So which parts of the Bible/God do you actually believe in? (And, I'm being serious, non-snarky with this...) Do you believe in the creation story? What about Noah/Job/etc or do you believe the supernatural stuff in the bible is made up and the rest is a collection of parables?
(First, a thanks to people for your considerate 'listening' to my posts).
I do not think that there is an infallible tool for judging what is historical truth and what is not. Since it is not possible to know for sure whether something is true or not, the important thing for me is what did the writer wish to convey through the story. Understanding the genre of a text is very important IMO. For instance, many cultures have told stories to try to make sense of the world, where we come from and what it all means. The first 11 chapters of Genesis very much fall into this category. These stories, therefore, are not meant to be taken as history and definitely not science. This is not a new view, either.
Job has the ring of a morality tale and if it were true then God is a bastard and not to be respected IMO.
In an earlier post I wrote that I thought that there was now some evidence to suggest that a small group of Hebrews fled Egypt and then this grew into the Exodus tale, whole armies, magic snakes and all.
I find the idea of talking snakes and asses to be extremely unlikely.
When we get to the NT and I feel reluctant to type this (because I like to be rational), I think that there is now much more chance of things being historically true. It is still not possible to say with certainty whether something did actually happen or not. The gospels are not written in straightforward ways. Their purpose is to show how Jesus is the Messiah, not history in the modern sense, and they weave together actual happenings and stories. For instance, the dead rising from the graves in Matthew 27 (help, zombies) is picking up the image from Ezekiel 37 (dem bones, dem bones) to show that Jesus is the real deal. It is difficult, if not impossible, to say with certainty whether something is history or not. Of course, it is possible that the Jesus rising from the dead thing is not history either and I think that that is a reasonable position and perhaps one that I would hold if it were not for my own experiences and those of people I trust which suggest that odd things are possible. These experiences are, of course, not proof, are not convincing, especially on the internet (!), but are there.
Also, I find the message of Xtianity to be true. What's that? I see it as the possibility of change, of turning one's life around. Xtianity can encourage being extremely honest with one's character, and attempting to do something about it.
As for what I believe - I am not a fundamentalist.
I think women should have equality with men, gay with straight. I 'believe in' Evolution and AGW and am a 'near' universalist. To use theological terms, I think that Protestantism can be prone to focussing on Salvation (are you saved?) and forgetting Sanctification (are you attempting to become less selfish?). Unfortunately, I am at heart quite selfish, but I do not see other people as my playthings in my universe so much any more.
