How is it that you can believe something for decades and then suddenly awaken to the realization that something that you have believed really doesn’t make any sense? I don’t know exactly how it happens, but I am glad it has, and I am sure it will continue as well. How could I have said that God is omnipresent and then CONFINE God to a book, a box, called the Bible?
Who would deny that God is bigger than a book, even sixty six books, or any number of books?
Furthermore, doesn’t that same book say that IF all that Jesus said was recorded there wouldn’t be enough books in the world to hold those statements?
Worse yet is the realization that Jesus was always in opposition to the orthodox people of his day and yet today if one doesn’t follow that same orthodoxy 2,000 years later, one is a heretic. How’s does that work? How did that happen? Furthermore, why can’t one embrace other books- books that didn’t get the official sanction of the orthodoxy crowd. The answer is simple.
For most Christians, God is truly confined to the Bible Box!
Of course you will get differing opinions about the size and make up of that box depending upon your flavor of choice- Catholic or Protestant. There are many other Christian bibles that have a differing number of books, but I digress.
A fear-based religion always majors on the OUTER structures. Christianity is made up of both.
The Bible is an OUTER approach in which one cannot add to, nor take away from, let alone deviate to another reference. Fear-based religion majors on the LAW and seeks to force people to conform with the threat of an eternal hell. Speaking of which, I’ve often wondered about what age it is that one begins to teach HELL to kids in Sunday School? At which level of Sunday School is it proper to emotionally introduce our children to a God, who will eternally punish a person if they don’t conform to the Bible Box?
Do you think the Child Protective Services (CPS) will get involved one day? 
My box is much bigger these days. My consciousness is expanding. I can’t live without the sacred Bible Box, but neither am I trapped within it. The WORLD and God are so much bigger, exciting, and mysterious. How I love the adventure that we are- that I AM!
“How is it that you can believe something for decades and then suddenly awaken to the realization that something that you have believed really doesn’t make any sense?”
I am still working on that question. I feel the answer is somewhere in the idea that “a change is a comin’”. Can’t you feel it? I know you can. My goal right now is to ask folks to Be still, listen, feel for that change. It has begun.
You’ve judged people as fearful who accept the Bible as their standard by which to live. The truth is the Bible is a book of faith and believing God’s word is a sign of walking in faith. The stories of ordinary people who believe God are inspiring, not fearful. Abraham and Sarah are an example of ridiculously persevering in faith and being blessed for it. Ruth, a widow, was willing to learn the ways of God which were foreign to her and the Lord gave her a loving husband and children.
God’s principles are not law. They are wisdom when applied to our lives through grace. Walking in the wisdom of God guards you and watches over you (Prov. 4:6) Believing the truth of God has power to set you free (John 8:32) Accepting the integrity of the Bible doesn’t mean God isn’t still speaking; it does imply you recognize His voice from the enemy who masquerades as an angel of light. (2 Cor. 11:14)
Unfortunately, certitude is the “enemy” that masquerades as an angel of light. The church has become fearful of the question because the answer might transcend the limitations of those who claim to know.
When we finally lay aside the vigorous defense of dogma, and when we realize that Spirit needs no defense (it simply IS), we may be suprised to find humanity truly shining as the Light of the world. Dogma, doctrine, and belief systems all have their place–they are an important starting point. “When I was a child, I spoke as child…..but then I became a man, and I put away childish things”. Let’s give up the milk of dogma for the meat of experience.
jbf, if you’ll read the verses before the one I quoted, you’ll see the angel of light is satan disguised as false apostles. It has nothing to do with certitude.
Uncertainty can bring confusion, a word that has cropped up in conversations a lot in the last few years. God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33).
Paul penned the words you quote about “putting away childish things.” (I Corinthians 13:11) This same apostle who knew we didn’t comprehend all of God, did emphasize Christians are to hold fast to what they do know. That’s why he exhorted Timothy to be “constantly nourished on the words of faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables” (I Tim. 4:6,7) Jesus was the champion of doctrine when he commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of nations, “teaching [doctrine] them to observe all that I commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19)
I would’t presume to usurp anyone’s doctrine or faithful allegiance to that doctrine. One can only hold fast to what one knows because he or she has experienced the perceived truth of that knowledge. Experiential knowledge is a progression–always leading us to a place of total unknowing, mystery, and finally, surrender.
Give me a “false apostle” with an inner experience over a disciple with correct doctrine.
