I believed I talked about this in my last post. I think it makes a pretty good topic too. Now I know I am going to be recieving comments on this as it would seem something my christian comrads would respond to. Now, if you read my last post I stated how I believe that the Bible is a "guide book" and not a rule book. Why do I say this? Because if it were a rule book the human race followed our society's would be perfect. Rules are not supposed to be broken. If it were a rule book humans who broke those rules and didn't repent for every single little one (include eating shell fish) would be sent straight to hell. I don't believe this is occurring. The bible has important lessons and a great many metaphors. It has instructions and tips not HOW THINGS MUST BE DONE! Even Dani said the Bible can be thought of as-
"BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE LEAVING EARTH"
Let's examine some vocab in this little quote. Basic. Now you're not dummies, nor am I but I would none the less like to tell you a synonym/definintion for basic.
Basic: of or relating to the simplest facts or theories of a subject.
Bible of course tells facts. These are facts of history and what happened in the past. They are not absolutely simple but the instruction it gives are which is our next term I wish to address.
Instructions: a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned.
Now, this makes little sense. In a recipe we have instructions but don't necessarily have to follow them. But on the matter of building? Yes, you should follow those instructions for you're 5 year old's swing set as to be sure it wouldn't break. Two clashing theories, what to do, what to do.
So far we have, Basic Instructions, or simple statements that must be obeyed. So is the bible the recipe type or the building type of instructions? Hm.. well, I see it as a recipe. Am I not permitted to touch a friend or sit on a pals bed during her . ? ( notice i hate the term and prefer the symbol... blech... :( ) I am also not permitted to eat shellfish? No! This is not true. This is just what the people who wrote this believed. Did go honestly say: "Thou shall not feast upon the shellfish or sit upon the bed of a woman having her . " I most certainly doubt it. God creates things to tempt us true but really, shellfish?! Is that because they are (possibly) and afridisciac? (a-fri-dee-she-ac, you get what i'm trying to say right?) Anyway I just find it hard to believe. And what about sundays? Holy day! Humans have totally thrashed it. I don't know where to look in the bible but I'd quote it if I did. I know it speaks of how not to kill or do other sins. I can't remember off the top of my head but you see my point. That is most certainly a rule because God himself said it. There is a different between what the bible says in the bible and what God says in the bible.
Alright, so back to the vocab. "before leaving earth." Well, that's pretty self explanitory. We got it all now. So the bible is a recipe to follow, and learn from to make the most out of you're gift of life before ascending to the heavens. I think I captured it quite well. In the times of the bible, (a looooooooooong time ago) they obviously did not have what our modern societies have today. They did not really have the enormous churches and so much human unison. Yes, I realize much of the world will have nothing to do with one another but there are still a great many christians who gather together. We also live relatively freely. We can go worshipping Jesus and following him without being crucified.
The bible is a recipe, a guide book, not a rule book. Yes, it has rules in it, those rules stated by the holy lord himself. Guide book. From his mouth God never spoke the words that those of different sexuality displayed by Adam and Eve shall be sent into the firey pits of hell. You don't see thunderbolts striking those who have supposedly sinned through their life style of choosing to be affecinate towards the same sex.
In school (yeah, it's suprising for public school) we examined the creation of Adam and Eve and what happened to them. We examined every little aspect of the story. We read how it said (i don't have it right infront of me so forgive me if this isn't word for word) "I shall create God in our image." I remember how we noticed in certain parts God spoke as "I" and God spoke as "us" or in group form. This suggests either: angels, God is neither man nor female yet both, or Jesus was with him. If the 2nd (God being nor man nor female yet both) is correct then what is wrong with loving the same gender? No, you cannot reproduce but some men and women can't due to medical problems. Does that mean they aren't serving God all the same. A child of God who worships God shall be saved from the fire. They must do their best to serve him and love him for they will be treated well in the heavens. We christian "homosexuals" (i really hate that term... I'm going to come up with somethig new one day) are not doing as some and trashing the name of God. We aren't worshiping the serpant and the devil. We aren't standing looking up to the sky screaming: "We aren't falling Adam and Eve and you can't do jack!!!" No, we're loving a human. A companion.
I finish with my strong and unchanged decision, the bible is a guide book, and I do not sin. I love. I am going to continue trying to pick up that bible and see how things go. I will be interested on reading the comments about this post, oh dear, it is quite a long one. A very well written one I believe too.
I LOVE GOD!!!
