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Let me preface this by saying that I am a Christian, a baptist to be more specific, and my views may surprise some of you.
Over the last few years, my ideology has changed a great deal. I grew up in a southern baptist church, with southern baptist parents, and i believed what i was told. And then problems arose in me that i had seen so many other times. I came to college and was assualted with things that challenged my world view, and my religion.
And it made me realize something. Most people lose (or never gain) faith for one of two reasons:
1) A traumatic experience
2) Contradictions in the bible, and from the outside world
Now, the first is common. People lose a loved one, or even see something on TV and think how could this happen if there is a God and he is good?
This is the easiest and the most straight forward to address. It is simply a problem of scope, or perception. God, by definition, is omnipotent and omniscient. We, on the otherhand, live infinitely short lives by comparison. When we see something tragic, it is only tragic from our point of view, and the view points of those like us. For one to assume that he can decide an event is good or bad over an (near enough) infinite timeline is folly. Only a "God" would have such capabilities. (the following point is not for debate, merely provided as a hypothetical example) The WTC attack was a tragic event, but if that triggered a chain of events that causes us to go to war with iraq, and prevent what could be a catastrophic event, then it was for the good of mankind. When referring to good, i mean it in the utilitarian sense, the most good for the most people. It would be hard to image a "God" that is only good for the few.
As for the second, we must talk about the bible. Suppose our bible is a book that is a translation of a translation of a translation of a work that was inspired by god and written by man. Language is going to play a major role here. I think it is quite apparent to anyone that translations often cannot carry the original meaning. Sometimes there just aren't words available for a precise conversion. And it is also easy to see that copies produce errors. Thus, one can see why there may be contridictions in the bible, even though it is a work inspired by god. Errors tend to propogate themselves in repeated translating and copying. While this is true for mankind, it is also true for the divine-mortal conversion. I do believe that the bible was an inspired work. I also believe that it is possible that we don't have the entire "bible." As an inspired work, it would have much the same problem as a translation. Words cannot express all the images in our heads, much less those placed there by a "God." One would use the words they have available to describe situations they do not fully understand.
Now what could that mean? The bible is worthless? christianity is pointless?
I think the answer to both is NO. I do not believe much of what is in the bible is true. I don't believe in the creation story, i don't believe in all the parables, and i don't believe an "Omnipotent" God can change over the years (as from the old to new testaments). I believe people described their inspirations as best they could with the language they had available. But that doesn't make anything true.
now the kicker
You don't have to believe in the bible word for word to be a good christian. You don't have to believe any of it (save that there is a God, and that Christ died for your sins, and was resurrected) is historically accurate.
I believe the bible is a guidebook. It provides lessons for living a moral life that is pleasing to God. It doesn't have to be true, that isn't it's purpose. That said, contradictions don't matter. Fossils don't matter, evolution doesn't matter, etc. I can believe in all of those things, because they are completely irrelevant to faith.
Over the last few years, my ideology has changed a great deal. I grew up in a southern baptist church, with southern baptist parents, and i believed what i was told. And then problems arose in me that i had seen so many other times. I came to college and was assualted with things that challenged my world view, and my religion.
And it made me realize something. Most people lose (or never gain) faith for one of two reasons:
1) A traumatic experience
2) Contradictions in the bible, and from the outside world
Now, the first is common. People lose a loved one, or even see something on TV and think how could this happen if there is a God and he is good?
This is the easiest and the most straight forward to address. It is simply a problem of scope, or perception. God, by definition, is omnipotent and omniscient. We, on the otherhand, live infinitely short lives by comparison. When we see something tragic, it is only tragic from our point of view, and the view points of those like us. For one to assume that he can decide an event is good or bad over an (near enough) infinite timeline is folly. Only a "God" would have such capabilities. (the following point is not for debate, merely provided as a hypothetical example) The WTC attack was a tragic event, but if that triggered a chain of events that causes us to go to war with iraq, and prevent what could be a catastrophic event, then it was for the good of mankind. When referring to good, i mean it in the utilitarian sense, the most good for the most people. It would be hard to image a "God" that is only good for the few.
As for the second, we must talk about the bible. Suppose our bible is a book that is a translation of a translation of a translation of a work that was inspired by god and written by man. Language is going to play a major role here. I think it is quite apparent to anyone that translations often cannot carry the original meaning. Sometimes there just aren't words available for a precise conversion. And it is also easy to see that copies produce errors. Thus, one can see why there may be contridictions in the bible, even though it is a work inspired by god. Errors tend to propogate themselves in repeated translating and copying. While this is true for mankind, it is also true for the divine-mortal conversion. I do believe that the bible was an inspired work. I also believe that it is possible that we don't have the entire "bible." As an inspired work, it would have much the same problem as a translation. Words cannot express all the images in our heads, much less those placed there by a "God." One would use the words they have available to describe situations they do not fully understand.
Now what could that mean? The bible is worthless? christianity is pointless?
I think the answer to both is NO. I do not believe much of what is in the bible is true. I don't believe in the creation story, i don't believe in all the parables, and i don't believe an "Omnipotent" God can change over the years (as from the old to new testaments). I believe people described their inspirations as best they could with the language they had available. But that doesn't make anything true.
now the kicker
You don't have to believe in the bible word for word to be a good christian. You don't have to believe any of it (save that there is a God, and that Christ died for your sins, and was resurrected) is historically accurate.
I believe the bible is a guidebook. It provides lessons for living a moral life that is pleasing to God. It doesn't have to be true, that isn't it's purpose. That said, contradictions don't matter. Fossils don't matter, evolution doesn't matter, etc. I can believe in all of those things, because they are completely irrelevant to faith.
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