Reading the Bible was disturbing to me. What now?

[Bostonian]

I am in a group at church where we read a passage from the Bible every week and talk about it and how it relates to our life. The pastor picks the passage - it's often the one we'll read in church the following Sunday. This has been a good experience. The passages are often insightful and beautiful.

Since I have never read the entire Bible, this year I decided to do one of those programs where you read the whole bible in a year. I hoped it would bring me closer to God.

I'm afraid it had the opposite effect.

I read the book of Job and most of Genesis and then I quit reading. Unlike the New Testament verses we read in my church group, some of the stuff I'm reading in the Old Testament is deeply disturbing. The verses that bother me the most are Genesis 19:1-8. It's the passage where Lot offers to let a mob of Sodomites rape his daughters.

My pastor explained to me that it was another time and another culture, but that's not helping me. I assume God gave us the Bible because He wants us to read it. Why would God want me to read about Sodomites trying to rape angels and Lot offering his daughters to them?!?

I have heard people say that the Bible is God's love letter to us. I was not prepared for how horrible some parts of the Old Testament are.

Also, I know that Jesus uses parables in the New Testament, but parts of the Old Testament seem to be fictional but they aren't presented as so. It made me wonder how we can tell which parts of the Bible are true and which are not. Since so much about what we know about God comes from the Bible, this experience has shaken me a bit.

Is there a way to know which parts of the Bible are trustworthy and worth reading? Why do you think the story about Lot and Sodom is in the Bible at all?

 

[SeventhFisherofMen]

I am in a group at church where we read a passage from the Bible every week and talk about it and how it relates to our life. The pastor picks the passage - it's often the one we'll read in church the following Sunday. This has been a good experience. The passages are often insightful and beautiful.

Since I have never read the entire Bible, this year I decided to do one of those programs where you read the whole bible in a year. I hoped it would bring me closer to God.

I'm afraid it had the opposite effect.

I read the book of Job and most of Genesis and then I quit reading. Unlike the New Testament verses we read in my church group, some of the stuff I'm reading in the Old Testament is deeply disturbing. The verses that bother me the most are Genesis 19:1-8. It's the passage where Lot offers to let a mob of Sodomites rape his daughters.

My pastor explained to me that it was another time and another culture, but that's not helping me. I assume God gave us the Bible because He wants us to read it. Why would God want me to read about Sodomites trying to rape angels and Lot offering his daughters to them?!?

I have heard people say that the Bible is God's love letter to us. I was not prepared for how horrible some parts of the Old Testament are.

Also, I know that Jesus uses parables in the New Testament, but parts of the Old Testament seem to be fictional but they aren't presented as so. It made me wonder how we can tell which parts of the Bible are true and which are not. Since so much about what we know about God comes from the Bible, this experience has shaken me a bit.

Is there a way to know which parts of the Bible are trustworthy and worth reading? Why do you think the story about Lot and Sodom is in the Bible at all?

The Bible is also a historical recounting of things as well. If we look at the the History of man and put it all in a book and judged the creator by the actions of the created that's the flaw, we're basing our feeling of God on what people have done. God didn't do that, Lot did, and Lot was not right to do so.

We need to be careful not to be discouraged because of what people do when it's not God doing those things. People will sometimes leave the church because of something a person did, but people are flawed, God on the other hand is not.

 

[Emun]

Why do you think the story about Lot and Sodom is in the Bible at all?

Because God wanted it.

Just trust that whatever God does is right, even if it doesn't seem to be. We are only human, we are stupid, God is smart. Our stupidity can deceive us.

 

[Freth]

The account in Genesis 19 gives some additional insight into Lot's daughters, and how the wicked city had sinful influence over all of them, which continued after the city was destroyed.

Subsequent to the destruction of Sodom, Lot's daughters got him drunk so they could impregnate themselves and continue the family line. According to the account the children, Moab and Ben-Ammi, became the fathers of the Moabites and the Ammon.

Inbreeding also occurred in European royalty, and it was not uncommon for fathers to offer up their daughters for whatever reason.

Just because it is a historical account in scripture does not mean that God condones sinful behavior. In fact, it is explained in scripture why these things are written for us to read.

