Why can Christians pick and choose which parts of the Bible to believe? (Jesus, punishment)

[DallasApple]

I personaly dont resist prayer(I converse with God many times a day )..But if the Bible is complete and the instruction book it realy doesnt matter what I hear in a prayer....That is if I take it litteraly ...(everything the Bible says)

Like offer the other cheek if you are struck on one side..Sure...if I size it up and thats the right thing...But if I took that to mean litterally 100% of the time I'de be a doormat..Maybe even dead..


Blessings

Dallas

[sojourner]

Originally Posted by texan1

In order to believe that the Bible is truly the word of God, it seems that you would have to believe that God can speak directly through humans. He spoke through the authors of the Bible who put the Holy Creator's words into this holy text.

Why then is it ok for mere humans to pick and choose which passages to believe in, which to take literally, which to disregard all together and how to interpret all facets of it? Most churches talk about a loving, forgiving God and talk about Jesus as the Prince of Peace. But when I read the Bible I can't seem to find this God in there. Much of what is in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, depicts an angry vengeful and frightening God (Leviticus for example). There are also laws outlined (in Dueteronomyfor example) that say women should be covered, they will be stoned to death in public for adultery, and are considered about as valuable as cattle. Most "Christians" I know certainly don't believe in these Taliban-like values.

Are there any Christians who might be able to explain how they reconcile this? Why you get to pick and choose only small sections of the Bible to believe in? And if you are free to do that, do you really believe it is the Divine Word? Do you think Christianity has actually evolved away from the Bible?

Who says that the Bible is a process of "Divine Dictation?" Your premise assumes too much.

As human beings who are trying to be faithful to God, we have to interpret what our faith-tradition has left us, whether it be scripture or other writings, or doctrine, or culture. We do that by engaging in a process of judgment. Jesus did the same thing. Didn't he decide that healing someone was more important than not breaking the Sabbath law?

We hope to always err (because we will err) on the side of love, acceptance, peace, forbearance, hospitality, kindness, self-sacrifice, salvation, compassion, etc., because these are the things Jesus modeled for us, and they are the things that promote our well-being and our relationships as community with each other.

[Starfish]

Originally Posted by DallasApple

I personaly dont resist prayer(I converse with God many times a day )..But if the Bible is complete and the instruction book it realy doesnt matter what I hear in a prayer....That is if I take it litteraly ...(everything the Bible says)

Like offer the other cheek if you are struck on one side..Sure...if I size it up and thats the right thing...But if I took that to mean litterally 100% of the time I'de be a doormat..Maybe even dead..


Blessings

Dallas

This isn't necessary to you Dallas, but I do have some more thoughts.

When we, as LDS, suggest to others to simply ask God, through prayer; the typical response communicates that they don't need to because they have the Bible. They seem to say answers to prayers can be misinterpreted, too subjective, or it may just BE a feeling, which can't be trusted. It makes me wonder about their experience with prayer and with the Holy Ghost. The scriptures are an invaluable resource to find our answers, but they aren't the only source.

Do they know what an answer to prayer is? What it's like? How to recognize it? If they did, maybe they wouldn't be so resistant to it. In our religion, we use prayer for everything. Prayer is two-way communication, and every sincere prayer is always answered sooner or later. I mean with all the confusion over doctrinal differences, asking God just seems like the logical solution.

What if you feel your answer from God was different than my answer from God? Then go with your answer (as long as it doesn't break any basic moral, ethical or legal laws). Test it. See if it works for you. Over time you will know if it was truly from God or not. (We believe that God will never give you an answer that violates gospel-standards.) Keep praying as you go, never stopping, and sincerely following what you feel are your answers. This process will save you from a lot of mistakes.

Anyway, it works for me.