..... As for what you just said.....You pick and choose what you believe? .....

I don't use bible quotes so I can't answer for those who do as to the whys....

As for what you just said.....You pick and choose what you believe? and you call that faith? If you think that some of it has be changed, corrupted etc, how can you believe any of it? I've heard a lot of strange things in my life but that has got to be one of the strangest....You don't have faith you have convenience and that's funny to me

Ok PA fair enough, I may not personally think it makes sense but at least that was an honest answer and I thank you for it

Another funny thing is non believers says that a Christian is a sheep and cant think for himself, but when one says he picks and chooses what he wants to believe then he has no true faith? Theres no winning with some people honestly

And as i said I don't agree with the picking and choosing thing to me it's like saying that I love all chocolates of every kind and then throwing away have the box because they are nuget. It doesn't add up....

It's not about you or anyone else imparticular it's the concept that some of the people here change their tune depending on the topic, and I'm sure you've seen it as well. have you not?

sorry to disappoint or ruin your try at making this about me and my stuggle or whatever but I don't have any reason to justify my personal beliefs as a matter of fact you don't even have a clue what they are so who am a justifying them to? you know i am tired and that gave me a really good laugh so thanks for that and better luck next time

Ok, most of the time it's pretty easy to "interpret" the Bible. It all comes down to context. Read before it, read after it. What kind of writing is it - is it a narrative, a parable (it will say something like "Jesus told them this parable"), poetry, wisdom sayings, history, teaching. Each style is different.

Agreed... There are different genres of writtings within the Holy Scriptures, and each has its own peculiar rules to based an intrepretation upon... Most important rule though is Context determines ultimatly how to view what is being said...

I am convinced that a majority of non-Christians and ex-Christians never actually read the Bible (zandore has admitted as much), they just cut and paste from websites without doing any of their own research into the matter. Then the Christian will refute that by posting a Christian website, and suddenly that's 'apologetic crap'. So I go and do my own research. Read the Bible to see what it says. Then post the context. It's a nice ride for the non-Christian. They just cut and paste, make the Christian do all the work and then claim us to be interpreting the Bible to fit our own needs, then cut and paste again, leaving us again to do all the work
Yep... many people say that Bible cleacontridicts itself here and here, but they have actually either never read the Bible, taking someone's word as truth, or else just have read people who have a bias against the Bible being true as stated...

Then the non-Christian complains that whenever I quote the Bible it is true, but whenever they do, it is suddenly out of context. Well, guess what, rather than whinging about it, why not read the Bible yourself and tell me where I'm out of context, or support your own argument as to why it is in context (at least Gideon has made an effort at doing this, for which I respect him greatly).

The sad thing is that (on this site for example), the non-Christian will take the word of someone who has cut and pasted all these passages from ex-Christian apologetics, then claim it is the CHristian who is interpreting the Bible to suit their own ends, not the other way around.
Yes sir... Amazing that those who are so against truth of Bible/Jesus etc are same persons who allow for shoddy work to support their own pet dogmas, yet ANY kind of evangelical views of Bible/Jesus etc are tainted and wrong...
Sorry, I've gone a little off-topic in my ramblings As I said at the beginning, on the whole, interpretation comes down to context primarily, it's writing style, it's place in the book as a whole etc..... To play devil's advocate, there is a gray area, where passages are unclear as to their meaning. Organized religion has a set of doctrine's and laws that have to box it in and say exactly what it means. My own faith will tell me, I don't know. It's ok not to know everything. We're not perfect.

Personally, as I've said before, I'll take the large themes in the Bible, the overarching one's, and run with that for my faith. If something is ambiguous or could mean many things, and it does not adversely affect my belief, then I leave it to the realm of intellect, think about it, debate it, even contradict myself at times as to its possible meaning.

Sorry for the long post. Hope this helps

Regards, PA

And you quoted this because.....?

... yet everyone knows a lot of the Bible isnt to be taken literally and its poetic and in parables etc. Oh and thats about as hypocriticle as skeptics using Bible quotes to support their opinion. What do you say about that? When skeptics use a book they call "fiction" to support their "fact"?

Just a simple question for all you bible followers......How do you justify picking and choosing quotes, or spinning them to make the bible suit your needs at the time? I have seen the bible described as fictional stories by at least one of you, yet you on another post will claim that it's all true....I don't understand this can you try and help me out?

That is a problem is it not? Not everyone agrees as to what is meant literally, hence, the absence of solidarity in not just religious belief but in Biblical interpretation. It all depends on how a Christian or Jew or Muslim chooses to interpret a particular verse or verses, at any given time, as suits their agenda. It is a moving target.

Only a god who intends to keep everyone at odds with each other would create and or support such an agenda.

Good, making people laugh is one of the things that brings me joy.

I don't need to know what your beliefs are to know that at the root is something you take on faith, something unknowable. Either that or you lack any conviction.

So let me guess you are trying to attack me, unsuccessfully i might add, because you can't answer the question? that's ok it'll be alright for you someday i'm sure......but just so you know, the entire point in this is to ask questions etc, it has nothing to do with the conviction in my own faith this isn't about me no matter how hard you try to make it that.

Yeah, that's what I thought you were meaning. Or perhaps the picking and choosing of what is allegorical and what is fact, what is real and what is not.

What do you think I am supposed to be doing? I am asking a simple question that you haven't even attempted to answer.

You have made judgements about me that are false.

The point in the question was to see if anyone could even attempt to explain it which apparently they can not. And as for me picking and choosing my beliefs again I must ask do you have any idea what mine are? you don't have a clue what I do in my own beliefs so please don't try to say you do

.....and don't try to be smart with me, I have plenty of practice going back and forth with some very intelligent people who are here all the time and although I am not in the mood for the simple ideas of people who obviously don't have anything constructive to add I will happily put you in your place whenever need be....so if you can't answer the question you need not try to personally attack me it will not work

Concerning belief systems and picking and choosing or taking the whole you only have the two ways to go. To do both is not rational. Hope that helps.

Ok, my bad. I'm not a psychologist so that's the best I can do.