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You actually identified the reason Christianity has splintered into so many sects / sub sects as is common with most religions. The moment you break from the literal descriptions within any of the various holy texts, you fall into the circular loop of interpretation and what, if any, is the real interpretation. Which means, we’ve looped back to the issue of interpretation and translation but then we’d get in the problems with shoddy translation and why the gods would allow that. Why not simply be clear and prevent such such confusion? Why is it that the theistic perspective offers gods who confound us, but the materialist perspective offers one that makes sense-- a star is a million light years away because it's taken light a million years to get here. Simple. Explainable. Understandable. No need to assert mysterious beings using mysterious ways we can never know, precluding us from ever finding out.
“There is one god”?
It was the Protestant Reformation that brought about the literal translations...which then began splintering within themselves. The Catholic Church taught Bible Study, yes with a priest teaching, whereas Protestants taught Bible Reading, with everyone deciding his/her own meaning. It was the Protestants who decided based on Genealogy, the earth had to be about six thousand years old, and if that wasn't strange enough, that people would literally be lifted up into the sky (Rapture). Protestants decided upon reading that a flood covered the earth (ground) that it meant the flood covered the Earth (planet).
Do you? The Bible teaches that God is far beyond our understanding. Perspectives are all we have and I find them all valid. You find none valid and you find the none valid position less arrogant than all valid. That, too, is an interesting perspective.
That's precisely the problem. Rejecting a literal interpretation means any and all interpretations are valid.
I simply acknowledge that anyone saying they have a valid interpretation of the will of the gods is making a false statement. That’s a valid position to take when believers acknowledge that the gods are far beyond their understanding.
I suppose you know with certainty that your position is that of the gods.
But there IS a truth. Not a number of conflicting "truths." Which is why people have told you a trillion times that there is only ONE God. Yet you insist in every post to phrase it as "the gods."
Didn't anyone pay attention in their middle school English classes? Metaphors, allegories, symbolism are all explained, and most English classes have students practice writing each. Can you, personally, or can you not, identify metaphors, allegories, and symbolism? You spoke of arrogance earlier. Do you believe that modern Western culture is the only culture who understands metaphor, allegories, and symbolism? That the very people who wrote the Bible using these tools didn't know what they were doing? You sell your ancestors way short. If we, today, can understand and use allegories, metaphors, and symbolism, we got it from somewhere. With the Bible, we can trace this use back to ancient man who also used a picture language (not a subjective language).
How many times do people of faith have to say that full knowledge of God is beyond human understanding? How many times do we have to write it before this becomes equally obvious to atheists? I don't know who taught you religion, but that we cannot fully know God was one of the first things I was taught about God. God is love was the first. Then we were taught to know, love, and serve God, with the caveat that we could not fully know God, but do what we can within our capacity.
To be more precise, to stop harping about her misunderstanding of what she thinks others might be claiming. It makes sense that some cannot believe in God. It makes little sense to make up what one thinks others believe when the attributed belief just isn't so.
Read what is actually written. Everyone does what they can within his/her own capacity. This is constantly explained to you. As I wrote earlier, the person who has the best understanding of God is a short millimeter closer to God than the most sincere atheist., The rest of us fall in between these two.
How do you know there is only god? You do realize that religions other than yours insist there are multiple gods? How is it they are correct and you are not?
Why do you care so much about what other people say? You're missing the more important point. Whether one's claim is right or wrong, there IS an actual truth. Conflicting "truths" cannot all be true at the same time and in the same sense. That's the Law of noncontradiction, one of the most basic laws of logic.
If you want to argue against logic, go ahead.
What is actually written? I am certain that I have the best understanding of the gods or at least the men who wrote the Bible.
Religion is a philosophy, faith based on reason. Abraham's philosophy of One God strikes a cord with me, and his reasoning was logical. Jewish experiences and logic solidified Abraham's philosophy. Of course, I have also done a lot of research on how the Greek (and then Roman) Gods were chosen, and the philosophies and perspectives behind them. Once more, for me, the Abrahamic philosophies made better sense, so that is the path I have pursued. It works for me. If multiple Gods work better for you, embrace that. If no belief is your choice, rejoice.
