I am really confused by THE BIBLE. How am I suppose to know what TYPE of Christian I am?

Question

I am a 13 year old girl if that will help.

My parents are Catholics. It's not that I have anything against it, but I don't know if it is the 'right' thing. How do I know which religion I should go for?

I don't want to stick with a religion simply because I was BORN into it.

(I do believe in God, as in the CHRISTIAN god. I just don't know what type of Christian I should be and how I will know).

I can't ask my parents for help because we don't have a good relationship, and they don't even go to church anymore.

And another question, can a CHRISTIAN explain the bible to me? I don't understand it. Are all the stories suppose to be true? What version should I read? There are so many different types, it's so CONFUSING!

Answer 1

Our Lord founded a Church (Matthew 16:18-19), not a book, which was to be the pillar and ground of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15). We can know what this Church teaches by looking not only at Sacred Scripture, but into History and by reading what the earliest Christians have written, what those who've sat on the Chair of Peter have spoken consistently with Scripture and Tradition, and what they've solemnly defined. To believe that the Bible is our only source of Christian Truth is unbiblical and illogical.

During the Reformation, primarily for doctrinal reasons, Protestants removed seven books from the Old Testament: 1 and 2 Maccabees, Sirach, Wisdom, Baruch, Tobit, and Judith, and parts of two others, Daniel and Esther. They did so even though these books had been regarded as canonical since the beginning of Church history.

When examining the question of what books were originally included in the Old Testament canon, it is important to note that some of the books of the Bible have been known by more than one name. Sirach is also known as Ecclesiasticus, 1 and 2 Chronicles as 1 and 2 Paralipomenon, Ezra and Nehemiah as 1 and 2 Esdras, and 1 and 2 Samuel with 1 and 2 Kings as 1, 2, 3, and 4 Kings—that is, 1 and 2 Samuel are named 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Kings are named 3 and 4 Kings. The history and use of these designations is explained more fully in Scripture reference works.


"To get the full flavor of an herb, it must be pressed between the fingers, so it is the same with the Scriptures; the more familiar they become, the more they reveal their hidden treasures and yield their indescribable riches."-- St. John Chrysostom, A.D. 347-407



The Process of Lectio Divina
A VERY ANCIENT art, practiced at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio divina - a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures which enables the Bible, the Word of God, to become a means of union with God. This ancient practice has been kept alive in the Christian monastic tradition. Together with the Liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm. Within this rhythm we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to God, and to accept the embrace that God is continuously extending to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Lectio - reading/listening
THE ART of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply. When we read the Scriptures we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah. We should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the still, small voice of God (I Kings 19:12); the "faint murmuring sound" which is God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. This gentle listening is an "attunement" to the presence of God in that special part of God's creation which is the Scriptures.

THE CRY of the prophets to ancient Israel was the joy-filled command to "Listen!" "Sh'ma Israel: Hear, O Israel!" In lectio divina we, too, heed that command and turn to the Scriptures, knowing that we must "hear" - listen- to the voice of God, which often speaks very softly. In order to hear someone speaking softly we must learn to be silent. We must learn to love silence. If we are constantly speaking or if we are surrounded with noise, we cannot hear gentle sounds. The practice of lectio divina, therefore, requires that we first quiet down in order to hear God's word to us. This is the first step of lectio divina, appropriately called lectio - reading.

THE READING or listening which is the first step in lectio divina is very different from the speed reading which modern Christians apply to newspapers, books and even to the Bible. Lectio is reverential listening; listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe. We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak to us personally - not loudly, but intimately. In lectio we read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us this day.

Meditation
ONCE WE have found a word or a passage in the Scriptures which speaks to us in a personal way, we must take it in and "ruminate" on it. The image of the ruminant animal quietly chewing its cud was used in antiquity as a symbol of the Christian pondering the Word of God. Christians have always seen a scriptural invitation to lectio divina in the example of the Virgin Mary "pondering in her heart" what she saw and heard of Christ (Luke 2:19). For us today these images are a reminder that we must take in the word - that is, memorize it - and while gently repeating it to ourselves, allow it to interact with our thoughts, our hopes, our memories, our desires. This is the second step or stage in lectio divina - meditation. Through meditation we allow God's word to become His word for us, a word that touches us and affects us at our deepest levels.

Prayer
THE THIRD step in lectio divina is prayer: prayer understood both as dialogue with God, that is, as loving conversation with the One who has invited us into an embrace; and as consecration, prayer as the priestly offering to God of those parts of ourselves that we have not previously believed God wants. In this consecration-prayer we allow the word that we have taken in and on which we are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. Just as a priest consecrates the elements of bread and wine at the Eucharist, God invites us in lectio divina to hold up our most difficult and pain-filled experiences, and to gently recite over them the healing word or phrase God has given us in our lectio and meditation. In this prayer, this consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the Word of God.

