What God May Really Be Like – Misbeliefs About God

Why Do People Leave The Church Building But Not God?

I wrote here why people possibly deconvert though at one time having faith in God. Many Christian leaders imply those leaving the institutional church are leaving God. DONES are often deconverting from religion not God! One does not have to be involved in a regular Christian community to be a God-follower. I wrote here  why I left the religious institution not God. There are many advantages to being a part of a group of people who seek to encourage one another about God. But many of us had to leave the building!

What are some emotional reasons people leave the building? 

Packard has done much of the research. Many leave the building due to observed lack of responsible stewardship. 60% of the budget went toward the 90-minute show without serving better those outside the building. Many leave because being preached at doesn’t allow meaningful dialogue. Being so damn certain all the time is hardly relational, especially when even scholars disagree what the Bible says about issues impacting the lives of so many people. Many felt the lack of grace. People weren’t looking to excuse their moral failures, but why can’t we focus less on sexual behaviors and more on the poor, homeless, etc. Who is perfect! People leave for many reasons including abuse by leadership. 

People leave for the same intellectual reason others leave the faith all-together 

A major factor in leaving the building or God all together is because of views claimed about God.  God according to the Bible supposedly condemns gays, burns unbelievers in the afterlife, and thinks women can fulfill the same roles as men though just as gifted. The truth is biblical scholars who have a deep respect for Scriptures don’t agree what the Bible says about gays, women, hell, and other moral issues. See here.  See here.  See here.  It is only intuitive that a Creator loves the ways their creations ought to love one another. Biblical interpretations that don’t match how you and most know you ought to love your neighbor may be amiss.

Another major intellectual reason is due to certain explanations given for the presence of evil and suffering in our world despite there being a God. It is understandable why many can’t believe in a supposedly, all-powerful God who standbys while one is being raped, tortured, murdered, abused, etc. What kind of parent or God stands by and not intervene when they could prevent such suffering? Maybe a perfect, loving God can’t be controlling just as they can’t be manipulative. Maybe God can’t intervene single-handedly without human help. See Thomas Oord. The alternative is that God can always stop your suffering and doesn’t, or that God arbitrarily stops other’s sufferings sometimes but not yours. I doubt it! 

Going forward 

In the Bible “Church” was not a building or a place attended once a week. Jesus referred to His followers as being the Church and to encourage and care for one another.  The Bible doesn’t tell the Church to go to church.  Jesus said “Where two or more are gathered in His name” God would be present. Jesus did not specify where they must gather, what they must do or how they must do it. Simply find environments to encourage and be encouraged to radically love as Jesus did. Personally, in the church if I opened my mouth about disagreements about leadership’s views of what a loving God is like, I felt I was being divisive and pulling others down. I am comfortable disagreeing, but I am not looking to force my views on others. Our relationship with God isn’t about an institution or day of the week. It’s a daily, hourly relationship.

Click on FOLLOW at bottom right of this page to enter email address to be notified of future Posts. No other unrelated emails will be sent. Go to About/Using This Site tab at top of page or Menu on phones to help navigate this Site. I also blog at http://donewithreligion.com If you wish to discuss anything I have written, you can email me at medwar2@gmail.com  

Why Do Many Deconstruct Or Deconvert From God?

Christians are more familiar with the term “deconstructing” from the Christian faith. I am not writing about those who aren’t done with God just religion. I have in mind those who stop believing in God, or God becomes much less a part of one’s life despite belief in God. Such people may have attended church or a religious institute regularly at some time, while others may have rarely or never entered a church door but are inclined to believe in God. Why are many moving away from God though desiring a relationship?

Why are some inclined to pursue God or not? 

Christians especially are guilty of implying those who don’t believe in or stop pursuing God are suppressing what they know to be true. I disagree. I suppose some deny there is a God to justify their evil ways, but those I know not into God as much as me are just as moral if not more than I am.  Let’s not accuse those who believe in a God as needing a crutch or accuse those who question the reality of an invisible God as being wicked and ignorant of their feelings.

Many people do or don’t purse God, or rebel against God, because of the family they are born in. I am not sure I would be pursuing God if my parents hadn’t encouraged it. Some by personality are more skeptical or accepting. I am sure many don’t pursue God for obvious emotional reasons. A child abused by their father may struggle to accept a God betrayed as our Father in Heaven. Many are turned away from God because of the hypocrisy of God-following friends or leaders.

