.
I have come to accept much of the Old Testament is fiction. That Genesis is not literal. That timelines are not literal. That OT genocide is not literal. That the OT served a purpose – but Jesus kept referring to it – and some of the key Christian beliefs remain in it – and so “the bible” is stuck with it.
And so are Christians.
Because the bible is the Word of God and no Christian cuts the knees from under God. Even superstition of “bad things happen” (if you cross God) has a religious framing to be of God – it’s called “blasphemy”.
Which makes it different to normal superstition of (normal) “bad things happening”. And that “religious superstition” is now my greatest obstacle to an evolving relationship with God Soft Hands Jesus.
A relationship often dismissed as “my imaginary friend” … my “evidence” dismissed as “chemicals doing what they are intended to do” … chemicals that I choose to make “mystical” … And that trait I am told (by those who believe differently) is the reason we all suffer so much.
“Believers” tell me I have no choice.
That I was born infected – and unless cauterised of this infection I will spend an eternity separated from the unconditional and eternal love of God (once I choose the conditions of being saved). A “saving” which cauterises and heals me and any subsequent “infection” (so long as I fulfill certain conditions).
And “disbelievers” also tell me I have no choice.
That simply believing (what they say I believe) means I am infecting innocent people with this cancer of “belief” … that my “belief” commands me to infect others with the same cancer … That this cancer kills innocents AND accelerates the demise of this planet AND has nothing good to be said of it (or me).
What am I to think … ? If I believe “properly” I can cure ills and heal sufferers. And if I believe “properly” I am Enemy Number One. One side wishes to save me – the other side wishes to save me. And all I have to do is to believe what one side (or the other) tells me to believe. Let me tell you … the imagery is the same – and being freed from both … ?
Is being freed from any addiction.
I smoked for decades. Always told myself I could quit. Heard and saw the science from one side – heard and saw the science from the other – and happily ignored it all. I just cherry-picked whatever I needed. I cherry-picked fiction AND fact.
I have that gene.
And I look around and see that “gene” in evidence more and more.
I see it applying to animals and WE are animals. I accept we were not created overnight – not descended “literally” from the biblical imagery we now fight over. I think evolution is a brilliant piece of work. I see “free will” as the only thing that makes sense when discussing unconditional love (NO CONDITIONS necessary). And I am content that this planet is what it is because of reasons I will never know … a timeline as distant – AND therefore using imagery – no different to biblical Creation.
We ALL rely on imagery to fill-in the gaps because none of us will ever “know”.
All of us mix and match fact and fiction. It is how we survive – and why we fight – and why we can kill each other over an opinion … dressed up as belief … dressed up as an indisputable fact.
I mix fact and fiction to get by. We all do – we are all creators of reality fact-fiction. Why?
Because we are ALL born without the ability to know everything about everything ever.
So to survive I make things up to fill in the gaps. I make things up based on what I am told and what I see … what I experience and what I am taught … what I fear and what makes me safe … To live I must be safe more than in fear.
And today we humans call that “living in balance with nature” … “finding myself” …
Which is as much mumbo-jumbo as either “God” or “science” and as valid as both.
It is the same blurring fact-fiction – because we will never know everything about everything ever – but still have to find our own personal safety anyway.
“The Great Human Christian Dilemma” … ?
Is to choose to accept what we have in common. Choose to come together and accept differences. Because anything else that “knows” the answer … ?
That’s just fact-fiction at work again.
Just me being curious 
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Morning. Sounds like your issue is less one of faith and more one of religion. The problem with most religions is that the associated texts are contextualised in the morality of the time they were written as that was their purpose. Had the NT opened with sentiments like gender equality, same sex marriage, free the slaves and it’s all 1 God and it’s up to you how you handle that relationship not the guy up the front telling you what to do then it would have been as popular as David Icke.
I think it’s fair to say the primary tennent of the Christian faith is to love each other and help each other out. In other words to be the best person you can be. How that translates in to all the major Christian faiths being based on the oppression of anyone they disapprove of beats me. It’s truly astounding how people let them get away with it. Whether it be the Church of England unwilling to abide by the laws of the country they proport to represent and essentially saying men are better than women… or the Catholic Church who systematically covered up child abuse to protect themselves not their congregation… or the Mormons who brought a truly astounding display of misogyny to faith and got away with it ( not to mention the whole golden book deal that was jaw dropping)… the list goes on… how can we make the world work for white hetro men.
Jesus was all about helping people… minimal worldly possessions and giving the person in need the shirt off your back. We as a Christian society fail to abide by that with astounding brazenness. Thankfully we as individuals do not, which is why the people have a reputation for generosity while the churches do not. Sell off the Vatican assets and the CofE land and solve some real problems in the world and I’ll be interested in meeting them in the field of their choice to hear their thoughts on moral leadership.
In short… religion is little more than the mob with candles. They keep you obedient and afraid with threats to your immortal soul instead of your kneecaps. Stick to faith and be the best person you can be.
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Afternoon Rob.
I think my issue is with being compartmentalized at all. If God is a big as Christianity says He is – why the need for so many rules. If God is a big as I am taught He is – why just one bunch of creations to be loved for eternity. if God is anything like I have come to experience – He is beyond words. He is and I am.
And that gets personal! 🙂
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It’s religion imposing those limitations, not your faith. Your relationship with your god should be on your terms not anyone else’s. How can you hear him now if you are busy listening to someone else?
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😂😂😂
Rob, I don’t think it is “religion” that is the issue. It is us – real people. Just as church is people not buildings – so too religion. That old saying about a system that is perfect until you add “people” – it applies to a lot of things.
For me “faith” is relationship and safe community. My own relationship? Yes. But I am more than that. We are more than that. We are more than the “the sum of the parts”. That is safe community – and that is relationship. And that is faith with Love at its heart, of its soul, its very breath and heartbeat. Love stripped of condition.
I read the “sacred texts” and find Love at the heart of each. But we need to know we are loved. So out comes a bunch of conditions. All with love at their heart but all excluding some and controlling others as their consequence. And we love it! People love it.
I think religion is simply one illustration of how we seek to control and be controlled in exchange for safe community. But it can never be Love stripped of condition. So God must never be free of condition either. Too unsafe. And … Hello religion!
And that is people not “religion”. 🙂🙂🙂
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Seems you agree then.
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Isn’t that how religion got started? 🙂
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