Question

[Whateverist]

Whateverist,
I do this on my phone so i haven't figured out how to get a quote to here.  So i just copy and paste.  I need to get my 14 year old daughter to show me what to do.

Anyway you said...." Don't mean to rush you -and I'm pretty sure I couldn't if I wanted to- but I've very curious what is going on with you.  I wonder what your doubts are and how your confidence is holding up, if that is something you want to share in this environment.  Anyhow you seem to have a strong center, I look forward to hearing more about whatever it may be that is going on in there."    

To all ya'll on here....I have nothing to hide.  I want ya'll to be honest with me so i will openly and honestly say that ya'll have some dang tough stuff!  Your comments and questions are good and make me think.  I am very confident and have doubts in what i believe.

In my honest opinion, the reason Christians have a hard time squaring their beliefs with higher education is that their most basic beliefs are not based on careful research or reason to begin with.  If you start with unsupported, presupposed facts you end up with indefensible positions.  The biggest problem is that most Christians claim things that are by their very nature indefensible.  

I personally think you could carve out an intellectually defensible position which preserves a place for God but you would have to give up claiming to know everything about that god and what it wants from you.  You'd have to humbly admit to not knowing a lot of things most Christians proudly boast of knowing now.

If God/gods are to be tenable you need to start off by recognizing and admitting that you are speaking of something which is in its very essence an irresolvable mystery.  Rather that approach the bible as a legal contract between God and man, you should admit it is but one of many books which inspire reflection on the mystery of God/gods.  Stop saying you know just how the world began and you know just what happens after you die and you know just what God wants of you in this life.  Instead admit that you of course don't know those things -any more than any other person.  But insist that reflecting on the mystery of God gives you a way to think about all those things.  Rather than insist that your beliefs are better than other people's beliefs, admit that knowing what to believe is a challenge for every human being.  Do that and you can hold your head high.

By the way, you really need to stop thinking that the bible contains God's answers for mankind.  If it was supposed to be that then God was a piss poor communicator.  Faith is about opening yourself humbly to the truth; it's not about latching on to the bible proudly and confidently as the revealed Truth.  Don't assume anything.  Just ask and wait for the answers.  And really, you're a farmer, isn't life mostly about some pretty concrete things that need doing everyday?  How important is it to you or anyone else to know "where we come from" or "where we go after we die"?  No one knows is a good starting place.  Then, when the chores are done, and you're sure you've done all that was needed for that family that you obviously love very much, go ahead and speculate about those things.  But you can be sure, no one else knows with certainty any more about the answers than you do.  Not your pastor.  Not your kid's psychology professor.  No one.

So don't make claims you can't defend.  In fact don't be in such a rush to make those kinds of claims at all.  It is only when we claim much more than we really can know that we end up looking foolish, and fail at higher education.  Humility is the key.

I'll leave off answering the rest of your post unless you find this much of any value.  Your call.