U
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The bad things in the bible.
This may be a little long winded but can I ask three interlinked questions at once?
Brought up a Christian, I gradually lost my faith as I realised that so many things taught to me were so blatantly incorrect. As a simple example, when I asked my (nun) teacher where stoneage man fitted into history with Adam and Eve, she told me that stoneage men never existed!
My Christian background but present agnosticism has left me feeling that I am missing out 'on God' and I have been looking ever since for something to help me believe again but I keep coming up against the problem of people using the bible to explain things but they totally ignore all the bad things in the bible. Most Christians seem to want to ignore the bad things but at the same time rely upon the good things in the bible which is obviously inconsistent.
So, my questions are:
1. How can I ignore the advice (just as examples) to throw the sick out of the camp, the rules on taking slaves and how to treat them, for slaves to honour their masters especially if the master is Christian? Those are, of course, simply examples of the many awful things said and done in the bible by God or in the name of God.
2. If I am expected to ignore those bad things, how can I be expected to accept the rest or indeed any of the bible?
3. I am also very concerned that the 'god' Mithras had a last supper with his disciples at which he said, 'this is my body and this is my blood' (about their meal of sacrificed bull) he later was killed, entombed and rose again from the dead 'to save mankind' and subsequently rose up into heaven. You will of course recognise the similarity with Jesus but Mithras was worshiped from hundreds of years BC throughout the known world. Mithraism seems to be related in some ways to Zoroastianism which most theologians accept as one of the roots of Judaism and Christianity. So, my third question is..... Why should I believe that the bible stories of Jesus are not simply mixed up with Pagan (etc) beliefs in the same way that Easter is obviously mixed up with the spring celebration of the goddess Eastre and Christmas is mixed up with winter celebration of Yule? The dates are, of course, the same.
Martin
(I can't register because only Christians are allowed to register)
This may be a little long winded but can I ask three interlinked questions at once?
Brought up a Christian, I gradually lost my faith as I realised that so many things taught to me were so blatantly incorrect. As a simple example, when I asked my (nun) teacher where stoneage man fitted into history with Adam and Eve, she told me that stoneage men never existed!
My Christian background but present agnosticism has left me feeling that I am missing out 'on God' and I have been looking ever since for something to help me believe again but I keep coming up against the problem of people using the bible to explain things but they totally ignore all the bad things in the bible. Most Christians seem to want to ignore the bad things but at the same time rely upon the good things in the bible which is obviously inconsistent.
So, my questions are:
1. How can I ignore the advice (just as examples) to throw the sick out of the camp, the rules on taking slaves and how to treat them, for slaves to honour their masters especially if the master is Christian? Those are, of course, simply examples of the many awful things said and done in the bible by God or in the name of God.
2. If I am expected to ignore those bad things, how can I be expected to accept the rest or indeed any of the bible?
3. I am also very concerned that the 'god' Mithras had a last supper with his disciples at which he said, 'this is my body and this is my blood' (about their meal of sacrificed bull) he later was killed, entombed and rose again from the dead 'to save mankind' and subsequently rose up into heaven. You will of course recognise the similarity with Jesus but Mithras was worshiped from hundreds of years BC throughout the known world. Mithraism seems to be related in some ways to Zoroastianism which most theologians accept as one of the roots of Judaism and Christianity. So, my third question is..... Why should I believe that the bible stories of Jesus are not simply mixed up with Pagan (etc) beliefs in the same way that Easter is obviously mixed up with the spring celebration of the goddess Eastre and Christmas is mixed up with winter celebration of Yule? The dates are, of course, the same.
Martin
(I can't register because only Christians are allowed to register)