What may be the main intellectual reasons leaving a belief in God?   

One’s view of God is critical in their journey. See here. I am convinced a major factor in deconverting or moving away from God is because of views claimed about God. It is claimed the Bible supposedly says that God condemns gays, God burns unbelievers in the afterlife, and God doesn’t think women can fulfill the same roles as men though just as gifted. The truth is biblical scholars who have a deep respect for Scriptures don’t agree what the Bible says about gays, women, hell, and other moral issues. See here.  See here.  See here.

Another major intellectual reason is due to certain explanations given for the presence of evil and suffering in our world despite there being a God. It is understandable why many can’t believe in a supposedly, all-powerful God who standbys while one is being raped, tortured, murdered, abused, etc. What kind of parent or God doesn’t intervene when they could prevent such suffering? Maybe a perfect, loving God can’t be controlling just as they can’t be manipulative. Maybe God can’t intervene single-handedly without human help. See Thomas Oord. The alternative is that God can always stop your suffering and doesn’t, or that God arbitrarily stops other’s sufferings sometimes but not yours. I am convinced there are better explanations.

Why we must stop claiming the Bible is inspired!

Inspiration suggests God’s approval. Keep in mind we can’t prove God controlled every thought or word written by the biblical author. God didn’t dictate the Bible to others. Stating as proof that the writers claimed such inspiration is circular reasoning. The truth is that even if our interpretations were infallible, we can’t be sure the biblical writers always knew or portrayed God accurately. It is only intuitive that a Creator loves the ways their creations ought to love one another. Biblical interpretations, or a biblical writer’s understanding about God, that doesn’t match how you and most know you ought to love your neighbor may be amiss. A supposed inspired Book must not replace our relationship with God and common moral sense. See here.

Pursing God is about following God, not adhering to certain beliefs 

We are often told the main message of the Bible is Jesus coming to give you salvation to save you from Hell so you could enter Heaven. Common understandings of Hell aren’t necessarily biblical, thus how could this be Jesus’ central message? See here. When Jesus was asked by a religious expert how to have eternal life, which surely implies salvation, Jesus spoke of how to start living here on earth not what awaited in the afterlife. He simply said to love God and your neighbor (Lk.10:25-37). Jesus spoke of loving God not to get into heaven but to receive help in loving others as you love yourself. You don’t have to drop to your knees and say a prayer to get “in” with God. You only have to want God’s help. Jesus’ salvation was about living a meaningful life here on earth with God’s help. Personally, I am convinced there is a God and my relationship with God has inspired and encouraged me to be the person I desire to be.

Click on FOLLOW at bottom right of this page to enter email address to be notified of future Posts. No other unrelated emails will be sent. Go to About/Using This Site tab at top of page or Menu on phones to help navigate this Site. I also blog at http://donewithreligion.com If you wish to discuss anything I have written, you can email me at medwar2@gmail.com  

Are Biblical Stories Helpful or Harmful To Children?

Most are familiar with Bible stories including David and Goliath and Jonah shallowed by a whale. What motivated me to write this post was becoming even more aware of disturbing divine behaviors in the older testament.  See here.  You may not want to advise your children to read the entire Older Testament. Stay with me until we get to below stories of Noah/Flood and Jonah.

Don’t read these Bible passages to children!

We have every right to question if biblical writers/editors always understood God perfectly. There are many disturbing portrayals of God in the Bible. Exodus 20:1 says God spoke: “anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death” (Ex 21:17).  I would be dead! God didn’t dictate words to the writers. “God said” is recording hundreds of times in the Bible. This is likely a figure of speech expressing inner impressions or understandings about God written down – right or wrong.

God supposedly even commanded the genocide of all Amalekites, including women, children, infants, and animals (I Sam 15:2-3). God kills Uzzah for putting his hand out to balance the Ark from falling (2 Sam 6:7), yet God is silent when Mighty King David committed adultery and had Bathsheba’s husband killed (2 Sam 11:14). You better hope God is having a good day!

Did God control the thoughts of biblical writers?

You can’t prove and it’s doubtful a loving God controlled the mental impressions of writers’ words recorded. Controlling love is an oxymoron. God doesn’t control our world views. The Israelites thought God controlled the natural world causing famines to punish or giving victory or defeat in battle. Today most don’t think God causes tsunamis and other natural disasters. Jesus didn’t blame tragedies by God as rewarding the righteous and punishing the unfaithful (Lk 13:1-5). So, we are okay to question if certain stories accurately portray God. It is not heresy to challenge if the writers’ understandings of God are contradictory of a loving God according to our moral intuitions. We were surely created to love the way the Creator loves.

