CG Didymus
Veteran Member
I don't believe the Christian Bible literally, because they don't believe the Hebrew Bible literally. Literally, Isaiah chapter 7, in context, does not talk about the messiah being born in the future. So Christian take part of it, make the young maiden a virgin and use it to prove Jesus is supernatural. That's great--a powerful wonderful, miraculous story. Every religion has great and miraculous stories. But why believe any of them? I look at what it teaches. What does it want me to do with my life? All of them are pushing me to become more spiritual. Does a literal belief in the Christian Bible make people more spiritual? Some would say it has a negative effect, because it makes all other religions wrong. It makes a lot of Christian sects and denominations wrong.
The biggest irony for me is that the Hebrew Bible is centered on the Law. Not just any law, but the Law God gave them. That's literally. Christians don't follow that law. They don't follow the Commandment to keep the Sabbath. I've read verses that say the law and the Sabbath are "forever." I don't want to follow the Jewish laws. I don't want to obey the Sabbath, but it's God's law. I'm glad Christians don't take it literally. I'm glad they found a way to make it unimportant and not necessary. But why make the Hebrew history literal?
I know why, and that's to justify the literal belief in Jesus. A belief based on second and third hand reports of what he might have said and meant. What if they did misquote him? What if he said, "God and I are virtually one, because I do what He tells me."
Paul takes Moses out of context in Romans 10:8. He takes a piece of what Moses was saying in Deuteronomy 30:14, but flips it around. Why didn't he take what Moses was saying literal? Because Moses was saying the Law isn't hard to follow. Paul ends up making the Law impossible to follow. I agree with Paul! I couldn't come close to following God's Law. But if you take the Bible literally, it's God's Law. How can you toss it out? And, how can you toss out the Law, but still make things like a six-day creation, the flood, and the tower of Babel literal?
What is wrong with Noah and the flood being just a cute story. I know, I know, you have to take it as literal, otherwise, your faith in Jesus and the Bible would be in jeopardy. It's an all or nothing proposition. But, it causes you to force interpretations when things don't make sense. And,there are enough things that don't make sense for me to doubt a literal interpretation of the Bible. What is scary is--if you are right, all the rest of us are condemned to hell. So, hopefully, it's you that is wrong.
The biggest irony for me is that the Hebrew Bible is centered on the Law. Not just any law, but the Law God gave them. That's literally. Christians don't follow that law. They don't follow the Commandment to keep the Sabbath. I've read verses that say the law and the Sabbath are "forever." I don't want to follow the Jewish laws. I don't want to obey the Sabbath, but it's God's law. I'm glad Christians don't take it literally. I'm glad they found a way to make it unimportant and not necessary. But why make the Hebrew history literal?
I know why, and that's to justify the literal belief in Jesus. A belief based on second and third hand reports of what he might have said and meant. What if they did misquote him? What if he said, "God and I are virtually one, because I do what He tells me."
Paul takes Moses out of context in Romans 10:8. He takes a piece of what Moses was saying in Deuteronomy 30:14, but flips it around. Why didn't he take what Moses was saying literal? Because Moses was saying the Law isn't hard to follow. Paul ends up making the Law impossible to follow. I agree with Paul! I couldn't come close to following God's Law. But if you take the Bible literally, it's God's Law. How can you toss it out? And, how can you toss out the Law, but still make things like a six-day creation, the flood, and the tower of Babel literal?
What is wrong with Noah and the flood being just a cute story. I know, I know, you have to take it as literal, otherwise, your faith in Jesus and the Bible would be in jeopardy. It's an all or nothing proposition. But, it causes you to force interpretations when things don't make sense. And,there are enough things that don't make sense for me to doubt a literal interpretation of the Bible. What is scary is--if you are right, all the rest of us are condemned to hell. So, hopefully, it's you that is wrong.