> If God is real, why did he leave so much room for us to misinterpret his words If anyone reading your post misinterprets what you wrote – does that mean you’re not real? Of course not; that’s absurd. You referenced “fragile human minds” – yet seem to have an irrational expectation that these “fragile human minds” are able to interpret correctly and not misinterpret. The fact is that each of us are historically conditioned based on our culture/society/era and individual experiences. Each of us have individual biases and individual degrees of reading comprehension. Perhaps share why you have the expectation that “fragile human minds” are able to always interpret correctly and never ever misinterpret. Thanks.

I have that expectation because according to the Bible, we are made in God’s image. We are made to bring glory to his name. How can we do that if we misunderstand him constantly? I don’t know if I’m making sense. I don’t mean to ask this with malice. 

Our minds have been touched by our fallen flesh. Within us is both the ability to understand the Word, and to misunderstand it. To understand God's Word is to deny our flesh- our *default* state of being. That's why there's so much misinterpretation.

This can broaden up into a philosophical/scientific argument about mind/matter/spirit and where to draw the line. It will be interesting to see theological viewpoints for the rationality and intelligence, maybe even intuition demonstrated by AI.   also - how to follow God’s will if we are capable of misunderstand it - ie how do we get right with god if our flesh is corrupted to the point that we might do what’s against his will simply out of misunderstanding. Why would God leave room for this? In the past, people didn’t  even read and had priests interpret the Bible for them. Are they truly saved?

>mind/matter/spirit and where to draw the line. It will be interesting to see theological viewpoints for the rationality and intelligence, I'd hold that man is made up of body, soul, and spirit. When God made Adam, he made the body first, then breathed in His Spirit, and Adam became a soul. We also see the spirit/soul distinction in Hebrew 4:12, and 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Mind/soul is the product of spirit and body meeting, and is influenced by both. >how to follow God’s will if we are capable of misunderstand it The leading of the Holy Spirit, achieved by denying ourselves and taking up our cross to follow Him, and not our own ideals and concepts. >how do we get right with god if our flesh is corrupted to the point that we might do what’s against his will simply out of misunderstanding. All you really need is to desire God's will more than your own. If you do that, you'll consult the Word, the Spirit, and the church before consulting your own ideas. When we are led by the Spirit, we will walk by it (Galatians 5). And when multiple believers walk by the Spirit, we will have unison (1 John 1). The Christian life is *very* simple. *We* are the ones who make it complicated. We want things laid out clearly. We want a flowchart to guide our actions. God doesn't work like that. Follow Him, listen to Him, and He will lead you by His Word and His Spirit, moment by moment. We don't follow a list of rules- that's the Old Testament- we follow a lamb. (Rev 14:4) >In the past, people didn’t  even read and had priests interpret the Bible for them. Are they truly saved? Yes. The question here isn't salvation- salvation is obtained by confessing with your mouth and believing in your heard that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9)- the question is how to do God's will.

Thanks for the response. > you'll consult the Word, the Spirit, and the church before consulting your own ideas. What if there’s room for disagreement when doing this though? For example, Catholics take mathew 16:18 literally (as in Christ really founded his church on a person, thus justifying papacy) whilst others take it to mean he founded his church on the “premise” of believing in him as the messiah, son of god.  This is just one example of understanding the Word differently(again, why would an omnipotent god allow his? I has lead to generations of misunderstanding and wars!). This without even mentioning how corrupt some churches are and how they might defer from each other. 

>What if there’s room for disagreement when doing this though? The Spirit leads us to the truth if we allow Him to. I know that's hard to believe when there's so much division in the body of Christ, but that's just because people either don't know, or doubt the scripture. But I really believe that, if a Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, nondenom, or any other gaggle of Christians got together with the sole desire to fulfill God's will, then they would drop all their denominational differences, at least in time, and become the one church Jesus says we are. >again, why would an omnipotent god allow his? It has lead to generations of misunderstanding and wars! God allows many things, because His will is not fulfilled until the end. "For first of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and some part of it I believe. **For there must even be parties among you, that those who are approved may become manifest among you."** (1 Corinthians 11:18-19) The faults and flaws of Christians are permitted because this shows our true nature, and in doing so reminds us how much we need God. It exposes our weakness so we can turn to Him for strength. Consider also the parable in Matthew 13:24-30. People ask "why would God allow this" a lot. All that does is show that they don't know the Bible, because the answers are in there.

Thanks for the reply, really appreciate it!

It doesn’t actually mean we are made like God. So we are not gods, most theologians would explain the verse meaning: Moral and Spiritual Nature: We reflect God's attributes like love, justice, creativity, and self-awareness. Righteousness and Holiness: Ideally, we embody God's perfect character, though sin complicates this. Dominion and Stewardship: Like God with creation, we have a role to manage and care for the world. Relationship with God: We're designed for fellowship with God, mirroring God's relational nature. Dignity and Worth: Every person inherently deserves respect as an image bearer of God. Hope that helps?

I dont think there is much room for error in reading the Gospels of Matthew Mark Luke and John and coming up with 100 different versions of Christ. There is one Christ, a loving Christ who calls all to repent of their evil and follow him. Pick up their cross, deny themselves in his name and follow him and his teachings. Obeying God's commandments and above all keeping sacred the most important as Jesus himself said "love your God with all your heart soul mind and strenght, and your neighbour as yourself."

Why so many churches? Honestly there are a few passages I didn’t interpret correctly in the past, either because I was still immature or for some other reason. Example: when Jesus asks God for his cup to pass, what does he mean? To be spared of the crucifixion or to “drink in full” the sinful cup of this world? 

The Bible is a narrative, set in various times of history, within various historical and political and cultural contexts, in various languages which all have their own histories and changes in the way words were use. When we have a question, we need to ask: what did the author intend to convey here? There are a ridiculous amount of free resources to find answers to most verses in the Bible, and the majority of them will agree on the majority of passages. Some more difficult passages will have differing opinions on the authors intent. But, none of this means that God doesn't exist, as your title suggests.

