Have you reached the end of your learning curve as a Christian?

bettercallpaul said:

That is motivating, very motivating. Thanks Hidden.

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Anytime.

bettercallpaul said:

As a cradle Catholic, I was never enthused/encouraged to read the Bible. No one else in my family or friends was so I didn't either. Maybe a lot of you grew up with enthusiastic mentors and teachers.

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I grew up with zip, but I was at least blessed with immediate family that were of above average intelligence and education. I guess that prepared me for not being too intimidated intellectually later in life.

bettercallpaul said:

As a cradle Catholic, I was never enthused/encouraged to read the Bible. No one else in my family or friends was so I didn't either. Maybe a lot of you grew up with enthusiastic mentors and teachers.

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I can't speak for Catholics, but I grew up Southern Baptist and there is a major emphasis on reading the Bible in that faith. But, that is central to our faith -- we can't exactly talk about the importance of a Bible-based church if we never bother to read the Bible, can we? We cant go on about how we have the ability to read the Bible and figure out for ourselves what it means if we never pick it up and read it, can we? An emphasis on reading the Bible is one of the things that makes a Southern Baptist a Southern Baptist.

I can say I'm much more secure/comfortable now with my knowledge as far as it all coming together, and have a fairly good understanding of most things..not all. At least compared to the past but that would be natural for anyone.

Still learning, and intend to do so throughout eternity.

For me it is true...

I have an insatiable thirst to learn, every week I buy a couple more books, but only manage to read one. I discover how little I know, not how much.

All sorts.
From writings of saints, and books describing the journey of some back to Rome, to books on specific bits of theology to books about Christian history and relics. The pile grows. All refer back to parts of scripture , so give a reason to focus on parts of the bible

Last week a book on theology,

This week is yet another book on the shroud. " testing the shroud" Looking at the forensic pathology. I didn't know that around the scourge marks showed the forensic pathology of healing, or that amongst the blood flows from the skull are clear distinction between arterial and venous flows. I am only on page 10 of hundreds!

Yet still the atheist nay Sayers would rather discount it as a forgery, when both the forensic science it contains and the science needed to even detect the pathology were hundreds of years in the future!

bettercallpaul said:

You've read the whole Bible inside and out. You can quote verses easily. Is there anything more for you to learn?
BTW, my learning curve has just begun and I intend to know the Bible much better within a few more years.
So if you know "the truth", there isn't anything else of import to know is there?
I think I will reread the Bible and especially the Gospel because there are fresh insights you can get. Nuances. Benedictine monks do lectio divina. I imagine that they get new insights from doing so.
I would like to think my learning curve never ends. That there is always something more to learn.

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Out of curiosity, if you focus mainly - or just - on reading the bible, how often do you discover your interpretation of some part of scripture is at odds with others in your community, and how do you resolve that? Or do you read it looking through a lens of Baptist theology? So is it just the bible you read or Baptist commentaries on it?

HawgWyld said:

I can't speak for Catholics, but I grew up Southern Baptist and there is a major emphasis on reading the Bible in that faith. But, that is central to our faith -- we can't exactly talk about the importance of a Bible-based church if we never bother to read the Bible, can we? We cant go on about how we have the ability to read the Bible and figure out for ourselves what it means if we never pick it up and read it, can we? An emphasis on reading the Bible is one of the things that makes a Southern Baptist a Southern Baptist.

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bettercallpaul said:

I've done a lot ( my version of a lot would be smaller than yours ).of reading other than the bible. Such as the rule of st. benedict and commentaries to go with it. Merton and several of his books. Just recently read some Soren Kirkegaard. I find him absolutely fascinating.

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Interesting.

Out of curiosity what do you read when you are depressed or struggling, or don't feel like reading?

For me it is the writings of saints...some read like love stories like margaret Mary, some pure poetry like John of the cross, or Therese of lisieux, others are pure spiritual reflections like Catherine's of sienna and genoa. Some are extremes from deep mysticism of spiritual union in "interior castles" to down to earth in "life" like Teresa of Avila.

She has me in stitches some of the time. When the wheel fell of her cart, she once reflected, " God! No wonder you have so few friends, when you treat them like this!"

Somehow I always find something to match my mood there..

bettercallpaul said:

.......
I would like to think my learning curve never ends. That there is always something more to learn.

