Thoughts on Christianity

This has been posted in two other places- my ChristianForums blog, in its entirety, and the italicized part was in my Livejournal as well. I may as well post it here, to see if I can get the thoughts of others here.

I've been doing a lot of thinking on Christianity. I know a lot of it doesn't fit with most people's beliefs about Christianity. My view of religion in general is that it's a deeply personal thing, and it should be what you make of it. It should be tailored to fit your needs, but within reason. For example, someone saying they're Christian, but thinking it's okay to kill people, that's a little nuts. But most of my beliefs... they're not what most of the Christians I've met believe. Maybe there's more out there besides me who hold similar beliefs. I don't know.

This first rambling is from my Livejournal, where I wrote about the Bible.

This may not make much sense. Please don't judge me for my ramblings. For those of you who aren't religious, I'm not trying to preach, or convert anyone. I'm not even sure of my own religion. Don't hold anything I say against me.


Well, I've been reading up on Christianity a lot lately, and just in general trying to get a sense of people's beliefs, and how mine differ from theirs. In some cases, I wonder if my thoughts on Christianity and the Bible are blasphemous. I was raised Roman Catholic, and some of that still sticks to me, even though I'm learning to think for myself religiously.

One thing that I feel strongly about is the Bible, more specifically the Old Testament and the creation stories. I almost called them creation myths, because in all honesty, that's what I feel they are. It's pleasant mythology that doesn't involve incest like the Greek pantheon, and God, in my opinion, seems rather caring. He found out that Adam was lonely, despite having all those animals running around Eden, so he made Adam a wife. Would a cruel deity do that? I see how Adam and Eve getting cast out of Eden could be a metaphor for what happens if you don't trust in God. Things will turn unpleasant, and life will be hard. However, God is still there watching out for you. God should be seen as a loving entity, in my opinion, almost like a parent, instead of one that is constantly angry and smiting other people. How can someone create and not be loving?

But then again, it's probably all mythology, in my book. Different characters, different stories, but still mythology. I don't understand why people take this at face value, and believe that everything happened as it was said in the bible. If we believed everything written in the bible, then Moses had horns, according to St. Jerome's translation. (He didn't believe people could emanate rays of light, as it said in one translation of the Moses story, so he just translated it as "horns of light". And that's why Michelangelo's Moses, for Pope Julius's tomb, has horns.)

All of the Old Testament was written long, long ago, and while it may have been pertinent to the people of that time period, it's now over 2000 years later. I think the Bible may have explained things in ways people of the time could understand (like the creation story), but honestly, with all the scientific evidence we have today of how the world came to be, how can people just cast aside scientific findings and believe that one deity made the entire universe in a week, and that woman was originally an extra rib in the male body? Homosexuality may have been frowned upon back in the days of the Old Testament, or in the cultures that wrote the bible, but now it is a common thing, just like males loving females back in that time period. Things change. The world is entirely different now. Women love women, and men love men. Premarital sex happens, and quite honestly, why would someone risk ending up with someone that they didn't have the sexual chemistry with as well as the emotional chemistry? If one's going to bond for life, I feel that they should be sure they are compatible in every way possible. But that's a rant for another day.

I just don't get how people can get so worked up over stuff in the Old Testament when they should be concerned with emulating Christ's actions. People get caught up in "thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" and such like that, when Christ was accepting of everyone and helped everyone, no matter what. He cared for people, and to him it didn't matter who they were.

I'm not saying I don't believe that God is real with that rant. It might sound like it, now that I've re-read it. I do believe he's real. But I'm not sure about the stories that are in the Bible, however. Take Greek Mythology, again, as an example. There are so many variations of the lives, happenings, and assorted stories of the Greek deities that you're not sure which one's true. Similarly, there's so many variations of the Bible, and while most stick to the same story, there are differences in translations and such.

I believe that God created the world, and I believe that he sent his son Jesus to us in the time of the Roman Empire, to try and share God's message with the world and show people how to be. I believe that God loves each and every one of us, and that through some miracle of God, his son Christ was resurrected. I hold the Virgin Mary in high regard- she faced the challenges she was given and still remained strong. She lost her only son, and nobody should see their children die. She suffered so much, but was rewarded in the end, like we all will be rewarded at the end of our lives for trusting in God and loving Jesus. I believe God forgives us for all our sins, so long as we ask for forgiveness and realize what we've done is wrong. I see God as The Father, not only of Christ but the whole world. And he loves us all. This is the core of what I believe.

However, is it wrong to believe that God of the Christian religion is the same as the gods of other monotheistic religions? Is it wrong to believe that this one entity manifests itself in many other ways? I mean, if God created human life, how could he have just created those who believe in him, and not everyone? I have so many questions that I'm not sure of the answer to. So many things that make me wonder. I believe God will tell me in time, that he'll let me know the truth.

I think I've been listening to the Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack a little much. All that's been on my mind are these thoughts and questions, and listening to Jesus and Judas argue out their sides through song just adds fuel to the fire. But that's another ramble for another post.

If anyone wants to add their two cents to this, feel free. I know most of you will probably think I'm nuts...