Why do people ask a bunch of questions about God and the things he’s done rather than just reading the Bible and finding out for themselves?

[HappySpirit]

It’s almost like they enjoy seeing God as this supernatural being who’s done all bad and wrong things and is too strict.

[ManOnFire]

Because they need God to be a bad guy that will help them have an excuse not to believe or worship him. God's word is powerful, and every human being deep down knows that he is God, but to try to push back against this, they need to come up with reasons for him to be a villain in order not to believe in him.

They want free will but then want to blame God when their free will hurts themselves or others. They think laws and stories in the Old Testament are so terrible, violent, ridiculous, or unfair and make God seem like he's not a good God, meanwhile they're seeing nothing wrong with horrific movies and Netflix shows full of gore, violence, demonic forces, crime, or revenge and they're rooting for the villains, murderous robot children, and sexual predators in these programs. And they think the Bible is a silly "man-made" construct meant to control people, yet they flock to the ridiculous teachings about our universe's past and future, UFOs and life on other worlds, and think we can one day beat the speed of light.

Humans can't accept that God is here and he's written a Word whether we like it or not.

[richardcory]

Horrific movies are fiction, most people are horrified at images showing real violence. Are you suggesting the Bible is fiction? If not, do you think it accurately represents what God wants - all of it, including the old testament?

[ManOnFire]

@richardcory I'm not suggesting the Bible is fiction. I'm saying people look at it as fiction, but have no problem loving the horror and violent fiction. The horror and violence in the Bible was for a reason, even if it's for ones we don't like, there was something to it. People hate that, yet they openly talk about how they love gore and violence - I recently saw a page on reddit with people talking about that movie The Road and how much they absolutely love extreme violence but couldn't handle it in the book.

"If not, do you think it accurately represents what God wants - all of it, including the old testament?"
- This is a loaded question, because God didn't necessarily want all those scenarios in the OT. Some of them were the result of what others chose to do, or they pushed God to wrath after he already told them to stop doing something he considers evil.

[richardcory]

There are two basic themes in the bible that bother me. One is the idea of God's wrath - should God punish his children with wrath rather than love - that doesn't seem very fatherly.

The other is the theme of child sacrifice. From Abraham, to the children of Egypt, to Lot's daughters, to the final sacrifice of God's own son.

[ManOnFire]

@richardcory But the Bible also says 'whom the Lord loves, he chastens.' Even when we sin God is still being merciful to us, until his long-suffering runs out and we've carried on in a sinful way for far too long. At that point it makes sense for him to reach wrath.

Child sacrifice was in many cultures in the Old world, and not even restricted to Israelites. The very people God told them to drive out of 'the land of milk and honey' - the Amorites and Caananites - were horrific child sacrificers, and was part of the reason God said drive them out. Many unbelievers try to use this part of the Bible to make God look bad, yet not even looking at what those Caananites and Amorites were doing.

[richardcory]

The old testament describes a God who behaves as humans did at the time - but which we now revile as evil. "Punishing" those you love is now seen as abusive. Child sacrifice a horror, collective punishment a war crime.

Does God change his behavior to match human mores? Does he behave differently now that humans have learned to be less evil?

There is no question that humans did and still do evil. The question in my mind is whether God does evil.

The thing is that it all holds together. We are made in God's image, so we commit the same crimes He does. But if that is true, he is not more moral than us, just more powerful.

[ManOnFire]

@richardcory God behaved as humans? How so? Punishment is abuse? What about when disobedience or sin offends God? That's not abuse too?

Humans have learned to be less evil? How so? Seems to be we are getting more and more evil. God doesn't do evil.

[richardcory]

Punishment is abuse when it comes from anger, and is a Father punishing his children. God, the Father should be above any offense caused by his children.

I think humans have become far less evil. We commit less violence. We have the idea that all people should be equal, even if we don't always practice that.

[Anonymous]

Arrogance.

Man likes to think of himself as the greatest thing the universe has produced. He can't fathom of anything being greater and more powerful the him and it scares him. It's one if the reason it took me so long to accept God myself. God had to humble me. He had to squash my ego so I could understand the depth of his love. I've always considered myself self sufficient. "I don't need anybody"! Most people until they form a relationship with God do not even realize how empty they are. Humans can't conceive of an entity with limitless power, yet also unending love for something so small and insignificant. They can't understand how God can create something as vast as the universe yet knows intimately every hair on your head.

It's man's arrogance that prevents him from bending a knee to his creator. Because man can't understand God having all that power and not wanting to control man because man is weaker. It doesn't fit man's primitive logic.

Before I had a relationship with God I too used to find God and Christians offensive. The very idea! You find religion and now you think you know it all! I'm aware of how offensive this is. This is why whenever I talk to atheists I always tell them, "I don't KNOW any more than you do". The only difference between me now vs. 20 years. Ago is now I have FAITH! Faith that God is loving. FAITH that God only wants what's best for me. FAITH that God will NEVER leave me. And it took God 20 years. To beat that into my head through many trials and tribulations.😆

[HappySpirit]

Your answer is by far the best. You have to be willing to submit and humble yourself in order to believe in such a Devine being such as the most high God. You have to be willing to say “Hey I’m not deserving of even knowing of such a perfect being but yet I stand here today proclaiming him in my testimony.” Most people, even me at one point and there are still times now after I have accepted him where God has to check me and humble me. It requires self reflection, it requires realizing fully that you are human, born into a world of sin so in no way can you realistically be perfect and if you can’t be perfect how in the world can you be so arrogant to even believe you are the greatest thing ever to be created. God only remembers us because of his son Christ, Jesus and that alone is such a pill to swallow but when you look at the bigger picture, it’s precious and loving because God chose to not turn his back on us even when we turn our back on him. He sent his son so that we can be saved even though we are not deserving of it and when you connect to the most high and start to truly identify with him and he recognizes you again, that story and the thought alone can bring tears to your eyes and joy in your heart. Anytime I proclaim about God and what I know he can do because he’s showed me so many times and he gives me wisdom and pass it along, I try often to make sure I let the listener know that I’m just the messenger. What you hear and see today is all God, not me and in no way am I judging or trying to make myself feel bigger or better but simply letting it be known that he is in fact real and not dead.

