I argue with my mom on this issue. We are both Christians.
The difference is that I have a simple moral code that God has given me.
I think a lot of religious people complicate the subject of faith.
My faith resolves around this. It's all I need.
Add in the Golden Rule as well
-
You shall have no other God before me.
-
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.
-
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
-
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy.
-
Honor your father and mother.
-
Thou shalt not kill.
-
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
-
Thou shalt not steal.
-
Thou shall not bear false witness.
-
You shall not covet.
All the other stuff isn't worth the time to argue about in my view.
Pretty sad that the powers of evil had the world in such a state that God had to tell people to obey these simple guidelines.
Sadder still to think of what the world must have been like for God to have to "test" whether or not Abraham was willing to sacrifice his firstborn. What a terrible world it must have been with false gods running around telling people to sacrifice their children "for the lord."
Man had a knowledge of Good and was deceived into gaining the knowledge of evil, which separated man from God severing communication between man and God. Occasionally a righteous God loving man or woman would come along and God would put Spirit upon them, but not in them as now in we who are born again. God gave us great power.
Praise Jesus!
That's why it's so important to study the various covenants between God and His children.
So many people want to discount our history (or His story) because "that's the wrong testament for my religion."
We do have great power and a responsibility to understand it.