Is it Possible to Believe AND Not Believe the Bible?

(while knowing you are not confused at all)

 

In response to my previous blog, a dear friend asked of me these questions:

“Are you saying you don't believe that homosexuality is a sin and that the Bible doesn't actually call out by name homosexuality? Or that God never said anything in the Bible about homosexuality being wrong? Are you saying you don't believe what the Bible contains is whole written truth because it was written by man or that it has been translated so you don't fully trust what was translated?”

 

My reply:

Thank you for taking the time to think and ask because no matter what any one of us agree or disagree on, the fact that we took the time to search and become closer to Our God is what is at the heart of everything! I will answer each of your questions, but let me begin with this (and at the same moment apologize for categorizing people, but hope you understand my intent and do not find any offense)...

• A "religiously minded" person will be convinced on every literal word of the Bible and every lesson they have learned in Church. They will not care of my response because their main focus will be to disprove how I feel and they will do this "in the name of the Lord". To them, I would hope they would move along to another blog or discussion because they will grow in their Faith more-so by finding common ground with like believers and focusing on the love of what all they feel to be completely true!

• To the extremely "Spiritualistic" (non-religious) people, they will not care what the answer to any of these questions  are either. Their walk in faith is not guided nor hindered by what the Bible or what others have to say. They are inspirational by the way they allow their inner guidance system to be their life light (which, by the way, IS God). However, they often trip over their ego before realizing God did provide us with wonderful teachers and guides in this world to work in conjunction with our inner guidance system.

 

• To those who are "seeking" (which may or may not mean you are questioning Your God - which, by the way, is perfectly OK because He gave us that free will for a reason and we often grow closer to Him as we question life), you will be interested in my responses. You may agree with some of my thoughts. You may agree with none of my thoughts. You may realize in 10 years you agree with my thoughts - who knows! But, this is the group of people I hope to see more of as our world continues to grow and change. People who are open minded without feeling threatened.

 

That being said,

I'll answer each of your questions from the purest place I can...

 

I do NOT believe homosexuality is a sin. I believe the Bible does make reference to sexual crimes, including but not limited to same sex acts, and God clearly does not want this for His people. He does not want anything for His people which includes fear. I, also, do NOT feel the Bible is the one and only, forever complete in its entirety, infallible Word of God. Nope…I know… cringe, but hang with me for 5 minutes

 

 

By the way, God is really ok with us exploring…

you may alter your opinions or you may come out on the other end in the same place you began, but either way…

use the free will God gave you to think and pray for yourself.

 

First, the Bible has been translated from the original language into over 2000 languages. Add to these the hundreds of different English language versions, and you will see that there are many thousands of translations. There are two main concerns with translating any text:

1. Words in one language do not usually directly correlate with words of another language, therefor the word closest in meaning is used and the actual meaning can be altered.

2. Human error has allowed incorrect accounts of Biblical stories and incorrect formation of commands, laws, parables, instruction, etc. Anyone who agrees with me, has no problem with this suggestion. Anyone who does not agree with me (and believes the Bible in its entirety) would have to look at the Bible in which they believe - which consistently speaks of human error.

 

Second, interpretation is widespread and can often be false. The very fact that SO many religions/faiths/denominations use the SAME Bible speaks volumes for the available room for individual interpretation. It is truly not uncommon to see 4 Churches on each street corner, of one intersection, who all use the same Bible. If it is so "straight forward", why are these churches not sharing the same building and the same sermon? They will boldly claim they serve the same God, the One and Only. They also claim to read from His Word- which is without error. So, why then do we have different church names and rules and beliefs?

 

Third, the Bible itself, in several instances, is contradictory. Again, a religiously minded person would say that is blasphemy. A Spiritual person would say DUH. An open minded person would research the truth and not take my word for it. It is contradictory because of the two reasons listed above. The fact that it is contradictory does NOT point to God or lesson His truth or love.

 

Finally, I also believe books have been left out of our current Bible. I know this may sound like a conspiracy theory and I’ve watched too many Hollywood movies! Let me make it a bit more of an attainable idea... have you ever read the Catholic Bible? They have more books. I'm not saying they are right and I'm not saying they are wrong. I'm simply saying the two most prominent religions in our country alone, Catholic and Protestant, have very different Bibles and BOTH claim they are the one and only Word of God.

 

Now, saying ALL OF THAT, for me (as a seeker) it does not diminish My God AT ALL to not believe the Bible is entirely true and without error. I can sincerely say that the moment in my life when I had this realization, My God became HUGE! He's bigger and more powerful and more meaningful than ever!! He loves the people who go to Church and He loves all they do to serve Him! He loves the people who do not go to Church and loves their willingness to explore life based on only His interactions with them. He loves them so much because HE CREATED THEM and he created them to have these different paths! My God is Big, NO HUGE, and filled with more mystery than one can even fathom. He reveals to me in each moment exactly what I need for that moment in MY life. I love knowing he gives me the Bible, Earthly teachers, and spiritual friends to help guide me. (and did I mention kids? Yeah…he definitely gives us those little creatures to teach us a few lessons along the way.)

