Why?

[Dante]

Why do you believe what you believe about the Bible?

Is your understanding based on a logical conclusion you have personally invested in to coming to? Did you have an experience that influenced your understanding of the scriptures? Is what you believe the result of being raised to believe the way you do?

[Abiding Now]

Why do you believe what you believe about the Bible?

Is your understanding based on a logical conclusion you have personally invested in to coming to? Did you have an experience that influenced your understanding of the scriptures? Is what you believe the result of being raised to believe the way you do?

Yes.

[shazeep]

me too, for the longest; and then i kind of had a "Timmy" moment, and realized that others' interpretations of Scripture, no matter how well memorized, were useless until i had understood them on a gut level for myself. So i tossed all that, and let Scripture start speaking to me, and i have never gone back. the same passage may have multiple meanings for me now.

[shag]

For me, the bible contains the best reasonable/ logical answers to the questions I have in regards to religion, and our existence-past, present, future. I also believe God has done a work in my heart and mind, and opened my understanding(revelation?) to desire Him and His ways, as apposed to the "ways" and thinking of this world("carnally minded "), and I desire to learn more of him thru his words.
.02

[FlamingZword]

Why do you believe what you believe about the Bible?

Is your understanding based on a logical conclusion you have personally invested in to coming to? Did you have an experience that influenced your understanding of the scriptures? Is what you believe the result of being raised to believe the way you do?

Well I was not raised in the church, so my beliefs came not from being raised to believe in a certain way.

As a young man I knew little of the Bible and its precepts, that is until I became a Christian.

[Aquila]

Why do you believe what you believe about the Bible?

Is your understanding based on a logical conclusion you have personally invested in to coming to? Did you have an experience that influenced your understanding of the scriptures? Is what you believe the result of being raised to believe the way you do?

The result of study and experience.

[A239]

You asked, so here's my story:

Nine months prior to being born, I was hooked to several drugs. The day I was born, I was taken away from my birth family, and placed with, and adopted by a new family. Growing up in my new, half Mexican half white(had black hair) family, I never realized that I was the only one with blonde hair, until I turned 12. That year in science class, we learned how genes were passed down, we had to bring in a picture of our mom and dad, and try to see what traits we got from each parent. Nothing matched up for me. I began to question my parents and eventually that told me. I started to try and find some of my family, and two years ago, I did. I have seven older brothers and sisters, my brother is an associate pastor of a UPCI church, my cousin is a pastor of a UPCI church and my birth family was UPCI before they backslid. I got word from my cousin that my birth dad divorced my birth mom, and was back in church. I had never met him but I was gonna try to soon. My plan was to surprise him at his church the next Sunday. Monday of the week before, he had a heart attack. They released him from the hospital Friday and said he could go back to work Saturday. Him and his new wife prayed Saturday before he left, and he spoke in tongues, the first time sense he has been back in church. He was a tree cutter, and that day he had a heart attack, fell from a tree, and landed face first. I never got to meet him, until the day I buried him. The next year, I met a girl at youth convention. I've "dated" many girls by this time, but there was something different about her. I started asking her questions, because I felt like I knew her. Turn out, I did. She was the one who prayed me through four years ago at church camp. When me and my friend first saw her at convention, he told me to try and set him up with her, but I ended up accidentally setting myself up. We talk for a month before I asked her out. That year at camp, we were praying, and a minister walked up to me and said, "you and your girlfriend now, are gonna have a church later in a place far from here, and there will be over 175 regularly attending your church you start within afew months." I looked at him with a smile thinking to myself, "yeah, sure I will." When I got home, I asked my pastor about it, and he said he had been waiting for someone else to tell me that because he had been feeling the same thing. So, I began to pray. I asked God, "if I'm to be a pastor of a church somewhere far away from home, where?" And God answered, "Quebec City." I didn't think that was right. I live in a small, country hick town in Missouri. How was I going to last in a big city like that? Well, I had my girlfriend pray about where God wanted her to be at when she gets older(at this time she didn't know about the prophesy). Same answer. So I told her. She said, "let's wait for at least one more thing to confirm it." NAYC came, and if you were there, you knew that several times Quebec City was mentioned saying it needed a church, that there was no UPCI churches there. And several times, it was said that you need to find your spouse at the altar, but that wasn't the case for me, she prayed me through at the altar. Over the past 11 months, God has done many things in both of our lives, only bringing us closer to each other, and to him. I've been studying the word, and I have found for myself my beliefs, and they just happen to go along what UPCI believe. Being born into an exUPCI family with several UPCI minsters in it, and then being placed into a UPCI family at random, and all that has happened to me, all lead me to believe in this book, and this doctrine.