~Taylor
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
19 comments:
Beautifully written Taylor! As for my taking it all in, I must say that ‘we are all sinners’---which is why Jesus came to the earth to save us. So with that being said, we are all inadequate and in need of God. We need God to help guide us through life.
The bible is a good tool to use for ‘life’s lessons’, as for proverbs and other little tidbits that the bible encourages us to do. I do believe that when they speak of homosexuality, they speak of the times when they were participating in large orgies and being quite promiscuous. As for loving a person of the same sex, that’s different. That’s “love”. Lust is to ‘just have sex’ and be done with it.
No one on this earth should and CAN judge you. Only God can. You are not hurting anyone by loving someone of the same gender, Taylor.
No one can say this is right or this is wrong for you.
Accept Christians who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who think it is all right to eat anthing must not look down on those who won’t. And those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, FOR GOD HAS ACCEPTED THEM. Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lor’d power will help them do as they should. ~Romans 14:1-4
So basically my point is, let GOD speak to you and nobody else. It's not about food per se, it's about life in general and how people love to point out what's right and what's wrong in your life. Humans do not have the capability of judging what’s right or wrong. God does.
I pray and meditate each morning. It’s important to not only pray to God, but “listen” to Him. You may not hear an audible voice, but you will hear God in your heart. Who can argue with that? Nobody.
I think the obvious research that you have done has made you realize what God truly wants you to do. I think it’s such a blessing that you’re so intelligent at such a young age. This will only help you even more when you’re older.
Thanks for sharing this great post Taylor!
My view's a little dim on some of this stuff, but that's my thing, not yours. It's nice to see a simple succinct post delineating someone's theological standpoints.
It also lacks ALLCAPS and needless exclamation marks (!!!). That's a breath of fresh air.
For the record, I've always found it preposterous to claim that an allmighty, all-faceted, and all-encompassing being adheres to binary gender restrictions. I find it interesting that in many translations of the Koran "we" is the term used in the case of Allah, almost as though "we" defines more than one being, or at least some being unhindered by singular pronouns.
Thanks, Taylor.
Thanks Deb! Whew. It was good to sit down and just write. I tried not being repetitive and I think it worked out pretty good. One of my best. :) I agree with you on judging and once tried to use it in an essay... unfourtunatly I messed up and got an F because we were supposed to actually pick who was the better man... no ties allowed. :( I re-did it though and got a good grade. Sorry, a bit irrelevant.
thank you for coming :)
much luv,
tay
==============================
yamathan contril,
thank you, it's always good to here from people who agree :)
have a happy day
~tay
===========
Myquestioningmind,
um. ok. i didn't understand kinda what you were trying to say in your comment.
yes, i agree, the bible does have rules, and i said that in my post but i still do not find it a rule book.
god loves all
~tay
There was nothing repetitive about your post. It was a well thought out researched write up that you did- and you let it all out. It’s good that you wrote it out that way, and I can’t tell you how impressed I think your thought process is.
Imagine when you get to be 30? (Not pushing your age here.) But wow, you are going to be one intelligent woman! Amazing. I look forward to more of your writings.
Thanks Deb,
but you're a much better writer than myself. :) but ya know, it's funny that you said when i'm 30 thingy because my language arts teacher said pretty much the same thing, only at the time she said i need to work on thought process. it was an essay. nobody likes essays they MUST do. lol. thanks deb.
luv
~taylor
If you are really as young as you say you are, then I'm am super impressed with the way you write... Public school, huh? Impressive!
I'm not a bible-drive person, and I won't bore you with my personal theories on the subject of religion, but you clearly have a thirst for knowledge and truth that is commendable...
It's spelled "aphrodesiac", btw.
Also, what's the hang-up with the word "period?" You should learn to celebrate womanhood.... after all, we're so much smarter than the boys!
Taylor, very well written post. I am glad you are starting to think about some of these things and approaching it with an open mind. I will try to sum it up some of your questions for you.
“The Bible is a "guide book" and not a rule book.”
Like with any guide, there are certain rules we must follow in order to get to the destination desired. If we do not follow those rules, we will get lost and head down the wrong path to the point of no return.
“Because if it were a rule book the human race followed our society's would be perfect.”
Actually Taylor, ever since the very beginning in the Garden of Eden when God made the very first rule not to eat that forbidden apple, the human race has been disobeying God. The more rules there are, the more people will break them.
“Rules are not supposed to be broken.”
Generally speaking, rules are good and for our benefit. Of course, it would be ideal if no one ever broke the rules, but it is in our human nature as fallen creatures to be rebellious and seek our own way. The majority of God’s chosen people (the Jews/Israelites) did break most the rules and the even rejected God’s Son – Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
As for eating shellfish and sitting next to a woman on her period, ect...
