RE: What deism has done for the world
March 3, 2014 at 7:01 pm
(This post was last modified: March 3, 2014 at 7:07 pm by *Deidre*.)
discipulus, I was once like you. I did believe as you do. Even how you interpret things, and explain, it sounds familiar to how I once was, when it came to 'defending' Christianity. But, perhaps, all along...I was skeptical? I don't know. I grew up in the Christian faith, and spent years praying, reading the Bible, and seeking 'solace' in 'God.' It felt genuine to me at the time. What caused me to ultimately abandon the faith, wasn't anything on an emotional level. Rather, it started to unravel when I realized that Genesis wasn't to be taken literally. Many fundamentalist Christians take it literally, I wasn't a 'fundie.' lol Genesis is not truth, discupulus. It's just not. There has been plentiful evidence to point towards the theory of evolution. Genesis runs counter to that. Even if I view it as a mere moral story, I don't understand why we need such a story. Why do we make up stories about gods that we don't see? Why do we believe stories in a book, that have no basis in reality? Why do we need a Savior? Why would a Deity create a ''fallen'' creation?
And if the writers of the Bible, made up Genesis, what else have they made up? You can't cherry pick your way through the Bible, and still call yourself a Christian. Many do, but that's not being true to the faith. I spent years cherry picking. It is far better to be 100% invested or not. As an Agnostic, I no longer have to cherry pick. I don't believe in Christianity, yet I am open to the idea that a Deity, of some type, may exist. I simply no longer find the need to determine it though, one way or the other.
It's not enough to say ''Well, God's mind is not ours. God's ways are not our ways.'' It's not enough for me to just go along with a story, that seems to run counter to equality for all. I think Jesus may have existed a historical figure of some type (who knows?), but not the way the Bible depicts him.
The Bible has been the cornerstone for so much historical violence. You can say, well...those people (like Constantine, for example) misinterpreted Scripture for his own empire, his own gain. But, a lot of people are misinterpreting the Bible, then and now. It really isn't misinterpreted. Is it? Paul was a sexist. Meanwhile, Jesus spoke more to women than men, about his teachings. Then, Paul comes on the scene, and runs counter to that, implying that women are to basially stay quiet and not be in leadership roles in the church. This very thinking is running many households and churches today, in the name of Christianity. Many Christians talk about the Bible, as 'the greatest love story ever told.' For who?
If I were to remain a Christian still, I'd have to make a lot of excuses for a book I follow. For rules I follow. I'd have to believe that God is this sadist, yet loving Being. The OT was a foreshadowing of the NT. It can't be ignored, just because Jesus came on the scene.
I could go on for a long time too, see?
So, I ask you. And maybe this isn't the thread to ask you, but I want to know...how do you reconcile the Bible with science? With the theory of evolution? With REALITY?
You do seem to love your faith. You do seem, genuine about it. I once was too, and so...I can sense that right away. (as opposed to trolls who come and go here, and really just want to bait atheists/agnostics into discussions that go nowhere)
And if the writers of the Bible, made up Genesis, what else have they made up? You can't cherry pick your way through the Bible, and still call yourself a Christian. Many do, but that's not being true to the faith. I spent years cherry picking. It is far better to be 100% invested or not. As an Agnostic, I no longer have to cherry pick. I don't believe in Christianity, yet I am open to the idea that a Deity, of some type, may exist. I simply no longer find the need to determine it though, one way or the other.
It's not enough to say ''Well, God's mind is not ours. God's ways are not our ways.'' It's not enough for me to just go along with a story, that seems to run counter to equality for all. I think Jesus may have existed a historical figure of some type (who knows?), but not the way the Bible depicts him.
The Bible has been the cornerstone for so much historical violence. You can say, well...those people (like Constantine, for example) misinterpreted Scripture for his own empire, his own gain. But, a lot of people are misinterpreting the Bible, then and now. It really isn't misinterpreted. Is it? Paul was a sexist. Meanwhile, Jesus spoke more to women than men, about his teachings. Then, Paul comes on the scene, and runs counter to that, implying that women are to basially stay quiet and not be in leadership roles in the church. This very thinking is running many households and churches today, in the name of Christianity. Many Christians talk about the Bible, as 'the greatest love story ever told.' For who?
If I were to remain a Christian still, I'd have to make a lot of excuses for a book I follow. For rules I follow. I'd have to believe that God is this sadist, yet loving Being. The OT was a foreshadowing of the NT. It can't be ignored, just because Jesus came on the scene.
I could go on for a long time too, see?
So, I ask you. And maybe this isn't the thread to ask you, but I want to know...how do you reconcile the Bible with science? With the theory of evolution? With REALITY?
You do seem to love your faith. You do seem, genuine about it. I once was too, and so...I can sense that right away. (as opposed to trolls who come and go here, and really just want to bait atheists/agnostics into discussions that go nowhere)
