I don't think my interpretation was the problem. For me it was the empty promises and unanswered prayers. After years of observing lack of tangible action on God's part, I simply said "well if it hasn't happened by now then it probably never will". And please don't try to counter this with Patience, God's time, God's will or the devil's confusion.
No, I actually wouldn't reply with patience, God's time, limiting His will, or the devil's confusion. Or lack of faith, which is one that angers me sometimes, since it lays further burdens on those who are suffering.
I do have an answer, but it may be a hard one to accept. Because I understand, believe me, that it seems so opposite that it can be impossible to see while you're in it, to the point of making a person bitter against God. Believe me, I've BEEN there. And I have to admit now, years later, that things turned out ok, though we may not always have that confirmed for us in this life.
The answer is that God works for the really big picture, for each of us. Eternity, not the here and now. And when that seems to go against everything our minds tell us, it's a bitter pill indeed.
I don't want to push though. No one could have told me this 10 years ago when I was going through hell on earth. And I was upset at people who tried. So please forgive me if I sound insincere, trite, or any such thing. It isn't my intent. But I'm not sure it is a thing that one person can give another. I would if I could ...
As for the church, indeed it was written by it and for it. In that context, it is a great book and the perfect guidepost for running such a church as well as living your life in those times. But society is evolving and we can't keep making stuff up from the Bible to fit that. The only reason it lasted so long was because society evolved very slowly. But now we are in a total paradigm shift and the Bible can not keep up.
Now I don't think that it is atheist who interpret the Bible in a particular way to demonstrate their points. It's actually the Christian who are notorious for that. The only way we interpret it is through logic and reasoning and that alone is enough to demonstrate any point without the Bible.
As far as the risk of getting a warped view of the Bible, that is a great point. If it really was a book from a perfect god, then there would be no risk of that.
Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it. Cheers.
As for the rest, it's mostly meta-talk if I continue. Yes, Christians do warp the Scriptures. I'm sure they don't usually intend to, but we are all broken to various degrees and sometimes act and think out of that. Scriptures even mention that they were doing that at the time of the Apostles.
If you have any desire to pursue the rest, I'll do my best. But I would say that it is using logic and reason as the only tool of understanding that limits the Scriptures. It is obvious enough that errors are easily made, because Christians themselves make them. This is why I personally think all the expository and explanatory writings from the first leaders of the ancient Church as Christianity was being established are the surest guide, but they are rarely acknowledged or known in Protestantism, and with Catholics they retain a lot, but have changed some too. So very few people become aware of it. So many voices, going in so many directions as a result, becomes overwhelming.
There I go rambling again, and you didn't ask. My apologies.
I'm on a roll today, lol.
