To those who believe Bible is not literal...

[fr0d0]

Are you saying that bible directs you to question your faith??? I am sorry but its just stupid. Faith is not something to be questioned. Thats why you call it faith! You believe something without any evidence. This is faith! As I said before faith is not a rational thing. And bible can't ask for both questioning your beliefs and having faith. These two contradicts with each other...

Faith is trusting information to be true and as such is rational. That information is the evidence that faith is based upon. Not questioning = not caring. I don't believe because I don't question.. I have belief which is supported by questioning. If I didn't question I couldn't be sure what I believed was right. I continually question so what I believe is then the best understanding I can have.

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I would happily concede that you have greater insight to me in this. So I tentatively give a response, but...to be fair Frods my personal view is that the teachings of Jesus of Nazereth are not clear. They are infact anything but, just one example:

In Matthew 5:9 Jesus declares, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God." But in Matthew 10:34 he says, "Think not that I am come to bring peace on earth. I came not to bring peace, but a sword." So much for peace making. To underscore this statement, in the very next verse Jesus makes a truly reprehensible declaration, "For I come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law." This passage is repeated practically verbatim in Luke 12:51-53. It should be noted here that in Proverbs 6:16-19 there is a list of the things God hates, one of which is anyone who sows discord within a family!

So that leaves me very confused. If I were a Christian am I to go out and smite people OT style, and piss off the mother-in-law (mmmm beginning to sound attractive this Christianity lark!). Or am I to be a concilliator looking for the good and healing family discord?

Yes. Two different subjects. Firstly: People who strive for peace are indeed to be revered. Relationships are precious. Secondly: the reality of belief is that you will be alienated, potentially, even from family. It's a statement about the real consequences of strongly adopting the stance.