• To conclude this wildly long winded answer to your few questions, I am NOT some crazy cult person who wants to start her own anti-religious group. Heck no!!!! I am a simple woman, on a simple path, who seeks the truth. Although sometimes I find it to be uncomfortable, I try to daily respond to what God has asked me to do. He has asked me to have a willingness to share my thoughts encompassed with the openness to hear and love others, as well. That’s all. Pretty simple.

 

 

And for those who have the burning question to ask me...

 

"How do I know what I believe and what I don't believe?"

 

My answer...

 

I spend a lot of time sitting with the Author. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

                           My wish for you today....

                                                           to use the open mind God Created for you!

 

When I Came Out of the Closet

by A Straight Girl

                My daughter’s middle school has recently had an upheaval because a young girl petitioned to begin a Gay Straight Alliance Club. The school board quickly went into motion to not allow this club. The school board in the county where I teach; where 5 of my children attend school; where I attended school; where 4 generations of my family attended school. I have felt an overwhelming passion regarding this subject and although my desire to be open and vocal is not surprising, the source of my passion regarding this subject was something I had never explored…until tonight.

                I “came out of the closet” with one of my dearest friends about 6 years ago and that moment changed my life forever! I was a happily married woman, who homeschooled my 3 children, and religiously attended my Southern Baptist church at least 3 times per week. I worked closely with one of our Church’s Children’s Directors. We spent hours and hours together planning, teaching children, and chaperoning summer camps. I knew his heart. I knew he loved God. I knew he loved children. I knew he was one of the kindest and purest souls I had ever met. We formed a sincere friendship and he had sincerely earned my admiration and respect.

                My world had recently taken a much unexpected turn when my husband moved out. I was left wondering and questioning everything I had ever known and I felt I was daily living in the twilight zone. I was blessed with many wonderful and supportive friends; among them was of course, this dear friend. He was sincerely supportive and caring as I traveled through this unknown territory. I will never – ever – forget the Saturday evening, already lying in bed, when my dear friend called and asked if we could talk. He shared with me that he was Gay. It hit me like a ton of bricks – literally! My breath was taking away and my already spinning-out-of-control world seemed to spin even more violently! I hung up thinking there is NO way this is true. Being gay is a very black and white subject. I have always been taught it is wrong. God doesn’t condone it. The Bible speaks against it. How could God let this happen to someone who so obviously had such a loving heart for Him? I wept and I prayed and I tossed and I turned and then…. A spark lit inside me that was like nothing I had ever felt before. Something was wrong and yet everything suddenly felt so very right!

                Waking up at the crack of dawn, I spent almost 8 straight hours reading passages from my Bible (which I had already read in its entirety twice in my life). I pulled out Bible Reference books, I utilized online Bible search tools and read any and every verse having anything to do with homosexuality, and… I listened to My God. I listened to MY God in a way I never had before. I listened to Him without the influence of others. I listened to Him without the hesitation and judgment of the world. I listened to Him from the purest place I had ever been with Him. At the end of this time of meditation on His Word, I realized He said nothing derogatory about being Gay. He spoke against adultery. He spoke against violent sexual acts. He spoke against child molestation. He even spoke against animal molestation. He spoke against many subjects involving acts derived from fear and acts causing fear, but He never addressed the subject of a gay individual entering into a monogamous relationship and living in a committed and loving way. He didn’t speak of homosexuality and love. He didn’t speak against it or for it. He didn’t speak of it.

                My God just broke out of My Box!

                I was so excited I could not wait to call and talk to my dear friend. I could not wait to tell him I loved him and supported him. I did not say, as so many others were saying, “I love you and will be your friend still and will pray for you.” No…I loved him for being him and I knew God loved and supported him as well! That was one of the best phone calls I ever made. I am a straight girl who was so excited to bust out of the closet! I could hardly stand the excitement!!

                This moment, as I said, was a turning point. I realized nothing was black and white except Love and Fear. Those were the only two things that were always recognizable in every situation. I realized either Love or Fear was present in every aspect of life. We all know “God is Love.” We certainly have never heard “God is Fear.” I was on a new journey. I was on a journey for truth and love and acceptance. I read the words from the Bible in a whole new way. I was, expectedly, condemned by so many people. I was going against the grain. Many whom I considered to be dear friends felt, from their perspective, I was going against God’s law. To this day, I am still condemned by many, but the great thing I have realized –

THEY have NO POWER to condemn me and GOD has NO DESIRE to condemn me!

