Atheist to Christian -What part of the Bible inspires?

Zombrex

This is following on from another thread but I think it warrants a thread of its own ...

I am often told by Christians, on this forum, the atheists form and in real life (ah natural light, it burns!) that if I just read the Bible I would realise that God is all about the love and the compassion. The Bible should inspire my soul, fill it with hope and love. I would see that my atheists ideas about God are wrong and that he is the source of perfect morality and kindness.

The problem with that is that I have actually read the Bible (as I imagine a lot of atheists have) and I didn't come to the conclusion that God is all about the love and kindness. He seems to me to be all about the wrath and genocide. I wasn't inspired in anything except hope that nothing that was described actually happened because if it did it means a lot of people suffered horribly.

What am I missing?

While I don't agree with any of it I do understand a lot of Christianity. Heck I understand the trinity, which is more than most Christians. But I genuinely don't understand how someone can come from a neutral position, read the Bible, and conclude that what they just read was inspiring to them.

So in the cause of understanding better what is going on I would appreciate it if Christians could explain what parts of the Bible, particularly the Old Testament, they feel are inspiring to them and why they should inspire me.

Try to be honest and detailed yourself. Atheists are given out to a lot for taking passages out of context, so I would appreciate that you don't do the same. For example taking a line that says God loves everyone that is in a passage detailing the rules of slavery is out of context and not going to inspire anyone

I will leave the critical replies (if any) until a bit later in the thread to give Christians here a chance to response.

For this thread I am actually more interested in learning how you think in relation to the Bible than critically analysis of your views.

philologos

look at the favourite quotes thread, if more people get posting on it it should have a nice collection of verses before too long.

Sangre

As someone who attended a Holy Ghost School for about 10 years (and a Catholic national school before that) I'd love to know this as well.

They only thing I gathered from the stories and readings of the Bible (mostly OT) were venegence and the unexplained need for worship. When being told the story of the woman who was turned into salt all I could think was 'damn, thats pretty scabby'. Same with the flood, asking Cain to kill his son ( even if he stopped him), sodomon and gamorrah, banishment from the garden etc.,

Granted they're mostly OT but I don't think you can separate it from the NT. You'd think an omnipotent God would show some consistency in his wrath. Sure you can point to all the messages of love, peace and hope in the Bible but you can't forgive the acts of violence. A violent deed is a violent deed, it doesn't matter if a thug or a priest did it. When I used to question other Christians (when I considered myself one) on this the respone I got was akin to a victim of domestic abuse, 'He only hits me because he loves me'.

Splendour

Hi Wicknight,

You are quite right in your assertion that the God of the Old Testament is, alot of the time, about wrath and genocide, but also amongst you will see his love running through the pages and lives of old testament characters. Take the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (as mentioned by Sangre),. Five times Abraham asked God if he would destroy S & G if there were any innocent people living there and five times God replied that he would not destroy it if this were so. He also sent two angels to warn Abrahams brother Lot and his family of what was going to happen so that they might escape. The angels told them not to look back and because Lot's wife did she was punished. Might sound severe to us, but who can question God's actions? Hench in this story we see patience,concern,understanding, love and punishment.
Most of the old testament reads like this and it is a reflection on how God deals with his people, both then and now.
With the coming of Jesus, punishment changed for everyone in that Jesus was sent to take out punishment if we allow him to.
I digress, sorry, now to your questions: What am I missing?

Reading the bible merely as a good historical read is fine, but to really understand it and be opened up to it's meaning one needs the Holy Spirit. ( I know you don't really wanna hear that, soz, but it's true). Try reading through Romans from chapters 1-12, but before you do, ask God 'if you are real, please open this book up to me.'

Second question: What parts of the bible particularly the old testament do I find inspiring?

This is a difficult one as so much of it is inspiring, and I'll try stick with the OT . I love how the OT is tied up so much with the NT. Right from the beginning in Genesis,( if one can get to grips with the Adam & Eve story ), we understand why the world is in the mess it is due to the fall of man. This to me when I discovered it was phenomenal as it explained so much of the crap in the world and in man.

I am fascinated by the amount of prophecies in the OT that were foretold, so many of them about Jesus birth, life and death. It was fortold how he would die hanging on a tree long before the Romans were in power and introduced this cruel death.So many prophecies too about the Jews and how they would be scattered all over the world, how they would be despised and how eventually they would be brought back into their own land. We know from 1948 this homecoming has been taking place...

And one more, and probably the most inspiring part of the OT (and NT) for me is the characters. They are not goody goody 'Flanders' type of people one would expect a 'God' to use, but rather normal everyday up people like you and me who somtimes got it right and sometimes got it wrong. Now THAT I can relate too. God I think, purposely did this as he knew there would not be one perfect person ever to hold the bible in their hands and that most of us can see traits of ourselves in these people no matter how old the book is...

