I haven't read the thread on b77, so I don't know how people replied there, maybe this has all been said already.
Like Whistler said, asking questions is a normal process in faith, I think.
The one thing that sparked it off was God telling the Isralites to kill the women and children after conquering some army or another (this happens more than once and I can look it up for anyone who is interested in chapter and verse). In fact a lot (not all because there is good stuff too) of the Old Testament is barbaric.
I have commented on the Old Testament in another thread, and I think it was a bit offensive to some, so I hope I'm not making it worse, being in this forum, but I think I should comment again.
Maybe this has to do with my being Catholic - after all, we are infamous for not considering "the word" to be so all-important
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- but I think in this case what I'm saying is borne out by historic research.
The thing is that, eventually, the Bible is just a book, or rather, a collection of texts. It's not God's own dictation or something. And, what's more, especially when it comes to the Old Testament, it's a big collection of texts from all sorts of backgrounds!
This collection of texts dates from a time when the view of the world was inextricably linked with mystery and religion - and when there was not a whole lot of writing around!
The Bible is the collected writings of an ancient people, and in those writings you have texts about everything that concerns a group of humans, such as historiography, wise sayings, medical advice, legal advice, prayer and meditative texts - all in one collection! And because in those ancient times everything was connected to religion, religion is present in all those texts!
It just results from a worldview in which these things are not seperated - it's hard for us today to understand, so I'll try a modern comparison.
You still find politicians (well, maybe mostly in the US
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) these days arguing that some policy is "what God wants" - if our historiography wasn't seperated from religious thought and we were still thinking the way the people in the times of the Old Testament did, you'd probably read in some history books in a few years that God told the President to send troops to Iraq.
I hope the example isn't offensive - I'm just trying to explain how sentences such as the one that
justly shocked you in the Bible got there in the first place!
However, I can understand having troubles to associate oneself with a religion that has such things anywhere in its texts.
That's why I'd agree with Pearl that the thing I as a Christian concentrate on is the love we receive from God as shown through Jesus in the gospels.
And that leads me to your point of wanting to be perfect.
but I have gotten worse sinking under the opression of not being perfect nor able to raise perfect kids. I think I am going to cut them and me some slack for awhile and just try to be human for once, nothing more.
I'm very sorry to hear that the idea of your failings oppresses you! But I think that your resolution to be human, all failings included, is just what God would ask of you!
This is probably not for me to tell you - it's something one needs to realise on one's own, I guess - but for me it has always been the crucial thing about my religion - and that is that it's ok for us to fail!
IMO, the whole idea of Christianity is to tell people that they don't have to be perfect! Almost all the deeds and words of Christ reassure us that it's ok to fail, as long as you try and as long as you realise and regret an error.
One of my favourite gospel moments is the naming of Simon as Peter: if Jesus can declare the person he knew was going to chicken out at the first test of facing public disapproval and deny knowing Him to be "the rock on which to build My Church" - then, I think, there's no need for you or me to fear a little erring along the way!
I'd like to comment on moral absolutes a bit, too , but this post is long enough already, and I'm probably stepping on enough toes as it is, so I'll save that for, hopefully, another post.
What that tells me is that God was trying to get through to us, trying to substitute our obsession with power/control with God's message of love. Hey, that struggle is ongoing, isn't it?
Edited to add:
wampus wrote:That doesn't mean the Old Testament is useless. Far from it! Look for God's love and faithfulness, and you will find it. Even in the more brutal parts, we can see our own shortcomings and our own attempts to make God responsible for them. In the person of Jesus, we see a new way of being human and a more true vision of God.
That's beautifully said, wampus, very insightful, thanks!
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