worldview question for you
here are some questions that i have thought about lately. agree. disagree. comment. no two people will have the same opinions on everything most likely. if so, they probably don't think for themselves but blindly accept what one or more people have told them. unfortunately many christians, atheists, or others live life in this manner. people should not take what they hear but should in fact question why they believe what they believe. that brings me to my next point.
1. should christians follow the bible literally or should christians use it as a guideline to live their lives?
- i have not resolved this issue for myself yet. on one hand i can see that everything should be taken literally and that we are supposed to use the bible as a strict guideline for our lives. on the other hand, it seems like when god is telling us to not do something, it is a protection he sets up for us to not get harmed. why does the bible tell us to not be drunk or not sleep around before marriage or during marriage or lie or lust or steal? is it that he knows we would enjoy ourselves too much and that we would forget about him if we did? or is it that he knows if we do do those things there will be consequences to follow? is he keeping us from fun or is he keeping us from hurt or is there another reason we are told not to do those things?
i have recently pictured in my mind an area with two circles. the bigger one has a solid red line around it and the smaller inner one has a dotted grey line around it. inside the smaller area is a green plane. the green represents everything that we do that will cause no harm to ourselves or anyone else. the dotted grey line represents the "grey" areas of the bible that are debatable. this would include drinking alocohol period, going to movies (at the far right extreme), certain music, tobacco, etc. some people can drink alcohol without being drunk or going against their conscience. some people believe that it is ok to use tobacco while others do not. if you go outside of the circle, whether it be the dotted one for some or definitely the solid one for everyone, then you are sinning.
when we are kids, our parents tell us to look both ways before crossing the road, to wear a helmet when we ride our bikes, etc. do they do this because they want to be a nuissance to us? no, they tell us to do so because they love us. they don't want us to get hurt. is that why god tells us not to do certain things? i believe that he doesn't want us to do certain things because he loves us and wants us to not get hurt. think about it.
having sex with more than one person increases your chance to get hurt. is everyone who sleeps with more than one person going to get std's? no. but is everyone who sleeps with one person their whole life safer off. definitely. can someone sit in a room by themself and get wasted without sinning (assuming that being drunk is not a sin)? it can be possible. on the other hand, physical effects of drunkeness do occur.
i was at the doctor last month and it threw me off when he was asking about my activities: drinking, sexual, social. all the things asked were not at church, but the same questions were being asked. do you drink? how much? do you get drunk? are you involved in any sexual activity? do you smoke excessively? he told me that drinking in moderation is alright for your body and he explained why it was good that i don't drink excesively or have sexual activity and that it is safer for me physically to only have sexual activity with one person - my wife when i do.
it made me think about the analogy i mentioned before of crossing the street. some people will say pertaining to some issues, it is better to just not cross the road. you'll never get hurt that way. others will say, it is alright to cross the road, as long as you look both ways before crossing. then the rebels will say, i don't care what anyone tells me. i'm going to do what i want and cross the road whenever i want however i want. sometimes they make it across the road safely. many times they don't make it across and wonder what happened when they get hit from behind.
that brings me around full circle to what i asked initially. did god want us to take the bible literally word for word or did he give it to us as an anti-consequential guideline to live our lives?
1. should christians follow the bible literally or should christians use it as a guideline to live their lives?
- i have not resolved this issue for myself yet. on one hand i can see that everything should be taken literally and that we are supposed to use the bible as a strict guideline for our lives. on the other hand, it seems like when god is telling us to not do something, it is a protection he sets up for us to not get harmed. why does the bible tell us to not be drunk or not sleep around before marriage or during marriage or lie or lust or steal? is it that he knows we would enjoy ourselves too much and that we would forget about him if we did? or is it that he knows if we do do those things there will be consequences to follow? is he keeping us from fun or is he keeping us from hurt or is there another reason we are told not to do those things?
