A skeptical christian?

Question

It seems there is a need to identify oneself with a certain regilious label. So, how does one aline themselves if religion itself causes skeptism?

I don't believe Christ wrote the bible (physically or supernaturally). I don't know or care who wrote the thing. AND I don't care enough to pick it apart piece for piece and apply to my life. I also don't buy a lot of the stories - like the flood - the cenus - and trip to Bethlehem. The essence of my belief/faith is that a man name Jesus walked this earth. He died and his story lived. Obviously there was something special about him...and the only evidence is the bible. Which is yet another contradiction...

Can someone be a Christian and not believe in the bible? Why do I need the bible to be a Christian? Is the tie between Christianity and the bible a new one?

I just don't see how I can take one piece or piece that I like and accept them. Meanwhile knowing other parts are complete rubbish. I am constantly on edge wondering if I'm missing something...

I can't imagine going to my history class tomorrow knowing parts of my history book were possibly factual and other parts complete rubbish. Why even bother with the class?

Answer 1

I don't think you need to identify with one denomination or another.
But can you be a christain and not read the bible? Well I guess, I've always believed God reveals himself to everyone the way he sees fit and if for you it does not involve the bible well who am I to say different. I would just be carefull to not be 'anti bible'.
Your definatly the first person I ever heard say anything along those lines. Star* for you.

Answer 2

You have an awful lot of good questions for someone who doesn't care to study the book that has the answers.

To answer your last question. No, the tie between Christianity and the Bible is not new. The Old Testament predates Christianity, and the New Testament was written during the lifetimes of the people living during Christ's life.

Can you be a Christian and not believe in the Bible? Well, I don't see how you can call yourself Christian if you don't believe in the one holy triune God, and if you don't believe that Jesus was the God-man, second person of the trinity. He was in one nature all God, and in another nature all Man. No one knows how, but this is what the Bible says. All this is spelled out in the Bible.

If you do believe in God, I wonder why you have a problem buying a lot of the stories. If there is a God to act, there can be acts of God. And the census I'm sure can be confirmed in other texts/ histories. Oh, and the Bible is not the only evidence that he lived.

As for why you need the bible to be a Christian? I don't think you NEED the Bible to be a Christian, but how do you know WHAT you believe or what Christians believe if you don't read or have a Bible?

Your first question, about how to align yourself with a religion if it causes you to be skeptical is another interesting one. If you are skeptical, you should look seriously for the answers. My pastor says that and unexamined faith is not worth having, and I agree. Christianity does not ask for blind faith. Examine. Search. You will find your answers. Only don't examine just one side. Look at all sides and look for the inconsistencies. And then question more to see of they really are inconsistencies, or if they just look like it at first glance.

You say that your belief is that a man named Jesus walked the earth, died and his story lived. That is not Christianity. It certainly is a belief you hold, but it is not Christianity.

Like I said before, you have a lot of good questions. I hope you find what you are looking for. I hope you find God at the end of your search.

ETA (answer to your addition): I see your dilemma. But I don't agree with you that the Bible has rubbish contained within it (as you claim to "know" for a fact). I believe, that the Bible in it's entirety is the infallible word of God. The New Testament is far and away the most historically accurate piece of literature of the time, with all of the books being written within the lifetime of the people witnessing the events. If you throw it away as historically inaccurate, then you have to throw away all the rest of the period literature, everything we know about the world at that time. So, if the New Testament is historically accurate, and Jesus is the God-man, second person of the triune God, then you also have to accept the Old Testament as God's word, and historically accurate. Jesus repeatedly referred to the Old Testament books as historically accurate and as God's Word. Jesus' opinion was that the scriptures were infallible. In fact, He refers to each and every one of the books in the Hebrew Scriptures at some point during His ministry. And His view of scripture is always the same.

Answer 3

Christianity as an entire or maybe all branches of religion is fill with skepticism, there are just to many unanswered questions approximately them pondering any fool no longer be skeptical. once you're bring about believe that some drastic replace will take place on your existence upon turning your existence over to God base upon a series of Christian or maybe though techniques and that would not take place, the instructions themselves Create SKETICISM....... as you pass on FAKING and PRETENDING you're a replaced individual, jointly as understanding finished nicely no replace exceeded off. occasion: Getting Baptized in water, everyone who did this, understand they have been searching for some notible replace in them just to discover they went down a DRY devil and got here up a moist devil.

