Read the Bible

Boy, this is a slow one. Last night I read about Abraham and Isaac. Isaac was a home bird and stayed in the tnt while his brother Esau was out in the fields all day doing ‘boy’ stuff. One day Esau came into the tent where Isaac was cooking a lentil stew. He was famished and asked for some food but Isaac would only give him some if he handed over his birthright – which he did. From then on Esau resented him.
How unchristian was that! I’m with Esau on this one.

While my bible reading has stalled, I have been reading a book called The Lost Gospel, which chronicles the finding of the Gospel of Judas in a burial cave in Egypt sometime in the 1970’s and its subsequent journey to restoration and publication. Its a fascinating story and of course an opportunity to read an ancient gospel which was rejected as heresy by the developing church.It offers a view of Judas, not as The Betrayer, but as Jesus’ most loyal and trusted disciple who undertook the onerous task of helping to fulfill Jesus’ mission on earth by enabling his martydom.

Ok, this is fascinating, but i can see how scholars give their lifeswork to studying this. Ive only started and i have so many questions. I’m not sure i have understood everything correctly but there are so many surprising sections.

First of all, everyone lives for about 800 years. I dont know whether this is meant to be literal or not.

In verse 8:21 God seems to say he will never destroy humankind again. I thought biblical apocolypse was something we were supposed to be waiting for.

Noah, who God reckoned was the only good man on earth, curses his grandson (Canaan) when his son (Ham) tells his brothers that Noah fell asleep naked after a few too many beers. It seems pretty unchristian but there’s no indication that this was a bad thing to do.

Most confusing of all is gods reaction to the lads who built the tower of Babel. He seems to be threatened by their achievement and confuses their language in order to lessen their abilities. – “this is only the begining of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech”. Can the achievements of man make God feel insecure?

Any help with all this would be much appreciated.

I bought a bible today – the first time that i have ever owned one. Its a big old thing, i’ll say that. I wonder what i’ll find inside. I’m curious about doubting Thomas, who sounds like a thoroughly sensible man to me. I wonder if it will rekindle my childhood faith? I dont expect that it will, i’m really just looking to educate myself a little. My current state of faith is that i hold open the possibilty of a God but am very cynical about organised religeon. Catholicism, which i was raised in seems almost comically contrived to me. For instance the virgin birth; how on earth did anyone fall for that; the ascension into heaven is not something i can believe and Trans-substantiation is so utterlly inconcievable that i cannot believe it remains a central plank of being a Catholic.

Anyway, I suppose i’ll go at it chronologically. I’ll just get lost otherwise. Well, on with the adventure.

Was in a hotel all week and considered stealing the bible. Got quite conflicted about that. The whole notion of stealing a bible seems unwholesome. And yet, i thought, if it meant i was going to read it would not the gideons be well pleased? I could not find a satisfactory solution to this dilema. It then occurred to me that i may find guidance…in the bible! I opened the drawer by the bed and the bible was not there. some bastard had stolen it.

I’m not particularly religeous. I just feel that its one of those things that cant be bad to do. The bible has such an impact on the world, and I am interested as much in its longevity as its influence. Besides which I have been told that it is fascinating in places. I want to have that experience behind me. gotta buy one now!