Cyclonengineer's Engineering New Muscle

@cyclonengineer @jshaving

Gentlemen, honestly how do you interpret the bible? Sometimes in media there are always arguments about mistranslations/misinterpretations of scriptures. How is the Bible even supposed to be read? How can I gain an understanding of the Bible and its purpose?

I suppose those are very broad questions. But, as of right now I do not have a foundation of understanding to flourish in christianity but, I do not see any reason to completely ditch it because I haven’t found a reason to completely leave it.

I took some time to think about this because it is a great question. I used to approach studying the Bible randomly, like pick a section and just read and see what happens. That usually never worked or increased understanding.
I picked up an in depth study Bible (A nice leather bound one) that has color maps, historical references, cross reference, and introductions to each book. I paired that with suggested readings for study topics (found via Google) and things started to become more clear.
If you are starting over or want to understand more, I would read Genesis, Exodus to get the Old Testament background and then the 4 Gospels. After that study what you want but Proverbs is always a good place to go. It usually takes more than one reading to develop a deeper understanding.
Oh, and pray for wisdom before you start your study.
Edit: I realized I didn’t answer your interpretation question directly. Interpretation of religious text is generally a very personal thing when seeking wisdom or guidance on topics. It’s the hallmark of many religious text that they can change meaning depending on where you are in life.

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@tlgains - I know you didn’t address me directly, and…
@cyclonengineer - I know this is your log, so…

I’ll happily delete this post if it’s not helpful. Not trying to push my views on anyone.

Given that…

I have found Andy Stanley’s teaching to be immensely helpful in my own spiritual walk. IME, he provides down-to-earth, practical lessons for today’s life without distorting what it really means to be a Christian—that is, what it means to follow Jesus.

You can find his messages by googling “North Point messages” and following the link to North Point Community Church’s online messages.

(Disclaimer: I do not attend North Point Community Church nor am I affiliated with North Point Ministries. I just really like Andy’s teaching.)

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I haven’t checked him out. If it helps you personally that’s what really matters. Different speakers/teachers will appeal to different folks.

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True, but Christians have fairly clear ideas of what’s right and wrong. When a pastor gives a sermon, often he needs to remind people what those things are, and needs to remind people how to act in a Jesus-like why. Even for “small” things, like gossiping. If a person believes that an action or behavior is a sin, they will feel as if they should remind people with the same beliefs as them if they see them “messing up.”

I do think there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it though. I wouldn’t ever say pointing at someone, calling out exactly what they’ve done wrong, and saying that those things get people sent to hell is a good approach, haha.

Abraham Lincoln had a good approach to such things:

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/temperance.htm

(@tlgains - check that out!)

I don’t think you can flourish in anything without having a decent base of knowledge regarding the thing in question. You can’t eat healthy if you don’t know that vegetables are good for you and meat provides protein. You can’t lift and get big and strong if you don’t know that deadlifts and presses rock. You won’t be understand the Bible without knowing what’s in it. So the simplest thing to do would be to just read it. Cyclone laid out some great ideas, but another thing I think could help is to find a reading plan that has you read the Bible in a year. It wouldn’t be that much per day, so you should be able to handle it, and at least then when you’re ready to actually begin studying things, you at least have some level of familiarity with what you’re studying, since you know that you’ve read it all before. I think @Frank_C or someone…maybe @alex_uk might’ve started doing this? Frank is taking a break from the forums but hopefully he’ll be back someday.

This is another great idea, @tlgains. For a lot of people, prayer feels weird. Like, is this doing anything? My mom told me a long time ago to think of it like a muscle. It’s a little hard at first, and you don’t really feel like it’s accomplishing much. Do it consistently, and it’ll become easier, more natural, and you may eventually feel like it’s something real. Say a quick prayer before picking up the Bible. “God, I ask that you would open my mind to what you’re trying to teach me.” It can be that short and simple. Try doing it throughout the day. “God, thank you for another day,” when you wake up. “God, thank you for the blessing,” when you receive good news or learn about an educational/job opportunity.

That’s just my two cents. I don’t pray as often as I should. I need to work on it. I think many people pray to ask for things and not enough to thank God for things. Work on the being thankful part. We all could. Even if you’re not a religious person, I imagine that if anyone on here has the resources and time to post on an internet forum about weightlifting, they have at least some things in their life to be thankful for.

