Think For Yourself 101

Recently I have been on our Kennedy web page entertaining forum discussions. For the most part the conversations are interesting, but not intellectual. People are leaving their opinions, but have a tendency to get upset when other people leave an opinion adverse to their opinion. How do I know they are upset? Because they end their comment with, "but everyone has an opinion and this is mine." Another problem I am finding is that most of the people commenting have nothing of substance to back their argument. They'll spit out a few quotes from the bible that is tailored to their opinion and keep reciting that same verse. I'll comment whenever my name is mentioned for feedback, but I am really getting tired of the forum discussions that are political/religious in nature. Which leads me to the reason for this post.

It's been a while since I have entertained the topic of religion/the bible with other people. One reason why I have stayed away from it is because I have found that most people love to quote the bible, but hate to read it. That is one of the most absurd things I have heard of. How can a person quote something as a point of reference and not know the contents of what they're quoting. Second reason why I have stayed away from these types of discussions is because people don't like to read and learn things on their own. People would rather have the bible spoon fed to them. Therefore, they only know the interpretation of the person lecturing to them. Maybe that's why I have such a huge problem with going to church. I really have a problem with someone else giving me their opinions and interpretations of the bible. Perhaps that's why I like the law so much. No matter what the law is, everyone has an interpretation of it, and the courtroom is where we argue those different interpretations. But the bible is different. Everyone wants to believe that there is only one interpretation. That may be fine, but what do you when you find discrepancies in the book you were taught to believe in and rely upon. Here is an example of one of those discrepancies.

Let's start with the very beginning of the bible. The book of Genesis. More specifically Genesis; chapter one; verses 26-28. Those verses read as follows:

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Clearly in the very first chapter God created man and woman. Those verses can be interpreted that way. So one would imagine that the earth now has a man and a woman upon it, and more people would soon follow from those two people. Right? But wait.....Let's read further. In the second chapter of the book of Genesis, there is another creation. This took place after God put Adam in the Garden of Eden. Let's read it. More specifically Genesis; chapter 2; verse 15 which reads:

And the Lord God took THE MAN, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

Now what happened to the woman God created in the first chapter? Why would God only take "the man" and not the woman who was created for the purpose of being fruitful and multiplying? Well let's read further. More specifically Genesis; chapter two; verses 20-24 which reads:

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be call Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Now think about these first two chapters. Why is it that there are two different times when a woman is created in this bible? Could it be that Adam had two wives? Could it be that the first woman didn't work out, so God created another one? Whatever the case may be, its obvious that there are discrepancies in the bible. Its obvious that whoever wrote this book, wrote what they wanted the readers to read and believe. Even if there were scriptures written for the purpose of history, those scriptures certainly have been altered.

I will give another observation of mine. The "immaculate conception" of Christ. I don't believe it. The only reason why people believe it is because they don't want to doubt God. While I don't doubt God, I doubt what the authors of the bible have conveyed to us all of these years. As children we were taught that Mary, the mother of Christ, became pregnant by way of the Holy Spirit; i.e. she was a virgin, yet conceived a child. Impossible. The very first book and chapter (the book of Matthew) in the new testament starts off going through the entire line of David eventually leading to Joseph. Joseph was the man Mary married who eventually gives birth to Jesus. Now if Jesus was born of an immaculate conception, then why does the entire old testament discuss the lineage of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, etc. According to the old testament, Jesus came through this lineage, and its also reiterated in the new testament. If Christ was of an "immaculate conception," then why does all of this lineage matter? Why is lineage highlighted throughout the majority of the bible? Lineage shouldn't matter if Christs' birth was of an "immaculate conception." Particularly if Mary was a virgin when she married Joseph, and Joseph considered leaving Mary once he found out she was pregnant. If the immaculate conception is true, then Christ didn't come through Joseph's line as the old and new testament would have the reader believe.

I guess I said all of that to say this. Read for yourself and think for yourself. Don't believe something just because you've been taught that's the norm in society. After all, what or who classifies what is normal and what isn't. That's another post at a later date. I think I have put enough on y'all minds with this post.