1 Corinthians 10:11-12 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

 

[PloverWing]

I don't have a simple answer for you, but here are some thoughts.

It might help to do your reading of the Bible in a community, a group of people with whom you can wrestle with the difficulties, instead of having to work it out all on your own. Part of this can be writings -- a Bible with good study notes, or volumes of commentaries. For the questions you're asking, I'd suggest an ecumenical study Bible, one whose study notes take modern scholarship into account. (For my own reading, I like the Oxford Study Bible (REB) and the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV), but there are others as well.)

In addition to "written" community, I suggest in-person community as well, a group who's reading what you're reading and with whom you can meet and talk. Does your church have anything like this, or would your pastor be willing to help organize something like this within your church or diocese? Individual Bible reading is good and important, but the Bible was always meant to be read in community.

I think that "God's love letter to us" can be a misleading way to describe the Bible, even though I, too, have heard that phrase used in sermons. My own view of Scripture is that it is the writings of people who experienced God and loved God, and who wrote down their experiences and reflections on those experiences, so that they would be preserved for future generations of Jews and Christians. Some of the stories they loved were fictional, but fiction with important truths (compare how Narnia or Lord of the Rings embodies important truths). Some of the stories they told were really difficult, like Lot in Sodom or Abraham and Isaac at Moriah. For those, I try to ask what the storytellers meant to communicate, and why the community chose this story (rather than some other story) to preserve. Again, no easy answers, but asking "What did this mean to the community who preserved it?" is a question that's been helping me in my reading.

I'm currently in a year-long reading of the Bible in a small virtual community of people from Christian Forums. We're currently in Leviticus, another difficult book, but our discussions have been helpful to me. If you're interested in joining our group for the remainder of the year, message me or our group organizer, @Brother-Mike .

 

[St_Worm2]

Hello @Bostonian, you've made an important observation about the Bible (one of the things that, in point of fact, sets it apart from almost all of the other books that are like it from the ancient world). It doesn't hesitate to air out the dirty laundry of the people it talks about for all to see, to expose both their (and our) foibles and their great sins/sinfulness too, the evil that is in their hearts and the evil that they did as a result, and that, most often, of those who were declared to be "righteous" men (like Lot), those who we often regard as "heroes" of the faith.

This, BTW, is one of the many things about the Bible that convinces me that it is not only true, but that its true Author is God Himself, not men.

It's also important for us to see and understand what we are really like, even the best of us, so that we have a better sense of all that the Lord did for the likes of us, of how incredibly merciful, gracious and loving He really is towards us, especially believers, of course, and thereby what it means that He not only chose to let us go on living (rather than immediately wiping us all out as we truly deserved to be), but that He chose to come here and die in our stead on the Cross to save us (His enemies .. e.g. Romans 5:10).

I remember being disturbed by some of what I saw in the Bible on my first read-through as well (quite frankly, I think that it would be hard for someone not to be, especially at first blush). What I chose to do (and what I would recommend to you as well) was to set the parts of the Bible that I struggled with (for whatever reason) to the side, temporarily, with the intention of returning to them later, when I had gained a greater knowledge and understanding of God, His word, and the faith.

Most of the things that I could not answer or understand back then, including the things that were disturbing to me, or seemed contradictory, etc., no longer are. So, give that approach a try if you'd like and see if it works for you too.

This is just one of the many advantages of having come to saving faith in the Lord Jesus, because we also came into possession of eternal life when we did, so we (literally) have all of the time in the world, all the time that we need to patiently wait to find the answers/understanding that we seek and need to be assured of

Also, be sure to talk to others at your church about this, and your pastor in particular, as our brothers and sisters who are further along in the faith than we are may already have the knowledge/understanding that we are seeking.

Praying for you!

God bless you!!

--David

 

[Maria Billingsley]

I am in a group at church where we read a passage from the Bible every week and talk about it and how it relates to our life. The pastor picks the passage - it's often the one we'll read in church the following Sunday. This has been a good experience. The passages are often insightful and beautiful.

Since I have never read the entire Bible, this year I decided to do one of those programs where you read the whole bible in a year. I hoped it would bring me closer to God.

I'm afraid it had the opposite effect.