Going to a church would be another good idea. At lot of churches, especially when COVID started, began streaming services or posting videos to websites/Facebook pages. A church I used to go did (I haven’t actually been to church since spring of 2020, jeez), and I’ve actually always liked the pastor’s messages a lot. If it was something you (or anyone reading this) were interested in checking it out I’d be happy to email you the link. (Not that there’s not already tons and tons of amazing online services out there, but it can be tough to even know where to start when faced with that many options.)

I don’t know where you go to school, but look for Bible groups on campus, or maybe at nearby schools if you’re near other ones. Most churches, if big enough, have college groups. It can take time to find a church/people that you vibe with, but I think the community aspect of Christianity is a big part of it, and can definitely help your growth. It could also lead to you meeting some people who could guide you in this area.

I actually still thank god for things. I still pray and thank god for what I have achieved in college so far. It does feel very weird since I’m lukewarm. I’ve done that several times.

I really can’t see myself going to church anytime soon but studying on my own sounds appealing.

I see your point. I guess it comes down to what one actually thinks the Bible says regarding certain things being a sin (the biggest issue here today is LGBTQ stuff - but even the Pope came out and said homosexuality was okay).

@tlgains eventually certain stories in the Bible will become your favorites that you will love to reread for guidance. One of mine that I have been relying on lately is of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. He befriends her and teaches her even though he is a Jew and they typically do not interact with the Samaritans (seen as “unclean”). It’s a short story but shows the power of treating everyone the same, with kindness and respect.
David’s cave experience is another great, useful story.

My wife’s favorite Bible story (just for the sheer fun of it I think) is when Jesus cast the demons possessing a man into a heard of pigs and drove them off a cliff. She also likes the faith that Mary displays, being the mother of Jesus.

If you are looking for other teachers’ thoughts on Christianity. I recommend C.S. Lewis and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

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The LGBTQ…IA+, haha, stuff was just an easy example. Usually one of the first things people’s minds go to, besides like abortion or something else. I don’t know what else churches fight about. Vaccines? Haha.

How come?

Never understood the fight against science either. If God created all humans by extension he created scientists and everything they have discovered, so therefore we should use it right?

My other current favorite is those that think the Bible says the earth is flat…

Alright, back to our regularly scheduled programming and actually learning stuff.

I’ve wondered this about pot, and mushrooms and the like.

Is it cool if these discussions take place in your log? I don’t mean to derail things.

It’s definitely cool. I have been slacking on working out and logging anyway…lol.
I am all for diverse discussions on interesting topics.

As far as things like mushrooms, Dorian Yates has lately been swearing by psychedelics. I don’t think using them is a “sin” but I don’t necessarily want to risk killing any of my brain neurons.

Hey man, idk if it’s been said but if you and the misses are going through a rough patch I highly recommend couples therapy if you want to make it work. Not saying it won’t without it, but it’s extremely helpful. Don’t be afraid to shop around till you find one you both vibe with. I’ve always had good luck with females as they seem to be able understand both sides extremely well, and I’m sure your wife would feel comfortable as well.

Thanks for checking in. We had a good discussion about things last week and decided the horrible night neither of us were in a place where we should have been having a conversation like that. Things are no longer dire.
I think we will be okay.

We realized that since we got married quite young we both may be different people than we were at that age and we have not been managing that change well.

We will see what happens but fingers crossed for good things now.

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Well, I have pancreatitis for the third time. Might be in the ICU for a insulin drip. This f*cling sucks.

And just two days ago my wife was in the ER and they found a large ovarian cyst that’s causing her a ton of pain.

My body is betraying me despite trying to take care of it.

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Damn dude. Sorry you’re going through all of this!

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Hope things improve for both of you.

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Oh no!!!
I hope everything goes well.
You have a strong base. You’ll do fine!

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My heart be with you friend. Indeed sometimes we speak too quickly, in the heat of things (I do this way too often). I hope things will get better.

It’s probable your health issues have been affecting your mind in a non-conscious way (stress on the body, is stress on the mnde, and vice-versa).

You’ll get through this.

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Updates:
No pain anymore and I might get out of the hospital tomorrow.
Got upgraded from no food to clear liquids (not much but something). First food I’ve had since Friday at 11 am.

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