Anonymous asked a question:
The bible always seems so..harsh, when I read it. And I’m not sure why? like, I feel so little of God’s love from the bible. I don’t know if this is a bad thing to say, but I want verses about love. I need verses and the parts of the bible that talk about love, but I feel like my anxiety is clouding and preventing that. Help?
Hey dear friend, I definitely understand that: there are plenty of times I get to some unwieldy passage in the Bible and I want to throw the whole thing in the trash. No kidding.
But here are a few thoughts to consider.
– I believe the Bible is timeless, meaning that it can speak to everyone in any time, in all conditions. God speaks to the downtrodden just as much as the prideful, arrogant, and merciless. God humbles the proud as much as He comforts the hurting. The Bible has many different passages for different kinds of people, and maybe what you need right now are to highlight those gentle passages in which God seeks to heal you.
– To get a good, well-rounded view of God in the Bible, I’d consider reading Psalms. Unlike every other book of the Bible, the Psalms is about people responding to God, instead of God acting towards people, and so the Psalms contains the entire spectrum of human emotion. There is so much healing and compassion for people like us who are afflicted with anxiety (and for my own depression and insecurities).
– Here’s the truth. The Bible is going to push against you sometimes, because there’s plenty inside us that needs work. If the Bible never pushed against you, then that God isn’t a real God, but a keychain toy that fits in your pocket at your convenience. Then we’re just making up a God in our own image that only answers to the things we like and bows down to the things we don’t. We have both wounds and pride which need both repair and rebuke. I hope we can be open to that, to know that we all have both struggles and selfishness.
— J.S.
– When God Says Something I Totally Dislike
J.S. Park: Hospital Chaplain 
Perhaps it’s just a story, written by a person.
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It is a story written by a person who was inspired by God. Don’t forget about that part.
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Or, just a person. That’s a possibility. Don’t forget that part.
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Lou can a regular person tell us what’s going to happen in our futures like the stories in the bible?
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Attempting to talk someone out of a viewpoint that is extremely complex, and designed to block out reality, is a gargantuan feat.
Let’s assume for the moment that a religion is completely wrong about nearly everything. What would I gain from investing the energy required to break someone of their faith in that religion? Especially considering that the person would have to be extremely mentally-handicapped for that faith to be in place?
By that same rationality, I don’t expect you to try and convince me of what you believe. Though I would argue that I am worth more than 100 people, so it would certainly be worth your time to convert me to any given cause.
Anyway, if you want to test yourself, here’s the tip of my personal philosophy. Go to the hub is you want to test yourself further.
https://mentallurgy.wordpress.com/2016/08/14/science-superstition-and-religion/
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Thank you Lou I’d like to stay in touch with you if that’s cool? Less agree to disagree on this one topic but once we get to know eachother I’m positive we’ll agree on a number of things. I look forward to your stories and comments your an intelligent brother.
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For a time.
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That is a very balanced response J.S.
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Appreciate you once again!
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Thanks right back atcha!
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Please don’t feel like the bible is harsher than our behavior towards eachother. The fact that you are reading the bible is proof of your positive intellect. You should just get with someone who can answer the questions you have about the bible. I will be more than willing to help you because I thought the same thing before I gained some understanding. My your day be blessed.
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Hi I agree it can be very hash and I wonder why too
its not easy for people who are suffering
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