RE: Let's Talk About What We Aren't Supposed To Talk About... Religion!
Why would omnipotent god write a very self-contradictory book through the hand of man, 2000 years ago, only in one area of the world in 2 two different languages? Pauline Epistles and gospels are in Greek, though the Torah Old Testament is in Hebrew. Let me ask you do you think god is all powerful? IF ALL POWERFUL WHY GOD DONT YOU COME SPEAK TO EVERYONE ON EARTH LOUD AND CLEAR. A very ineffective communicator your god must be.
"I realized that getting mad at religious people for believing what they believe is a bit like getting mad at a rainstorm for making things wet. A better position is to try to find a place where we can all agree on the importance of meaning derived from literature or works of the imagination. I know it would insult most Christians to consider the New Testament as a work of the imagination. But I don’t mean that in the sense that it’s all fake, but rather in the sense of drawing consolation from another person’s attempt to order the universe. Maybe that it’s just a story is the best thing it can be. " - National Geographic. source http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160306-bible-apostle-jesus-christian-religion-ngbooktalk/
I cannot answer for the as you say self-contradictory areas in the Bible. I have not seen as much. We don't have the mind of God. We don't see things the way he does. We have worldly views of all things. As for the 2 languages, from what I understand they fit the times and areas. As for the one place in the world, Jesus was born a Jew and the Jews were the chosen people first, then to the gentile. God had his reasons. As for God being all powerful. Oh yes! Why he doesn't come out and speak to us? Would you believe if he did? Would you then follow his son? When Jesus came they didn't believe he was the Messiah and killed him. We are given a Sovereign will to make a choice to follow Jesus and believe in God. If he spoke to us and we saw him then that would possibly change our will correct. I mean he wants us to choose him on our own, not be made to choose. As for being a religious person, I don't have religion. Most religious people tend to be book smart only and feel they are always right. I am not always right. I am human and fleshly and I make mistakes. Most religious people put me in mind of the Pharisees and Jesus was against them. I don't have all the answers for sure but in truth I have to go with what the Spirit is guiding me to. I can understand why you ask such questions and I do hope you find the answers you seek. Why not pray and ask God to give you more wisdom in this area and reveal some of these things you seek. Trust in Jesus and his word.
Your belief in a god is why I ask you, I don't believe in your god therefore I don't need answers to these questions to which there are no answers. (Your answer being I don't know why god decided to communicate through human writing and then stoped 2000 years ago) The bible if you go ahead and crack it open, is as full of perverse and absurd writing, as much as it is of unoriginal basic moral wisdom. Levitcus, Deutoromny, and even Ephesians include things like rules for sexual abuse and slavery among other destructive acts of a spiteful omnipotent being.
You do in fact belong to what is by definition a religion, even if you do not belong to a sect or church. If you believe the bible is the word of a god and that you can communicate with this metaphysical being, spirit, and his son through prayer making you a Christian.
I seek no answers from a metaphysical being, I have come to terms with the glaring probability that human race is a group of advanced mortal animals. The observable order of the known universe interests me. My gnosis is the expanse of space, matter, antimatter, art, expression, and that which we don't know.
Why is it that are you a follower of Jesus and not Zeus, or a Hindu, Muslim, Jew, or Buddhist? You are a product of your environment just as we all are. It just so turns out that you live in America, a Christian majority nation and happened to learn about a specific belief system and accepted it into your life. The concept of Jesus does not reach Jews, Muslims, Hindus, indigenous tribes, ect.... please stop going around saying that Jesus loves me or anyone else, you know no more or less about a god than anyone else.
Ok. I wish you well and pray for you and your decisions in life. Be well!
Ok. Imaginary freinds are for children. Remember that.