I read the book of Job and most of Genesis and then I quit reading. Unlike the New Testament verses we read in my church group, some of the stuff I'm reading in the Old Testament is deeply disturbing. The verses that bother me the most are Genesis 19:1-8. It's the passage where Lot offers to let a mob of Sodomites rape his daughters.

My pastor explained to me that it was another time and another culture, but that's not helping me. I assume God gave us the Bible because He wants us to read it. Why would God want me to read about Sodomites trying to rape angels and Lot offering his daughters to them?!?

I have heard people say that the Bible is God's love letter to us. I was not prepared for how horrible some parts of the Old Testament are.

Also, I know that Jesus uses parables in the New Testament, but parts of the Old Testament seem to be fictional but they aren't presented as so. It made me wonder how we can tell which parts of the Bible are true and which are not. Since so much about what we know about God comes from the Bible, this experience has shaken me a bit.

Is there a way to know which parts of the Bible are trustworthy and worth reading? Why do you think the story about Lot and Sodom is in the Bible at all?

I do not have any great words of wisdom to offer you but what I do know is understanding and accepting the complexities of scripture must be revealed to you through His Holy Spirit. Only He can unravel the mysteries that perplex you at this time. So it is best to pray for discernment first and then read again with all your heart , soul and mind in the right place , with love.
Blessings.

 

[msufan]

I am in a group at church where we read a passage from the Bible every week and talk about it and how it relates to our life. The pastor picks the passage - it's often the one we'll read in church the following Sunday. This has been a good experience. The passages are often insightful and beautiful.

Since I have never read the entire Bible, this year I decided to do one of those programs where you read the whole bible in a year. I hoped it would bring me closer to God.

I'm afraid it had the opposite effect.

I read the book of Job and most of Genesis and then I quit reading. Unlike the New Testament verses we read in my church group, some of the stuff I'm reading in the Old Testament is deeply disturbing. The verses that bother me the most are Genesis 19:1-8. It's the passage where Lot offers to let a mob of Sodomites rape his daughters.

My pastor explained to me that it was another time and another culture, but that's not helping me. I assume God gave us the Bible because He wants us to read it. Why would God want me to read about Sodomites trying to rape angels and Lot offering his daughters to them?!?

I have heard people say that the Bible is God's love letter to us. I was not prepared for how horrible some parts of the Old Testament are.

Also, I know that Jesus uses parables in the New Testament, but parts of the Old Testament seem to be fictional but they aren't presented as so. It made me wonder how we can tell which parts of the Bible are true and which are not. Since so much about what we know about God comes from the Bible, this experience has shaken me a bit.

Is there a way to know which parts of the Bible are trustworthy and worth reading? Why do you think the story about Lot and Sodom is in the Bible at all?

I recommend switching to the New Testament, particularly the book of Luke or the book of John. While there can be value in the things you've read (even if it's just to understand the depravity of the human condition without God), I think the New Testament is a better place to start.

 

[Bostonian]

I recommend switching to the New Testament, particularly the book of Luke or the book of John. While there can be value in the things you've read (even if it's just to understand the depravity of the human condition without God), I think the New Testament is a better place to start.

Thanks. Yeah, I sure did read about the "depravity of the human condition". I've done my share of sinning in my life (especially before I was a Christian) but I don't hold a candle to what some of these people in the Old Testament did. Aye carumba!

I like your idea about reading the New Testament instead of the entire Bible. But there are a couple of parts of the Old Testament that I feel like I should delve into. Psalms and Proverbs come to mind. Also, I think there must be parts of the Old Testament that I should read. The 10 commandments are in the Old Testament, right?

I wonder if there is a reading plan that focuses on the parts of the Bible that are most relevant to Christians today. Maybe all (or most) of the New Testament and selected parts of the Old Testament?

I don't need to become a Bible scholar but I need to know enough about the Bible to be assured that what it says is true. I need to understand how the parts that are apparently fictional stories don't mean that the parts about Jesus' resurrection and heaven and hell aren't true.

 

[YeshuaFollower]

I am in a group at church where we read a passage from the Bible every week and talk about it and how it relates to our life. The pastor picks the passage - it's often the one we'll read in church the following Sunday. This has been a good experience. The passages are often insightful and beautiful.