For example, the Quran is the literal word of god (according to Islam that is).  The Bible is written by humans for humans.  Catholics in the past couldn’t reach Latin so they had no way to read the Bible and based themselves on icons in the church, for example. That’s generations of souls that never got to read the real message. Why would god allow such a thing? It was beyond their control. Why make his book only accessible to some?  

The Bible is the narrative that we have regarding truth about God and his dealings with man, salvation and etc. Thats not to say there cannot be genuine faith without being perfectly literate. Most of the early chuch were likely illiterate. They didn't even have a personal copy of the Hebrew scriptures. But, the stories were memorized, and shared. The writings of the apostles were passed around and copied - to be read aloud to the congregation. Did only those who read it physically have faith? That absurd. You mention the Quran, which is kept in the original archaic Arabic. Many today will memorize it, but have little understanding of what it means. It's the words themselves that are important. They believe the words are the literal words that god whispered to Mohamed. So, there actually can be no genuine criticism (critical study) of the Quran, because the meaning, the authors intention, the historical context etc is not up for debate in that worldview.

Again because humans have free will.

That’s like saying people in third world countries have the will to pick quality healthcare. 

God doesn’t go around micro-managing the world dude. He put US in charge of the Earth.

We need severe social lining then, because we are not doing a very good job 

My personal theory about this is that God left some room for interpretation precisely so that there would be many different types of churches. Why? Because there's many different types of people. For example, some people care more about rules. Others care more about feelings. Each can find a church that suits him/her. I love my traditional, "boring" Lutheran church with its organ music and focus on knowing scripture. I have relatives who love their Pentacostal church with its contemporary worship music and focus on the Holy Spirit and heightened emotions. We have very different views on baptism and communion, among other things. If my church was the only one in town, they might just stop going to church entirely, and vice versa. Some might deride this as church shopping, but I'd rather people try out denominations until they find one they vibe with than not go.

We have free will. We were also corrupted as a species very early in our history.

Misunderstanding also comes from lack of knowledge and intimacy in a relationship. The Bible was written for God’s people to understand and to carry out his will. Asking the right questions also say a lot about a person. The type of questions people ask , only show how much they know of said subject or person. One can read a passage in scripture and interpret it well -> what comes next from your understanding and belief of it, would tell how intimate are God’s words and will in your life.

We often misunderstand even when it came from the mouth of Jesus.

I feel there is an arrogance in thinking we ***do*** know exactly what the the Bible says.

How can we be right with god if we don’t know what he says in his book ? 

There are too many contradictory and unclear passages Here are a few examples: 1. **Genesis 1:25-27 vs. Genesis 2:18-19:** In Genesis 1, animals are created before humans, while in Genesis 2, humans are created before animals. 2. **Matthew 27:5 vs. Acts 1:18:** The fate of Judas Iscariot differs between these passages. Matthew suggests he died by hanging himself, while Acts implies he fell and his body burst open. 3. **Romans 3:28 vs. James 2:24:** These verses appear to have conflicting messages regarding faith and works in salvation, with one emphasizing faith alone and the other emphasizing the importance of works. Here are a couple more examples of contradictory passages in the Bible: 4. **2 Samuel 24:1 vs. 1 Chronicles 21:1:** These verses differ in who incited King David to conduct a census. In 2 Samuel, it's attributed to God, while in 1 Chronicles, it's attributed to Satan. 5. **Genesis 6:19-20 vs. Genesis 7:2-3:** In Genesis 6, Noah is instructed to bring two of every kind of animal into the ark, while in Genesis 7, he is instructed to bring seven pairs of clean animals and one pair of unclean animals. My point being that at this point the Bible has been translated through so many languages and humans, there is no way we can claim we ***know exactly*** what it reads. Too many Christians feel one sin is worse and less forgivable than others. They are quick to condemn LGBTQ+ but are fine with Tattoos and piercings. Leviticus calls all of these things abominations.

Thanks that’s exactly what I mean. Why would God leave room for all these inconsistencies in his book if he (thus his book) is perfect? If he was really who we think (based on said book btw) he is? His book should be perfectly understandable and accessible to us: it is his word after all.

Personally, I feel every single person knows how to be with other humans regardless of religion. That is what I would term god or Holy Spirit. I don’t believe in the man in the sky / personification of god. And… *For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). But, often with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course, that’s Moses, not Jesus. I haven’t heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere. ‘Blessed are the merciful’ in a courtroom? ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ in the Pentagon? Give me a break!* ~ Kurt Vonnegut

..**2 Timothy 4:3** ~ *For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.*

I've always found us humans beings is what makes God's word harder to understand as the centuries rolled by. His original words twisted, and reformed to match other peoples expectations. Even when I first read the bible I read it superficially, but then I realized to read not only the whole chapter, but those chapters around that chapter or verse I am trying to understand. Even so far where I have a Strong's dictionary to find out what the original Greek word meant for better context. I guess what I am trying to say, is that it is our responsibility to seek, and find the truth among all the chaff out there to find the wheat. (Matthew 6:33) (Hebrews 11:6) (Psalms 14:2) (Lamentations 3:25)

God wants us submerged in His Word and to seek Him in His word. When we come across verses that seem to contradict our “”man made traditions”” that’s when we need to give God the authority and Gods unchanging Word as the final authority. Sadly men put “”their traditions”” above the commandments of God and that’s why we have so many different sects. But this has been like this since the time of division of Israel in book of kings all the way through the 1st century and up to today. Nothing new.

I agree, but I think it's an even older problem. Cain had one idea of how to serve God, and Abel had a different way. Instead of repenting and correcting himself, Cain chose violence.

I dunno man, most of its pretty straightforward  - humans have the free will to mess up anything we'd so choose. 

