GZ, I see nothing wrong if a person asks another if he can spare some time to listen to his version of the "Biblical" events of the past, but the ones that try to force it down anothers throat, is pushing tolerance a little too far. Most Christians, and Jews, do not "attack" others with their beliefs, but the Mormons, and Jehovah's Witness people, are pushing their beliefs too far into other peoples' business.
It is true that some people use the Bible as both a stick and a carrot. They try to entice you with the promises of a Heaven with golden streets, and mansions, for the dead believers, but if you don't buy the merchandise hook line and sinker, they damn you to hell.
As I have said before, there is ample reason to believe in the Supreme Power we call God, and I do believe there is a force for good, and redemption, that has touched many peoples' lives. The only thing that bothers me, is that any person who wants to believe in God, and Christ, are damned by many other Christians that insist that one cannot be a true Christian unless they believe in every, single, word of the Bible. The early parts of the book were based on oral legends that were thousands of years old which are, most likely, not reliable. For instance, if God created Earth in 6 days, and rested the 7th, how would anyone know the time frame?? Did He brag to Adam about His feat? That is not the God that I have known. If Adam was the first, and only man, since Cain was banished to the land of Nod and took a wife, where did she come from? Did he commit incest? Did he marry an ape?? There are just too many inconsistencies in the book to base one's entire life on. Yes, base your life on the principle of the "Golden Rule", and seek peace on Earth the best way one can in these days. I, for one, do believe in a higher power, but don't need that book to convince me of His presence. |
