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I must share something when it comes to spirituality. I do have this spiritual need as I suppose many do. I was born with a catholic family. Later in life my mom became a Jehovah's Witness. Later I decided that issues in the Bible made no logic to me. In other words they contradicted themselves.
HOWEVER, I still do have great respect for many of the moral teachings in the Bible. I do read other spiritual sources like buddhism.
They all have good advice on how we can have a good and happy life.
I suppose that I have this human need of association and since I do not agree with the way many, specially christians, believe I do not commit myself to any group. I do have this need of association with a group so I can share things, events, etc.
I actually do to some degree. I do go with my wife because going to church is important to her so I do so for the sake of joining her with something she enjoys. When I attend services I do like many of the sermons I hear even though I may not agree with doctrinal issues like homosexuality, hell, trinity, etc.
I will say this about the Bible. To me the god in it does contradict himself. I often hear christians say they do not compromise on faith and/or moral issues. OK, god does in the Bible. He allowed men to have more than one wife and then later he said no according to Jesus. You can slice it any way you want, God compromised on moral issues if he had in mind one man for one woman.
In the Bible there are situations where God was so cruel. Kill every man and woman and child for a piece of land? Wow!
King David had a woman's husband killed in battle to cover his adultery. Who paid the price? The child that was concieved in this adulterous situation!! An inocent child.
I can go on and on. When it comes to the Bible I do not close my mind that there is a lot of great stories that teach us about human relations and how to have a happy life. I also do agree that many of the stories are not myths as those that do have a bias against do not truly investigate.
I do get involved on ocassion with church events in helping kids and support for cheritable causes but I as I said I must admit I wish I could find an organization that I could truly call myself part of them.
It is an interesting feeling I must say. Does anybody out there feel the same way?
Sadly, many feel the same sense of self-sufficiency. This is not due to ones actual ability to rise above a desperate need for true spiritual life or a real relationship with ones creator and god. It comes instead from ones inexcusable rebellion against GOd and truth (ROm 1:18-20) --- AND from self-deception about ones separation from God. (Rev 3:14-22).
Since I left the Catholic church at 15, I've trodden a solo spiritual path. Everyone I know is either Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic or Atheist. My belief system is a sort of hybrid of Animism and Deism.
Not all of us are designed to fit into someone else's spiritual mold. I've become okay with soloing, although I certainly understand the attraction of being surrounded by like-minded folks in a church/temple situation. There's comfort in company - but only if you share those beliefs. If you don't, it's easy to feel alienated instead.
If the OP would feel better associating with a group and can't find one that matches his spiritual inclinations, I'd suggest considering joining a community services organization like the Rotary Club or Big Brothers. Doing good works in an atmosphere of fellowship might just fill that missing piece in his psyche.
See the true living God through Lord Jesus Christ is a good God who brings a charity of Good blessing on His children , as His children have seen the horrible past of the corruption of the primitive man in God beginning of God interaction with man .......... But His Children have forgiven God for any misgivings of the past in the history of the Bible ........... Were the world who opposes God does not forgive God but remains evil in thoughts against God , and like you turn to atheistic religions like Buddhist which put God out of their belief and become a naturalism with no redemption from the dark spirit of this world who will rule over your life , because it puts God out , so God stays out ............ Because God is a gentle man who will not go where he is not welcome , where He will only continue to keep the air in the earth pure to breathe, for people who reject Him and He will still bring rain to replenish the earth for the people who reject God to survive ........... But the dark spirit who inhabit the people who reject God they can have those dark spirit with no help from God as faith is needed to be free of these dark spirit ...
One thing that might help you is to dump those conceptions about the Bible as having been written by God and containing all words of God. It is essentially a compendium of books that in overall view relate the history of one ethnic group's growing awareness of the nature of God. You are absolutely right that there are contradictions and trying to impose a unified theology on the book as a whole is kind of like herding cats. The development culminates in the life and ministry of Jesus and His followers.
As for morality, the basis is not laws or rules, but an attitude of concern for the well-being of others and how that is applied in everyday life.
I can certainly understand a need to associate with people of like mind and share the spiritual direction you indicate.