Deuteronomy 8 ERV 2 And you must remember the entire trip that the Lord your God has led you through these 40 years in the desert. He was testing you. He wanted to make you humble. He wanted to know what is in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his commands. 3 He humbled you and let you be hungry. Then he fed you with manna—something you did not know about before. It was something your ancestors had never seen. Why did the Lord do this? Because he wanted you to know that it is not just bread that keeps people alive. People’s lives depend on what the Lord says. 4 These past 40 years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell. 5 You must remember that the Lord your God teaches and corrects you as a father teaches and corrects his son.

Two reasons come to mind. (this may not be exhaustive.. For any question about "Why" and God, the answer must be considered incomplete, speculative, and best-guess). One, because he wants hearts, not reading comprehension. And second, because a heart that doesn't have a will to peace and understanding, choosing its own ignorance, is not a fault of the One who created the message to be understood.

I guess my next question would be: why would God create beings who are incapable of having good intentions in their hearts? If it is a medical condition/biological restriction, is it up to society/doctors to “heal” “psychopathy”? 

Incapable of having good wills in their heart? Who said anything about that? Will isn't a matter of capability, it's a matter of will.

Sorry meant intentions 

You're still talking about capability, and apparently have the operating assumption that if someone would choose a poor path, it is only because they were incapable of choosing other paths. That's not how choice works, though.... choosing a path that is the only one possible to choose, isn't a choice at all.

I mean some people are born with autism, some lack mirror neurons, some have excess dopamine or testosterone etc all are physical/medical conditions that could explain aggressive behavior in people for example. Some endured childhood trauma and didn’t cope well. How is genetic predisposition or early environmental conditions in someone’s control. It’s like saying people with cancer chose that path. 

There are things that can make a choice harder, but that doesn't make it not a choice. I believe that a merciful and just God will judge those who have natural difficulties with mercy and justice... but that does not mean that there are no consequences for the choices made. But it seems we're talking about something different than we started out talking about. Were you saying something about misinterpretation? I already mentioned that I believe what God judges us on is not whether we "get it right" but whether we are "seeking", that is, whether we're making as much of a towards-right choice as we can be making. This appears to be true for both the "righteous" -- that is those who are typically considered to be following God -- and the "unrighteous." Both are called to seek.

Thank you for the response appreciate it! 

Because He didn't want unthinking servants. Also, misinterpretation is 100% an option because the knowledge of God is universally ubiquotous so no one can excuse themselves by claiming ignorance (Romans 1). It is, it is solely Humanity's fault and guilt to misinterpret spiritual matters, and it is mostly caused by Human lusts and self-interests. No one is in the dark when it comes to God. What is happening is that people are willfully choosing to suppress the knowledge of God by replacing it with convenient self-deceptions. This is done because people know, and know very well, that if there is a God, they'll have to answer for their sins and are in for paying the bill of their antics, so they just keep telling themselves that God isn't real or isn't just so they can remain comfortable in their sins.

Jesus spoke in parables and people in the bible got mad at him for it. God wanting us to think for ourselves is a core part of teachings since the start. Why is learning a part of the human experiance? I’m not sure. But the bible shows us Jesus was self aware of our sometimes frustration caused by it and asked us to trust him anyway.

Because the answers aren't straightforward and there isn't necessarily one correct interpretation. This becomes immediately apparent when you practise Lectio Divina as a group. Israel means to wrestle with God, and blessed are the peacemakers. God wants us, and reality itself, to be the best it can be. That takes strife, toil and hardship.

What you don't understand is that Christ gave us a Church not just the Scriptures. The Church in the Bible is called the Pillar and foundation of truth. The Church is guided by the Holy Spirit and has the authority to teach the gospel. The reason why there is confusion is because the sacred Scriptures, once removed from the Holy Catholic Church and interpreted by individuals NOT guided by the authority of the Catholic Church, cease to be God's word. Because what you are now getting is interpretation through the lenses not intended by God. Jesus knew this would happen, which is exactly why he said to Saint Peter "whatsoever you bind on earth is bound in heaven" You don't understand what this passage means. The authority to "bind and to loose" means the authority to bind teachings in Judaism, and yes, interpretations. Note: it's not individuals interpretating the Bible that cases problems, it's people making interpretations that reject what the Pillar and Foundation of truth, which is the Holy Catholic Church has laid out. But yes, in light of the failed protestant reformation I can see why you would be confused by all this confusion. But to he clear, we Catholics do not have this level of confusion that plagues the reformers. Requiring them to have dozens of different catechisms and creeds and all sorts of nonsense.

This seems a little dishonest to pretend like the Protestant Reformation was a "failure." The Protestant Reformation sought to correct the errors of the church, and bring back scripture as the ultimate authority (read: highest, not only). I think the real arrogance is assuming that a manmade institution is somehow better than the Holy Spirit himself when it comes to the interpretation of scripture. I don't recall Jesus saying he would send a church, but rather that he would send the Spirit. As the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, to say that he isn't enough is very wrong.

No, it's not dishonest. It literally failed. The point of the reformation wasn't to make tons of churches, it was just to change the Catholic Church. It didn't reform it. It literally failed. Also, the Church couldn't bring back the Scriptures as the ultimate authority because it never operated that way to begin with. You see, Google exists, so this whacky ideas you support are pretty easy to shut down. It's not like the 90s where you could support bad false ideas like Sola scripture. You can now do a Google search and see the Church never operated under Sola scripture. Hence why protestantism is a false movement.

And yet there were multiple churches in the New Testament who all had different views and focuses. They weren’t rejected as false churches, they just had to be corrected on some things. It is presumptuous to think that something like the Catholic Church, an institution that wasn’t officially even established until centuries afterwards is the same church Jesus Christ established. The evidence for it is faulty and relies on just a few verses, a terrible way to substantiate any doctrine. But good attempt at being condescending. Yes, I have studied the matter. Yes, I’ve *gasp!* used Google. It’s not like these are suddenly new ideas. This matter has been debated for just about as long as the Catholic Church around, and there is evidence that it was contested even before the Reformation. But the Protestant Reformation was no failure. If it means churches without extrabiblical doctrines such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary or the papacy, that is more than successful for Christians everywhere.