i have recently pictured in my mind an area with two circles. the bigger one has a solid red line around it and the smaller inner one has a dotted grey line around it. inside the smaller area is a green plane. the green represents everything that we do that will cause no harm to ourselves or anyone else. the dotted grey line represents the "grey" areas of the bible that are debatable. this would include drinking alocohol period, going to movies (at the far right extreme), certain music, tobacco, etc. some people can drink alcohol without being drunk or going against their conscience. some people believe that it is ok to use tobacco while others do not. if you go outside of the circle, whether it be the dotted one for some or definitely the solid one for everyone, then you are sinning.
when we are kids, our parents tell us to look both ways before crossing the road, to wear a helmet when we ride our bikes, etc. do they do this because they want to be a nuissance to us? no, they tell us to do so because they love us. they don't want us to get hurt. is that why god tells us not to do certain things? i believe that he doesn't want us to do certain things because he loves us and wants us to not get hurt. think about it.
having sex with more than one person increases your chance to get hurt. is everyone who sleeps with more than one person going to get std's? no. but is everyone who sleeps with one person their whole life safer off. definitely. can someone sit in a room by themself and get wasted without sinning (assuming that being drunk is not a sin)? it can be possible. on the other hand, physical effects of drunkeness do occur.
i was at the doctor last month and it threw me off when he was asking about my activities: drinking, sexual, social. all the things asked were not at church, but the same questions were being asked. do you drink? how much? do you get drunk? are you involved in any sexual activity? do you smoke excessively? he told me that drinking in moderation is alright for your body and he explained why it was good that i don't drink excesively or have sexual activity and that it is safer for me physically to only have sexual activity with one person - my wife when i do.
it made me think about the analogy i mentioned before of crossing the street. some people will say pertaining to some issues, it is better to just not cross the road. you'll never get hurt that way. others will say, it is alright to cross the road, as long as you look both ways before crossing. then the rebels will say, i don't care what anyone tells me. i'm going to do what i want and cross the road whenever i want however i want. sometimes they make it across the road safely. many times they don't make it across and wonder what happened when they get hit from behind.
that brings me around full circle to what i asked initially. did god want us to take the bible literally word for word or did he give it to us as an anti-consequential guideline to live our lives?
2 comments:
some deep thought went into this blog.
i feel that the Bible (King James) was preserved for us as a "play book". It gives definite do's and don’ts, while leaving a little wiggle room for individuality, and hearty debate. It clearly defines certain aspects that were applicable in that time, which now can be looked at in different terms. As explanation, I think one should abstain from anything that alters the way one's mind operates. While I have started drinking caffeinated drinks again from time to time, i think that they should generally be avoided. care to guess how i feel about alcohol? most would paraphrase the "drinkers bible verse" Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess. this is -in this author's opinion- a verse that should only reflect that era of time in which fermented wine was safe for drinking. water not being readily available, but the wine (fermented) was safer, no sicknesses or germs in those days. But in proverbs it clearly gives me my basis for an anti-alcohol stance. look to the days of the kings of israel and judah when "every man did that which was right in his own eyes", then apply some verses i.e. "to him that knoweth to do right, and doeth it not, it is sin"
But in general,
BIBLE: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
For the most part, i think the bible, preserved for the English speaking people via the Authorized King James Version, should be taken at face value. When a question arises, get out the Strong’s exhaustive concordance, clear the calendar for a couple of hours, and find the answers in His inspired Word (see John ch 1).
Forgive the tangent, but i think it should be taken literal for the most part.
Also, in the days of Christ, betrothal was how one received their mate, not by sleeping around to find the most exciting guy/gal around. as a personal note, it appears that the ones who "kept it in their pants" are the ones still married to their first wives as i sit here a high school grad of '96.
Forgive any misquotes, or typos. it is late, and if i go get one of my bibles, i'll either wake a child or a wife; neither, a great choice.
get my email from dct for further discussion.
it says 10:30, i'm EDT, it's 12:30 here.
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