Hi, Olive, that’s a fair question and one I don’t mind addressing when asked so respectfully. It’s not that I don’t like the Bible. I’ve read most if not all of it, and there are parts I like. I do, however, have a problem with taking it literally and when someone uses it as an excuse to justify being unkind or judgmental.

Logically, knowing it has been translated probably 100s of times, and speaking two languages myself, I know there are things that do not always transfer correctly. Also, it was written many years after the events it records, so that’s bound to have affected the accuracy, also. There are parts that refute each other. Also, it was a group of men who decided what should be included in the Bible, and there were several books that were not included, which brings me to my last point, and that is that the men who put together the Bible, like all men, had their own agendas as far as what should be included and not included, and that also limits the truth. There were other disciples who wrote accounts, Mary Magdalen also wrote an account, along with others, and they were not included. I’m not saying their intentions were all bad or selfish, but they did reflect their own reasoning.

Aside from reason and logic, and most important for me is what my heart tells me. The God I know is not a jealous, wrathful God, as is portrayed in the Bible in places, He is a loving God. He doesn’t love some of us more than others, He loves us all, and His love is not conditional. He loves us no matter what.

Lastly, the Angels shared a lot of insight regarding the Bible when I wrote a series of articles about it, and there was definitely some tampering with the truth, albeit sometimes with good intentions, but it was presented as fact, all the same.

My biggest issue with the Bible is using it as a reason to persecute others, especially when a couple of verses are cited that dismiss the greater lesson of the Golden Rule, and what Yeshua (Jesus) said was the second most important commandment, which was loving others and treating them as you would wish to be treated. That’s not really on the Bible, but on the people who misuse it, I know. Anytime it is used as a reason to justify mistreatment of others for any reason or as a tool to scare people with ideas of hell and damnation, I think it is misused and abused, and I don’t think it’s pleasing to God. The reason I wrote to not send me scripture readings tied to the article is because when people do that, they generally tell me I’m going to hell and they try to use the Bible to prove it. I’ll take my chances with God.

That’s probably a lot more than you wanted to know! In any case, it’s not that I don’t like the Bible, and it’s not that I don’t think there is anything worth reading in it. But I temper what it says with common sense, logic, and what my heart tells me is the truth. I also know the world and what is acceptable today differs from what was going on thousands of years ago, and it should. Hopefully, we learn as we go along and grow and evolve into better people. We don’t stone adulterers anymore, legalize slavery, or allow taking an eye for an eye anymore, and we shouldn’t. We don’t have to agree on these points, we can agree to disagree, as you said, respectfully.

Best wishes and blessings to you, Olive.