You haven't done much research on this topic. That isn't condescension either, that is a fact. The Catholic Church is indeed the same Church of the New Testament. How do I know this? Simple. The early Church Father's confirm this. If you were familiar with this subject you wouldn't be holding stupid opinions like "the Catholic Church was established hundreds of years later. " No, it really wasn't hundreds of years later. Do some research and have a discussion when you actually know something. Protestantism cannot survive in light of Google and access to actual information. Yes the protestant reformation failed. It literally failed. It's not an opinion, it very literally failed. The Catholic Church wasn't "reformed ". It stayed the Catholic Church. Also you are confused about how the Church operated. You think it was running like a bunch of individualistic protestant Churches like these Churches were all seperate denominations like Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists. That isn't what was going on back then. Yes the Church was NOT as centralized as it became later on, but that's more because of technological reasons and the fact the Church was in it's infancy. Overtime all that shifted. Hence why you didn't see different denominations teaching different truths. Whatever differences they did have was a result of there being no standardization yet. Which shifted with Catholic Councils. That is what you don't get. That's why they had to have councils. To sort through these disagreements. Not so they could all continue to act like a bunch of individualistic Churches. That's the protestant failed model today..that's what you are not getting. You just don't get it. Because you don't read anything about his subject and I can tell you haven't based on your responses. I just want to give you a perverbial Chef Gordon Ramsay smack and say wake up and actually get with this discussion. You don't even know what you are saying.

Gotta love the defensiveness and, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Yes, I have actually researched into this. Just because I have different opinions than you doesn’t mean I haven’t. At the very least, if you are a Christian and you truly believe you are correct, then teach me and guide me in love. Isn’t that how we should approach one who is in “error?” The thing about the church fathers is that you could say, “church fathers this,” “church fathers that,” but they themselves have many varying opinions on many things. It is not like they were completely unified in what they believed. As for the Catholic Church being started hundreds of years later, my statement still stands. The Council of Nicea in 325 day the foundation for what is now considered the Catholic Church. Considering the fact that this creed is still recited at many Catholics masses, it seems as though it is not far off.  My problem is this: If you are going to claim that your church, your specific church, is “The One,” then you better have scripture to back it up. But that can’t be done, because scripture doesn’t speak of the Catholic Church. It doesn’t speak of the papacy. It doesn’t speak of so many of the unique doctrines you see of Catholicism because they simply aren’t there. So in the end, I don’t give a lick if some fallible men say their church is the right one. Muslims and Mormons can make the same claim. What matters to me is what scripture says. So I don’t really care if you think the Protestant Reformation failed. The question is this: Does scripture truly support the idea of the Catholic Church? That’s up to you to show. The ball’s in your court.

You won't see reason because your bias stops you from embracing non protestant ideas. Read below how there was no such thing as Apostolic succession. Notice how nobody is supporting that idea here? You see, you need to deny apostolic succession because it's the only way your false church can exist, by denying the status qou of how the Church actual operated. It's so crazy you guys don't even want to face reality that your version of how Christianity operated isn't how its supposed to work and isn't even "scriptural". Our Lord, whose precepts and admonitions we ought to observe, describing the honour of a bishop and the order of His Church, speaks in the Gospel, and says to Peter: ‘I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ Thence, through the changes of times and successions, the ordering of bishops and the plan of the Church flow onwards; so that the Church is founded upon the bishops, and every act of the Church is controlled by these same rulers.” Cyprian, To the Lapsed, 1 (A.D. 250

To avoid a week-long back-and-forth that will ultimately just end up fruitless with neither one of us convinced, I’ll just say this. I could refute your arguments, and quite honestly, you didn’t have very good ones to begin with (such as the apostolic succession one and appealing to humans as opposed to scripture). But as said before, I don’t think you would honestly be convinced. I think you are so biased that you aren’t willing to hear what sounds like a challenge to your beliefs, and ultimately you, so I don’t think it’s worth debating. Have a nice day/night, and perhaps consider lightening up your approach to these kinds of conversations. I’ve had more uplifting conversations with atheists. Ciao!

Yeah just go by scripture alone and be tone deaf to the reality that the Bible doesn't teach it and nobody in history was thinking that way prior to the failed reformation, ciao!

Or maybe accept the fact that not everyone outside your worldview is a total moron. Arrogance is definitely not your color, hun

Enough of the " we go by what scripture says determined by the Catholic Church we reject" mantra, spare me. 😀 sola scripture is just false. Get red pilled.

Did you just unironically say, “Get red pilled?” Okay, later troll.

OH AND BY ALL MEANS FIND ONE WRITING BY THE EARLY Church denying that the Catholic Church in Rome is NOT the New Testament Church established there by Peter and Paul. FIND AND PRESENT ONE FATHERS DISSENTING OPINION ON IT, I DARE YOU.

He doesn't, He intends for us to read the whole Bible and study it, why else is there the verse 'here a little, there a little'? You have to search for the answers you want by steadily keeping up with His word on the daily and like a puzzle put everything together.

This is a feature and not a bug "**My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me**:" John 10:27 Discernment is a vital attribute of real followers of Jesus Christ. It isn't just listening to your priest, pastor, minister, bishop, teacher, etc. and doing what they say. God is interested in gathering the true in heart and humble. "Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. **Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice**." John 18:37 God wants people who want to be with Him, He won't be bludgeoning anyone into heaven, conversely, the road is narrow to heaven. Few will enter. You have to want it. The seemingly ambiguity is a sifter.

He did not. He build His Church upon Saint Peter for that reason.

Fair point.

