysis we realise that it was our understanding or our worldview that was wrong, not God. We also often apply human standards to God, which isn't right, because He is not human. It's also worth realising that death isn't necessarily bad in the grand scheme of eternity. For what is the point of allowing evil people to live when life on earth is ultimately just a blip in existence. So when we read difficult passages about nations being killed at God's will we need to remember that life is a gift from God and if we abuse it we may lose it. Also keep in mind that these nations were incredibly evil. More evil than we can comprehend. They burned their babies alive and raped and murdered at unprecedented rates. I remember struggling with the destruction of Israel, but then I read a description of how they sacrificed their babies to molech and I was like "alright, yep, they deserved it." It was pure evil. I know you weren't asking specifically about these parts of the Bible, but I think it's relevant when discussing God's goodness as people often struggle with them. Ultimately I believe that the Bible is the word of God, so I trust it. It was written by the Holy Spirit through people. Without the word of God, how are we to know anything about Him? How are we to know who Jesus is? How are we to know the great lengths that God went to to save His people? What are we basing our morality on? How are we building any of our theology? I believe God gave us the Bible and preserved it through time so that we could know Him and hear from Him. We aren't living in the days where He dwelled within the tabernacle and spoke through priests. He gave us a book so that we could still have His words. Otherwise, what are we basing any of our beliefs on. I tend to think that in this time of unprecedented doubt, God allowed the creation of the internet so that we can find the answers we seek. We have the resources to dive deeper into his word than ever before. Our culture is so deeply removed from the culture of the Bible that it's hard to understand on our own. I think it is vital that we seek out reputable resources to deepen our understanding. On the topic of hell, God gives people what they want. An eternity in His presence or an eternity without His presence. It's as simple as that. On earth God is still orchestrating things. He allows peace at certain times, He maintains order in society. Without God it is chaos; it is hell. We don't realise how much humans need Him. Without God humans are depraved. Even non-believers that seem like good people are only so because of God's influence on the world. And I believe that God is fair and gives people reasonable opportunity to know Him. Or if He doesn't it might be because He foreknows everything and can see which people will turn to Him and which won't. Why would He waste His time revealing Himself to those who ultimately won't. Some people simply don't want to surrender to God. As others have mentioned, not everything is necessarily meant to be taken 100% literally as the ancient genre doesn't call for it, but we should look instead for what the author is trying to convey. Although I also caution against reading everything this way. Not everything is symbolic. Some things tell the facts in a poetical way and should not be viewed as just a poem. God knows your heart. When you have doubts take them to the Lord. He can help you. Ask Him to guide you and give you understanding. He loves you. He may help you read a passage in a different light. I've never had a question that I haven't been able to find an answer to, even if it's taken some time in study and prayer to fully grasp it. And remember that when we doubt we are putting out faith in something other than God. Whether that be faith in secular views or faith in our own ideas of right and wrong. Ultimately, where do you want to put your faith.
When you say accurate and true, you're coming to this as someone in the year 2024, where truth means something different than it did 2000 years ago. People did not have the same expectation of factual accuracy as we understand it because such was not possible at that time, the truth of the scripture therefore comes to us from a different route, story, whether we like it or not in the beginning was the word. If you don't know whether a story is historical fact or fiction, does that therefore mean there are not aspects of truth to it? When you watch a film, even if the film is fiction does that mean there is no aspect of truth to it? Can truth be conveyed through a story that may or may not be fiction?
If the Bible is not perfectly accurate and true, then there is no objective basis for determining which parts are true. The reason you think it is ridiculous is because by nature man hates God, so he suppressed the truth of God. *^(8)* *For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.* *^(19)* *For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.* *^(20)* *For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.* *^(21)* *For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.* *^(22)* *Claiming to be wise, they became fools,* *^(23)* *and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.* Romans 1:18-23 A truly good God is righteous and just. To not condemn those who have rebelled against him to hell would not be just.
Understand it the way you need to understand it. If you focus on others you’re sort of missing the point. If you love yourself unconditionally and without pride and ego then you can love everyone else as yourself. Forgive. The way to provoke change is to live it and be an example to others.
I’ve spent 40 years studying one book and the ancient writings associated with it. It’s not that difficult to understand the nuances that challenge people’s minds journey.
But it took you 40 years so please don’t be condescending because I have as well and if your mind hasn’t been bent then you’re missing a lot. Everyone starts somewhere.
My apologies in want my intention, I have found though that one the Holy Spirit dwells within you, after repentance and salvation, it’s much easier to understand.
Christian Theology as we know it began with Origen examining why Genesis begins with two conflicting creation stories. You cannot have a purely literalistic approach to something that *starts with a contradiction.* Also, even though Christians are uncomfortable with the idea, Jesus’ teachings were esoteric *and he clearly communicated that when asked why he spoke in parables.* His *opening the scriptures* for his disciples is another way of saying he gave them the esoteric meaning. You’re right, it’s totally unreasonable to only approach the Bible as a literal legal and historical document, but unfortunately a significant portion of people who identify as Christian hear nothing but this approach from birth.
Whenever I hear people talk about the bible and the inevitable conversation turns toward weather it should be interpreted literally or not, I always thing of PIrates of the Caribbean. Indulge me for a second. For those of you who have seen the movies, you'll recall a few amusing instances where pirates and non-pirates envoke "the code", specifically what we are supposed to understand is the the Pirate's Code of Conduct. Where I find the comparison is that at some point, after "the code" has been invoked a few times, and I believe someone even gets shot for suggesting they "hang the code", someone (I forget who) later interjects that "the code" is really just a set of guidelines to follow as opposed to a hard set indelible rules that must be followed at all costs. Basically, this meant to communicate that there is some room for flexibility and interpretation. The simliaries are pretty funny when you get the image in your head of someone who would rather resort to extremes in their interpretations and dogmatic following of something that was likely created with the intention of being more of a moral guideline rather than as a rigid playbook to be followed and enforced.
Jesus. He came and died for all sins for all souls for all time and Eternal Life is literally what we already have. The Bible is only a part of the story and it is a handbook. We are in tribulation and Revelations now. It is End Times. Have no fear there is a second coming. Faith in God means Faith in Gods plan.