Here are a few things that I used to take by faith but could not understand when I was in TF. Anyone care to take a stab at answering you’re welcome but please don’t just give a string of verses to look up as you’ll see from the first point that won’t cut it.
Fred
The Bible
Translated and interpreted so many times over the centuries. Surely to know the true meaning one must learn the original Greek & Hebrew & form one’s own judgement of the meaning and not someone else’s opinion. Look at all the books in the Christian bookstores, which are commentaries on the Bible, so many will tell you that the meaning of such & such a verse actually means something else if you go back to the original texts. Therefore the Bible as we know it cannot be trusted as ‘God’s guidebook’ since we don’t know how much of the text is true to the original.
The Jews
Salvation is of the Jews. How can God play favourites with the human race, which he created? Even if the Jews were supposed to be some sort of guiding light for humanity it just does not make sense in the context of the world at that time. The Jews were located in a small part of the globe. What about everyone else with whom they had no contact with? Were they supposed to hang around for a couple of thousand years before they were discovered?
Is God a vindictive ethnic cleanser?
1 Samuel 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
Sorry for the formatting I lost it in the cut & paste. According to the verses above God commanded that an entire tribe be destroyed right down to the newborn babies and their animals. Most people recoil in horror at the storey of Herod killing all the babies in Bethlehem, or at genocide pictures from Rwanda or Kosovo. What’s the difference?
God’s baldy kills 42 kids.
2 Kings 2:22 So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24 and he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
In an act of selfish & merciless rage popular hero Elisha curses 42 children in the name of the Lord because they called him baldy. They all die. Is this what God’s into? There’s no record of God slapping Elisha’s wrist for breaking any empowerment policy. On the other hand picture two bears attacking 42 kids, what would the kids do? Run like hell & scatter to the four winds. How could two bears possibly catch & kill them all? Unless of course its exaggerated & has to be taken with a pinch of salt. If so, what about the rest of the Bible, we cannot just believe what is convenient.
A vain God?
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, what are these, which are arrayed, in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
OK here’s some verses from Revelations the first lot describe a bunch of beasts that God created to worship Him & they do so 24/7. See verse 11. Can you thathom an all knowing, all seeing God needing a bunch of beasts sitting around telling Him how wonderful He is all the time. It would be a constant mantra, enough to drive anyone crazy.
Second lot of verses describe some guys who are understandably thankful but what on earth could they be possibly doing night & day in a temple to serve the God who has created the vast complexity of the Universe in six days? How can God need this?
Old Testament vs. New Testament
When talking about the violent nature of the OT & how there were lots of big Hollywood style miracles compared to the lower key, companionate & loving God of the NT, I am often told its because things changed in the NT because of Jesus. No more was everyone going to hell because they broke the law but now they were forgiven. But Malachi 3:6 says, ‘For I am the LORD, I change not;’ How can God offer an unachievable path to salvation in the OT & a grace path in the NT. Surely that’s not fair to the people in OT times. Why couldn’t grace have been from the beginning & if it was why the ambiguity?
More verses on the changing character of God.
"I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy." (Jer. 13:14) "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling."
"The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy." (James 5:11)
"For his mercy endureth forever." (1 Chron. 16:34)
"The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." (Ps. 145:9)
"God is love." (1 John 4:16)
Does God tempt people?
"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." (Gen 22:1)
"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." (James 1:13)
How did Judas die?
"And he cast down the pieces of silver into the temple and departed, and went out and hanged himself." (Matt. 27:5)
"And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all of his bowels gushed out." (Acts 1:18)
Did those with Saul/Paul at his conversion hear a voice?
ACT 9:7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
ACT 22:9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.