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Philosophy/religion

Have started reading the bible again from the beginning

112 replies

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 02/01/2013 13:41

am mightily confused about some things to do with the God in whom I believe.

anyone want to try to help with some of my questions?

OP posts:
NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 02/01/2013 13:49

OK so in anticipation of someone offering.

The God in the old testament is the same God as the the God in the New testament - right??

SO, did he change his mind about stuff by the time he sent Jesus? he is so prescriptive in Exodus with Moses about all the should and musts and mustn'ts.

Also, in the Good News bible version that I am reading, God takes credit for making the Egyptians stubborn so that he can punish them. That doesn't seem like the firm but fair God we see in the New Testament.

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CoteDAzur · 02/01/2013 13:52

Oh dear. Are you trying to reconcile logic and rational mind with... religion?

No doubt someone will come along and say "Don't worry, be happy" "It's all about faith and heart, not criticism and head" pretty soon. Hang in there until then. Smile

CoteDAzur · 02/01/2013 13:54

Have you come to "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" bit? How do you think that got changed to "Turn the other cheek"?

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 02/01/2013 14:07

Cote, I am a Christian, I believe Jesus was the son of God.

I am now just trying to reconcile the two very different area's of the Bible.
and yes the eye for an eye and turn the other cheek are things that I am struggling with.

surely there is something to satiate my curiosity?

OP posts:
LylaLils · 02/01/2013 14:21

It's all bollocks

JakeBullet · 02/01/2013 14:25

Er....the OP didn't ask for your comments about her beliefs did she?BlushHmm

Or do you only log onto this section to make a snarky comment and feel superior?

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 02/01/2013 14:25

thanks for that helpful insight LylaLils

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LylaLils · 02/01/2013 14:27

Haha...sorry I couldn't resist. Blush

JakeBullet · 02/01/2013 14:28

Don't engage with them....for some reason they have a bee in their bonnet buzzing too loudly. I always wonder about people that HAVE to comment like this.

LylaLils · 02/01/2013 14:31

A moment of madness on my part there...sorry. I'm an idiot.

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 02/01/2013 14:31

Jake
Thanks for your support, have been around for far too long to get upset by the opinion of others. Smile everyone is entitled.

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NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 02/01/2013 14:32

LylaLils, not upset or offended, at all. Happy New Year to you

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JakeBullet · 02/01/2013 14:37

I am not the right person to answer your questions because I do t know enough about the Bible. However, I always keep in mind that the Bible was written by Man with all his issues and faults. Therefore man created Genesis and that the world was constructed in seven days even though scientifically we know this is impossible. Much more interesting is that evolution over millennia mirrors some of the Genesis story with oceans and creatures coming out of the ocean and man being last etc.

Therefore where I see discrepancies I see man Smile.

And I see Jesus as the sacrifice for sin, hence man could stop sacrificing lambs etc (bizarre) to God.

FWIW I think the Ten Commandments are generally pertinent today mostly. Though shalt not kill etc....

tabulahrasa · 02/01/2013 14:37

I'm an atheist or an agnostic I suppose really but I've studied the bible...

I see the two testaments as responding to different social problems, the OT is dealing with how to set up a society and the NT is what to do with that society once it's established and evolved - I don't see that that is incompatible with God.

LylaLils · 02/01/2013 14:38

Turning the other cheek, good for you, I'm going to crawl back under my stone now. Genuinely sorry for my childish knee jerk retaliation. I clearly have issues with religion. Happy new year and hope you find the answers you're looking for.

hiddenhome · 02/01/2013 14:40

I'm a Christian, but I hate most of the OT. I think it was written by self serving men who were more concerned about tribalism and rewriting history than anything else. I believe that God is in there somewhere, but have difficulty deAling with all the violence, wars, hatred and vengeance.

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 02/01/2013 14:45

not really turning the other cheek, just remembered a phrase my friend told me just before christmas.... you don't have to attend every argument you are invited to... I liked it alot. Smile

Tabulahrasa.. interesting.. so God's ideas / ideals have evolved?

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BoulevardOfBrokenSleep · 02/01/2013 14:46

I'm sorry, I'm probably not going to be very helpful either...

I find the God of the Old Testament... well, he's not really someone you'd want to worship, is he? There's things in there completely incompatible with any sense of morality - your example of the Egyptians for one; the numerous war crimes (Deuteronomy 20: 10-17 and the like), all the slavery

The 'official' answer about the Moses schedule of sacrifices and the like , is that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and no more is required to atone for sin.
Although that fails to remove all the stuff about staying in your tent when you have your period and banishing people with skin diseases and such.

It is partly covered in Peter's vision in Acts 10 ("Do not call anything impure that God has made clean"), I suppose.
Although a cynic might say that was a very fortuitous vision which made the fledging religion of Chrisitianity a lot more attractive to potential converts...!

tabulahrasa · 02/01/2013 14:51

Not so much changed as - doing what needs to be done at the time.

I don't think that's incompatible with belief? He does make a new covenant after all, so it is acknowledged that it is different.

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 02/01/2013 14:52

Interesting Boulevard.... I am going to carry on reading it all again anyway, but perhaps my understanding will develop as I read it all.

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WitchOfEndor · 02/01/2013 15:00

I can't help you, I've read the Bible recently and the messages in the Old and New Testaments seem to be totally unrelated. It's strange that more people don't spot it.

KayHarker · 02/01/2013 15:02

The way I look at it now, having come from a very fundamentalist viewpoint, is that the bible is a book that contains wisdom about what and who God is, but it's filtered through a lot of man's weaknesses. So the old testament is filtered through the viewpoint of a very fallible nation who made God in their own image a lot of the time - thus God making the Egyptians stubborn just so He can punish them. The new testament is just as flawed for different reasons. But there's a lot in there that is beautiful and helpful, you just have to use the brain and mind that God gave you to refilter out the nonsense.

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BoulevardOfBrokenSleep · 02/01/2013 15:09

Yes, but, your basic God qualities are; outside time, unchanging, perfect, all-knowing, all-poweful etc.

It's a bit odd to try and conceive of God suddenly smacking his forehead and going Doh! I've been getting this all wrong.

I tell you what, OP, I'm sure DH will be able to recommend a book - undoubtedly written by some wooly liberal CofE vicar Grin - on this theological issue, but will have to ask him later as I am dying on the sofa with some virus the kids gave me, and can't go upstairs to the books.

And what KayHarker says: for the whole bible to hang together in any way, you have to come at it from a very non-literal position

CoteDAzur · 02/01/2013 15:47

"for the whole bible to hang together in any way, you have to come at it from a very non-literal position"

Basically, what you are saying is that the Bible doesn't make sense so you need to suspend your disbelief Smile

Varya · 02/01/2013 15:53

I have been re-reading the NT and Psalms in the Gideon Bible. Dont pay much attention to the OT nowadays. Probably will start on it when I have finished Psalms and read the OT in the NIV.

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