i came onto something...

[Alex K]

Nothing you said in the op is true. The bible tells us we do not need a teacher/priest if we have the Holy Spirit.

I was taught how to use the bible, and it's supporting reference books. After that ever answer I have ever been lead to has not been from a priest or preacher. It was from the direction of the Holy Spirit.

That's the big difference between catholicism and (especially American) protestantism, isn't it. The problem with yiur approach seems to be that the bible contains so many historical inaccuracies and contradictions, that by "learning how to use it", you can basically extract whatever meaning from it you like.

[abaris]

I was taught how to use the bible, and it's supporting reference books.

So, who taught you? There's obviously some outside influence involved.

[Drich]

Revelation/ a different level of understanding often times contrary to what I orginally believed.

I would suggest that this is your brain working on multiple levels without conscious realization thereof. But, of course, we know what any sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from.

Without a doubt. The question then becomes why am I 'operating on multiple levels with out conscious realization?' And why only in the matter of Christianity?

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Revelation/ a different level of understanding often times contrary to what I orginally believed.

But we all get that when we are involved with whatever, we feel sure of ourselves, even when we fall in love with someone, we feel that the person is the person just for us, and it usually works out that we were wrong, all because of our emotions controlling us.

So... When your in Love a Dream or someone appears with information contary to what you believe to be true or possible, and then over the course of years you find out that what you experienced is indeed true?

---

Nothing you said in the op is true. The bible tells us we do not need a teacher/priest if we have the Holy Spirit.

I was taught how to use the bible, and it's supporting reference books. After that ever answer I have ever been lead to has not been from a priest or preacher. It was from the direction of the Holy Spirit.

That's the big difference between catholicism and (especially American) protestantism, isn't it. The problem with yiur approach seems to be that the bible contains so many historical inaccuracies and contradictions, that by "learning how to use it", you can basically extract whatever meaning from it you like.

The bible is a collection of 66 books and each book has a specific purpose. It would be no different than if you were to take a range of 66 books you would use to describe yourself and your life. Not all book would be historical, or philosophical, or even meant to describe you out right would they?

If you were to take a cross section of your life and reprsent each section or part of your life with some aspect of litature, It should include what I have already mentioned, but it may also include a book of song/music, a romance novel, a book of sayings, something telling of humor, maybe something on who you want to be ect...

The problem many of you have (espically 'the bible is completely contradictory' crowd is that you do not understand the simple fact the bible is not just one book.) it is a collection of books assembled together for a matter of convience, and is not meant to be read from cover to cover as a linear record of who God was.

So yes you must learn how to rightly divide the word. This maybe will take an after noon.

Then the next thing you must understand the bible was not orginally written in english. That means one must make allowances for literal and contextual translations. Hence the need for the ablity to use a greek/hebrew lexicon. This may take a bit longer.

---

I was taught how to use the bible, and it's supporting reference books.

So, who taught you? There's obviously some outside influence involved.

Who taught me how to use the reference material?
before Marv became the director of Zion's hope he taught a weekly class. It was free and I attended for 1 1/2 years. http://www.zionshope.org/index.aspx

Then where they left off my best friend's dad at the time had a doctorate in theology, and was a minister at a church down town. He gave me alot of material to read and some of my first references along with a list of others.. Of course now all of it is on line... With it I started to take apart our 'religion' with a ton of questions he could not answer.. Just as he began to think he made a terriable mistake and destroyed my faith. God gave me those answers he could not.

I went through a few big trials that further changed my life and shaped the way I thought especially on the topic of forgiveness. Then in my darkest hour, I turned to a christian forum, to bring my burden to them in an effort to find out why I was going through what I was going through... They gave me a range of responses from pitty to 'that's what you get when you dont follow God's plan.'

While i was there i saw alot of questions I had asked myself, and got answers to..

Long story short i sorted out my issues, and spent the next five years answering their's. Then moved to atheist websites because the questions were better..

[Tonus]

Hmm... I didn't get this.

I read the title and thought it was a masturbation joke.

[abaris]

Who taught me how to use the reference material?
before Marv became the director of Zion's hope he taught a weekly class. It was free and I attended for 1 1/2 years. http://www.zionshope.org/index.aspx

Then where they left off my best friend's dad at the time had a doctorate in theology, and was a minister at a church down town. He gave me alot of material to read and some of my first references along with a list of others.. Of course now all of it is on line... With it I started to take apart our 'religion' with a ton of questions he could not answer.. Just as he began to think he made a terriable mistake and destroyed my faith. God gave me those answers he could not.

I went through a few big trials that further changed my life and shaped the way I thought especially on the topic of forgiveness. Then in my darkest hour, I turned to a christian forum, to bring my burden to them in an effort to find out why I was going through what I was going through... They gave me a range of responses from pitty to 'that's what you get when you dont follow God's plan.'

While i was there i saw alot of questions I had asked myself, and got answers to..

Long story short i sorted out my issues, and spent the next five years answering their's. Then moved to atheist websites because the questions were better..

So you took the guidance of others as all of us did at some stage. People just draw different conclusions from what they are told or taught.

[dyresand]

Who taught me how to use the reference material?
before Marv became the director of Zion's hope he taught a weekly class. It was free and I attended for 1 1/2 years. http://www.zionshope.org/index.aspx

Then where they left off my best friend's dad at the time had a doctorate in theology, and was a minister at a church down town. He gave me alot of material to read and some of my first references along with a list of others.. Of course now all of it is on line... With it I started to take apart our 'religion' with a ton of questions he could not answer.. Just as he began to think he made a terriable mistake and destroyed my faith. God gave me those answers he could not.

I went through a few big trials that further changed my life and shaped the way I thought especially on the topic of forgiveness. Then in my darkest hour, I turned to a christian forum, to bring my burden to them in an effort to find out why I was going through what I was going through... They gave me a range of responses from pitty to 'that's what you get when you dont follow God's plan.'

While i was there i saw alot of questions I had asked myself, and got answers to..

Long story short i sorted out my issues, and spent the next five years answering their's. Then moved to atheist websites because the questions were better..

So you took the guidance of others as all of us did at some stage. People just draw different conclusions from what they are told or taught.

like with the bible people have different interpretations of it. they agree its divinely inspired and even certain passages. the parts that are now well bad parts are skipped over and say those are not meant to be followed. the truth is religion it was more understandable and not have so many interpretations of a book no rewrites or edits but its perfectly understandable it would be only 1 true version of accounts. but this is the real world with real people and things. so yep..