There's nothing wrong with you feeling how you do [MENTION=36353]Aerix[/MENTION], there's something wrong with how you phrased it. And you do this kind of often. You excuse it by calling people oversensitive or misunderstanding you but when you phrase it this way it is difficult to take it anyway else.
I see that people here have not studied the Bible as thoroughly as me. - I personally have read my Bible front to back twice. Sure, probably not as intensely. Do you major in Christian Theology? Can you read Hebrew and Greek and know the actual misdirected translations? Do you have a PHD in Theology? Show me those credentials and I will accept this data. I say this because I thought I knew my Bible quite well and I then took a religious class in my college, and my teacher LITERALLY knew Hebrew. But my god me and her had some AMAZING discussions and it really opened my mind to a lot of new perspectives on faith.
Not surprised. I almost always know more about the Bible than most Christians. - This is you chanting how great and knowledgable you are while stating someone like me doesn't know as much as you so you are "better" than me. It is a tone. Read it back.
Certain things being said here are evidence of the lack of research into it, but I don't know yet whether I will bother explaining their own book to them. - Don't want to bother explaining something to us idiots over here. That's fine.
I'm not the one who claims the God in it is real despite men writing it anyway. - There are people who find spritiuality without ever reading some manmade book. Do you discredit them too?
It's just more people picking and choosing what about it they believe in, which makes for hypocrites and people basically following whatever they want to believe, yet claiming their beliefs are from God. - This could be elaborated, perhaps taken better, if you hadn't made the first 3 or 4 extremely arrogant and brash statements you made.
Now I'll respond to your second part because to be honest as well as this discourse has gone between ALL the parties, I was really pissed that you posted that post. It is disrespectful, it is baiting for a fight, and frankly it is hard to believe you don't just hate Christians or you actually don't think you're better than someone like me when you talk like THAT.
That's always what people say, but some of it says things very plainly in ways that have no more other interpretations than your words here do. - There are historical events in the Bible in which are quite negative. Yes God did not stop them. No I don't not have an elaborate explanation of why God allows pain and suffering. I follow the theorem of the Trinity and the Trinity has God as 3 divine persons in 1 being. These persons are different but they are all God. God is the judge, the one who condemns and brings justice. Jesus is God's love. The Holy Spirit is God's wisdom upon us. That is my faith. Which I know you don't subscribe to and that is fine. What is not fine is the way I see you talk about faith around here like people who follow God are way below your intelligence level. Have we ever had trouble speaking intelligently? If you have to reduce to jabbing and personal attacks of people's intelligence I have to wonder what is really under the surface there.
There's nothing arrogant about what I'm saying at all. - I think I clarified why your statement is arrogant.
Once again though, the Bible covers the point you're making here in a very straightforward way. If you want to choose to discount and discredit some, but not all of it, then if you ask me...that's the real arrogance, claiming to know what parts are tampered with by men and which aren't. - Did I pick and choose to "discredit" certain parts as decided by man? I follow the Bible more as a "guidance" rather than "really from God's hand." In the past I subscribed to the theory that the Bible, was in fact, Inspired and came straight from God. I now subscribe to the theory that the Bible is a tool for my faith but it is tampered by man and cannot be the all ends of knowing the Lord. It is vital to have a personal relationship with Him. There's not a "book" to it. The book is stories of faith and growth and also a lot of the failures of mankind and I think as [MENTION=9811]Coriolis[/MENTION] said, there's a lot of "what not to dos" in it. Do not suggest I did something I did not do.
If you believe it's tampered with by men, then tell me - how can you believe in anything it says at all?: Because God isn't a book. And you can have a personal relationship with God without reading a book.
How do you not have a problem with a book that you believe is both tampered with by men, and also requires faith to believe in?: All religion and spirituality requires some semblance of faith. There are theories but nothing can be set in stone. Many theories exist, even some without God, of how this all came to be. You're welcome to believe in one of the other ones. I believe in mine.
How do you not have a problem with that being what this supposedly all powerful, all knowing, all good God left people with to save their souls from hell, if you believe that's true? - Because if people seek God, truly, and not just some authority telling them how to interpret it, they'll find a philosophy. God stood right over the Israelites while they made false images to worship. I think the point of that story is for some the reality can be in front of them and they still will not in fact believe in it and choose whatever they feel protects them or elevates them. In the New Testament you can see how people even took the strict following of books to become self-righteous judgers and they were condemned as well. Man is corrupt. I do not blame God for man's corruption.