I know I'm pagan, but...

I had some deep thoughts today.

I was thinking about the Bible. Christians use it to defend their faith, their beliefs, their actions... But if the entire book is Holy, how do they know which parts to disregard? How do they know what commands to follow, and which ones are 'outdated'? There are lots of things that are just thrown out. How can anything written by the Holy Spirit be disregarded?

For instance, stoning is not a common punishment anymore, but it says to do it under certain circumstances in the Bible.

Maybe it is meant as a guide, and not to be taken literally. But if that's true, why is the Bible always stated as fact?

I don't want this to be misunderstood. I think a lot of what Jesus had to teach is valid. In fact, he and I agree on quite a bit. He taught compassion, equality, loving another as yourself, and to have great tolerance.

However, these beliefs are now looked at as liberal by most Christians. Not in words, but in actions. For instance, why have a debate on homosexuality? If humans aren't to judge one another, we can't make that decision. We are to be there, with tolerance and compassion, to support our fellow human being. Look at how Jesus treated the thieves. He did not judge them, or ban them from the Kingdom of Heaven. Now if someone, that broke one of the Ten Commandments, was treated with such kindness from Jesus himself, how do we compare? How dare we use His words to further our own gains? That is NOT what he preached. That is NOT what his actions showed us.

It frustrates me to no end that Christians will throw the Bible around like a shield, but not bother to read it themselves. Yes, this is a blanket generalization. I know there are true Christians out there. But look at what the media shows us. "Conservative Christians" is the term, I think. I wonder what 'conservative' applies to. Using as little of the Bible as possible? I am condemned for my liberal views, while these leaders are the ones that should be my example of the Bible's teachings. Doesn't that make them hypocrites? How does that get you into the Kingdom of Heaven?


(All of this started cuz I got sucked into a rerun of Dawson's Creek, while channel surfing. See? TV does make us do things. Bad TV.)

~Do not expand~