These thoughts are primarily for MarkFL’s consideration.
Others in the CH community may find them discomforting.
(The Post is long, but the thoughts are better posted as a unit, as opposed to being split.)
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First of all, let Pedrito state that he finds Atheism (as he understands the concept) to be totally logical when one considers the world around one. How can a Superior Being, one who supposedly created this Earth on which we live, as well as Mankind itself – a Being of whom it is said has the welfare of Mankind at heart – permit the evil and sadness and trauma that pervades the world in which we are forced to live?
And what about the multiplicity of those Beings that exist in the various religions around the Globe (whether considered to be the First Cause or not)? Each of them has characteristics that differ from the others.
And even just considering in isolation the religion called Christian, the situation is not much better, if better at all. Multiplicity reigns there as well – a multiplicity of religious organisations and religious groups holding conflicting beliefs and practices, all claiming to be either representing God or being close to what He wants us to be doing and believing. It is a total mess.
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Secondly, Pedrito would like to share snippets of his background. The sum total of Pedrito’s religious education in the family, was the bedtime prayer: “God bless: Mummy, Daddy, (my name), Grandma, Amen”, from which the Grandma (who resided in a far country) was omitted suddenly and without explanation.
When Pedrito was around 8 years of age, his father decided it was time for Pedrito to attend Sunday School. He was taken to the church associated with the country from which his father had come. He attended the first week, won a prize the second week, and was thunderstruck on the third. That was the week when the Sunday School attended the normal church service. It was a ceremonial church. There was this book of prayers that everybody but Pedrito seemed adept at flipping backwards and forwards within at the right times. Including all the other kids. There were also several references to “collects”. Pedrito was traumatised. He refused to go back.
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Years later, Pedrito was invited to a Christian fellowship by a someone he was working and studying with. He went along and was exposed to a ritualistic-with-evangelical-leanings message. It offered explanation for the observable state of the world, and presented a plausible proposition about how God was doing something about it in the lives of individuals. Pedrito responded. There developed a thankfulness in his heart towards the God being presented, and he accepted what he understood to be a personal offer from God to him.
Naturally, a strong loyalty towards the organisation that had effected the introduction developed. Just like the loyalties that are very apparent among CH posters to their religious backgrounds.
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Equally naturally, Pedrito began reading the Bible, the supposed basis for what he had been taught. What a surprise he got. What he was reading was noticeably different from what he had been taught. He asked for explanations. He got into trouble for asking. He looked to other organisations for explanations. He got into trouble there, too. He adopted an interdenominational outlook, and was considered an enemy by all. (Even by “interdenominational” organisations if (when) he asked the questions “everybody knew” should not be asked.)
So Pedrito laid aside what he had been taught, and collated the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, while gaining an appreciation of the how and why of the formation of Israel, Israel’s purpose, and the amazing models and prophecies contained in the Hebrew writings (Old Testament).
In summary, the integrated nature of the 66 books of the (Protestant) Bible and its message, convinced Pedrito that there had to have been an overall guiding hand influencing the around 40 component authors as they wrote.
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In more detail, Pedrito investigated and found that largely (it seemed at that time) there was a highly integrated message that pointed to an overall single source of authorship. However, a few questions still remained – remained until he stumbled across a group of people who chose to study the Bible in an unfettered manner – no holds barred, no question avoided. The answers to his remaining queries became obvious, and he became convinced that the existence of the being we label God was indeed unquestionably real, and that that Being did have a strong interest in the intelligent beings inhabiting the third planet of a particular star in a galaxy of billions – that galaxy itself being one among billions – and that there was a distinct purpose to it all that the “normal” churches don’t know about, and wouldn’t want to know about.
Pedrito concluded all that (as have others), based on the improbability that a collection of writings from so many authors over such a period of time, could have such a cohesion when looked at as a whole – a mind-blowing cohesion in fact, if the plethora of incompatible doctrine-practice mixes observable within established Christendom, are ignored.
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Based on his personal experience, Pedrito sincerely suggests that MarkFL consider following in Pedrito’s footsteps (as it were) and possibly discover something amazing – something personally worthwhile and maybe even personally rewarding in a wonderful way.
Pedrito is open to considering any questions that may arise if MarkFL (or anyone else) seriously embarks on this path, and to discussing those questions in a non-combative manner.