Not sure if that has been a help or a hindrence to ya W.N but all the best for now...

philologos

Splendour wrote:

I am fascinated by the amount of prophecies in the OT that were foretold, so many of them about Jesus birth, life and death. It was fortold how he would die hanging on a tree long before the Romans were in power and introduced this cruel death.So many prophecies too about the Jews and how they would be scattered all over the world, how they would be despised and how eventually they would be brought back into their own land. We know from 1948 this homecoming has been taking place....

I find this all facinating too. I have been in awe at God's power right through the Old Testament. I have been reading from Genesis, and I have got to 2nd Kings. Started on Ash Wednesday reading passages each day. Utterly amazing the amount of prophecies, etc that have come true. I too found the references about God scattering the Jewish people across the world to be facinating also.

Splendour

Hey Jackkass, you're doing alot better than me; started Genesis about 2 months ago and only getting to Exodus now! The Holy Spirit obviously guiding me slower than you ;O)
Sorry folks this off topic...

JimiTime

I love the story of Elijah and the Ba'al worshippers. The ba'al worshipers are performing all kinds of rites to get ba'al to take their offering. Elijah then taunts them saying, maybe he's gone to the privy. very sarcy:) When he calls on Yehowah, his offering is consumed by fire, including the stones, the water and the dust. the 'former' ba'al worshippers fall to their knees giving glory to God. A personal fav of mine:D Its in 1 Kings 18 for those who wish to peruse it.

philologos

Yeah, that story is brilliant too That guy was quite clearly a legend (thanks to God of course). Just read that a few days ago.

BrianCalgary

My inspiration in the OT are Moses and Jonah.

Moses who commits murder and is forgiven and used by God to accomplish the great task of going one on one with themost powerful man in Egypt, and winning.

Jonah who tells God he doesn't want to obey and the garbage he goes through until he reluctatntly goes to Ninevah. Also how God shows such patience and mercy and grace to Ninevah. Also to be learned from this is Jonah's holier than thou attitude and his belief tha Ninevah didn't deserve saving.

PDN

I love the Parables of Jesus. Simple stories with a sting in the tail that just kept popping the balloons of all the inflated self-righteous religious leaders.

Fanny Cradock

Splendour wrote:

Hi Wicknight,

You are quite right in your assertion that the God of the Old Testament is, alot of the time, about wrath and genocide, but also amongst you will see his love running through the pages and lives of old testament characters. Take the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (as mentioned by Sangre),. Five times Abraham asked God if he would destroy S & G if there were any innocent people living there and five times God replied that he would not destroy it if this were so. He also sent two angels to warn Abrahams brother Lot and his family of what was going to happen so that they might escape. The angels told them not to look back and because Lot's wife did she was punished. Might sound severe to us, but who can question God's actions? Hench in this story we see patience,concern,understanding, love and punishment.
Most of the old testament reads like this and it is a reflection on how God deals with his people, both then and now.
With the coming of Jesus, punishment changed for everyone in that Jesus was sent to take out punishment if we allow him to.
I digress, sorry, now to your questions: What am I missing?

Reading the bible merely as a good historical read is fine, but to really understand it and be opened up to it's meaning one needs the Holy Spirit. ( I know you don't really wanna hear that, soz, but it's true). Try reading through Romans from chapters 1-12, but before you do, ask God 'if you are real, please open this book up to me.'

Second question: What parts of the bible particularly the old testament do I find inspiring?

This is a difficult one as so much of it is inspiring, and I'll try stick with the OT . I love how the OT is tied up so much with the NT. Right from the beginning in Genesis,( if one can get to grips with the Adam & Eve story ), we understand why the world is in the mess it is due to the fall of man. This to me when I discovered it was phenomenal as it explained so much of the crap in the world and in man.

I am fascinated by the amount of prophecies in the OT that were foretold, so many of them about Jesus birth, life and death. It was fortold how he would die hanging on a tree long before the Romans were in power and introduced this cruel death.So many prophecies too about the Jews and how they would be scattered all over the world, how they would be despised and how eventually they would be brought back into their own land. We know from 1948 this homecoming has been taking place...

And one more, and probably the most inspiring part of the OT (and NT) for me is the characters. They are not goody goody 'Flanders' type of people one would expect a 'God' to use, but rather normal everyday up people like you and me who somtimes got it right and sometimes got it wrong. Now THAT I can relate too. God I think, purposely did this as he knew there would not be one perfect person ever to hold the bible in their hands and that most of us can see traits of ourselves in these people no matter how old the book is...

Not sure if that has been a help or a hindrence to ya W.N but all the best for now...

good post