[Opinion Owner]

👍👍👍

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

How many congregants do you think read the bible outside of the sermons? Very few. A lot of that is because they want guidance on the interpretation of the “important” parts of the bible, meaning the parables and verses that have personal impact and excluding ones that describe horrible monstrosities like in Revelations, or that one verse that got translated into “don’t fuck a donkey” or something like that depending on the version of the bible you’re reading. If you really want to read the bible, don’t read it in English. English translations are just rewritten versions of other English translations. Pick up Greek and read those bibles as that was when Christianity started its assent to power and it’s as close as you’re going to get to the original text outside of learning Hebrew to read the Torah.

[Changiis07]

Some just don't believe in the Bible and if they don't open their heart to want to read it then they'll just see the Bible as any other book. I agree though there is so much truth in the Bible

[richardcory]

The bible is very long - its a huge time investment to read all of it. Its only one of many religious texts so very few people have the energy to read all of them.

Also there is so much interpretation. There are some horrible scenes in the bible and most modern christians interpret them differently from what a simplistic reading of the text would suggest

[HappySpirit]

You know I thought like this for a long time. Like who can actually make time to read such a long book with our busy lives but then God had to humble me and say “You make time for that job who would replace you in a second.” “You make time for your friends and family but you can’t take a hour or two of your day to meditate on my word and seek my understanding of it?” And that’s when I was encouraged to MOVE and actually start reading the word. I looked at like you. How would I ever have time to read this whole book but God is a reasonable God. He knows you can’t read it all at once which is why you make a habit of reading the scriptures day by day and setting a time for when you do it, how and where. In no way am I saying “You heathen, how dare you not make time for God.” But I am saying I was once you and in due time, you’ll understand just what I mean by making time to read the word which is the truth, but you have to want to seek it to see it in that perspective and that in itself takes some doing and time. It took me to have to go through some things, face challenges, fall deep into sin for God speak to me in that way and alter my perspective.

[richardcory]

I don't question your belief - you feel that the bible is the word of God and read it. But for me, I don't see the bible as different from the Koran, or the teaching of the Buddha, or any other religious texts. They are all long and complex and I don't have the energy to read them all, especially since I don't know that any are correct.

My friends and family are real. I believe in the things I do at my job. Those things are real to me.

The stories of the bible disturb me. I'm horrified by the story of Abraham, of Jericho, Sodom and Gomorrah, of Lot, the flood. If those are real, I cannot worship the God who would do such things.

[HappySpirit]

Hey, I respect anyone who can firmly say why they don’t rely on the Bible with reasonable explanation without insulting anyone who believes it so I get you.

[HappySpirit]

And you’re right, the stories even for me can be hard to grasp, the imagery and all but what helped was attempting to see the bigger picture but different strokes for different folks, i respect it.

[jshm2]

The same reason people stay in a country, get the passport, enjoy the benefits... but still break laws.

People are fucking lazy, and none more so than in religion and religious matters.

They will spend 10 years, and rack up thousands in student debt for a job they probably won't get. But expect faith, God and religion to be at their beck and call for free and yesterday.

No helping such people and it's why people are getting worse.

[BarryLiverstone]

Depends on the questions asked and their motivation. Some honestly want to know so they will ask believers who they see as having knowledge. Some have tried to learn and been abused or turned off by a past event, so they wanna challenge the “man in the sky” foolishness. Some never tried to believe and see God as a fairy tale. It’s all ranges of motivation and until you have a conversation you can’t judge their individual lived experiences.




Make sense?

[BarryLiverstone]

Also some just wanna troll trad cons. They don’t want to learn, they just like seeing someone get emotional.

[HappySpirit]

It all makes sense, all you guys responses make sense even I have thought of some of the things you guys said as to being the answer to my question but I wasn’t judging because either you believe or you don’t.
I’m no bible thumper, I myself, just believe in the word. What made me question why those who have questions about the Bible, usually the ones who are gonna go against everything you say regarding their question even when the answer is straight from the Bible, Is because why ask if you don’t REALLY want to know? Because if you did what to know you wouldn’t be argumentative and petty against the answer you got saying things like “Your God” or “Man in the sky”. Which is why I said why not just pick up the Bible? But as you explained, those who genuinely want to know probably do or have and unfortunate circumstances turned them away from it. I also think those who truly believe there’s no God, aren’t gonna question him being real or anything about God because they have legitimately made up in their mind that he isn’t so why bother to ask just to argue? A lot of people are just trolls though, agents as I like to call them lol.

[BarryLiverstone]

Yup that’s right. Also think about how often you see the questions online vs being asked irl. More of a chance they are asking in bad faith online

[NamerOfStars]

Because most of the Bible is wildly inconsistent and woefully confusing. An almost incalculable amount of suffering could've been avoided if Abraham (or Moses) had just asked for clarification on some points.

[strateguy632]

why, because the book is very long and hard to find topics inside THEREFORE modern printings contain topic lists with references to find each instead of searching hundreds of pages.

[genericname85]

because if more people would actually read that book, there'd be a LOT more atheists xD

[Anonymous]

My favorite is when they complain that you’re not living up to Christian ideals when they’ve never read the Bible... 🤦‍♂️

[msc545]

Many people cannot read.