Studying the bible with my oldest kid

by StephaneLaliberte 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  StephaneLaliberte

  I no longer believe in the bible as the word of God, but do appreciate the value in teaching it to my kids. Its teachings influence the life and culture of billions of people today and shaped the history of the world. So, I bought a book that quickly goes over the core stories and have discussions about those with my kid.

  I have to say, its quite interesting to see his reactions to some of those stories.

  · Because some people didn’t believe a man claiming to talk to God, and building an arc in the middle of no where, these people deserved to drown? Them, their families and all the animals? Really?

  · So, God wants his people to be circumcised? Why that? Why not something else, like a tattoo?

  · So, Jacob stole the birthright from his brother…. And they spin the story to make it sound alright? That’s just wrong.

  · So, God killed Lots wife just for looking back? Isn’t that a bit harsh?

  · Oh no…. you’re telling me that Lot’s daughters raped their own father??

  · You’re telling me that Abraham was about to murder his kid and that is supposed to be a good thing?

  Ahhhhh, the bible!

  I remember that I had similar questions when I was a kid, and these were explained away by some mental gymnastics that never truly made sense to me. I’m glad I don’t have to do this with my kids.
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  Sea Breeze

  Got Questions

  Christian Think Tank

  I was agnostic/atheist for 8 years after leaving the organization. Eventually, I figured out what made the best sense to me. Late in the game, I ran across the above two websites. I wished I had run across them earlier.
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  smiddy3

  I just looked at the site of Who is God ? In Got Questions ?, And going through all of those points being made ,I`ll stick to being an Atheist as far as the God of the Bible is concerned ,and that the Holy Bible is the word of God.
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  BelisemDeBelimakom

  StephaneLaliberte

  I've found the extra books covers all these missing/suspicious parts of the Bible: Book of Enoch, Book of Jasher and The Apocrypha.

  Your questions have their answers in the Book of Jasher. Of course everything can be debated, whether these books can be trusted as reliable or not. Personally I believe they are worth reading, very valuable and provide a deeper insight on the Bible itself by completing its missing parts ... They also show how and why the Bible might been cut, edited and even altered by religions in order to fit in their agenda. This doesn't mean the Bible and all these books should not have any value. They are worth reading.

  So.. let the reader use his/her own judgment and discernment.
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  StephaneLaliberte

  One thing I make clear to my kids: If they want to become Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, heck, even JWs, its their freedom to choose so. But if through their spiritual journey, they land some place where they are told that they should not discuss this topic or that subject or should not discuss with this person or that person for fear that they could be influenced in any direction, then that means they are in the wrong place.

  You should always question your beliefs, always. No one is right about everything. As life goes on, you end up being more assertive about certain subjects based on your research and experience, but you should always keep an open mind.