[Secret Agent Man]

How else is one supposed to take the Bible? It's not really worth much if you can just pick and choose what parts you will accept for yourself.

I admit there are things that the Bible says are wrong that I wish were acceptable. As a Christian, you don't automatically/magically lose all your desires to do wrong things. There are some bad things that appeal to my human nature, and I have to exercise self-control over these areas of my life. But just because I tend to like certain things that I understand are sinful, doesn't mean I can just say they're right because I really want them to be right.

[sunryse]

>How else is one supposed to take the Bible? It's not >really worth much if you can just pick and choose what >parts you will accept for yourself.

The problem is that the Bible is full of contradictions, so the question is which part to choose to accept? The example of the "selling your daughter into slavery" and "not associate with a woman menstruating", etc... So if you take every law written, then you are not going to make it very far in this society. I personally follow my heart and let myself be guided by Jesus. I screw up, but still, I cannot reasonably accept every word written and commanded in the Bible.

[easytree]

Interesting comments. So to be a Christian I must not think about how the Bible was written, what we know and don't know about the Bible and follow it blindly? I believe God gave us a brain to use and not follow the Bible blindly. Faith is a personal relationship between God and me. The Bible is a guide not an absolute.