For most of my 52 years I have loved reading the Word of God. It's history and it's simple life lessons reach far beyond any "self help" book I have ever read. I have allowed it to guide my thinking and my purpose for many years now and I regret my youth having been away from the Church following my own desires allowing myself to be guided by whim and happenstance, but now those days are in the past and I am comfortable with my life now having made my peace with both God and man. I do though struggle at times here in the South where I have chosen to make my home. The South, or the "Bible Belt" as it has been called are predominantly Protestant and are so hard headed about the "Bible First" thing that they are blinded to the fact that the Church existed long before we had the "Bible" so, I ask you:
Does the Bible serve the Church, or does the Church serve the Bible?
Back after the resurrection they still relied on scripture found in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible OT. It was not until a couple of hundred years later that a "book" was put together citing the words of our Church fathers who were indeed inspired and compelled to give us the Word by the Holy Spirit. We must then understand that these were still written by mortal men who wrote with the only understandings they had from their culture at the time, not a "dictation from God." These men still believed that the earth was flat, that there were sea monsters, that certain forms of illness were signs of demonic spirits who ruled the souls of the infirm. The list goes on and on so we, the people of today must take all this into consideration when we examine Scripture, make and draw conclusions that define how we live our lives today.
Now, keeping all of this in mind we know that the Church did in-fact give us the Bible we know and use today thus letting us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Bible indeed serves the Church giving us a "basic" blueprint for life not, an all knowing, unbend able set of rules we must adhere to or die.
The Bible is a wonderful book and truly the inspired Word of God and we must truly be thankful for it. We must not though discount the other writings of our Church fathers throwing them aside as non-biblical crappola. So my friends, all I say on this is that we must study ALL we can in order to live our lives by the example of those that came before us and we must never ignore what is being written and said today by men and women like John Paul II, Mother Theresa, Merton and so many others. Its all part of the journey and the wonder and beauty is there for all of us to enjoy and to enrich our lives with everyday!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!!!!!!
Does the Bible serve the Church, or does the Church serve the Bible?
Back after the resurrection they still relied on scripture found in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible OT. It was not until a couple of hundred years later that a "book" was put together citing the words of our Church fathers who were indeed inspired and compelled to give us the Word by the Holy Spirit. We must then understand that these were still written by mortal men who wrote with the only understandings they had from their culture at the time, not a "dictation from God." These men still believed that the earth was flat, that there were sea monsters, that certain forms of illness were signs of demonic spirits who ruled the souls of the infirm. The list goes on and on so we, the people of today must take all this into consideration when we examine Scripture, make and draw conclusions that define how we live our lives today.
Now, keeping all of this in mind we know that the Church did in-fact give us the Bible we know and use today thus letting us know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Bible indeed serves the Church giving us a "basic" blueprint for life not, an all knowing, unbend able set of rules we must adhere to or die.
The Bible is a wonderful book and truly the inspired Word of God and we must truly be thankful for it. We must not though discount the other writings of our Church fathers throwing them aside as non-biblical crappola. So my friends, all I say on this is that we must study ALL we can in order to live our lives by the example of those that came before us and we must never ignore what is being written and said today by men and women like John Paul II, Mother Theresa, Merton and so many others. Its all part of the journey and the wonder and beauty is there for all of us to enjoy and to enrich our lives with everyday!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!!!!!!
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