I'm not sure what I believe, there is a list of things I don't believe in...?

Question

I don't believe that the story of Noah's Ark is a historical event -
Ok, so a man builds a boat large enough to accommodate every living animal on earth and food to feed them. Then two of each animal migrated in an orderly fashion to this place and waited patiently in line to board the ship. If god wanted to kill everyone except a small number to start over, why didn't he just strike everyone down, why drown them? Then did his kids and all of the animals indulge in incest to repopulate the earth?

Many Christians believe that if you do not accept Christ as the savior then you will not go to heaven. Also, they say that Christ died for our sins so we can go to heaven. So that means that every person prior to 7 A.D. didn't go to heaven because they were born in the wrong time. Also, people today that are raised in very remote places that don't have an opportunity to even hear about Christ, go straight to hell? What about severely retarded people that don't understand the concept?

Was Sodom and Gomorra any worse then Las Vegas, Bangkok, or Rio? Why hasn’t god destroyed those cities?

Through Historical studies we have determined that many of the stories we were told about Jesus were not true. He was not born on December 25th. The church used his birth as a way to offset a celebrated pagan holiday. Mary Magdalene was probably not a prostitute. If anything she probably came from a wealthy family and played a major role in Jesus’ teachings.

How can you believe in the King James Bible and other variations of the Old Testament? Some guy comes along and changes things in your holy book and your like, “Hey I like this version better, let’s go with this one”. If the Old Testament is the word of god, why change it?

I have a few questions within the body of text. Please read before getting sarcastic.

Small but Fierce - Well at keast with the moon we have people alive that said they were their. We have pictures and video. While this could have all been staged, at least there is some proof to work with.

Answer 1

Ok, let’s try to answer or probe some of your statements.

You are right there is little "historical evidence" that the Ark was built. Why would God do this was good question. Here is my answer. For over a hundred years Noah built a big boat. No rain had ever fallen on the earth and he was building far from any water source (I believe). So it was a hundred year wake up call for mankind, a hundred year test of faith for Noah and one horrible act of a mighty God about to be meted out. If you check your accounts Noah collected two of the unclean and seven of the clean animals to btw. Also, as in the Genesis account, precious few people around and God blessed their productivity. He does not set the incest law into place until later (when many believe there was a stable gene pool)

All Christians should believe that accepting Christ as savior is the only way into heaven. Any that do not are not Christians. John 3:16. Prior to Christ everyone was under the Law (Mosaic Law) the old covenant of blood and sacrifice. When Jesus came and died on the cross the old covenant was broken and a new one was written on the hearts of man. Jeremiah 31:31
"The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Luke 22:20 in the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Hebrews 8:13 by calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.
Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

I was not at Sodom and Gomorrah, but I believe you are right about the cities you have listed and many more, but God seems to be biding his time before he calls judgment upon them. As a loving God he is waiting, giving all time to find his son.

Aside from when I was a kid, have never believed Jesus was born on Dec. 25th. Nor, can I condone what the church did when they started the practice of turning a Pagan holiday to a Christian one. But, I do understand their motive for doing so. I just try to focus on each festival's attempt to draw us closer to God and his son.

As for false teachings of Jesus you will have to site sources there. The Bible clearly shows Mary Magdalene as a prostitute in the eyes of the people of that day (and today by my standards), but Jesus forgave her and said "sin no more" She like many other woman of the Bible are key and in this I agree with you that she played a major role in Jesus' teachings.

I understand your frustrations on variations of Bible translations. I am content with a Parallel Bible with KJV and NIV. But, I do like to look at some of the newer ones and see how they differ or say the same thing another way. If you think on it you will see that while it is confusing it is not that hard to grasp. If you tell some one something in a technical way they may not grasp it or you may focus on one aspect forsaking the other. Another may come along and hear what you said and having understood it retell it to the same person or some one else so that they may benefit from your insight.
If you are truly upset about it; remember that the Bible was written in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic. I for one can hardly grasp Spanish so imagine three vastly different languages!

Answer 2

Oh well... There IS a school of thought that the story of Noah was a Talmudic lesson, and not literal. They could be right. For me the jury is out until they can find that broken ark that got caught on some glacier around Ararat somewhere. The number of animals isn't that big of a problem. By invoking evolution, *snicker* they wouldn't have needed to put all the animals we see today on the ark.
People born before Christ were placed in 'Sheol', a kind of Elysium for Jews. They used sacrificed bulls and sheep as a sort of credit card system while the world waited for Jesus. The retarded get a free ride to Heaven, no questions asked. And most christians tend to say that savages get a last minute rundown and opportunity to decide at death. Personally, I suspect reincarnation is as true now as it was for 1st Century Jews and Christians. So then Hell wouldn't be a problem for those who have not had the opportunity to truly decide for themselves.

The thing about Sodom and Gommorah is that there were NO good people there. That cannot be said of the modern cities, if only because of their size in a world full of Christians. [lol] And it is true that Jesus was probably born around March 10, and the Bible never claims Mary M to be a prostitute. Just because traditions get things wrong is no reason to throw out the inspired truth of the Bible. And King James is a TRANSLATION of the Bible, not the original. It's a CONVENIENCE. Nothing more.

Just my opinion.

Answer 3

I am a Christian and I have a lot of questions. Logic seems to interfere with faith. I pray for help with faith.

Personally I cannot believe the situations you describe would mean those persons would not be taken to heaven.

Answer 4

if i could give you a piece of advice that i also took at one time....
step back from it all , start from scratch
search what you believe in your heart .... no matter what you have been raised to believe
and from there you can begin to search again and make a more informed personal decision on religion .... if at that point you even want religion in your life
remember there are other books , other faiths.... or even just your own personal opinion on what God is to you
happy searching and i hope you find what you are looking for xx

Answer 5

I wish people would understand that a "god" is not going to save you.
Only you can do that.
Be a good person and live your life.
I actually believe that the people who have never been exposed to our religion are better off because they don't start wars on each other and they aren't divided by different beliefs.

Answer 6

Now, you are beginning to really *think* and not buy into the dogma that has been foist upon you. I suspect you are very intelligent. Take this kind of thinking to the culture in general, and view news, ads, and the rest with this kind of perspective, and you will see so much more.

Congratulations on this type of exploration and thinking.

Answer 7

There are a lot of things that I don't believe but are still fact... man landing on the moon for example... what a crazy story and back in the mid 70s??? come one I don't believe it for one moment... but that doesn't mean it didn't happen

your logic is flawed

Answer 8

I like the way that you think.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 9

And your question is ...