Answer 4

The more willing you are to believe something, the more skeptical you must be in approaching that belief. - Dr. Carl Sagan

I consider myself a Christian in the the sense that I follow the teachings of Christ, not in the sense of following (without question) the institution of the Church and the book they created. The New Testament IS newer than the teachings of Christ by at least a century. In fact, prior to the Bible being compiled as the (one and only) inspired word of God, there were well over 300 different texts, some of which Christ himself even quoted from (i.e. Enoch). I feel you don't need a bible to be Christian. Christ nor his disciples had a bible, and no one in the Christian movement had a bible (before the Roman Catholic Church established it as written doctrine, that is.)

It is my opinion that many of the stories in the Bible are just that - stories, but with an intended meaning. Consider that in ancient times stories were passed down through the generations through song. This accounts for the breaking down of the Bible's book into verses as there is a poetic sort of eloquence to each book when reading it through.

As well, in considering the happenings of the Christian faith throughout history, the bible has been used (more than any other book) as a tool for propaganda. Think of the rivers of blood, the endless suffering; centuries of unending hatred and contempt caused only because one religious group felt that their interpretation of the truth was the only interpretation of the truth. The Crusades, the Inquisitions, Jihads - all these because one group was too egocentric to accept that everyone is different in some way and will never see eye to eye on subjects as emotionally involved as faith and belief. As Christ said in the Bible, beware of wolves in the guise of sheep. Christ never once raised his hands and said, "Kill in my name." It is written, however, that one should "love thy neighbor as thyself," and that one should "love thine enemy" as well.

The church has failed to uphold these two truths on a monumental scale, dragging so many willing and unquestioning followers into the depth's of untold darkness and unfathomable ignorance. While many may preach it, they certainly are not living it.

Answer 5

To be a Christian means to be a person of Christ, hence the word, Christ-ian. “Christ” is the English translation for Messiah (Hebrew for “Savior”) and Khristos (Greek for “the anointed One”). At any rate, the title Christ refers only to Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is all about this Messiah who was to come. And the New Testament testifies to His having come and His future second coming. The whole Bible is about how Christ saves mankind. So it would be very difficult to know Christ and about His saving work without reading the book on Christ, which the Holy Spirit testifies to have written through believers of the Messiah. However, if you’re at all inspired by the Person of Jesus Christ, it could only be the Father God who’s drawing you to Him. It would be a good thing to respond to Him. Once you do, He’ll be responsible in directing you to the Truth. God bless.

Answer 6

The bible is a complex document.

one of the issues that people have, and clearly so, is the thing goes against what is considered sound reasoning. Felix talking to paul says, Paul, because of your great learning you have gone insane. He had listened to paul teaching for a while and that was his response.

any christian who says they know the bible, love every word of it, rejoice in it, take comfort in every word of it, is either ignorant of what the bible teaches or does not fully understand and comprehend what is in there.

The bible as written, claims divine inspiration and written by men with the influence of thier personality while still retaining the perfection of the original language to convey God's perfect and complete message.

However there is no editor to fix all the appearant mistakes, (not the usual junk people claim, but the sublime, such as the trinity, 3 persons in one God. That does not make sense to us and anyone who says it does is subject to mental examination.

As a christian, I take it on faith, that the issues I don't understand will be made understandable in eternity. I do not take joy in every verse in the bible, some condemn people I love to everlasting destruction...that is hard for me because I care about these people. Yet I will not force my faith on them. Faith is personal and has to be your desire.

I totally understand what you are asking and the only way you will come to peace with it is to put the bible in the hottest and most comprehensive tests you can. It will take all the critism you can throw at it and stand the test of time.

no other book can do that.

Answer 7

I cannot bear to read these questions, I've answered these questions so many times that it seems second nature to me to respond to them in order for people to understand.

You're not suppose to take the entire Bible in literal terms, but contextually. When you take the ENTIRE Bible literally, trouble starts and people are forgetting the true essence in which the moral of those stories actually mean.

Bible, dear. Perhaps means, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. But I cannot say if that is the true underlying message. But it's enough to convince me to continue everyday knowing that the Bible is what helps me decide what my morals are.

Answer 8

when you take a history test do you answer the questions you agree with and write rubbish for questions you choose to not like or accept?
Will your teacher care if you think some of history is rubbish and refuse to give the answer ask for?
God doesn't ask each person to pick and choose what they like and don't like (1 Tim 3:16,2 Peter 3:16)
How can a person be a christian and call parts of the book that teaches how to be a christian "rubbish"?
confusing

Answer 9

There are a number of Christian denominations that do not teach Biblical literalism, and many thousands of Christians who are not Biblical literalists. Most (but not all) Christians who are Biblical literalists are Fundamentalists. There are many denominations within Christianity that do not adhere to Fundamentalism, or to its insistence upon Biblical infallibility. As for skepticism, it's perfectly normal and healthy to ask questions. That's what thinking people do.

Answer 10

Who told you there is a need to identify oneself with a certain regilious label?