Get ready for a contradiction...
If you really want to get the best education from the Bible, first you must reject it as Ultimate Truth, Inerrant, and the Only Authority. Completely. Out of hand.
The Bible was written by humans, for humans. Within its pages are some great snippets of truth and some amazing wisdom. A few of the prophets actually had something valuable to say. Not many, mind you, but a few of them. And then, it became the tool of control. Still is.
But as long as you continue to see the Book as absolute truth from beginning to end, you will be blinded by superstition; you will be confused by the apparent inconsistencies; you will be confounded by the contradictions. And you will continue to go to your biased, denominational minister or priest with the same old questions people have been asking throughout the history of Christianity and getting the same old tired answer: Just accept it all blindly on faith.
Once you reject it as absolute, then you can approach it with an open mind. If there is any real value to be found, you'll find it. And you'll be free to interpret it and relate to it as you see fit. You'll be rid of the fear mongers who seek to control you.
It matters little to me if you're a creationist or an evolutionist or some combination of both. (That's possible, you know.) What does matter is that you have a brain that is probably the most complex structure in the universe. To settle for superstitious nonsense--which is what the Bible mostly contains--is to do your brain and the universe itself a great disservice.
This article is short and not so sweet. My job is to encourage, nay, entice you to look further. No need to become an atheist. I'm not. But I know that humans have an incredible and inherent capacity and thirst for knowledge. Don't be hampered by 1800-year old hogwash that purports to be Ultimate Truth. Begin to notice the wisdom found in ALL traditions. I dare you to peek outside your own religious box.
Yes, there is wisdom in the Bible. And also in the Qur'an, the Gita, the Dhammapada, the Upanishads, the Tao, the Analects, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, A Course in Miracles, The Science of Mind Textbook, the US Constitution, and in Nature Herself. Seek and you will find.
Unlimit yourself. There is an entire universe to be discovered. And the best way to discover it is by first discovering the powerful universe within. It then becomes easier to release the superstition and the fear.
In the final analysis, you, not the books, are the Ultimate Truth.
Prove me wrong. I challenge you.
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