Burrito Bowl Diaries

[This part is an attempt at an explanation as to why I feel compelled to write these posts. If you’re not interested in the ‘why’ just skip ahead to the actual article.]

I waffle as to whether this entire section is worth it. On the one hand, I have these thoughts in my brain and it’s nice to get them out. On the other hand, people don’t like their faith being questioned.

One way I feel misinterpreted throughout my On God series is I don’t dislike Christianity. I put belief in the Bible in the same realm that I put belief in aliens. I find it not super likely, but I WANT to believe.

So when I see potential holes in the narrative I feel compelled to point them out. There’s no animosity. It’s similar to how I’d point out the flying saucer looks an awful lot like a trash can lid. I’m not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings, but if you want me to believe in aliens I’m going to naturally ask some tough questions.

I clearly don’t fit in with the camp that thinks the Bible is infallible. But, I also don’t line up well with the camp that shows a real hatred for it. Occasionally someone will respond to one of my On God posts with a comment like, “Great post. The Bible is so stupid.” This troubles me greatly as my intention is not to merely pick on the Bible or those who believe it.

My hope isn’t that I convince people to abandon their faith. Rather, I hope to use logic and reason to point out that many things we believe to be true about the Bible are improbable at best, and some are just downright illogical, so we should be very careful when saying “Well, God said…” and letting that dictate national policy. Also, I’d be thrilled if someone was able to show me it’s actually not a trash can lid but a real flying saucer.

If you’re familiar with the On God Series then you know about my conservative Christian upbringing and the qualms I have with a literal interpretation of the Bible. You might wonder why any of this matters. Why not just let people believe in a literal Bible without questioning their beliefs?

It’s a fair question.

I feel many people have never really examined what they actually believe about God. People answer the question of ‘Do you believe in God?’ or ‘Do you believe the Bible is true?’ in yes/no terms. Black and White.

However improbable the stories in the Bible are, skeptics are considered the outcasts. Not believing makes you the weirdo in the room, not the other way around.

If Christians as a whole were a small group who left everyone else alone I’d feel no compulsion to point out any potential holes in the narrative I see. As it is, Christianity is a mega-movement that has an iron-grip on our national discussion.

Fundamentalists believe they have the right to tell gay people they can’t get married because God said so while telling you with a straight face they believe the story of a man being swallowed by a large fish, only to be spit out three days later completely unharmed, actually happened.

They get their morality from a book that’s filled with stories like Judges 19:22-29. So, yeah. I feel compelled to make the argument that maybe this isn’t the book we should use to control other people’s lives. But I don’t hate it, and I see the value the Bible brings to a lot of people’s lives.

Which parts of the Bible are true and how much of it can be demonstrated to be false before our faith crumbles? If it is all just hogwash, wouldn’t we want to know?

Again, it’s not about picking on religion, it’s about the policies those who do believe push. Also, I want to believe.

Today I ask, “What about the dinosaurs.”