Me personally? I also believe that God is too large to be contained in any one set of beliefs, one book, or one dogma.
As far as the whole Bible being the actual Word of God? I doubt it.
The only books of the Bible that have any chance of being the actual Word of God are the first 5 books of the Old Testament. The rest of the OT is actually a written history of the Jews. Ask them about it sometime, because after all, the OT is kinda their book.
The New Testament? Even Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have some discrepancies in how they tell the story of Jesus. Granted, the base story is the same, but there are details that they can't seem to agree on, so basically, those writers are just giving their take on how they saw things go down.
The rest of the NT? Mainly a bunch of stories telling mankind how to live with each other.
Do I think that the Bible contains the Word of God? Some of it, but certainly not all of it, because some of the Word of God is contained in other books like the Tao Te Ching and the teachings of Buddha.
God is too large to be contained in just one religion, dogma, belief system or book.
Hi Luddy Neddite:
Even if God has no religion,
people have their religions, these are their languages.
Just like you align with the liberals and Democrats as your language for the laws,
and nobody should take your religion away from you, and tell you you can't have your way of believing and expressing your social or political beliefs.
Especially if you don't believe in God, that means you are only dealing with people.
so if people all have their own religions, I guess we need to accept and work with that!
It's people's ways of communicating, organizing in like groups, and establishing and living by what they believe.
Why not let everyone have their own culture, their own beliefs religious or political.
When are we going to grow up and quit trying to bully people for their ways and just let each govern themselves and quit imposing back and forth on other groups. That's what I'd like to see.
If we don't want other people forcing their political or religious beliefs on us,
telling us we need to change or "give it up"
why would we expect them to change or "give it up" by bullying by coersion or exclusion?
If we want our free will and our free choice/consent respected,
why can't we see the other people and groups want that, too?
the fear of control or coercion by the other groups is MUTUAL?
If we want due process, to be assumed innocent until proven guilty or right until proven wrong,
WHY do we go around assuming the OTHER side is the opposite:
they are wrong until proven otherwise, or guilty of X Y Z until this is corrected.
We want the right to defend our own interests and views, but then attack the others in preemptive strikes.
How long before we get past the tribal warfare stage, the opening scenes of 2001
where one tribe beats an opposing member to death with a bone to scare off the other tribe.
Gee whiz, if there is evolution, where is it?