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If you do not know a theorem, then you truly don't know the theorem. If you are sure, what the 2=1+1, then you are truly sure. If you doubt, what Darwinism is correct, then you truly doubt it. So, there is always the Verity. There is no limit of getting knowledge. Let us call a man, who got to know all, as ``Champion". Think about the Champion. The Champion knows also, what he exists. So, the Champion really exists, because even such a knowledge is out to get there.

The Bible is a living book and it doesn't matter how much we study it, there are always golden nuggets to be found. I have been a believer for 50 years and have a masters in Divinity, which I completed a year ago. I thought I knew a lot when I started that mastorate at the age of 65, but I learned very quickly how little I knew in relation that could be known. Even after having done all that study, I feel that there is so much more to learn. One lifetime is not enough and I think we will keep learning about the wonders of God and His ways throughout eternity.

bettercallpaul said:

You've read the whole Bible inside and out. You can quote verses easily. Is there anything more for you to learn?
BTW, my learning curve has just begun and I intend to know the Bible much better within a few more years.
So if you know "the truth", there isn't anything else of import to know is there?
I think I will reread the Bible and especially the Gospel because there are fresh insights you can get. Nuances. Benedictine monks do lectio divina. I imagine that they get new insights from doing so.
I would like to think my learning curve never ends. That there is always something more to learn.

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The knowledge of God is beyond the capability of the minds of mere mortal men to keep or absorb.. If you think you know everything you should learn you do not know everything.. There is always more knowledge , more wisdom that God can gift us with.. I have read the Bible from cover to cover and i can quote verses and it's wonderful to be able to do (thanks be to God) But i know for sure that the Bible contains far more insights then i have been granted to know..

I trust tht God can and will give me all the understanding i need to make it through this life.. But i also know God can gift us wisdom beyond our own natural ability of understanding.. He can cause us to understand awesome things.. No body ever receives all the knowledge because our puny limited minds are just not capable of handling it all..

bettercallpaul said:

You've read the whole Bible inside and out. You can quote verses easily. Is there anything more for you to learn?
BTW, my learning curve has just begun and I intend to know the Bible much better within a few more years.
So if you know "the truth", there isn't anything else of import to know is there?
I think I will reread the Bible and especially the Gospel because there are fresh insights you can get. Nuances. Benedictine monks do lectio divina. I imagine that they get new insights from doing so.
I would like to think my learning curve never ends. That there is always something more to learn.

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Nice cutesy comments on this thread, but seriously, Paul - get on the Bible prophecy, and study end times. For we are near.

Read through this and then get back to us ...

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Ante-Nicene-Post-Nicene-Fathers-Collection-ebook/dp/B00KYBSUUM

Only 40,927 pages

And if you get through that before the weekend is over, you could start in on these ...

Amazon.com: complete works of martin luther: Kindle Store

bettercallpaul said:

well, Kirkegaaard was helping with that. Merton is not really soothing but intellectually challenging. I don't know. I think I come on here when I don't feel like reading

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I found it hard to get on with Merton, he is far too dry for me!

Other authors I am happy to re-read are for example Immaculee ilibagiza, with "left to tell" , "led by faith" and so on. The hand of God , in how she survived the Rwandan genocide is undeniable as is the inextricable link to the story of our lady of Kibeho.

But also "hold on to hope" - how she kept going in the darkest times when her family all murdererd, how she forgave her parents killers, and also what can happen if hate takes over a country , are messages for eternity. Our lady predicted the rivers of blood. Those books I go back to for inspiration.

I also read mystics.
Have you ever read the story of or the writings of Katya Rivas.
They too are fascinating!

HenryM said:

Paul - get on the Bible prophecy, and study end times. For we are near.

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Bible prophecies regarding future as of yet unfulfilled events is vitally important to our faith in the present hour. However, I would not recommend getting extremely in depth into this until you are called to it when He decides you are finally ready. Without discernment it will just make your head hurt. Another thing I should say is that while it is very important for the sake of our "watching" for the signs of the end to be approaching in obedience to the commands of Jesus Christ, this particular field of study (unfulfilled end-time prophecies) I regard to be fairly limited in its scope. Wouldn't take that long to go through most of everything being said (possibly a few months), once you have a fairly accurate understanding of what's going to happen.