(July 26, 2010 at 6:37 pm)Mr Olefemi Wrote: I have been reading some of the things which have been said about god.Things about him being vengeful and angry and always punishing and killing and doing unfair things.What a shame,and I blame the bible and the people who wrote it,not to mention the pastors and other religious leaders who give this impression.
This is why I stay away from church unless it has a good reputation.I will walk out of a church if the priest begins talking about smiting and punishing,but it doesn't happen much because I am careful where I go and I only go where I trust the person giving the talk.
It is odd for me to say this as a christian but to get a good impression of god's character it is not a good idea to read most of the bible.It is best to just hear what Jesus said,and still you have to be careful because the bible was written by men with their own ideas and plans.
The truth is that god's character is nothing except loving.He made the entire universe and he has no reason to punish people just because they didn't hear about him.Your ideas about who god is are based on lies and this is why I understand your feelings about him and why you can't believe that he could exist if that is what he is like.
If you don't want to believe in god that is not a bad thing at all but let us at least be clear about the god that we are talking about.
You appear to have a good heart and wish for some higher power that is going to be kind to you. I agree with you that the Christian image of God is that of a psychotic, capricious man who is perfect and yet made imperfect people and then punishes them viciously for being imperfect. It appears you have some unmet psychological needs for acceptance and forgiveness (less punitive god), as well as protection (need a god). Perhaps those needs compel you to create your own beliefs. I see nothing wrong with that as long as you accept them for what they are - beliefs.
When you attempt to rationalize those beliefs, there appear to be a number of contradictions in your statement. Regardless of your Christian denomination or the message from the pulpit, the fundamental belief of Christianity is that those that accept and live by a certain (albeit contradictory and unattainable) code of conduct will survive an eternal punishment. All the others will be eternally punished.
Christians accept the circular argument that the Bible is the word of God because the Bible says it. You seem to deny that fundamental Christian belief and say that you have a better version of God and, yet you consider yourself a Christian.
If you believe that your version of God is better than the Christian version why not start your own religion rather than attend churches attended by people who would most likely disagree with you regarding your views of the Bible?
The Christian definition of belief is accepting without proof. Thomas/Saint Thomas (whichever you prefer) was criticized for not believing without proof. Therefore, if you believe in Christianity, it is by Christian definition an acceptance of “facts” without proof!