It is only when you refuse to peek out from under the box certain that what’s inside (the stories) far better represent Truth/Spirit/God than anything outside of the box or inside any other box (other stories) binds us from truly loving our brothers.
“In the name of God, the infinitely Compassionate and Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of all the worlds.
The Compassionate, the Merciful. Ruler on the Day of Reckoning.
You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help.
Guide us on the straight path,
the path of those who have received your grace;
not the path of those who have brought down wrath, nor of those who wander astray.
Amen.”
Is there not any parallels between this prayer and the Lord’s prayer? (ex. “not the path of those who have brought down wrath, nor of those who wander astray=lead us not into temptation) Do these words not bear a kernel of truth? If one is certain that you have and bear Truth inside of you, then you can stomach peeking out of the box, not to prove yourself right, but so that you can find some commonality between brothers and sisters.
When we open our minds and understand that not only is the book, then you found in other manuscripts amazing things as well.
Do not forget that the Bible was written by men, we are the source, We are the MERKABA, We are…
Te amooo!!
Bibliolotry rears its head again.
Linda- You quoted: ” “teaching [doctrine] them to observe all that I commanded .
IMO, Jesus only gave us two “commands”:
Love the Lord your God
Love your neighbor as yourself
That’s what he wanted the world to know. Just my opinion.
God spoke through Hosea when he said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) “Destroyed” is a pretty big price to pay for ignorance of the truth.
Don, Jesus did command us to love. That’s why He and others showed us how to love. It’s not natural for people to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44). Nor is it always easy to treat people in the manner in which you want to be treated (Matthew 7:12) For these situations, we need some further instruction. Jesus taught us certain things, at times building upon OT principles, like trusting God for daily bread. From heaven, He commissioned Paul to write most of the NT. Paul’s writings help us to understand that love is kind, not arrogant, and not easily provoked (I Cor. 13:4,5) Loving the way God intends us to, must be taught. That’s why we teach our children to respect their elders and share their toys. It’s a life-long process we learn by renewing our minds with God’s truth.
“He commissioned Paul to write most of the NT”
He did. WOW! commissioned him huh?
The best and latest scholarship attributes 7 of the 13 (or 14, if you include Hebrews) as actually being Pauline, the rest are anonymously attributed, possibly, to various followers. Those other 6 or 7, have been definitely been ruled out by various methods of scholarship, to NOT be Pauline. They may reflect his ideas mentioned elsewhere, but not of his hand. It was quite common to attribute a document to a well-known person to give it credence. That’s what happened with the pseudo-Pauline epistles.
And yes, I am very familiar with I COR. 13, thanks. Loving doesn’t have to be taught. We have a model, named Jesus.
Don, when Jesus said to the disciples, “Follow me”, he used the SC #190, which means to learn from His teaching. According to Zodhiates’ lexical notes, “the first thing involved in following Jesus is a cleaving to Him in believing trust and obedience; those cleaving to Him also following His leading, acting according to His example.”
Whatever would you do without good ole Strong’s and Zodhiates. Still longing to hear the heart of Linda, not the programmed response according to SC & Zodhiates. God gave you the power to think on your own. Listen with your heart. He’s closer than you think.
Linda, I believe what Don is driving at is that when you turn off the autopilot switch and speak from the heart your Spirit speaks volumes compared to quoting from Strong’s and Zodhiates. Now I can look up all the verses you quote and understand exactly what you mean. But this doesn’t tell me (at least) anything about how these verses guide and shape you.
For example, I have come to the point where I have begun to draw from several different religious traditions so that I can 1) better understand and love my fellow man and 2) by adding different views of the Divine I can incorporating the ones that speak to my Spirit into my daily walk. One tradition may speak on a topic that another may not even touch (ex. As far as I know Judaism doesn’t really say too much on Heaven or Hell compared to Christianity and Islam). If I pull from many traditions I may be able to see something in a clearer light than I ever could with just one view.
I’m sure I could have used scripture to support my thoughts but by using my own words I am able to communicate what I feel and what I believe.
Following Jesus means acting according to His example! I really like that. He said He only says and does what He ‘hears’ from His Father. It seems following the Spirit was much more important to Him than following the written words.
Eruesso said, “I’m sure I could have used scripture to support my thoughts but by using my own words I am able to communicate what I feel and what I believe.”
That’s the bottom line. Dead doctrine, repeated dogma, and “other mens opinions” are a good place to start, but since God is LOVE, all that really matters is what comes from the HEART!