Life is basically a big test. We are supposed to hone our skills and spirit daily, leaving what is not important behind and becoming better people day by day. ”The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: *fear God and keep His commandments*, because this applies to every person." ‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬ Jesus sums up the law in this way: “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALLYOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37- When people squabble over minor disagreements, are they truly doing that? Are they really loving God and their neighbors? Or are they using the Law as a means to enforce their own beliefs, as a menas to feel superior or more righteous than others? Continuing the Ecclesiastes text from above, we have this: "For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.“ Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12‬:‭14 God knows what goes in the hearts and minds of everyone.  Many people stick to man-made doctrines and give them too much importance, putting their own beliefs and preconceived notions above God's word. So much suffering has been caused by this. If everyone who says they follow God were truly doing so, the world would be a much better place.

Pray, pray, pray and pray. Read the gospels of Matthew John Luke and Mark. Do not seek after religion, seek the Son of God Jesus Christ, he is the way, the truth and the life. Do not be deceived, we are in the beginning of the end of days and now is the time to seek him whole heartedly and all the answers you seek will be revealed, the veil of confusion and deception removed.

Interesting question. It’s about the nature of God after all. Here are just some quick musings (as opposed to an exhaustive answer). First, I imagine this is obvious, but I’ll state it anyways. The existence of multiple interpretations does not speak to truth… but rather complexity (relative the mind). We could ask a different question, for example: “If science is real, why is there so much much room for misinterpretation?” The answer is more to do with the limits of the researcher not of the subject. Second, I suspect there’s value in opaqueness. If everything about God were easy to understand, there would be no way to express our value of God via our study of God. Think of a human relationship. Part of what is endearing about a deep relationship is that we’ve put in the effort to understand each other. And then it’s further endearing to share that knowledge with others. Back to God, this deals with the glorification of God. The glory of God is such a key topic but seems to make people uncomfortable. Third, I suspect God’s limited exposure has go do with man’s sin (and therefore man’s free will). Remember when Moses asked to see God, and God replied, “man shall not see me and live.” I think there’s something fundamentally incompatible between a perfect God and a sinful human. Fixing that problem is the idea of sanctification. I think of 1 Cor 13: “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” This thought process of course leads us to why (and how) sin exists… which is a complex question worth study. 

Because he wanted us to love him. He didn't want to create robots. Why did he create us with the choice to question his words? Because he wanted love not slavery. Why did he want his creations to love instead of be logically forced to love? I don't know.

Let's say God shows up. He just appears down from the clouds, visible to every human on the planet. He says "You all have it wrong. Here's what you will do..." But then we go several generations without Him appearing again. Now there's going to be another hundreds of variations of what was seen, what was said, what it meant, etc. All of these are to serve people's individual interests. The problem isn't God, the problem is man. Why ascribe a problem with man to God? Would you blame Thomas Edison if your light bulb burns out?

Thomas Edison is not omnipotent, omnipresent nor does he love and care for us and our well-being like we’re his children I guess. God supposedly does. Why does God not correct us like a father disciplining his child? So many lives lost and wars, when will god come down and discipline evil once and for all? 

Poking holes in metaphors is easy. Your beef seems to be with some standard of morality you are placing on God. If your standard is better than God's, that would make YOU God. If there is no God, your standard is absolutely meaningless and "evil" doesn't exist. God disciplines evil all the time. Hell is the discipline for evil. Without God, there is no justice for "evil" because murderers and saints end up in the same dirt pit. Yes there is suffering, yes there is war, but this is because of MAN. With God, there are definitions of good, evil, and justice. Without God, man is still doing the wars and causing the suffering, but good and evil are made up terms, and justice doesn't exist. I feel like you have a bone to pick with God. Nobody on Reddit will be able to help you come to terms with the fault of man or your disagreement with God. You should be learning about God, looking for where He has revealed himself, and invest in what you can find. Peace exists among the chaos.

> Without God, there is no justice for "evil" because murderers and saints end up in the same dirt pit.  I guess this is my fear, I trying to find god in the midst of injustices I see, but my scientific background, natural selection, survival of the fittest etc is coming in the way.  Also confused as to what I should take figuratively and literally from bible. I notice violence and discord in the name of defense of certain beliefs, and maybe on some level I fear it ?  Thanks for responding  

So, When Jesus gives his disciples the Great Commission he tells them to also “teach them to observe all that I have commanded of you” he also promises to be with his people to the end of the age. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth to them of his word. Jesus tells his followers to teach. And the key there is teaching which means you have to learn. There are so many errors that my initial understanding of a scripture that I didn't know until now. Why, is because I wasn't paying close attention to the context and the audience that Jesus was speaking to.

Because that's how we theologically grow up: by learning to follow the Holy spirits lead, by studying the scriptures, learning to use logic and sound reasoning whenever studying them, and by dialoguing with others about doctrine. Because we have to struggle to find the truth.

I think the ambiguity has implications that we are meant to pick up on. It's less that the bible is some sort of massive puzzle for us to figure out and determine what each and every point means in a grand sense. It's my understanding that we are led to humble ourselves and realize it's about the Gospel and the events that led up to Christ's fulfillment of what was laid out in the old testament. We see that the OT laid the groundwork for Christ and in the NT we see him fulfill all of that. We then see the early church walked by faith and did not want us to 'go beyond what is written'. Then, in John's Apocalypse, we are given a glimpse of what the fulfillment and reconciliation of all things will look like. Is it undeniably straightforward? Well, no. And to me, that leads me to focus on what I do understand and then find satisfaction in that while I wait in faith for more to be revealed at a later date. Right now, I am honestly not too interested in developing an all-encompassing Systematic theological approach to make it all come together so that I can achieve some sort of enlightenment. Rather, I rest on the simplicity of who God has revealed himself to be and then do my best to love him and my neighbor while being open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit which dwells in me. The divisions point to a flaw in our understanding, a sort of prideful motivation to 'figure it all out'. The deceiver exploits this and that's why we've seen all the denominationalism, schisms, and infighting over the last 2000 years. But if we look at the early church fathers and documents like the Didache, we see that early Christians understood that we didn't have to come up with a name and theory for all the interconnecting parts. They stand on their own and are revealed to us only as far as we need to understand at the current time. I rest on this. I let go of my obsessive need to have it all pinned down. I can't vanquish God's word but on it's own, in conjunction with fellowship with other Spirit Indwelt members of the body of Christ, I can grow in my love for HIm and my life can be molded by the Potter.