Noah, the Flood, and God drowning practically the entire human race 

I admit I love David kicking bully Goliath’s ass. But you may wonder why God drowned the entire human race except Noah and family, including children and infants (Gen. 7:23). Keep in mind Genesis talks about a magical tree of good and evil and talking snakes. A Global Flood could be a literary device to illustrate the destructiveness of human versus God’s ways. Maybe the writers used an analogy of a Flood and drowning because their world view including God controlling the natural world. I might not read the Flood story to young children but wait to explain the above that maybe God didn’t really drown practically the entire human race. Personally, I wouldn’t use a drowning analogy to portray God’s character. 

Did a whale really swallow Jonah? 

I suppose most kids won’t avoid water or the ocean when reading this story. Nevertheless, how might you explain such a story to younger children if they ask. Certain evidence suggests Jonah wasn’t really shallowed by a whale. The gullet of a whale is too small to swallow an adult. The gastric juices and lack of oxygen would not sustain human life for days such as Jonah writing a poem while inside the whale (Eric Seibert ). Ninevah was a real city but this story maybe wasn’t meant to be taken literally. Read the full story. It may be trying to illustrate God had a right to show compassion. Jonah’s enthusiasm for the destruction of his enemies was misguided.

So, how do I read the Older Testament to my children?

It’s understandable choosing to not share many of the Bible stories with children. Young children aren’t always equipped to understand when stories aren’t meant to be taken literally. The Bible is God’s story beginning with Israel and culminating with the life of Jesus that we don’t possess in any other document. God may have inspired the writers to write but didn’t necessarily approve of everything written about God. When reading the Bible, question and contemplate what a loving God is really like. Enjoy what God is trying to reveal to you about your Creator and how to treat others. Interpretations about God’s love toward others, that don’t match how you know you ought to love your neighbor, may be amiss. A Book must not replace our relationship with God and common moral sense.

Click on FOLLOW at bottom right of this page to enter email address to be notified of future Posts. No other unrelated emails will be sent. Go to About/Using This Site tab at top of page or Menu on phones to help navigate this Site. I also blog at http://donewithreligion.com If you wish to discuss anything I have written, you can email me at medwar2@gmail.com  

6 Reasons Old Testament Portrayals Of God As Genocidal And Violent Are False!

Biblical passages portray God as sanctioning genocide or drowning practically an entire human race including children and infant. Many form their view of God according to the Bible. Our views of God impact the way we imitate or relate to God. I will site much of Eric Seibert scholarship, who has written a mind-blowing book on disturbing divine behaviors in the OT. God seems so unlike the God that Jesus portrayed. When we read “God said” in the Bible, did the writers record what God actually said aloud or what they believed God would say? We must question if there are differences between biblical portrayals of God and God’s true character.

We can’t prove God approved of the biblical writers’ thoughts about God

Few believe God dictated the writers’ recordings. You certainly can’t prove God controlled the writers’ thoughts that were written down. We can’t prove the writers understood God perfectly other than taking their word by claiming they are inspired by God (2 Tim 3:16-17). That is circular reasoning. The truth is we don’t know God’s role. We were surely created to love the way the Creator loves. We must challenge if the writers’ thoughts or our interpretations are contradictory of a loving God according to our moral intuitions.

Controlling love is an oxymoron. A loving God can no more control than they can manipulate. God obviously doesn’t control one’s actions or thoughts with so much evil in the world contrary to God’s desires. And if God can raise the dead, God can obviously control transmissions of words supposedly given to the biblical writers – but God didn’t! We don’t have the original manuscripts but copies of copies of the original. The NT is gathered from over 5000 manuscripts. Over time the variations became more substantial. The Catholic Bible has more books than the Protestant Bible. Which books did God supposedly inspire (pp. 267-268)? Maybe God wasn’t in control of what was written or transmitted.

The first reasons to doubt OT portrayals is a moral God can’t command horrific evils 

Many may not realize there are hundreds of passages in the OT that speak of God taking revenge or threatening destruction or punishment by death including genocide of an entire nation. Please see Eric Seibert. I will cite only a few instances that require explanation. God commanded the genocide of all Amalekites, including women, children, infants, and animals (I Sam 15:2-3). God ends up killing over 70,000 people for David taking a census that was authorized by God (2 Sam 24:15). God drowned the entire human race except Noah and family, including children and infants (Gen. 7:23). God causes or at least permits dozens of people to die to simply win a divine wager with Satan (Job). Such actions are highly questionable of a loving God.

