Fortunately, since I’m not a Bible believing Christian, I don’t have to bug MY pastor with any of these questions. Actually today was the last day Beacon meets at Place Maillardville, so I kinda sorta had to go. Twenty five years!
But what I like the most about the list shown in the previous paragraph is that it was developed by a seminary trained former pastor, which means that there are inconsistencies here I haven’t heard of before – not having spent years poring over the text. And I don’t have a problem with Jesus. I have a problem with there being some kind of a code that says that I have to hand my brain over to a bunch of people who don’t act as if they like me, let alone love me, to follow Jesus. Jesus himself lived his principles, and damned few of us can say that.
And now for something completely different. I’m reading a book called Mating in Captivity, and it is one of the best books about how domesticity and sex duke it out in married life I have ever, ever seen. It is nuanced, humane and accessible and I highly recommend it. You can’t miss the cover.
Hilarious! I kept thinking Dennis the Menace and the guy’s name turns out to be Dennis.
I look at the bible as a book of history. Some of the stories written centuries after the fact from fables passed from generation to generation, combined with adhoc revision, addition or removal of “facts” … I like books like The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail that use the bible as ONE source of historical information by trying to put what is said in the context of the times, etc. AND trying to separate fact from fiction. Some days I am less optimistic, I look at the bible as a debauchery of the teachings of Jesus.
The bible is part jewish history, part jewish poetry, part jewish code of conduct, and part jewish fairy tales.
amen
Plus heavy revisions by the Catholic Church!