Non-Christians want to make believe that what the Bible says does not have to be accepted as the truth.
I believe what the Bible teaches should be accepted as truth. Within a correct understanding and context, of course. Ripping meaning out of context from it, and saying that's what it says, is not what the Bible says however. It's your interpretation of it.
What does the Bible say about "rightly diving the word"? Doesn't understanding it in light of modern knowledge about history and science constitute, "rightly dividing the word"? It does to me.
They try to make Christians believe that its value is only literary, cultural, traditional, etc. but that it is useless when it comes to complex issues such as the origin of humanity, the state of the dead, the fulfillment of their prophecies, the existence of God, etc.
I have no problem believing that God created everything, as the Bible says. I just don't believe that the story of "how" it was created is meant for modern people to use to ignore valid scientific evidence of how it actually was created.
The story is meant to convey the
meaning that God created us. Not to provide specific details about how that creative process occurs. It's not a technical manual in other words, it's a "storybook" version for the non-technical mind to get the gist of.
This is not a denigration of the texts. It's a better-understood, more realistic context in which to understand the texts you are holding in your hand. It's the "Reader's Digest" version, in other words, told in non-technical terms a child, a non-specialist can understand. That's it's point. To convey
meaning,
not details!
They want to deprive the Bible of its real value.
Not in my case. I find the real value comes from being able to understand it in a larger, more inclusive context. I do not believe having to ignore and deny sound, valid evidence and knowledge in order to preserve ideas we have from childhood and not allow them to be reconsidered, is what actually deprives the Bible of its value.
It's fundamentalism that denies the value of its truths, not those who understanding it in a larger, more inclusive context, like I attempt to do.
They may attribute some "values" to it like the ones I mentioned earlier, and they may even say that some of the things it says are literal or "metaphorically real". Obviously that is a trap to kill the faith of believers.
I find it actually liberates my faith from needing to burying my head in the sands of denialism, which is spiritually detrimental and leads to atheism.
My point is, there are Christians who are able to understand these things non-literally, and find greater meaning in them because of that. It's not really destroying faith, to rethink how we hold that faith. Beliefs and faiths are two different, albeight related things.
Its faith that allows us to grow, by challenging our thinking and ideas about these things. If we bury our heads in the sand, then that is not growth at all. It's giving into fear, not embracing faith.
Growth is a struggle. But denialism is a refusal to grow. It sacrifices Truth for security.
If the Bible were not what it claims to be, Jehovah's servants would be adrift, at the mercy of any heartless person who, through lies and philosophies invented by humans, distances God's servants from their faithful service to Him.
You believe that your faith in God is based upon believing the Bible teaches that the earth is 6000 years old? You should look at that seriously. That's a sure recipe for becoming an atheist. That's not a sure foundation for building a house of faith. It makes your faith contingient on being right about technical details and ideas of your mind. Faith on the other hand is of the heart. It does not rest in ideas and beliefs, but in the Love in senses from God with the heart.
If you're worried about your faith being shaken, then you should examine what the foundation is that your making it dependent upon. If you can't be wrong about your ideas about God, then you're well-poised to fail in faith. That is the story of countless modern atheists who were once Christians.
They surreptitiously come to convince Christians that NOT EVEN the words of Jesus contain truth. Be very careful who you let yourself be guided by.
I certainly am not saying Jesus words don't contain truth! I certainly, very much believe they do! I find a great, deep, spiritual truth in his insights and teachings, and draw from them constantly.
But I don't mistake his teachings as touching on questions of science.
They are about Love.