One thing that might help you is to dump those conceptions about the Bible as having been written by God and containing all words of God. It is essentially a compendium of books that in overall view relate the history of one ethnic group's growing awareness of the nature of God. You are absolutely right that there are contradictions and trying to impose a unified theology on the book as a whole is kind of like herding cats. The development culminates in the life and ministry of Jesus and His followers.
As for morality, the basis is not laws or rules, but an attitude of concern for the well-being of others and how that is applied in everyday life.
I can certainly understand a need to associate with people of like mind and share the spiritual direction you indicate.
I agree that the bible is full of contradictions and it has lead my as of late to question my faith (as well as other circumstances)...this is what plagues me about the bible....it was translated from ancient Hebrew and other languages to what we now read today.....I, as would anyone that is of intelligence, be foolish to believe that there are parts of the bible that are "loosly" translated at best into the versions we have in Church today. When people dispute that all I can say is...do you read and understand ancient hebrew from b.c. times? man is involved in the translation and man is not perfect.
the good thing is this: We will not need the bible in the afterlife. Christ is the living word. I will not need a book. I will become the book and Christ is the author if this book. So whether david killed or not does not matter, he will also have to go through judgement. he was not some super spiritual guy. we will also need to learn who Christ is.
According to the Word, our righteousness is as filthy rags in His eyes. We've all transgressed His law, and the Just penalty we all deserve for our rebellion is death (the second death). This is not the good news, but one must realize and accept this truth to be able to accept the "good news" in that God through Christ Jesus paid that just penalty for us if we only accept it, repent, and trust in Him. Salvation is God's gift to mankind giving us what we do not deserve, life with Him. It can't be earned, deserved, or worked for in any religious charitable organization but is in a Person, that of Jesus Christ.
Now we can either choose to humble ourselves, recognize our offense, repent toward God in obedience to His Word receiving His free gift. Or we can continue in our pride trusting in our own relative hypocritical (let's face it our good works are with selfish motivation thus evil in God's eyes) righteousness or submit to God receiving His perfect righteousness by Faith in Jesus Christ.
The fruit/response to Faith in Christ is submission and obedience to His Word. God in regeneration in the new birth gives you both the desire AND ability to obey denying the flesh life embracing eternal life in fellowship with the Father through Christ walking after the Spirit.
God does LOVE us and that was demonstrated on that cross. He wants our love. He won't force us to love Him. Hell was prepared for Satan and His angels that rebelled. All that choose to follow them instead of Christ will partake in the same destiny.
Choose life or death...the decision should be very easy, and according to the Word Heaven rejoices when just one sinner repents.
The only sin that is unpardonable I do believe is clear is rejecting God's provision for your sin through Jesus Christ in which He willingly received the Just penalty of what WE deserve.
Being condemned to death..
But the good news is that God has defeated death and Christ has risen.
There is no reason to fear death for the child of God. The unbeliever has every reason to fear death.
The only one who separates the two is Jesus Christ.
He says all the Father gives Him shall come to Him and all that come to Him he will in no wise cast out. Only the blood of Jesus justifies sinful Man.
Why not just humble yourself and receive Him right now by accepting what He's done for you escaping the just penalty for your rebellion?
All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. The name of the Lord is JESUS.
Last edited by Mikelee81; 04-15-2013 at 01:46 PM..
If the OP would feel better associating with a group and can't find one that matches his spiritual inclinations, I'd suggest considering joining a community services organization like the Rotary Club or Big Brothers. Doing good works in an atmosphere of fellowship might just fill that missing piece in his psyche.
I actually am very involved with community organizations. Doing so doe give me great spiritual nurturing. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) on behalf of neglected and abused children I get so much joy when I give hope to those kids. There is another type of positive feeling when I get a call to be a victim advocate with victims of rape and/or sexual assault. The same I felt when I volunteer as a moderator with a children grief center to help young ones dealing with the loss of a loved one. I can go on and on as a Red Cross volunteer or when I volunteer in a nursing home.
It does help. As I said there is a part of me that does feel that need for association. I will also say it is not something that makes me get depressed or affects my daily life. I simply have that feeling. I appreciate the reply. Take care.
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I couldn't agree more.