[Dante]

"Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle." - 2 Thess. 2.15

[shazeep]

:lol sounds good. i'd say that requires that one question the interpretations they have been given, in light of all the doctrinal adjustments that have occurred thru the years. heck, just the ones we know about have split the Church, and it might be argued that that one verse you quote is possibly the most abused in Christendom.

[justlookin]

Why do you believe what you believe about the Bible?

Is your understanding based on a logical conclusion you have personally invested in to coming to? Did you have an experience that influenced your understanding of the scriptures? Is what you believe the result of being raised to believe the way you do?

A combination of logical conclusion, experiences and various teachings by various denominations. I doubt there's anyone here who hasn't adjusted their scriptural beliefs over time because of those three factors.

[Dante]

:lol sounds good. i'd say that requires that one question the interpretations they have been given, in light of all the doctrinal adjustments that have occurred thru the years. heck, just the ones we know about have split the Church, and it might be argued that that one verse you quote is possibly the most abused in Christendom.

"Jesus wept." - John 11.35

[shazeep]

ya...(hmm, but it prolly has an opposite, too) i came back to say at the very least you could start a good thread on , "ya, but what's the other verse." the one for your traditions verse might be Seek your own salvation, with fear and trembling?

[Jermyn Davidson]

Why do you believe what you believe about the Bible?

Is your understanding based on a logical conclusion you have personally invested in to coming to? Did you have an experience that influenced your understanding of the scriptures? Is what you believe the result of being raised to believe the way you do?

I believe what I believe about the Bible because of personal understanding and tradition.

My understanding is quite logical and my personal investment includes study, thought, and prayer.

Many experiences have influenced my decision to believe the way I believe.

What I believe is in a big part related to how I was raised. However, I was raised in a traditional "Oneness Pentecostal by doctrine" family and I do not believe like them now.

[shazeep]

me, too; i've come to see that whatever model one starts with, it should be a used as a doorway to a higher spirituality, based upon the principles
http://www.wikihow.com/Lose-Your-Religion

[kclee4jc]

You asked, so here's my story:

