Can anyone knowledgable about religion tell me what I am?!

[Makinganewthinghappen]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.
My grandparents were quite religious and I was raised to believe in God/the bible but when I was a young child my mother fell ill (she died when I was a teenager) and my family never set foot in a church again. That was that.,

As an adult (now in my mid 30s) I have been fascinated by the bible, biblical archaeology and God. I have never cared much about attending a church but as I get older I wonder if there are others who believe the same set of things as me! And if so what religion/ group are they??

I have tried googling but tbh I’m not sure what I’m looking for - so please help me out in a little game of what on Earth religion am I???

So basic things -

1. I believe in God.
2. I do NOT believe in young earth creationism.
3. I am not fully sold on the idea of Jesus ( I’m sorry I’m just not ). I spend quite a lot of time looking At Old Testament stuff not so much new.
4. I like to study the bible not just be told what it means!

I can’t think of much else but happy to expand if you can.

I would like to find people who have at least a vague similarity in belief with me but the church I have tried out (Anglican just didn’t sit right with me at all.) and I have no idea where I might fit in.

Well for a start I think a lot of Christians would not describe themselves as wonderful or glorious. According to Christianity there hasn’t even been another prophet since Jesus. Can really no one else measure up and deliver god’s message? If anyone dared to say they were sent by god they’d be told they have mental health issues at best. Religion has taken that power of a direct relationship with god away from ‘mortals’.
Certainly in the church I went to and the Christians I know are more of the view that Jesus is perfect, we’re human and sinful and need forgiving for our trespasses and temptations and be absolved by a ‘higher’ ‘mortal’ through confession.

The whole process of becoming a vicar or priest (which is still not allowed for women in Catholicism- huge deal breaker for me also which shows very clearly how religion is politics/power driven) is so focused on doctrine and bible study as opposed to faith in knowing for oneself what is good.

What I’m trying to say is there like a hierarchy with god at the top, then Jesus, then Archbishop, then priests etc and the fallible mortals at the bottom, trying to reach god through the bible and through these religious leaders whilst all along you can go straight to god without jumping through all the doctrine and ceremony.

Muslims believe in Jesus as a man and prophet (not a god). Quranic verse on this
2:136 "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them ."

• lot of Christians would not describe themselves as wonderful or glorious. Certainly in the church I went to and the Christians I know are more of the view that Jesus is perfect, we’re human and sinful and need forgiving for our trespasses*

Exactly.

I have a very religious family. As part of their church's mission ststement are the words " every one of us is imperfect, flawed and sinful*

Yuk.

“ Well for a start I think a lot of Christians would not describe themselves as wonderful or glorious.”

Which is one of my main issues with Christianity.

I think it was C S Lewis (author of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) who said this:

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

So it's important to know either way, don't you think?

OP, the best thing you can do is to shop around. You'll find somewhere that fits you best, though it's a bit like a relationship where you might find what you don't want first; as the saying goes... you might have to kiss a few frogs first!

As someone who has trained a a priest there is doctrine and study of the Bible in our courses, but there is also a lot of study of psychology as we are dealing with people and people are complicated. I've found family systems theory to be particularly helpful in dealing with parish and community politics.

For me there is no conflict between admitting I am imperfect and flawed (which I certainly am) and also wonderful and glorious, a creation in God's image therefore incredible with huge creativity and such capacity for intelligence and understanding and reason. I think human beings are miraculous and astounding in all we are able to do. But saying we mess up doesn't take away from that, it's simply an observation of the obvious. And then as a Christian I believe the glory and beauty in us can be most fully realised in reconciliation and relationship with the God who created us.

I have no need to see myself as flawed or imperfect.

I don't use that type of framing.
I know christians are- and usually with a defensive "well I'm certainly not perfect! " type of line.

Imagine a herd of elephants. Would you look at these animals and say "look- they are all imperfect, all flawed".
No. I don't think you would. Elephants have different personalities, but each one is perfectly good at being an elephant.
Not a flawed or imperfect elephant- just an elephant and all that entails.

Humans are no different.

I do a the idea of being flawed and imperfect with no way to change except a relationship with God patronising, offensive and in a way defeatist.

I agree that kind of language would be defeatist. I think we humans have plenty of ways we can change for the better, make better choices etc (it's probably besides the point that I think that is because of our intrinsic sense of morality ) - my point was that I believe who we are created to be is most fully realised in reconciliation with God.

I'm not sure about the comparison with elephants, because I cannot frame them with humans because of the difference in consciousness/free will/ choices/whatever the difference is - and I would argue that the difference is significant and so we need a different language for talking about the choices humans make.

“ my point was that I believe who we are created to be is most fully realised in reconciliation with God.”

Fair enough. I think that is the sort of language you can only understand if you believe in the concept already. Which I don’t. So I can’t understand it.