A moral God couldn’t possibly have authorized many of the Israelite laws

When it comes to many of the laws, the OT claims God spoke these words (Exodus 20:1). Biblical writers rarely claimed audible God-speak. “God said” recorded hundreds of times in the Bible is most likely a figure of speech expressing inner impressions or understandings about God – right or wrong. Anyway, did God really authorize the following laws (pp. 17-18):

• Did God really mandate whoever curses their parents be put to death (Ex. 21:17)?
• Did God really mandate to death a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath (Num 15:32-36)?
• Did God really require death for adultery (Lev 20:10)? They would be lot of bodies today
• Did God really command whoever does work on the Sabbath be put to death (Ex 31:15)?
• Did God really command death for those who blaspheme the name of the Lord (Lev 24:16)?

A moral God can’t control one’s worldview 

God can’t control the worldviews of the writers either. The Israelites though God controlled the natural world such as causing famines to punish. It was thought God gave victory or defeat in battle. Today we don’t think that way, that God was the direct cause of planes flying into building on 9/11. Most don’t blame tsunamis and other natural disasters on God. Jesus didn’t blame tragedies by God as rewarding the righteous and punishing the unfaithful (Lk 13:1-5). Biblical writers were likely trying to explain the unexplainable. Even today, many claim “everything happens for a reason” as if God is in control.

Archaeological findings don’t always support OT historical events reported 

Seibert points out that assuming OT historical narratives were written to record what actually happened is a modern but not past historiographic assumption (p.105). Archaeological evidence doesn’t suggest the wall of Jericho miraculously crumbling down, and Jericho was completely destroyed by the Israelites despite the Bible claiming so (Joshua 6:20, 24). So, it is possible the violence contributed to God in these passages (Joshua 6-11) might not have happened as well. OT narratives were often written decades if not centuries later when the supposed events happened.

Was Jonah really shallowed by a whale? Certain evidence suggests otherwise. The gullet of a whale is too small to swallow an adult. The gastric juices and lack of oxygen would not sustain human life for days such as Jonah writing a poem while inside the whale (p.95). Jonah walked through Ninevah requiring 3 days (Jonah 3:3). Archaeology has discovered Ninevah to be 7.5 miles in diameter. Walking end to end could have been done in less than half a day. Ninevah was a real city but this story wasn’t meant to be taken literally. The story illustrates God had a right to show compassion. Our enthusiasm for the destruction of enemies is misguided. 

A moral God can’t apply justice unfairly 

God kills Uzzah for putting his hand out to balance the Ark from falling (S Sam 6:7), yet God is silent when David committed adultery and had Bathsheba’s husband killed (2 Sam 11:14).

God is so unlike the God Jesus portrays in the NT 

Jesus said: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). Jesus referring to stories in the OT doesn’t mean he approved of all views expressed about God. Jesus never referred to passages that speak of God commanding genocide or a warrior who fights physical battles for his chosen. (pp.191-207). Jesus referred to the global flood but didn’t identify God as the cause of the Flood as the OT does. Jesus instead often refers to a God who is kind to the wicked. Jesus was so unlike the God of the OT that perhaps God was not like how often portrayed by OT writers.

Why should I bother to read the OT?  

The Bible is God’s story beginning with Israel and culminating with the life of Jesus that we don’t possess in any other document. God may have inspired the writers to write but didn’t necessarily approve of everything written about God. When reading the Bible, question and contemplate what a loving God is really like. Enjoy what God is trying to reveal to you about your Creator and how to treat others. Imagine if extremists had to consider that God didn’t inspire every word in their Book, and we had to openly discuss what a loving God is like. Interpretations about God’s love toward others, that don’t match how you and most know you ought to love your neighbor, may be amiss. A Book must not replace our relationship with God and common moral sense.

Click on FOLLOW at bottom right of this page to enter email address to be notified of future Posts. No other unrelated emails will be sent. Go to About/Using This Site tab at top of page or Menu on phones to help navigate this Site. I also blog at http://donewithreligion.com If you wish to discuss anything I have written, you can email me at medwar2@gmail.com