Question:  Dear Greg,

            I have many questions about religion and the Bible.  My mom is always trying to get me to believe in God.  I would like to believe that there is a one true God up there in heaven but from my viewpoint it is hard for me to believe.  As I look back in history this thing called religion has done nothing but start wars.

            The Bible is written for us to be reminded of what God wants, but the Bible was written by man and I don’t trust man.  The stories that are in the Bible seem to me to be just that—stories.  I was brought up as a Christian and raised, I think, very well by my parents.  By being out in society and seeing it for myself and going through my own experiences I have a bitter taste for religion.  I sometimes still talk to God on my own but it feels like I am asking him questions that are selfish.  I would like to know the truth but I don’t think I will until I die, and maybe not even then.  I’ve often said that if I could see one true miracle that was not explained by science that I would be a firm believer, but I have yet to see that miracle today.

            Without seeing God or one of his miracles how would one get to believe in God without reading the Bible?

            Lance

Answer:  Dear Lance,

            Thanks for writing and for the chance to help you with the issues you raise. 

1. Has religion done a poor job of representing God?  No question.  Holy wars, torture, intimidation, judgmentalism, legalism, exclusivity, etc.  The legacy of organized religion, whether in the name of Jesus Christ, or not, has not been good.  No argument, but what does this legacy mean?

2. Because many (not all) humans have done a poor job of representing God, does that mean Christianity is fatally flawed, and further, that God does not even exist?  Say I visit New York or Los Angeles and get mugged, robbed and beaten up and I meet many people who don’t seem very happy, balanced or normal, etc.  Does that mean that all Americans behave that way or even all people who liven in New York or Los Angeles behave that way?  Is this a logical conclusion on my part?  Do I discount the whole because of the part, even if the part is vociferous, violent and obnoxious?  Not necessarily.  From such an experience, at best I can claim that some Americans do not behave well.  In terms of the history of organized religion and of Christianity in particular, the very best we can claim is that some adherents to such religions have not left a positive legacy.  However, we cannot conclude that all are to blame.

3. Humans wrote the Bible but the claims of the Bible are miraculous. The Bible claims that the humans used to write the Bible were not just any humans, but humans God used and inspired to give humanity his message.  The Bible prophesied about things to come—and those things came to pass.  The Bible’s “story” (not using the word as something which is mythological but simply a historical account) of events it records as truthful has been proven true and accurate over and over again by the finds of archaeology.  If we do not believe the events of the Bible to be true then we must discount historical characters and the record of history as being true.  The methodology of historiography, when applied to the Bible, has to be just as accurate and true as any other event/personage.

4. The Bible records the fact that miracles do not change people.  If we witness a supernatural event and if we are unable to explain it logically, then we humans may be changed for a while, in some superstitious way.  But one miracle, or two, or three will not change our lives.  We will soon forget what God did and then be back doing what we please when we please.  In fact, the Bible itself records this same kind of reaction, over and over again.

5. On the other hand, can a person believe in God without reading the Bible—or seeing/witnessing a miracle?  Yes, definitely.  There were many people mentioned in the Bible itself who never read the Bible (for it was not yet written, or at least much of it was not) and who never experienced some supernatural miracle.

6. We have two excellent booklets designed to answer many of the kinds of questions you have—Volumes 1 and 2 of a series entitled, “Journey to Faith”.  The first one is “God—Who Needs Him?” and the second “Jesus—More than a Man”.  If you live in the U.S. or Canada we will be happy to send them to you free of charge.  They should give you some further food for thought.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht