‘…The large crowd listened to him with delight. As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law.’ (Mark 12:3, 38)
"Towards the beginning of this century, when Christianity was trying to thwart the advance of the evolutionary threat, an archbishop organized a conference of scientific persons, with a view to formulating a statement of the faith that would help maintain confidence. The meeting broke up without achieving its aim. Disappointed, the archbishop candidly stated, ’The religious faith of these men, real and deep as it is, will not go into articles and propositions'."
"At the latter end of the twentieth century, most people can still not house their faith in articles and propositions. The greater number of people do not, cannot think in categories familiar to theologians. A mother was reading Bible stories to her toddler; now and then she interrupted herself to give an explanation. Suddenly, the child turned to its mother and said, ‘I can understand it if you don't explain it.’ Not the facts, but the explanations of Christianity are a stumbling block to most people."
"The witness given by New Testament Christians was remarkable in its simplicity. It consisted in the recital of certain facts, known by the disciples through their contact with Jesus. Many followed in the Way, on the strength of those facts. They discerned by reason of the witness of Jesus that religion could be interesting and vital. Before Jesus, they had moved around religion with discomfort. They thought that the religious world was not for them. But in Jesus they found what they could understand and easily follow. He was absolutely germane, apt. They could relate to him because-to use a modern expression-he was where they were at."
"Christians must recall that the doctrines and creeds were built up as replies to persistent and subtle attacks on the gospel. They are there only as helps. If you or your non-Christian friends are not helped by them, they ought to be discarded. In the meantime, attach yourself to Jesus the best way you know how."
"There was once a Lord Chesterfield who, in retirement, wrote concerning himself and his friend Tyrawley: 'Tyrawley and I have been dead two years, but we do not want it known,’ he said. There are some church doctrines that have been dead for years and the church has conspired to keep it secret. But common people are not deceived. They know a corpse when they see one. The discipline of high learning has its part to play in God's scheme."
"There was a man who kept all of his wife's love letters. He made notes about each of them and put a synopsis on each envelope before tying them all together in neat bundles. What those arid synopses were to the messages of love inside each letter, so are interpretations to the real gospel. Explanations make many things clearer, but love left unexplained is clearer still."
"Christ is... his own evidence---his own explanation."
"As long as the Church bears witness to him, he will make himself known to men and women. They will understand him and adore him."
May it be so for you."
I don't think, JediGirl, that you have an open mind at this particular time in your life and I don't think that much of anything anyone posts here will change that.
The fact that you are willing to engage, to share with us what you appear to sincerely believe is, however, very positive.
I would point out the inconsistencies in your posts if I thought there was some openness to critique. I don't so I won't bother. For myself, I don't "believe", I know, but again I won't try to convince you.
A few overall observations, not unique but mine alone for these purposes, would be 1) that Truth is a felt thing not dependent upon words, 2) there is a quiet, small voice that speaks to us from within from time-to-time in our lives -- ignore it at your peril, 3) Truth remains Truth whatever the level of resistance or denial at the human level.
My take would be that we do not give God nearly enough credit for subtlety and creativity and, for the record, I am not one who belives God is a white-bearded old wise man who doles out reward and punishment to his "children". "He" is more demanding than that. He requires that we determine the "right course" for our lives of our own entirely Free Will -- "He" will permit us to err, in both thought and action, in the most radical of ways because if "He" did not we would not be truly free. This is a great Gift and a great Trust. Now there is lots of help and guidance available to us, as much or more internal than external, but "He" makes no law or rule that such guidance must be sought or followed. The "payoff" is that we don't forget lessons learned "the hard way".
For what it's worth . . .