Hi ChattyCaterpillar,
Congratulations on your new pregnancy - how exciting!
Of course everyone here is entitled to their own opinion - it's a basic human right! But surely God's opinion matters too - perhaps more than anything. So I'm going to attempt to answer your questions from what I understand is the Bible's view, also adding in my own thoughts here and there. Hope that's okay!
1) Do Christian's believe the old testament is true ? Because, if so, God's behaviour in trying to make Abraham think he had to knife his only child to death, or flooding and killing the entire planet, ( as in Noah's Ark), doesn't seem that nice at all....
As a Christian myself, I believe the old testament (or as I prefer to call it ‘the Hebrew scriptures’) is definitely true. The amazing thing about the entire Bible is that it’s a collection of about 66 books, penned by some 40 different writers of varying backgrounds from kings to shepherds, spanning a period of about 1,600 years - yet all the books harmonise perfectly, and develop the same theme: from paradise lost to paradise regained.
You would expect a book authored by God to be like no other, and accurate in every way: for example, time and again the Bible’s historical record has been substantiated when archaeologists and historians have uncovered new information; when it touches on science it is always correct; when prophecies are made, they come true in exact detail.
Yes there are certain things in the Bible that may seem shocking – but context and background often help us to understand better. If I told you that 12 people and a ringleader decided to kill someone, that definitely sounds terrible. But if I explained the context: a jury of 12, overseen by a wise judge, weighed up the evidence against a serial killer, and decided to give the death penalty, then that helps us see that something was justified. Likewise, God had a reason to ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, though he stopped him at the last moment. God also had a reason for bringing the flood.
2) Why is belief so important to salvation ? What happenned to the people who lived before Christ was crucified ? How could they possibly have had any chance ?
God, as our Creator, knows what’s best for us – like any mother and father knows what’s best for their children. So as a loving father, he put down guidelines in the Bible to help us not only learn more about him, but also how best to live our lives, and how to be approved by him and have a healthy relationship with him – i.e. to gain ‘salvation’. In the old testament, you will see that God definitely had a belief system which enabled people to have a relationship with him, before Christ. In the book of Psalms 37:39 (old testament) it says, “…the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; he is their strength in the time of trouble.”
Even after the crucifixion, there mist have been millions of people living in other continents, ( e.g. Australia), who would never have heard of Christianity and so never have been given a chance as whether to believe or not. What happens to them ?
Surely , nowadays, a child growing up in a Christian home, ( or even in a secular home in a Christian country), would be much more likely to turn to Christianity than a child growing up in a Muslim/ Hindu / Sikh/ Jewish/ Buddhist home in a predominately Muslim/ Hindu/ Sikh/ Jewish Bhuddist country. So if you have an 18 year old from a Christian home in a christian country who dies of leukimia they would go to heaven, but an 18 year old Hindu who has been brought up in a Hindu country, ( India), dies of leukimia on the same day they would go to hell ? Even though the 18 year old had been exposed to Christianity since birth ? That doesn't seem a fair or equal chance to me.
Wow, you’ve really thought about things - I like that! While many believe that God accepts all religions, when you think about it, each religion has different moral codes, values, with very different salvation beliefs – e.g. going to heaven, being reincarnated, or your spirit returning to nature, etc – so how can all these conflicting ideas be acceptable to God? It’s like a parent telling each of their children very different things, confusing them, dividing them.
God made all humans, from all races, and all cultures, so where we were born should not matter to him. Surely it would make more sense for God to have one faith that included people from all countries. The apostle Peter said in Acts 10:35, “but in every nation he who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him.” Also, Ephesians 4:5 says, “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”
By the way, the idea of hell being an eternal fiery torment is nowhere in the Bible. Just as a loving parent would never put their disobedient child’s hand on a fire, even for a short time, our loving God would never eternally burn someone in hell – that’s just plain evil! “God is love” says 1 John 4:8.
And what about children ? What happens to unbaptised babies or children, who have no say in the matter ? Adults with learning disabilities or serious mental illness, ( e.g schizophrenia), which might make them believe they are deities/ the son of God etc.
God is loving, wise, kind, and just. So whenever there are situations that are not quite black and white, we know he will do the right thing. That includes understanding when people have extenuating circumstances or situations, like mental illness, or who have been abused, or died before being baptised. “In God – whose word I praise – in God I put my trust; I am not afraid.” Psalm 56:4
And finally, I believe we believe men wrote the bible ? Do they believe God told men what to write exactly ? Because if not, why would Paul's opinions be anymore worthy of weight than any other vicar ?
The 40 or so men who wrote the Bible did so under God’s inspiration: “All scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16,17. The original word translated ‘inspired’ came from the Greek word ‘theopneustos’ which literally means ‘God-breathed’. So God gave them the ideas to write down, but I like to think that some, like the apostle Paul who wrote so many books, also injected their own personality into the writing. Paul was a very learned man, and I often find his writing quite deep and complex…
Hope the above wasn't too long-winded for you, ChattyCaterpillar! But I wanted to justify your valid questions. I truly believe that God wrote the Bible for a reason, to show us all the path to find him, and to answer our questions - no matter who we are, and where we live...