Contemplation
FINALLY, WE simply rest in the presence of the One who has used the Scripture word as a means of inviting us to accept a transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded that there are moments in loving relationships when words are unnecessary. It is the same in our relationship with God. Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the One who loves us has a name in the Christian tradition - contemplation. Once again we practice silence, letting go of our own words; this time simply enjoying the experience of being in the presence of God.




"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." -- St. Jerome, A.D. 340-420

Answer 2

Hi, I'm 15 and I went to Catholic school for 8 years. I felt kinda the same as you once like I didn't understand the difference was between Catholics and the other sects of the Christian religion. I know that since you are born into it and your only 13, if you really don't believe in the CATHOLIC christian religion then your don't feel confortable changing and you shouldn't. The only difference between Catholics and the rest is that we believe that the Eucharist is actually transformed on the altar into the the Body of Christ and not just bread (the others just think of it as a symbol and not real), basically we believe in transiguration. You shouldn't be asking too many questions because your parents aren't "practicing" Catholics (meaning you don't go to Church every Sunday) so don't be worrying too much about it we're too young.

Okay now about the Bible, it's a bunch of books written under the inspiration of god, the gospels (mathew, mark, luke, john) they are prophets, they were "told" these stories by God or they witnessed them (the gospels are about the sory of Jesus). There is an Old Testament and a New Testament the old is about people like Adam and Eve, Abraham, and others basicallt before Jesus. These stories and parables are believed to be true (in a way) by the Christian religion. I doubt that you are going to read the Bible, it's soooo confusing with the way it's worded, I can't stand reading parts of it, but if you plan on reading it just get a simple one preferably The New American Bible (that's the one I got, its red and normal sized [for a Bible}).

I hoped I answered your questions. Don't be confused.

Answer 3

I am a Christian. Yes all the stories are true. You should read the Bible that you can understand the most. I read the K J V because it's the closes in translation, But I can also read Greek and Hebrew. The best advise I can give you is to pick a Church that believes in the Bible is the word of God and stands on it's standards. There are so many Churches out there these days and sadly some of the have gotten away from God. Take your time in picking a Church. Chose one where the people have a Big heart and will not judge you. Pick one that can help you grow in Christ, teach you to wittiness, Teach you all the doctrines of Christ. Be careful not to get drugged down with the dogma's of the church. God bless you and guild you in your search.

Answer 4

Well Spontania,the Catholic and Christian,God,are one and the same person there is no difference in the two,as for your parents being Catholic,that's good but that does not mean you have to be,I grew up going to Catholic church every Sunday,and I am now a baptized Southern Baptist get my point because there are some things I do not believe in that the Catholic Faith is very strong on.And the bible maybe confusing to you if you have never taken the time not just to read it but to study and understand it as you read it,I have read more than one version of the bible and I understand it but you still learn from it each time when you go back and read it again you always learn if you have and open mind and not a closed one.You will know what type of a Christian,you are when you learn it and follow its teaching in your daily life that is how you will know like how you treat people no matter what color or faith they are is one example!
It is not confusing start out reading the Old Testament and the New Testament,and I do not mean read it like your reading some magazine its not like that OK and there maybe a lot of different types and there is because I have read a lot of different versions but it all comes back to the principal the life and teachings and death of Jesus Christ,and what he did while here on Earth,to spread the word of his father and the start of his Church here on Earth,it can't be anymore clearer than that.
Well you answered my question your parents do not practice the Catholic Faith and neither do I but I still know what it means as well as the faith of the Southern Baptist,it all comes back to Jesus Christ,and I can relate to you with regards to your parents I did not have a great relationship with my mother and she is now deceased and I grew up with out a father and he passed away in 1983 and my mother in 2001,ironically he passed away of December 26,11983 and my mother on July 26,2001,and my father's birthday is September 26,is that ironic or what and I grew up very angry at them both well into my adulthood,so if there is anyway you can avoid carrying that anger around and you do even though you haven't said it try not too OKay,because some where in your life you may regret it its not easy but try ok one day at a time try and the bible will help you with that you see if I had done that maybe things would have been better because God,never leaves you its you that leaves him because when you need him he is always there and,you know when people decide to call on him is when they are in trouble but till than they as I did forget he is always with you all the time think about that.

Answer 5

1. Stick with the Roman Catholic Church until you are able to convert to Greek Orthodoxy. Do this now, and when you have a chance to study the Orthodox Church you will see why.

2. Get the New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha (Ecumenical Edition). You can find it at your local bookstore. It is not the best translation on the market, but it is easy to understand and fairly well translated. When you are old enough teach yourself Greek get the Septuagint Old Testament and Byzantine Majority New Testament. The people down at the Greek Orthodox Church will help you read it and understand it.

