Can you be a Christian & not accept that the Bible is COMPLETELY INFALLIBLE?

Depends on what the sticking point is for you. The explanation might be in the Bible, or it might be somewhere else. I used a small library of different references to answer some of the questions I had.

And don't ever be afraid to question, or admit confusion about something spiritual in nature that doesn't make sense. Belief, faith, whatever you want to call it is the most important decision a person will ever make -- regardless of what your final decision ends up being. Every conclusion will affect your life in a significant way.

So I encourage you, and everyone else who reads this -- be sure of what you believe. If you're confused, try as best you can to find the answers that fill in the gaps and straighten out the tangles. It'll be worth the effort in the long run.

 

Not to accuse you of anything, please don't take this as an attack, but it is very easy to shape your morals and religious beliefs to fit what is convenient to you. When someone says they accept part of the bible and reject other parts that is what think of.

I do believe that parts of the bible need interpretation. The time frame that specific book is addressing is important. Many people want to pull a passage from the old testament related to an obscure jewish law and try to apply it to today. Obviously that is not valid.

Many people seem to put more weight on stuff in the New Testament. I am not sure I agree with that but it does have some logic to it.

 

What parts of the Bible do you find fault with? Genesis? Revelations? Scriptures dealing with sin? The Miracles?

Me personally, there are some things in the Bible that on the surface sounds far fetched (i.e. World creation in 7 days, Jonah in a whale, a skinny boy named David beating a huge giant named Goliath with nothing more than a slingshot, Moses parting the Red Sea, etc.). I mean, there is no CNN archival footage of any of these events, but then as a step in faith at some point your going to believe that what God said happen did happen (and he told various people over thousands of years what to write down).

I think what church your going to and who your pastor is has a major influence on how you look at the Bible and what it says/doesn't say. I think with all the denominations out there today (and the different interpretations of what the Bible says between libearl & conservative churches) people can over time think the way they are living is right (i.e. a Gay/Lesbian Christian couple from San Francisco) while another one is going to think they are way off base (i.e. a Christian couple who attend John Hagee's CORNERSTONE CHURCH in Texas). Some churches believe that the Bible is the final authority in any issue while some are going to say some things aren't relevent since we are living in modern times (i.e. stoning of gays in Old Testament days)

 

I think you can still be a christian, but it inhibits your relationship with God.

 

This would be a lot less confusing if you-know-who made a reappearance and did some clarification.

 

It's ok, no offense taken. I understand what you mean completely, that's why I try not to judge anyone elses beliefs.

 

Most of those who heard and spoke with Him in His first appearance still didn't inderstand him, yet Paul never met Him face to face (that we know of) and still wrote most of the New Testament.

 

Kinda going with the 'which parts to believe' vein, I see evidence of dinosaurs, evolution, and other scientific discoveries that tell me parts of the Bible are not correct.

On the other hand, I haven't heard of something that positively disputes Jesus as the Christ, so I'm still looking for clarification. I believe it though, and I'm open to the idea that the Gospels portrayed His ministry differently than it actually happened (long before 'The DaVinci Code' I entertained the idea that Jesus married Mary Magdelene and raised a family. Why not? He was human, after all). What Jesus teaches just makes sense to me. He always was more concerned about what was RIGHT versus how things were supposed to be done.

I guess for me it comes down to what makes sense. You can take that as convenient translation, but everyone does that, so it's not like I'm any different than anyone else.

 

And given that the oldest books of the New Testament are the letters to Thessalonia, and that Luke and Paul were big buddies, one could say that Paul was a monstrously huge influence on the content of the Gospels, and therefore all we know about Jesus is based on the influence of man that never met him while he was on earth.

That's where faith comes in, yes, but some us still question and seek greater clarification.

 

I know I come across as judgmental but I base my judgment on something I hold as greater than myself. I do not see it as judging other when I apply that standard to them. It is not about "I am better than you" it is about "here is the standard".