Hail to All,
I was once a liberal Christian for a fair bit of time in my life yet knew very little about the inception of the Bible, the religion and Christian history proper. I began studying the subject in complete innocence some ten years ago, something that eventually led me away from Christianity to Agnosticism/Apatheism, simply by researching history...it is true; in some ways ignorance IS bliss...
To begin with I started reading about the Gospel writers, who, it is taught were 'eyewitnesses' to Jesus of Nazareth's career on earth. After reading genuine scholarship, this notion was quickly dispelled. Anonymous writers, writing decades after the 'fact' with Mark being the first around 70 CE and all the others copying him in the 80's, 90's CE and later. Studying Paul's epistles and other writings I searched in vain for the Gospel events described by Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. He doesn't even talk about a man who lived on earth recently; no Mary, Joseph, Herod, Pilate, Temptation, etc...
Then I looked at the external evidence, that is extra-biblical evidence for the Gospel story and Jesus Christ. I was shocked at how paucidly the Jesus of Nazareth figure was attested outside of the NT and the that the various events weren't attested at all, such as the slaughter of innocents by Herod, seemingly derived straight from the OT book of Exodus, the trial of Jesus and all of these other 'events'. All the pagan and Jewish witness that does mention Jesus, inevitably comes decades after his 'time', all of which suffering from tampering by Christian interpolation.
After several years of further study I lost my faith. The loss became even more cemented by reading modern science, in particular modern cosmology, about which Christianity had/has nothing to say.
I can honestly say that I am happier now with the knowledge I have acquired than I was when I was living in 'faith' to things that were simply beaten into me as a child and I accepted on no good grounds.
This is a message of hope for those who are going through this process brought about by enquiry. Life DOES continue after you lose faith and it can be even better than it was with it...
The truth will set you free...in more ways than one...
The truth is?.... you never found Christ.
You were influenced by Christianity, but never found Christ.
I did not become a believer because I verified first all the things you think you have found. I found Christ without knowing who/what it was that had taken over my soul.
I was brought up a Jew. It was forbidden for us to believe in Jesus Christ. So, I had no teaching on regeneration. I had no idea of any transformation power to salvation.
When in college during the sixties, someone handed me a tract. He did not tell me a thing. He did not preach. he did not tell me anything about what happens when one believes. Just,
"here."
I read the tract. At that point of my life I had no doubt I was a sinner.
While reading the tract I decided that not eating pork was going to save me (keeping the Jewish law) from the mistakes I had made. So? I said the little prayer found on the tract. Threw it in the garbage just before entering my next class.
Within a short, maybe a few weeks, I was was having a series of dreams and visions. I did not know what hit me. I was seeing future events before they came to pass. My life was flashed before my eyes.
I did not know what it all meant. How could I? I thought I had mysteriously become psychic and was now in contact with a mind much superior to my own.
I made no connection with having said the prayer for salvation. That was to come years later. When I finally came to the realization that I was saved. I prayed a prayer. I prayed because I knew what I was seeing was what I was shown in a dream ten years earlier. I prayed asking if I had ever cried out at some time in the past and did not know it....
That's when my a sight in my mind was switched to a scene I had totally forgotten about. One I gave no thought for. That of walking down the main lobby on campus and walking up to the table where the young man was setting out tracts.
So? I would have to say you never met Christ. Not yet, anyway.
For all the reasons you gave for your so called rejection? Has no impact on my soul. All it says to me is that you had been influenced by a culture that baptized you into a "christianized" way of life as you were growing up, but never having the life of becoming a believer.
Happens all the time. I grew up thinking I was a Jew. Like you thought you were a Christian. (Liberal Christian is an oxymoron)
A real Jew is one who knows his Lord because he has been made spiritually alive by the new birth. A real Christian is the same as a real Jew today. For there is neither Jew nor Gentile when we are to be found in Christ.
No amount of anti-Bible propganda like yours will effect the true Christian. Its designed to make the unbeliever feel comfortable with his desire to reject the truth. That's all.
A real Christian has a bond in the Spirit with God that you are oblivious to. And, God does save all. That means everyone from genius class to stupid. We are saved by grace, not works. So, just because someone may be stupid and not know how to debate your propaganda? It does not mean he does not see you as being the truly stupid one. For he knows Christ is real.
God saves anyone who will believe. Smart, or stupid. All who refuse to believe are stupid. Smart, or stupid.
Bell rings.. class over.
Grace and truth, Gene
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