Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!rex!ukma!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Is there a God? Message-ID: Date: 8 Mar 91 05:38:42 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: State University of New York at Binghamton Lines: 101 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article stevem@solbourne.com (Stephen Matson) writes: > I just don't feel the comfort I had before. When I first became a Christian >I never questioned the existence of God. I just took it for fact that there >was a God, that Christ was his son and that the Bible was solid truth. Now I >find inconsistences in the Bible, can't seem to make it fit my life and our >times. It feels more like legend to me now then the word of God. I find that >I believe more in the scientific account of how the universe and earth were >formed and I believe in some form of evolution. I can't believe that earth is >the only place with life and I now realize that the 'demons' of old are the >mental diseases of today. I learned that their is no historical evidence >of Jesus's existence and if there was I would still wonder if he was just a >charismatic nut or a super-natural being. I'm curious, from where did you learn that there is no historical evidence of Jesus? Certainly there is much dispute about who Jesus was or wasn't, but I've never read any disputation of his existance. > I've learned that it was a group of men who made decisions about what would >and would not go into the compilation of books called the 'Bible' and I wonder >if I can trust them. I mean I would not trust someone in todays day and age who >came to me and said " Hey, look here, we put together a bunch of these old >writings in to this book and, you know what, its the holy word of God". So how >can I believe these long dead folks? That is not even addressing the people who >wrote the books in the bible. Is it divine inspiration that caused the creation >of the books of the bible? Or is it the fanciful stories of people who did not >understand the way the natural world around them worked. I wonder if the Bible >is not a compilation of wishful thinking, exaggerations or pure story telling. Did you believe that an early scribe was wandering along and stumbled upon the first bound edition of the Bible? Of course the books were chosen by a group of people. Your faith may tell you that their choices were divinely inspired. The original books were written by people. Perhaps God moved their hands through the motions to draw each line and dot that formed the letters. Perhaps they did their best to write what God had placed in their hearts. Perhaps they did their best to explain something they didn't understand themselves. Perhaps they wrote what they did as a series of practical jokes. I doubt this last one, but I can't *prove* otherwise. For me, with any work, I go by the "ring of truth". If an author (or in this case authors), makes statements which I am willing to accept as true, then I am much more willing to accept those things they say which I may not automatically agree with. To me it seems clear that the (editors if you will) of the Bible did not set down the Bible as definative. (To me), it seems that there are two creation stories included for instance. The (editors) apparantly felt that the reader would best be served by having both at their disposal. Four Gospels are included along with a number of letters. There is clear reporting of disputes between the various apostles. It seems to me that the Bible was compiled as a group of writings intended to help the reader understand Jewish tradition, their laws, their relationship with their God, their understanding of the world, their place in the world etc. Similarly, the New Testament explains about the early church, their relationship with their God, their laws etc. I believe that the word of God can be in the Bible. I believe that God can speak to us through the Bible.) I do not believe that every word of the Bible is inerrant. I try to focus not on the individual words, (I have different translations with different words in them), but on the underlying theme of the words. To some I may seem a heretic, so be it. I believe that the tree shall be judged by it's fruits. I have, I admit, on occasion envied those individuals who have the faith to simply accept everything that Scripture and Tradition tell us, it seems that it would make this whole faith thing much easier. (No doubts, no questioning!) But then, I remember the accounts of Thomas (or the twelve) who would not believe until he had placed his hands in the wounds of the risen Christ. If Jesus did not condemn him/them for his/their doubting will he comdemn me for my doubts? If I do my best to follow his teachings and his laws, will he not forgive me as he forgave Peter his weakness? > I don't mean to sound anti-Christian, I just seriously have these doubts. >I don't know what to do. I want to believe in God, Christ and life after death. >I just can't keep from wondering if its all a pipe dream. > > Then again I look around and I know this didn't all 'just happen'. Okay, start with that. You cannot "know" this logically. This requires faith, and seems to imply faith in a creator/creators. Next, pick up your Bible, and see if there are those things that ring true with your soul. (My favorite, turn to Romans. Paul seems to speak quite clearly to our church today.) Find out what else it is that you "know" without proof. Don't expect proof. The God I know doesn't provide proof in the rigorous sense. I have had experiences in my life that serve to bolster my faith, but prove it logically? No. That's why they call it "faith". I know no adult who has never questioned their faith. I know a good many clergy who have had grave doubts. I think you will find that after you have examined your faith, and nurtured it, that the faith you grow will be stronger than the one you had before. Fine old statements of Faith: Behave as if you had faith and you will have faith. Lord, we believe, help our disbelief. Tom Blake SUNY-Binghamton