I have a naturally distrusting personality which has always made religion hard for me, because when I have a serious question but get shut down for even asking in the first place, then it just ends up making me distrust the whole thing.
I do make a huge effort to understand who Jesus is, but ultimately this is the biggest speedbump in my journey, because I have so many questions that seem to make believers uncomfortable. As well as the bible itself, which we are told is the word of God and is perfect, but it was written by man, and man makes mistakes. Man also deceives. And since it was written over a vast span of time, and translated over a vast span of time, this seems to leave a lot of room (in my opinion) for mistakes or deceit. Every time I ask a believer about this, the answer I always get is "God would not allow that to happen." Maybe so, but that sounds exactly like something a human would say when their spiritual worldview is questioned. So how am I, a person who questions everything, supposed to get to a place where I'm comfortable that the bible is perfect?
I very much believe in God and in Jesus, but I don't feel like I "know" them because of all my questions. I also don't believe a human can answer my questions, so I just ask them strait to God. I'm still waiting for many of those answers, but I will tell you, some of my early questions, when I first came back to the bible, were answered for me instantly, and it shook me a bit, enough to scare me into being a believer. All though the way I was told to seek out those answers also makes some other believers uncomfortable, but it was a way of using the bible that a Chirstian woman taught me 30 years ago.
"I also don't believe a human can answer my questions, so I just ask them strait to God."
This is obviously true for most people including me. This is why I long ago sought to find the truth myself. To keep this short, I was struck by Thomas Aquinas writings and his observances of man's relationship to Nature. He contextualized man's law as it relates to the manifestations of God's creation. Aquinas spoke of the Laws of Nature and Eternal Law, but no where did I find in his writings or any writings whatsoever what those Laws actually were. So, I was led on a quest to find out for myself. After more than 20 years of research, I have not only found the answer, but have constantly expanded the scientific proofs of it. And it fits perfectly into biblical understanding and reveals the understanding of the [holy] Spirit. From this reference the bible is understood.
Too many christians worship the Bible as their god. I have the same reservations as you. I also have a hard time with the idea that literary ability is path to God. I suffer with reading dyslexia and I have a hard time comprehending when I read due to the way I see words and the distraction that it causes. To make reading comprehension the gateway to God doesn't make sense to me.
I have a naturally distrusting personality which has always made religion hard for me, because when I have a serious question but get shut down for even asking in the first place, then it just ends up making me distrust the whole thing.
I do make a huge effort to understand who Jesus is, but ultimately this is the biggest speedbump in my journey, because I have so many questions that seem to make believers uncomfortable. As well as the bible itself, which we are told is the word of God and is perfect, but it was written by man, and man makes mistakes. Man also deceives. And since it was written over a vast span of time, and translated over a vast span of time, this seems to leave a lot of room (in my opinion) for mistakes or deceit. Every time I ask a believer about this, the answer I always get is "God would not allow that to happen." Maybe so, but that sounds exactly like something a human would say when their spiritual worldview is questioned. So how am I, a person who questions everything, supposed to get to a place where I'm comfortable that the bible is perfect?
I very much believe in God and in Jesus, but I don't feel like I "know" them because of all my questions. I also don't believe a human can answer my questions, so I just ask them strait to God. I'm still waiting for many of those answers, but I will tell you, some of my early questions, when I first came back to the bible, were answered for me instantly, and it shook me a bit, enough to scare me into being a believer. All though the way I was told to seek out those answers also makes some other believers uncomfortable, but it was a way of using the bible that a Chirstian woman taught me 30 years ago.
"I also don't believe a human can answer my questions, so I just ask them strait to God."
This is obviously true for most people including me. This is why I long ago sought to find the truth myself. To keep this short, I was struck by Thomas Aquinas writings and his observances of man's relationship to Nature. He contextualized man's law as it relates to the manifestations of God's creation. Aquinas spoke of the Laws of Nature and Eternal Law, but no where did I find in his writings or any writings whatsoever what those Laws actually were. So, I was led on a quest to find out for myself. After more than 20 years of research, I have not only found the answer, but have constantly expanded the scientific proofs of it. And it fits perfectly into biblical understanding and reveals the understanding of the [holy] Spirit. From this reference the bible is understood.
Too many christians worship the Bible as their god. I have the same reservations as you. I also have a hard time with the idea that literary ability is path to God. I suffer with reading dyslexia and I have a hard time comprehending when I read due to the way I see words and the distraction that it causes. To make reading comprehension the gateway to God doesn't make sense to me.
You can contact me with any question and I will not shut you down. I believe our creator wants us to ask hard questions.