Okay, here is where you are getting confused - The Bible is divided up into two parts:
Old Testament & New Testament
Old Testament: Before Jesus Christ came God instituted ceremonial laws for His people (the Jews) to obey and “earn” their way to heaven.
New Testament: Jesus Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins (the Gentiles) and He abolished the law with His death on the cross.
Ceremonial Laws = No eating shellfish, touching a woman on her period, don’t work on God’s holy day, offer animal sacrifices, ect.
Moral Laws = Murder, rape, adultery, lying, stealing, ect.
By believing in Jesus Christ we are saved by grace through faith and there are no amount of good works we can do to “earn” salvation because it is a free gift from God. Therefore, Gentiles (anyone who is not a Jew) does not have to obey the ceremonial laws anymore, but moral laws are consistent throughout history.
It is not morally wrong to eat shellfish or work on the Sabbath, but it is always morally wrong to murder, rape or have sex outside of marriage.
Does that make any sense to you?
“That is most certainly a rule because God himself said it. There is a different between what the bible says in the bible and what God says in the bible.”
I'm not exactly sure what you mean here, but the Bible says that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” - 2 Timothy 3:16
So while man may have written parts of the Bible, it was all inspired by God.
“From his mouth God never spoke the words that those of different sexuality displayed by Adam and Eve shall be sent into the fiery pits of hell. You don't see thunderbolts striking those who have supposedly sinned through their life style of choosing to be affectionate towards the same sex.”
Okay Taylor, hold your breath…
This is what God says in Leviticus 20:13 - “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
This is what Jesus says in Revelation 21:8 - “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
“Sexually immoral” simply means sex outside of a marriage relationship between one man and one woman. So choosing to be affectionate towards the same sex could have you take part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, according to Jesus.
There are several other verses that refer to sexual immorality, but I will spare you those for now.
"I shall create God in our image." I remember how we noticed in certain parts God spoke as "I" and God spoke as "us" or in group form.”
Good observation Taylor. What this indicates is God in three persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.
God the Father – The Creator and Heavenly Father.
God the Son – Became Flesh as Jesus Christ and lived among us.
God the Holy Spirit – Spirit of God that dwells within us once we believe.
“What is wrong with loving the same gender? No, you cannot reproduce but some men and women can't due to medical problems.”
There is a big difference between not being able to reproduce due to medical problems, or not being able to because it is against nature. Homosexuality is a sin against our Creator who made us male and female.
Loving people is fine, but not in a "bi-sexual" way. By openly living a life that God has forbidden, unknowingly you are trashing the name of God and smearing His name through the mud.
So in closing, the bible is a recipe, a guide book, and a rule book. God, our Heavenly Father gives us certain moral rules to obey because He loves us and wants what is best for us. When we make up our own rules to follow and live for ourselves, we will certainly suffer the consequences.
I know it is a lot to take in, Taylor, but please understand I only want the best for you, kinda like if you were my little sister. Please pray about this and ask God to reveal His Truth to you.
{{{LOVE YOU}}}
P.S. My summer with the girls is going great so far, how is your summer going?
..." Please pray about this and ask God to reveal His Truth to you." Dani said.
That was the best advice she could have given.
Ask God. Rely on God. Don't rely on people...
AND she said that not keeping the sabbath was NOT a sin! (haha)
Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work...
THIS is in the Ten Commandments.
I'm so glad you did your research Taylor!
The Ten Commanments never changed. Just wanted to point that out. If God made any adjustments to it, I hope He'd tell us! ;)
Yes, it is in the Ten Commandments, but it was a sympolic law for the nation of Israel.
It is NOT morally wrong to work on Sunday.
It is morally wrong to murder, commit adultery, lie or steal.
There is a difference!
Thank God you left out homosexuals! Shweew! I was getting scared there for a minute! ;)
Rachel,
Thank you for the comment :)
I knew I spelled it wrong! Ugh, it's like the hardest word ever.
I just don't like it. It bugs me and--- just blech. Don't like it. I find my "." symbol a much more... interesting, and less chilling.
===================
Dani!
I was wondering when I'd see you, how are ya?
Well, I know the Adam and Eve apple thing (even though it was actually a pear... oooh. that'll be my next post) I meant saying if people did everything in the bible, no sinning, followed jesus in every way. Of course, you're right, it's pretty impossible thanks to them screwing everything up.
