Asking Questions Leads to More Questions….Is that Wrong?

by Jim Gordon

Do you find yourself questioning things more than you used too? I know I do.

As Christians, we have always been taught that we need to have the answers. Study to show thyself approved meant you must have an answer for every question people asked so you can prove your beliefs are right.

I remember having questions in the past, but I basically blew them off and buried them thinking I was wrong to even think such things. As time went on, the questions kept popping up and I began to realize that questioning was not wrong.

I believe God accepts us, questions and all. I am hoping that one day I will have more answers, mostly for my own sake and not necessarily to defend my beliefs.

I think the modern-day church and religion in general do not like questions, at least not hard questions. Especially questions that make us wonder about the basic beliefs they teach. They like to have all the answers, and answers that fit into their particular belief and doctrine.

In his book ‘Dying to Religion and Empire: Giving up Our Religious Rites and Legal Rights’,  Jeremy Myers makes a statement that is so true: “And as is the nature with questions, asking hard questions rarely leads to answers, but only to more questions”

I think God is much bigger than what the church makes him out to be. They try to fit everything into a box and do not like people asking questions that require out-of-the-box thinking.

It seems to me the spirit within, the spirit of truth brings up questions about what the religious system taught us and what we always just accepted. Now, rather than suppressing these questions I have allowed them to surface and truly seek the guidance of the Spirit.

Mick Mooney once posted an article on Facebook, part of which says: “But who has the faith to ask questions with the intention of seeking the answers to them? Who can let their foundation be not a doctrine or dogma that must be defended, but Christ himself who needs no defense? For it is those who have their foundation solely upon Christ, who can walk in their faith without fear of questions, but rather they walk in their faith knowing that God is lighting their path with questions, and it is these very questions that are paving the path that the Spirit of God is guiding them upon”.

If you are feeling guilty for having questions, I have found it best to stop feeling that way and keep asking the questions. That is the best way to continue growing and learning in our walk with God. Even when we do not get the answers, we should continue to be asking and seeking the truth from the Spirit who is within us. God is big enough and loving enough to accept us even with our questioning.

How Can We Know God Didn’t Require Jesus’ Death So Could Forgive Us?

by Mike Edwards

One may only believe God required a violent death of an innocent victim, much less God’s own child, because an inspired Book by God supposedly makes such a claim. How is it forgiveness if payback is required? How does an innocent person suffering really atone for another person’s sins? Even imperfect human parents don’t only forgive a child by punishing another child.

Freedom created by God is a farce if Jesus had to die! 

If Jesus had to die, then Judas had no choice but to betray Jesus. If God predetermined that Jesus had to die so God could forgive our sins, those who killed Jesus where not free to choose otherwise. Crucifiers were not free to come to their senses that one simply claiming to be the Son of God doesn’t deserve to die a gruesome death on a Cross.

Child sacrifice was an abomination to God in the Bible. 

Interpretations suggesting God requires child sacrifice must be wrong. In the Old Testament God through prophets declared child sacrifice was an abomination (Lev. 20:2-5; Jer. 32:35). Did God break the Ten Commandments “Thou shall not murder?” Old Testament passages interpreted as Messianic prophecies could be conditional – Jesus will be killed if people don’t turn from evil.

God and Jesus forgave others before the Cross.

In the OT before Jesus was born, God often forgave the Israelites. In the New Testament Jesus is recorded as forgiving others before dying on the Cross (Mt. 9:2; Lk. 7:48, etc.).

God requiring violence opposes God’s non-violent nature.

Most agree Jesus’ message was one of non-violence, though sometimes violence may be necessary to protect victims. Turn the check, go the extra mile, etc. are familiar sayings (Mt. 5:38-42). The Bible also encouraging striving to be perfect by imitating God (Mt. 5:48, Eph. 5:1). Believing God requires violence often leads to humans justifying violence in the name of God. The Cross actually reveals our ugly violent nature not God’s.

Why did Jesus die?

There are many possible explanations why Jesus died other than God killed Him so God could forgive. We may still be talking about Jesus because He was willing to die, rather than power over others, for a message He believed in. God has always sought change through influence than coercion. Jesus sought to inspire that an unselfish life empowered by our Creator is worth living. It was Jesus’s willingness to die, not His miracles, that has changed billions of lives.

Does God Expect Us To Believe Everything In The Bible Like The Flood, Etc.?

by Mike Edwards

Who blames those who morally question the story of the Flood in the Bible? We condemn people drowning just one child in a bathtub or a litter of puppies in the river. Why does God supposedly not blink an eye killing millions? People loss their faith in God or don’t bother with God when blindly insisted every story in the Bible is meant to be taken literally or as scientific fact.

Did God really drown the world minus eight in a global flood?

Ancient literature that predated Genesis wrote about local floods in their lands. It is not fabrication when a local flood is used to illustrate global human problems. This was a common literary practice in Ancient Near East times. Remember, books in the Old Testament were written for Israelites, not us modern readers. The story in the garden and the Flood can illustrate destruction is more likely when following human wisdom rather than God’s wisdom. 

Were Adam and Eve really the first couple?

If the writers never intended the Global Flood to be taken literal, it is possible the Adam and Eve story wasn’t meant to be read as historical or scientific fact. Scientists, who believe in the authority of Scriptures, have provided overwhelming genetic evidence that the human race couldn’t have originated from a single couple but through a population of some thousands of individuals. Believing this evidence doesn’t mean one is denying God. See https://biologos.org

Talking serpents and magical trees could be literary devices to discuss a relationship between God and humans. Maybe it isn’t coincidental that serpents in ancient near eastern literature symbolized evil. Genesis intends to tell us that God is the Creator, not how God actually did it. Many biblical scholars are convinced beginning stories in Genesis were written to convey God’s desire to bring order from chaos. Writers had no intentional of giving a scientific account. We only assume that.

But didn’t Jesus and Paul assume Adam and Eve were historical figure?

Paul and Jesus in the New Testament did refer to Adam as described in the Old Testament. This doesn’t necessarily mean Adam and Eve had to be historical but were excepted as representatives of the first humans for the purpose of talking about God. The Apostle Paul, who wrote a great deal of the New Testament, may have even thought Adam was historical. That doesn’t mean Paul isn’t still capable of revealing God to us.

What are we to believe about God?  

Many have good reasons to not believe all the stories in the Bible were intended to be historically factual. Let’s don’t insist all believe the same way if they are convinced otherwise. We cannot know with certainty the intent of writers thousands of years ago. Relax! Literature can’t mean anything. Only extremists don’t accept that their interpretations feed their hunger for power and control rather than love and freedom. Read the Bible with a questioning spirit motivated by love and putting oneself in another’s shoes. That seems to be God’s main message.