Since I have never read the entire Bible, this year I decided to do one of those programs where you read the whole bible in a year. I hoped it would bring me closer to God.

I'm afraid it had the opposite effect.

I read the book of Job and most of Genesis and then I quit reading. Unlike the New Testament verses we read in my church group, some of the stuff I'm reading in the Old Testament is deeply disturbing. The verses that bother me the most are Genesis 19:1-8. It's the passage where Lot offers to let a mob of Sodomites rape his daughters.

My pastor explained to me that it was another time and another culture, but that's not helping me. I assume God gave us the Bible because He wants us to read it. Why would God want me to read about Sodomites trying to rape angels and Lot offering his daughters to them?!?

I have heard people say that the Bible is God's love letter to us. I was not prepared for how horrible some parts of the Old Testament are.

Also, I know that Jesus uses parables in the New Testament, but parts of the Old Testament seem to be fictional but they aren't presented as so. It made me wonder how we can tell which parts of the Bible are true and which are not. Since so much about what we know about God comes from the Bible, this experience has shaken me a bit.

Is there a way to know which parts of the Bible are trustworthy and worth reading? Why do you think the story about Lot and Sodom is in the Bible at all?

Before you judge the scripture ( and GOD) , I urge you do read the full bible at least once. note your questions and as you read further, most if not all of them will be answered. The bible is a history book , 1/3 prophecy. it ia a book about us , the human race what is expected, what we should do, it is a book of hope for humanity. It will help you comprehend what is going on, who you are, why you are here and where you will be in the future. Scripture is also an invitation letter to the kingdom of GOD, do not throw away the gift of knowledge offered by the bible.

some web sites such as biblehub, also contain many commentaries that might help your comprehension. If you read the texts with an open mind many things will be revealed to you, just trust in God.

Blessings,

JFF

 

[PloverWing]

I wonder if there is a reading plan that focuses on the parts of the Bible that are most relevant to Christians today. Maybe all (or most) of the New Testament and selected parts of the Old Testament?

The Sunday readings in the Revised Common Lectionary (The Lectionary Page) might be an option. These readings cover a great deal of the Bible, including almost all of the New Testament, but they omit portions of the Old Testament that most Christians consider less relevant to our daily lives, such as the rules in Leviticus and the details for constructing the Tabernacle. Your profile says you're Anglican, so these lectionary readings probably fit with what your church is reading on Sundays. There are four readings per week, most weeks, so you could read one passage per day, with a couple of days off at the end of the week.

 

[peaceful-forest]

I read the book of Job and most of Genesis and then I quit reading. Unlike the New Testament verses we read in my church group, some of the stuff I'm reading in the Old Testament is deeply disturbing. The verses that bother me the most are Genesis 19:1-8. It's the passage where Lot offers to let a mob of Sodomites rape his daughters.

My pastor explained to me that it was another time and another culture, but that's not helping me. I assume God gave us the Bible because He wants us to read it. Why would God want me to read about Sodomites trying to rape angels and Lot offering his daughters to them?!?

I have heard people say that the Bible is God's love letter to us. I was not prepared for how horrible some parts of the Old Testament are.

Also, I know that Jesus uses parables in the New Testament, but parts of the Old Testament seem to be fictional but they aren't presented as so. It made me wonder how we can tell which parts of the Bible are true and which are not. Since so much about what we know about God comes from the Bible, this experience has shaken me a bit.

Is there a way to know which parts of the Bible are trustworthy and worth reading? Why do you think the story about Lot and Sodom is in the Bible at all?

There was nothing wrong with your reaction to Genesis 19:1-8. Your pastor's explanation was wrong.

Lot offering his daughters to the Sodomites was wrong. The Sodomites wanting to have sex with the angels was wrong also. Sin is wrong in God's sight and God ended up judging Sodom and Gomorrah for their sins.

The Bible is God's instructions for us. It is also a history book. God wants us to know right and wrong. God wants us to know about Jesus and his offer of salvation. God wants us to learn from mistakes from the past. There are probably other things God wants us to know about concerning the Bible that are on a personal level that I can't explain.