Dani, thank you for clarification on Old Testament/New Testament. I didn't like shellfish anyway but ya, the other stuff is helpful. :) Lol.
Sexually immoral eh? Well what if bi- or gay people or whatever aren't having sex? Then they are doing nothing am I right? And the thing from levicus I thought was "old testament."
Ok, thanks Dani. I WILL PICK UP THE BIBLE!!!!!!!! *sigh* But it's sooooooooooooo--- well, let's say the people could've made it a TINY bit more exciting in their wording. Not changing just, adding a few more adj's here and there ya know? Oh I give up. Fine... I will start tonight.
LOVES!!
~Tay
My summer is pretty boring but still good. I am actually going somewhere this weekend. Thank goodness :)
==========================
I knew it was one of the ten commandments!!!
My dad, becoming a more religous man is in love with any bible-related movies. He bought "The Ten Commandments" with Charlton Heston, it's really good and much more interesting. Not to mention I am sure it follows the bible very closely.
Other little bits I admit, I didn't research, I learned them either in camp, school (suprising huh?) or through movies.
If I had a buck for all the different Jesus movies I've seen I might be a millionaire. lol.
=========================
Thanks Dani, Deb, and others. I'm getting very interested in these new-breed posts of mine. Biblical posts. Well, I am off to type another.
MUCH LOVE TO YOU ALL
~Tay
p.s. Dani/Deb/others, I suck at praying. I don't like folding hands. I don't like closing my eyes. Is it possible I could, IDK write to God? I know it sounds ridiculous but I have some journals and I find it so much easier. If no, maybe some hints for "normal" praying.
Tay, you don't have to pray with big words or kneel down or be proper. Speak to God as a child. He wants you to come to Him as His child. Talk to Him, pray to Him with words of your own. He'll answer you!
And thou shall not judge spelling errors! hehe!
Okay, Jesus is ringing my doorbell, I gotta go. He's here with jugs of water. I hope it'll be turned into wine. Ah, the life! I'll tell him you said hi!
(So many Jesus' in this Latina community...)
Hey Taylor - Hope you have a great weekend.
Writing God a letter is a great way to send Him prayers. I even think postage to heaven is free. ;>
Anyway - I am very proud of you, for what it's worth and I'm looking forward to future posts of yours.
Love - Dani
P.S. I don't like shellfish either...or any seafood to be exact. Gross!
One more thing Tay-Tay...
If you are going to start reading the Bible tonight, start with Proverbs - It's so easy to understand and not boring at all. (It's located in the OT right about in the center of the Bible) You don't even have to read it in order, you can start on any chapter you want 1-31. Plus - I'm telling you, the timeless wisdom in that book is AMAZING! It will blow your socks and sandals right off your feet!
Love you ~ Dani
XOXO
I'm so allergic to shellfish. I blow up like a tick! Maybe that'll save my soul--who knows. God does have powers!
I agree with Dani, the book of proverbs has some incredible wise suggestions about living life. It actually gets pretty blunt some of them--where you have to kinda laugh. But it's really interesting.
It's obvious you have people who care about you and want to give you the best advice. I think that's great and take it for what it's worth and research each comment. I think that's your best bet. All of them are intelligent, all of them are strong in their faith, and it makes it that much more value to read it through.
Good luck on your journey!
Love ya Tay!!!
Tay-tay, it's a name only 2 of my cousins used to call me by but I still ike it. lol.
Thank you soooo much for the advice and comments. Proverbs it is!!!
Mr. Real Deal, ouch! I can't believe you told you're gf she HAD to leave. There is always another way. I mean if she was a total brat that's cool but have you ever tried the "in another's shoes" point of view? It does sound like your living happily now though... :) Thanks for the comment! BYEZY
MUCH LOVE TO ALL
~tay tay
p.s. I do have a computer available where I am now :)
p.p.s. I am working on next post, should prove interesting.
Hi Taylor!
I just started exploring the bible about 6 months ago. It always seemed so boring and confusing to me in the past. But my husband had the New International Version and it was a Life Application Study Bible. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. It's so easy to read. And whenever there is a part I don't understand...there is always an explanation at the bottom of the page. Since then I have discovered so many more tools to help with studying the bible. The more I read it...the more I want to read it. It's almost like I have a craving to know God's word.
And as far as praying...I'm new to that also. My prayers usually come out as a jumble of thoughts that wouldn't make sense to anyone else. But I know that God knows what I am trying to say. And writing down your prayers to God seems like an excellent idea. Now that you've mentioned it I may start a prayer journal.
You have an excellent blog...keep writing! :)
Post a Comment