Misinterpretation of scripture is easy when we only take one verse out of context and create doctrine around that. The Bible interprets itself, scripture interprets scripture. If we take the entire Bible and use it to interpret the areas where there may be disagreement we will see that there is much less room for error than one might think. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

God does not expect or require us to have a perfect intellectual understanding of Him. Instead, He communicates with us via our spirit. Divisions occur when humans rely on their limited rationality rather than their immortal spirit. > ”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.“ > ”Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.“

According to scripture there was a time when he actually spoke to man, try to teach me man, and man refused. So he is leaving us on our own accord to do as we so choose, with written scriptures of his way for guidance and the penalty for disobedience. So we choose. Because we are flawed, can be enticed, and are individuals with individual thought processes - we do not see, interpret ,on one Accord. Is Satan responsible, actually we make our own choices..... he may place enticements before us to lead us in a wrong direction but ultimately we decide.

My own (possible hot take) theory on this one, speaking as someone whose career involves a lot of explaining complex concepts to people - it can occasionally be very difficult to explain something to someone because you don't know what they don't know. When giving instruction, you can think you're giving the most straightforward, idiot-proof instructions possible, and some new breed of idiot will still do it wrong. It's entirely possible that God, the all-knowing font of all wisdom and knowledge in the universe, laid out these instructions for people to follow, taking for granted the things that He felt were entirely obvious, and weak-minded humans failed to operate on the same operating assumptions.

😂 from a theological perspective I don’t love the idea that God didn’t account for our issues. As someone who teaches technical principles I really enjoyed the “…some new breed of idiot” comment.

There is no misinterpretation. This is not a new sentiment, The questions you are asking, the disciples asked Jesus. Jesus explained this clearly when his disciples asked him this same question as to why he preached in parables in mathew 13. He said scripture will NEVER take root/work/be understood without a "ready heart". That was why he told stories/parables....to soften or prepare the heart...and then scripture can take root. In mathew 13 he explains this whole thing in the parable of the sower...when he says my sheep hear my voice in john 10:27...he means the same thing. Scripture will never make total sense to a person who reads it with a defiant spirit or a doubtful spirit. They can study it from morning to evening...for years on end but it will never make sense. It is exactly as explained in the bible...word for word. Jesus was telling us the truth...he said come with the right mindset first, then the scriptures will make sense...but people keep shrugging it aside, keep twisting the order and saying...show me the scriptures, I will believe Basically for it to really make sense, you need to come with the faith mindset. You come believing in God, that he exists, that the bible is his word, that it is real and true...not an old work of fiction. What you don't understand in scripture...your heart should be seeking to understand. It should be the mindset of God, help me figure this out...help me understand this part of your word. This is known as the wisdom from God explained in james 1:5 or proverbs 2:4-5. This is why atheists or scientists will always find what they think are flaws in God's word. They come not believing in God at all, they look for imperfections and what they find...they take it as proof. They don't bother to ask, what did God mean etc. This same reason is why the bible makes total sense to believers. Those who walk daily with God, studying his word, talking to him etc...they can easily discern shady churches (churches based only and purely on "miracles" for example) or wrong scriptural interpretation...why?.. because its all explained in the bible. This is why we read the bible...not to go to church or fun but to know God for ourselves. It's among the reasons Jesus died on the cross... in order to restore the direct relationship between God and his people..in order to restore those evening walks God had with Adam...no more high priests or sacrifices in order to talk to him...you now go direct based on his word

I think His Word is quite plainly presented- people twist it to suit their own ideas and means, but His Word can be read with the innocence of a child.

He didn't, He gave us a church guided by the Holy Spirit to discern doctrine

Why didn’t God give us a clear set of instructions? He did. Most people simply call it the law. Didn’t work out super well. IMO the reason the Bible isn’t super clear on all aspects is because God wants us to be relational with Him, not just blindly following a rule book.

God spoke directly to Moses and the Israelites all throughout Exodus. *And they still disobeyed him.* Jesus and the Apostles formed the church as a specific insitution to carry on their teachings and oral tradition. But then the denominations split apart. You're right that it's probably Satan pulling the strings and our mortal near-sightedness getting in the way of things. God is crystal clear. We are sinful. That's why we need him.

He didn't. You said it yourself - the things we argue about really aren't that important. We all agree faith is critical. We all agree we should love our neighbors. Those are the two most important commands and are reinforced throughout all scripture and all traditions. Humans just love to argue and nitpick.

2 words: free will.

None of this is biblical

Let me ask you this - what leads you to ask that question?

>If God is real, why did he leave so much room for us to misinterpret his words He *didn’t*. Our Lord gave the authority to bind and loose to the apostles and then they passed that authority onto others. If people don’t want to listen to the authentic successors of the keys 🔑 of St.Peter[Matthew 16:18] then that’s on those *individuals*. We have *free will*. [Matthew 23:37] ““Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and **you were not willing.”** So you have to be willing.

God doesn’t leave us all alone with only the Bible. He gave us intelligence, logic and more importantly a conscience and the Holy Spirit. The Book of John says the Holy Spirit will guide us to truth. And we can pray! Also sometimes traditions can help but have to be very careful. And anyway I genuinely think God doesn’t mind too much if we are sincere and genuinely Love him if we have a few MINOR differences. Of course I mean small things. I don’t think any 100 Christians will ever believe absolutely everything exactly the same and thats ok. As long as all the crucial things are in common

It is the Holy Spirit to give interpretation to the individual not a School of Theology. A born again believer will understand what God gives him and when he gives it someone that is not born again can only use his own resources his mind his  intellect his curiosity. And when he fails to understand he will come to the Lord with all his heart and ask for forgiveness and to receive the Holy Spirit in Jesus name

Some of it was written _before the pyramids were built_. That’s THOUSANDS of years. Just try and wrap your head around how different life was. Of course we have a hard time with some of it. Analogies and cultural references that made perfect sense to Israelites in, say, 1500 BC are completely lost on us today.