Nine months prior to being born, I was hooked to several drugs. The day I was born, I was taken away from my birth family, and placed with, and adopted by a new family. Growing up in my new, half Mexican half white(had black hair) family, I never realized that I was the only one with blonde hair, until I turned 12. That year in science class, we learned how genes were passed down, we had to bring in a picture of our mom and dad, and try to see what traits we got from each parent. Nothing matched up for me. I began to question my parents and eventually that told me. I started to try and find some of my family, and two years ago, I did. I have seven older brothers and sisters, my brother is an associate pastor of a UPCI church, my cousin is a pastor of a UPCI church and my birth family was UPCI before they backslid. I got word from my cousin that my birth dad divorced my birth mom, and was back in church. I had never met him but I was gonna try to soon. My plan was to surprise him at his church the next Sunday. Monday of the week before, he had a heart attack. They released him from the hospital Friday and said he could go back to work Saturday. Him and his new wife prayed Saturday before he left, and he spoke in tongues, the first time sense he has been back in church. He was a tree cutter, and that day he had a heart attack, fell from a tree, and landed face first. I never got to meet him, until the day I buried him. The next year, I met a girl at youth convention. I've "dated" many girls by this time, but there was something different about her. I started asking her questions, because I felt like I knew her. Turn out, I did. She was the one who prayed me through four years ago at church camp. When me and my friend first saw her at convention, he told me to try and set him up with her, but I ended up accidentally setting myself up. We talk for a month before I asked her out. That year at camp, we were praying, and a minister walked up to me and said, "you and your girlfriend now, are gonna have a church later in a place far from here, and there will be over 175 regularly attending your church you start within afew months." I looked at him with a smile thinking to myself, "yeah, sure I will." When I got home, I asked my pastor about it, and he said he had been waiting for someone else to tell me that because he had been feeling the same thing. So, I began to pray. I asked God, "if I'm to be a pastor of a church somewhere far away from home, where?" And God answered, "Quebec City." I didn't think that was right. I live in a small, country hick town in Missouri. How was I going to last in a big city like that? Well, I had my girlfriend pray about where God wanted her to be at when she gets older(at this time she didn't know about the prophesy). Same answer. So I told her. She said, "let's wait for at least one more thing to confirm it." NAYC came, and if you were there, you knew that several times Quebec City was mentioned saying it needed a church, that there was no UPCI churches there. And several times, it was said that you need to find your spouse at the altar, but that wasn't the case for me, she prayed me through at the altar. Over the past 11 months, God has done many things in both of our lives, only bringing us closer to each other, and to him. I've been studying the word, and I have found for myself my beliefs, and they just happen to go along what UPCI believe. Being born into an exUPCI family with several UPCI minsters in it, and then being placed into a UPCI family at random, and all that has happened to me, all lead me to believe in this book, and this doctrine.

So your adopted family is Apostolic too?

[A239]

So your adopted family is Apostolic too?

Yes. I believe it was God's will for me to be apostolic. I believe it's Go's will for ALL to be apostolic, but I guess some people are just too logical for God.

Oh and to all those who go and proclaim they are right, even when they are not asked, read this:

A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness. (Proverbs 12:23 KJV)

Another translations reads:

A sensible person ⌊discreetly⌋ hides knowledge, but foolish minds preach stupidity. (Proverbs 12:23 GW)

I only answer when asked. Those of you who try to force your religion with logics, are actually preaching stupidity.

The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him. (Psalms 37:32 KJV)
You watch for us to make mistakes, try and trip us up, so that you can put an end to what you call "communist apostolic hypocrisy" or what I call "righteousness "

[jfrog]

To use logical conclusions as the basis for any belief about God is rather silly. Where exactly did God claim to be logical?

[shazeep]

hey, jfrog (bbyrd). i think that's what he said... :D

[A239]

To use logical conclusions as the basis for any belief about God is rather silly. Where exactly did God claim to be logical?

Thank you for restating what has already been stated.

[Timmy]

I got a revelation. ;)

[justlookin]

I got a revelation. ;)

Write a book and sell it. There's money to be made in telling folks what God told you.

[Timmy]

Write a book and sell it. There's money to be made in telling folks what God told you.

There sure is!

[shazeep]

I got a revelation. ;)ok, that's what I said :D

[shazeep]

Write a book and sell it. There's money to be made in telling folks what God told you.ok, well, let's not be too hasty; a revelation to a 1.5 year old is seeing themselves in a mirror! :lol

[A239]

ok, well, let's not be too hasty; a revelation to a 1.5 year old is seeing themselves in a mirror! :lol

Lol and so is going to the bathroom without mommy or daddy is to a 3 year old.

[Ferd]

For me, the bible contains the best reasonable/ logical answers to the questions I have in regards to religion, and our existence-past, present, future. I also believe God has done a work in my heart and mind, and opened my understanding(revelation?) to desire Him and His ways, as apposed to the "ways" and thinking of this world("carnally minded "), and I desire to learn more of him thru his words.
.02

I like this answer! Shag I think you spoke for more than just yourself.