3. The Bible is not meant to be a history book. Every story in the Bible is meant to teach a lesson of some sort - none of it was meant to teach you about ancient history. If you want to understand it you will need to study ancient history, ancient philosophy, and ancient cosmology (astronomy). If you read something really wierd in the Bible, it is probably talking about astronomy. If you read something in the Bible that sounds hard to believe, it is probably either mistranslated or a myth with a deeper meaning.

Answer 6

First of all, pray. Just ask God to give you guidance and direction. I recommend reading the New King James version of the Bible since you are 13. The language in the regular King James might get you bogged down. Begin reading in the New Testament (gospel of Matthew). That way you'll get to know more about Jesus.. There are some parables and metaphors in the Bible which I don't think you should take literally, but if you just take it at face value, reading it normally, you'll be alright. Ask God to show you what it means when you get to a difficult part. Do you have friends who go to church? Maybe you could go with them and see if it's what you're looking for. (Some Baptist churches are good.) The main thing is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Just talk to him as you would a friend. He loves you. He died on the cross to take the punishment for all your sins. He rose again the third day. He's coming back, maybe soon. Ask him to come into your life and lead you. Ask him to forgive you of your sins ( even though you sound like a sweet girl to me, everybody has some sin in their life). I'll pray for you. God bless you a lot.

Answer 7

Some parts of the Bible are true and others are not. I feel that the Bible is written in prose - similar to poetry, to move the soul more.

Don't worry about you parents being Catholic and you don't want to be that anymore. Maybe being Catholic isn't right for you. Try a Methodist Church. Try an Episcopalian Church. Lutheran, Baptist, Unitarian - there are so many different Christian churches you can go to. It would really help if you would work on the relationship you had with your parents. If you explained your situation to them, they might be more sympathetic than you think. If they aren't, talk to friends about going to church with them. that way you can try out different kinds of churches and see which one works for you the best.

Answer 8

I'm a Catholic-turned-Pagan (which leads to plenty of troubles with the family, let me tell you) but when I was 12 I transferred to a less religious private school and did a little re-evaluation of my spiritual life. Something about that age, I suppose.

You might try a Presbyterian or Anglican church, since they're the most similar to Catholicism. Personally, I don't think there are that many differences between the various Protestant groups, but that could be just due to ignorance on my part. You have to sit down and think about what you actually believe. Write it down if you need to. There are a few on-line tests that you could take. I took the Belief-o-matic test for a high school theology course, and it's excellent.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

Or you could go to a variety of churches and see what you like. People are usually pretty nice and especially keen to have visitors. I went to a Presbyterian service for research and they were all very welcoming. You could also just be spiritual without being part of an organized religous group.

I wouldn't take the Bible literally. Most of the stories are ways to preserve Judaic history and provide explanations for the things humans get nosy about "Where did we come from?", "Why do we die?", etc. That's what I was taught in school, but the teachers were tremendously liberal. But I'm pretty convinced of the Flood being real, though.

For Bible preference, I like the King James version because it's more lyrical, but might be difficult to understand.

Answer 9

You need to go to church with people you know, or even explore a few by yourself. You will know when you have found the right one. It might take a while to find it, but don't focus on what division of the religion it is, because that really doesn't matter; even withint the different types of Christianity the churches are all so different!!! (especially with Baptists!) No one can truly interpret the Bible for you because it is really just based in opinion and not fact since there are no facts that are proven. The Bible really is made up of all the different stories and that is just what it is. It is stories and histories and letters and lists, all compiled a very long time ago. There were hundreds of books of the Bible they decided to leave out that you can find and read now!

Answer 10

Hmm - why do you have to be a TYPE of Christian - why not just BE a Christian without having to choose some sect's dogma that may or may not actually match up with biblical teachings?

There are some bibles that are witten with younger peple as an audience - and I don't mean children's bibles. There are some written for teenagers. I read, at your age, a very complex version, so I can understand what you mean.

Consider going to your local Christian store and asking them to assist you in buying a bible that is easy to understand, yet closest to the original translation. DON'T buy a King James version -that version was corrupted by King James, when he had men rewrite section of it to suit him.

Answer 11

well to answere you on your question about what christian you should be there is no such thing as "what kind of christian am i" its just "i am a christian" there are so many different churchs today like lutheran, baptist, catholics,ect. but God never said anything about being any of these he just said that we are fellow christians. im not putting catholics or baptist or any others im just saying that Jesus meant for us to be ONE body and he be the head when we have all of these different sects we dont have one body we have many and thats not what God wants so i would sugest first have a relationship with Jesus and then try to find a christian youth group(and make sure before you join them that they truely love God because there are so many youth today that dont) that you can go to so that you can be influenced with God.
And for which version of the bible you should read it doesnt really matter because its the word of God but if you want just one i really like the message bible because the man who wrote this translation took the king james bible and but used the original greek meaning and made it more of what the it would say if it was writen today.

I truely hope this helps i will pray that God will lead and direct your paths that they may be paths of righteousness for his names sake.