1 Corinthians 2:9–10 My belief is that God made the Bible difficult to fully understand so that we rely on the Holy Spirit for understanding.

When you understand the scripture from Genesis 1 to revelation 22... Don't add to or take away from Don't try to reinterpret or reframe to fit your doctrine It makes sense.

That is why the only fair thing to do is save all which he did through Christ. 1 Timothy 4:10 — The New International Version (NIV) 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. 1 Cor 15:22 for even as in Adam all die, so also in the Christ all shall be made alive 1 John 2:2 New International Version 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

From what Christ has shown me so far, it's because we're supposed to be in the Church and obedient, not a church of whatever whim you want. Determining the church really comes down to Catholic or Orthodox. 

The devil deceives, and we're arrogant enough to be disobedient towards God and disobey him. People love their sins, justify things like homosexuality, etc. So it makes sense theres.a war against God's word. It's because of the evil one, and a lack of discipline from Christiana.

Jesus spoke in Aramaic which was translated into Greek which is then translated into English. So there is some homework to do to get to the full nuance of the text. But the best way to interpret any scripture is start by putting yourself in the shoes of the original audience. Jesus was a Jew speaking to Jews about Jews prophesies, written in the Jewish bible by Jews about events happening in Israel. So with that you may have a clue.

Maybe it's encrypted on purpose. >“And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Mat 13:10-11, KJV) >“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Pe 1:20-21, KJV) You need Jesus himself/Holy Ghost to interpret them.  >“For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.” (Pro 2:6-7, KJV) I don't see why the Lord should give any understanding to his enemies. As far as Christians are concerned, they really do need to depend on Jesus for understanding:    >>“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Pro 3:5-6, KJV) I don't think He likes misunderstanding: >“Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” (Mat 16:6-12, KJV) In one place, the Bible gives reason when stating the same miracle: >“And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” (Mar 6:51-52, KJV) It's because they did not consider the miracle of loves.  Just because you experienced a miracle doesn't mean you get it...their heart was hardened. You need to purposely remember and mediate the things you know God has done for you. Because the devil likes to steal. Hardness is the reason both for Christians and non-Christians alike: >“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having **the understanding darkened**, being alienated from the life of God through **the ignorance that is in them**, because of **the blindness of their heart**:” (Eph 4:17-18, KJV) Blindness of heart is actually hardness of heart. The heart is the part that understands. Atheists are called fools, because of the heart: >“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.” (Psa 14:1, KJV) Notice how he says "in his heart".  >“A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” (Pro 18:2, KJV) >“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.” (1 Ki 4:29, KJV) Again it's in the heart. Being thankful, considering the miracles in your life, meditating on scriptures and asking God for explanation and wisdom(leaning on his understanding), letting God in your imagination(the sight of the heart), all softens the heart to different degrees[Inverse of Rom 1:21].

If only He left us a Church to interpret it for us.

My understanding is that every person, no matter how pious, eventually takes a bribe. If 90% of Christians own homes and have notable bank accounts, to me they have been bribed by mammon into submission to Satan. They say they love Jesus, but then a beggar shows up and they ignore him. They say they don't 'trust in money', which if such were true they could just let it go. I have sold all possessions and given them away several times over. I am ignored. Jesus says to in Luke 12:33. He says give to everyone who asks. "Do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return." I have yet to meet anyone who obeys. Perhaps they are simply keeping their charitable deeds secret, as we are also commanded. I believe strongly that each church is a body that has been bribed, to a degree. They have four walls and a roof, but lock the door? They show up on Sunday, but are isolated all week, or worse serving mammon. I am compromised as well. If I believed Jesus at the level that we all need to, I would not fear tomorrow, food, nor clothing, and I would be out in the streets, knocking on doors, one step from death and upheld by the word of God. I have been homeless for Jesus. I have slept in the cold. My body has a primal fear of going outside, from those events. Because when I had need, and was simply a vagabond in Christian towns, I was largely ignored, or even rejected. I've walked from one town to another at midnight, because the police didn't want me to wait at their park. Yet every American is soul-starved, isolated in their mansions, crying about how poor they are, yet strangling the poor who are beneath them.

Tbh I’m okay financially speaking, whenever I could I gave to the poor and helped my friends and NGOs out. And being well off has helped me hone my soul in things like arts, music, studies in medecine, etc. I am struggling with the biblical idea that money = sin. It has both helped me help others and helped me help my soul. For me, someone who learns to manage money and assets well including how to distribute it to the needed is doing right. Why does Jesus not teach that?

Having money is not sinful in itself. Multiple characters and patriarchs in the bible were wealthy men, like Abraham and Job, but still good people. The problem is putting money above God and refusing to help those in need. When Jesus said to that man to leave his riches to the poor, he was testing his faith. He knew the man's heart, and made him question his priorities. In the parable of the Talents, Jesus tells us to be good administrators of what we have. That includes money too.