I’m truly free! I thought Jesus died to save us from our sins and then I realized Jesus died to SAVE US FROM OUR SINS…our sins of misunderstanding His Word and His true purpose. He saved us from having a need to live under a man-made law written from the perspective of humans who He openly claimed are not without error and do not understand the fullness of the world in the way He does. I was freed to realize the only thing that truly matters to God is to live a life with the purest of Heart’s intent to live in love! Love leads you to ALL that is right… ALL of the time!

                Although I was freed from my narrow-minded views at this point in my life, I will admit I went through a time when I questioned so much. Although I knew God was clearly speaking to me and asking me to live outside of the expectations I had always lived under, it was a challenging road to go against what felt so comfortable and what I had thought to be truth for so long. It was a challenging thought to stand up and boldly say I believe in God, but I’m going boldly against what I have been taught that God believes.

                I moved into a new home with the Love of My Life (whom I had been reunited with after 13 years apart) and we made a conscious decision to blend our families, with 5 children, together. This was, as the saying goes, “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” (Which, I don’t even understand the origin of that statement, but we all know what it means) I could no longer just fly under the radar and attend church. I no longer “just” supported that Gay guy. I now “lived in sin” and included my children. Also, I did not just quietly move into the house with My Love. I, being the vocal person I am, wrote a long letter to my dear friends and several of my church leaders. I boldly claimed I was making a move I knew God was asking me to make. Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with my Pastor… or the Pastor of the next church I attended who had been called by one of my previous pastor… or of the next church who had also been contacted. (Living in the same county for your entire life has perks and pitfalls, haha) At this point, I knew God was asking me to do something so far out of the norm and understanding of others. I was seen as someone who undoubtedly loved and lived for Him and not someone who would be expected to “fall by the wayside.” So, He was asking me to be bold and trust Him in a way that would make a statement and in hope to encourage  others to stop and question what they knew to be true. I followed, but was still a bit confused with some things.

                Returning to the statement of “questioning so much”, I was in a place of feeling as if I was deciphering the Bible all over again. Only this time, I was deciphering it side by side with the true Author and not a translator. I was questioning what parts were authentic and what exactly did each part mean. For several years, I had been hanging framed Bible verses over all of my light switches. I call these “light switch verses” and they seem to jump out at me at just the exact needed time when I turn on or off the lights. I hung my verses in our new home and read each one thinking, “OK, I still get this one, I’ll hang it.” I came to the last one and I did NOT like it! I was in a place (mentally and spiritually) where I felt peace not liking it because I was still deciphering truth from false interpretation. I was ok not agreeing fully with something I read, however I did not want a verse hanging in my home which I did not full heartedly agree with. I hung it in what seemed to be an inconspicuous place with the plan of just changing it out later. I hung it – don’t laugh – over my bathroom light switch. Ironically, that ended up being the verse I sat and stared at the most. Ugh! For months, I kept thinking I needed to change it. Then, one day, the verse was read to me. I heard it this time. I heard it from The Author. I heard this verse and realized it was my life verse! It had been guiding me every step of the way and there was not a more appropriate or meaningful verse ever – for me. The verse said,

“So follow My example, and God, who gives you peace, will be with you.” Philippians 4:9

Oh… My…. God! Literally! MY God was there and was comforting me and was encouraging me and was reminding me that I was doing exactly what He wanted me to do! Many people find church and get saved. I found my way out of church to get saved. I then allowed myself the freedom to read or listen to anything and everything. When I began to live daily in a completely nonjudgmental and open way, I realized my “God Gut” guides me in all I do! If ever I am unsure of what to believe or what not to believe, I don’t run to another human to ask… I pray, I meditate, and when I find peace and love – I know there, too, is My God. My God is not fear. My God is not in anything that includes fear. My God is love – always love.

My story is so out of the norm and so different from those we often hear and is so WAY out of what seems to be the accepted beliefs (especially living in the Bible Belt), but I am OK with that. I am OK with others agreeing or not agreeing with me. I am OK with my best friends attending church, while my other best friends do not. I am OK with me and my life choices. I am OK with it all because My God is MORE than OK with me! I am, for the first time in my life, swimming with the stream of life and not against it. I am happy and joyous and free and for those who cringe at my choices or my beliefs, I am OK with that, too.  I support Gays, I live with my boyfriend, I don’t attend church, and I know without even a millisecond of hesitation- My God is good with all of that. As a matter of fact, I think He daily smiles on my sweet family and our diverse views and fun way of living. I certainly know He blesses us for it.

So, as I reflect on why this young girl’s plea to begin a Gay Straight Alliance Club has affected me so greatly (which, by the way, since beginning to write this story, the school board has voted FOR her right to begin this club - YAY), it is because when my brave and wonderful friend came out of the closet, I came out of the box! I live my life free and I am so thankful for a Savior who died for me – to FREE me from my sins – my sins of judgment and fear. He freed me to live this life of Love!