While this may be construed as a rebuttal to Nvr's thread re: Why I Post About Atheism, that is not my intent.
It is my intent, however, to show how I developed a belief in and love for the God of the Bible.
My paternal grandfather, who died before I was born, was a Baptist preacher, so you could say I cut my teeth on the Bible. I loved having it read to me, and once I learned how, reading it for myself. I'm convinced that spirituality runs deep in my blood.
I've always had such a strong sense of right and wrong that injustices make me literally sick. So deep were my convictions and so earnest my endeavors to walk the straight and narrow path, that I was given the dubious nickname of "The Saint."
At the age of 10, I was baptized in the little country church that served our community, but I soon grew disillusioned with the gross immorailty and hypocrisy that I began to witness. I knew such conduct was totally out of line with Bible teachings. I began a search for those who really loved the Bible and were willing to practice what they preached.
At the age of 17, I met the JW's and threw myself wholeheartedly into the Witness way of life. I believed with everything in me that this was the best way of living. Soon, I was plagued with doubts because I began to observe the same kind of conduct in the Witnesses that I'd seen in the churches. Did my faith in the Bible waver? Not even a fraction.
I believe the Bible is God's revelation of Himself to us. Do I believe it is infallible? No more so than the men who wrote and compiled it.
Why does a God of love allow suffering? Suffering and dying are part and parcel of the condemnation visited upon the first parents and passed on to us. According to Hebrews 9:27, we're all going to die once due to this condemnation. This dying process is horrendous for some and relatively painless for others, but the end result is the same - we all return to the dust from which we were taken.
Now, think about this. If the God of the Bible was as impotent as some make Him out to be, wouldn't some manage to escape this destiny? The consensus is that money talks, but the richest of the rich die just the same as the poorest of the poor.
There are no commuting of sentences, no payoffs, no unlawful flights to avoid prosecution or any such shenanigans in this case. God has remained true to His Word throughout the millenia since He first pronounced the Death Sentence on the human race.
Now, you may love Him or you may hate Him, but you will have to admit that He shows no favoritism in this regard. Since the basic meaning of worship is to count someone worthy, the God of the Bible has my full vote and confidence.
Thank you for reading.
Sylvia