I don't know if this will help you but there's a translation of the Bible called the Amplified Translation. It was created to help English readers better understand what was originally said in Hebrew and Greek. Amplified Bible Info – Lockman Foundation

 

[RileyG]

I do not have any great words of wisdom to offer you but what I do know is understanding and accepting the complexities of scripture must be revealed to you through His Holy Spirit. Only He can unravel the mysteries that perplex you at this time. So it is best to pray for discernment first and then read again with all your heart , soul and mind in the right place , with love.
Blessings.

Agreed. Also realize the Jewish people understanding of God evolved over time. Which is why there are many disturbing and violent images in the OT.

Blessings

 

[msufan]

Thanks. Yeah, I sure did read about the "depravity of the human condition". I've done my share of sinning in my life (especially before I was a Christian) but I don't hold a candle to what some of these people in the Old Testament did. Aye carumba!

I like your idea about reading the New Testament instead of the entire Bible. But there are a couple of parts of the Old Testament that I feel like I should delve into. Psalms and Proverbs come to mind. Also, I think there must be parts of the Old Testament that I should read. The 10 commandments are in the Old Testament, right?

I wonder if there is a reading plan that focuses on the parts of the Bible that are most relevant to Christians today. Maybe all (or most) of the New Testament and selected parts of the Old Testament?

I don't need to become a Bible scholar but I need to know enough about the Bible to be assured that what it says is true. I need to understand how the parts that are apparently fictional stories don't mean that the parts about Jesus' resurrection and heaven and hell aren't true.

The huge overall message of the Bible in my opinion is this: There is a way to have a relationship with the God who created the universe. Once you do have that relationship, God's own Holy Spirit will be within you, and your own lived experience with God will actually be the greatest proof and testimony to the truth of God's existence and love.

In light of that, it doesn't really matter if the book of Job literally happened, or if the creation story of Genesis isn't supported by science. You won't be concerned by the depravity of people who lived thousands of years ago, because you'll see within yourself the potential for depravity and also the One who is the ultimate cure from it.

 

[Bostonian]

The huge overall message of the Bible in my opinion is this: There is a way to have a relationship with the God who created the universe. Once you do have that relationship, God's own Holy Spirit will be within you, and your own lived experience with God will actually be the greatest proof and testimony to the truth of God's existence and love.

In light of that, it doesn't really matter if the book of Job literally happened, or if the creation story of Genesis isn't supported by science. You won't be concerned by the depravity of people who lived thousands of years ago, because you'll see within yourself the potential for depravity and also the One who is the ultimate cure from it.

I believe in the truth of God's existence and love for sure. But how can I know that, say, heaven and hell are real since they are described in the same Bible that has the creation story?

 

[peaceful-forest]

I believe in the truth of God's existence and love for sure. But how can I know that, say, heaven and hell are real since they are described in the same Bible that has the creation story?

In order to believe that heaven and hell are real, you must decide if God is telling the truth about these things.

Do you believe God is telling the truth about heaven and hell?

 

[msufan]

In order to believe that heaven and hell are real, you must decide if God is telling the truth about these things.

Do you believe God is telling the truth about heaven and hell?

I believe in the truth of God's existence and love for sure. But how can I know that, say, heaven and hell are real since they are described in the same Bible that has the creation story?

Great question. I think it's helpful not to think of the Bible as one book. The Bible is a collection of books written by dozens of authors over thousands of years. As such, the Bible says things (e.g. "everything is meaningless!") with which the overall message of the Bible disagrees.

The greatest validity in my opinion can be found in the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Here we have four different writers telling about Jesus' life and ministry. Luke specifically talks about how he is writing as a historian. So when we read in those gospels what Jesus has to say about eternity, that carries a lot of weight.

On the other hand, I wouldn't base my entire worldview of eternity on a single interpretation from the book of Revelation. That book is much more figurative.

 

[peaceful-forest]

Great question. I think it's helpful not to think of the Bible as one book. The Bible is a collection of books written by dozens of authors over thousands of years. As such, the Bible says things (e.g. "everything is meaningless!") with which the overall message of the Bible disagrees.

