Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxi.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!vax135!houxm!ihnp4!ihuxi!russ
From: russ@ihuxi.UUCP (Russell Spence)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Re: Heavenly harassment.
Message-ID: <1074@ihuxi.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 6-Sep-84 14:01:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihuxi.1074
Posted: Thu Sep  6 14:01:23 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Sep-84 12:06:24 EDT
References: <311@ihu1e.UUCP> <1071@ihuxi.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 35

> Some info on my background: I used to have vague religious feelings
> which have been noticed to intensify during critical moments of my life,
> events which I had no control over, exams, etc. Once upon a day I decided
> to get myself a better understanding of my God (read bible). That was the
> end of my vaguely religious feelings! The god's character was so irrational
> (to my taste), unreasonable, vengeful, spiteful, and sadistic(sic) that I
> became deeply disgusted. This creator is a total feeble-minded schizophrenic,
> said I to myself => the book is a joke. There were, of course, other
> considerations which helped me with the conclusion.
  ...
>                                 Mike Musing

At one point, I was a member of a church and felt myself to be very devout.
As I examined the Bible, I came to many of the same conclusions as you.
I was also confused by the relation between the Old and New Testaments.
People often seem to use quotes from both to justify their beliefs, when it
seemed to me that the two books are obviously mutually exclusive.  The Old
Testament doesn't teach the same ideals as Christ and Christ himself came
to transcend the laws of the Old Testament.  The Old Testament god is
vengeful and violent, but Christ taught kindness and mercy.  How can these
two be in the same religion, much less be the same god?  The Old Testament
reminds me alot of mythology, and as such, it is interesting but I wouldn't
want to live my life by it.  I like the New Testament, but I dislike the
massive hypocrisy I find in the Christian church.  Also, the New Test-
ament seems either incomplete or very difficult to comprehend.  This
impression may be caused by the fact that I disagree with many people's
interpretation of the New Testament.  I, too, have religious feelings at
times, but I have used ideas from Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, to
understand and appreciate them.
-- 

						Russell Spence
						ihnp4!ihuxi!russ
						AT&T Technologies
						Naperville, IL