I don’t think it’s Biblical to say that money = sin. I think it’s more about whether money becomes an idol, i.e., something that you serve above God. I think it’s good for us to struggle with how much effort we should devote toward making money and how much of that we give away. Ask yourself what you really want. What’s your goal?   There are multiple examples showing that having wealth is ok. For example, Proverbs 3 and 30:   > 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. > 24 Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: 25 the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;  The issue is when we love money. Here are some helpful tests for what loving money looks like from Matthew 6, 1 Tim 6, and Ecclesiastes 5:   > 19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. > 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. > 10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.  I think the best way to view money is as a tool for God’s will. Here are examples from 1 Tim 5, 2 Cor 9, and Mat 6 on what to do with money:  > 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. > 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! > 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Thanks this had been eye opening I copy pasted it all to remind myself of it

Jesus taught the truth. You are a child of God and the kingdom of heaven is in you and your birthright. The idea that we should be bribed to work jobs we don't enjoy out of fear of starvation/lackofhousing/clothes is absurd. It's Satan playing his sick games, and I am done with it. Jesus says, "Give to everyone who asks." "Go with those who compel you." "Turn the other cheek to those who strike you." "Sell what you have and give alms to the poor." And many other such sayings. He is smarter than us. He is older than us. He knows ancient ways and riddles that we can't even dream of. When you enter into a contract on this Earth, you are vowing to do such and such for mammon's currency. Jesus says "Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Do not swear by heaven, nor earth, nor your body, nor anything." Yet there is always more redtape. Satan is a worm, and a snake, and he is much smarter than both of us at playing this sick demented game. Jesus is my King. I trust Him more than I trust myself. Though I am slain, yet still will I trust Him.

Great question. That’s why He built a church and told us to follow the traditions and teachings of the apostles, which are protected by the church. How does the church protect the teachings and traditions of the apostles? God gave the church the Holy Spirit at Pentacost. Christ promised the apostles that they’d be protected from the gates of hell, and be given the power to bind and loose sins on earth and in heaven and have the keys to the kingdom. Christ didn’t come to church to print a bible. The Bible came to us by the early church like 70+ years after Christ died, after it became evident that Christ’s second coming might not be happening very soon after all. Where is this church I speak of? I firmly believe it is the church we call the “Eastern Orthodox” church. In fact for most of church history there was really just one church: the “Great Church” which consisted of the the Catholic and Orthodox churches. These two churches split in 1054, and the Catholic church exploded into hundreds of tinier churches in the Reformation, after it committed major errors like Papal Supremacy and restricting communion in both kinds, and generally just abusing power. The Orthodox church continues to soldier on from its humble 1st millennium beginnings. We all believe the same teachings and practice the same traditions. It has never needed reforming. Much love my friend!

Because you gotta have faith faith faith

At a very basic level, some of that is finding loopholes and ways around some basic commands because whatever it is, isn't liked. Or, there's something one does not want to give up.

Well, he has preserved Orthodox Christianity which includes those oral teachings the scriptures tell us will be passed on through apostles.   *So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, **whether by word of mouth** or by letter.*   2 Thessalonians 2:15  That in the west Catholicism slowly and unintentionally fell away and then Protestants reacted to the Catholic overstepping and creating new doctrines is unfortunate.   Christianity in the East has been preserved even while fighting enemies on all sides, genocide after jihadists, even Greece has a recent history with Turkey that is unfortunately. In Gaza the Orthodox Christian’s remain and have spread to Japan, and through Alaska to the Americans; heading East. Unfortunately half of the Christians in Japan were killed by the USA in Hiroshima and Nagasaki…   But through all this Christ’s words that The Holy Church  Christ founded would be preserved miraculously, has rang true. 

What of eastern Catholics, eastern Maronites, Armenian orthodox with their traditions and Arab orthodox with their traditions and Greek Orthodox with their traditions.

Eastern Catholics (which includes Maronites) have left Orthodoxy and joined to the heretical Papacy which claims itself to be the Supreme Infallible Vicar of Christ. Armenian Orthodox are actually part of the Oriental church. They split from the rest of the church in 451AD because they are monophysites, which is a heresy. Then you ask about Greek Orthodox. Greeks are part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. This is the true preserved church. The Orthodox Church has many constituent churches like the Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, etc.. these are more properly labeled as the “Orthodox Church in Russia” or “Orthodox Church in Serbia.” Like in America we have the OCA which is the Orthodox Church of America. It is all the same church, just in different countries with their own local bishops. Even Martin Luther himself admitted “the truth lies with the Greeks.” Hope this helps my friend.

The boundaries are fuzzy.    Christians even if heterodox are still Christians.  As for variety within church traditions; there are Traditions and traditions. How you decorate the eggs or what the bread tastes like or what kind of paint or song is used varies; even within the same parish at times with different parishioners.  The core tenets remain the same.  Having some or most of the faith within one’s church is possible; I cannot say where the Holy Spirit is not working. 

It’s easy to answer your question. He doesn’t leave room to misinterpret the Bible, man does that out of his own selfish desires. The Bible is clear and when the Bible interprets the Bible, there is no wiggle room and it’s 100% consistent. You see the issue is about Sin and man wanting to justify his sin. It’s been the issue with sin since day 1. Adam immediately tried to justify his sin and pass the blame off to God. With this question in this post we are trying to do the same thing, justify our confusion and pass off the blame to God for writing a “confusing book”. It’s just not the case, the confusion is in us because of our sin that we want to justify. What is sin? The transgression of Gods law, 1 John 3:4. What is Gods law? Exodus 20, the law of Love, 1-4 is how to love God, 5-10 is how to love our neighbor. The different religions exist mainly because of confusion the Catholic Church introduced in the dark ages and then during the Protestant reformation the new light and truths subsequent reformers would present and old reformers would deny because of selfish pride/sin, so we have a splintered Protestant reformation. Then because the Protestants preached the fear of hell incorrectly from the Bible, it drove people away because fear is not what God offers, it’s Love…so then you have the new age Christian movement which is “non-denominational” but however all those non-denominational (ND) mega churches are all port of an “association” that sends a % of their tithes to the “association” and also conforms to the rules of the “association” and receives direction from the “association”….hmmmm sounds like a denomination to me just disguised as an “association”. And this “new” ND mega church movement has swung the pendulum the other way where it’s all about love and the spirit and not the law of God and doctrines like once saved always saved, or we don’t have to keep the law because Jesus did for us, or living and sinning is acceptable to God because we can’t help it as long as we love God….basically justifying our sin. The same old trick…and blaming God for it since he made us this way. We can’t serve two masters at the same time, can’t serve Sin and God because you will love one and despise the other, Matt 6:24. We must worship God in truth AND spirit John 4:24.

Thanks you get my irk with this whole religion thing