The greatest validity in my opinion can be found in the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Here we have four different writers telling about Jesus' life and ministry. Luke specifically talks about how he is writing as a historian. So when we read in those gospels what Jesus has to say about eternity, that carries a lot of weight.

On the other hand, I wouldn't base my entire worldview of eternity on a single interpretation from the book of Revelation. That book is much more figurative.

What are you talking about?

Yes, the Bible has multiple human authors, but all the texts in the Bible are God-inspired.

The fact that you said the Bible contradicts itself means you don't believe in it, so how can you help someone believe the Bible and be closer to God if you're discounting God's word?

As such, the Bible says things (e.g. "everything is meaningless!") with which the overall message of the Bible disagrees.

I wouldn't base my entire worldview of eternity on a single interpretation from the book of Revelation. That book is much more figurative.

 

[msufan]

The fact that you said the Bible contradicts itself means you don't believe in it, so how can you help someone believe the Bible and be closer to God if you're discounting God's word?

I don't think the Bible contradicts itself from a big-picture perspective. My example from the book of Ecclesiastes shows how Solomon felt after getting rich and wandering from God. His quote (Ecc. 1:2) of "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (or really almost anything from that book) is not meant to actually be good advice we should follow. Almost all of the rest of the Bible disavows that kind of thinking and argues that this life is not meaningless at all.

The Bible is not magical. The curating of the Bible was messy -- other books could very well have been included or existing ones excluded. Genesis 1 and 2 give two different creation stories that can't both be true. And the list goes on.

AND THAT'S OK.

...because the Bible is not supposed to be a perfect, forever-unchanging list of rules. It's supposed to point you to a living God who can tell you what he wants in real time through the Holy Spirit. The Bible couldn't deal with things that apply to us today, like how we should deal with Artificial Intelligence, but it doesn't matter -- because God can guide us in the here and now.

It's important that we not tie our faith to the Bible being perfect, but rather to the God to whom it points.

 

[zoidar]

I am in a group at church where we read a passage from the Bible every week and talk about it and how it relates to our life. The pastor picks the passage - it's often the one we'll read in church the following Sunday. This has been a good experience. The passages are often insightful and beautiful.

Since I have never read the entire Bible, this year I decided to do one of those programs where you read the whole bible in a year. I hoped it would bring me closer to God.

I'm afraid it had the opposite effect.

I read the book of Job and most of Genesis and then I quit reading. Unlike the New Testament verses we read in my church group, some of the stuff I'm reading in the Old Testament is deeply disturbing. The verses that bother me the most are Genesis 19:1-8. It's the passage where Lot offers to let a mob of Sodomites rape his daughters.

My pastor explained to me that it was another time and another culture, but that's not helping me. I assume God gave us the Bible because He wants us to read it. Why would God want me to read about Sodomites trying to rape angels and Lot offering his daughters to them?!?

I have heard people say that the Bible is God's love letter to us. I was not prepared for how horrible some parts of the Old Testament are.

Also, I know that Jesus uses parables in the New Testament, but parts of the Old Testament seem to be fictional but they aren't presented as so. It made me wonder how we can tell which parts of the Bible are true and which are not. Since so much about what we know about God comes from the Bible, this experience has shaken me a bit.

Is there a way to know which parts of the Bible are trustworthy and worth reading? Why do you think the story about Lot and Sodom is in the Bible at all?

Hi Bostonian,

There are certainly stories in the OT that are disturbing to us. Different books of the Bible are written in different genres. Personally I don't take everything literal in the OT, I believe many of the books in the OT contain both historical events and/or symbolism and spiritual truths. Some texts I believe are to be understood more spiritually than historically.

You mention Lot who offers up his own daughters to the Sodomites. One way we can look at this story is that Lot is willing to offer up his own precious daughters, much like the Father was willing to offer up his Son. So I don't think the meaning is to see this story as something disturbing, but rather a story of heroism. Maybe you are a person that give every word in the Bible literal meaning. Of course then it will be hard for you to see it this way. It's always a challenge to read the Bible, to understand it for the purpose it is meant.

I think a good way for you to move forward is to study more about the books you are reading, when it was written, who wrote it, to whom and why, cultural aspects etc. See what information you can gather up. Look into different sources so you will get a broader picture.

I hope that helps.

Christ love!