::sigh::
Considering the fact that no one reads these things anymore, I'm writing this more for myself, so I can vent, because I need to get it out.
I'm talking to my mother in the kitchen about this class I've been taking called Old Testament Literature. We've been reading through the Old Testament and looking into the historical context it was written in and whatnot. It's incredibly interesting stuff, but it's altered my way of reading the scriptures dramatically. I no longer view some of the narratives (like Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale, Balaam and the donkey, etc.) as completely, historically accurate. In fact the story was much more likely written to be an etiological fable of sorts by the ancient Israelites.
I was telling her all of this, not to shake the foundations of her faith or anything, but to share how excited I was that I was beginning to make my faith my own, and to grow in my understanding of the scriptures as well as my walk with God. But she took it exactly how it wasn't meant and started shooting me down with questions. Questions about how I could possibly believe the scriptures to be true if I'm doubting their stories ever happened. As much as I tried to talk her down from the heresy ledge, she let loose, saying that I'm destroying God's truth and manipulating His word.
I just can't believe this has happened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I broke down and started crying right there. After a while she told me she didn't want to talk to me anymore, saying that I was upsetting her just as much as she was upsetting me. Obviously she now thinks that I have no faith, and subsequently am not a true Christian. I tried to explain our unity as Christians is in Jesus Christ, not in our interpretations of the Old Testament, but of course she turned that around to make me sound like a hypocrite, saying that the Bible is His word and so therefore if you don't believe the Bible to be historically accurate down to the last word, then you are exempt from that unity.
So now I'm hiding out in my room, I've finally stopped crying, but now my initial hurt has turned into bitter anger. Like, screw the witch. But of course, that would negate my witness. So I'm trying my best to remain calm and forgive.
I'm talking to my mother in the kitchen about this class I've been taking called Old Testament Literature. We've been reading through the Old Testament and looking into the historical context it was written in and whatnot. It's incredibly interesting stuff, but it's altered my way of reading the scriptures dramatically. I no longer view some of the narratives (like Adam and Eve, Jonah and the whale, Balaam and the donkey, etc.) as completely, historically accurate. In fact the story was much more likely written to be an etiological fable of sorts by the ancient Israelites.
I was telling her all of this, not to shake the foundations of her faith or anything, but to share how excited I was that I was beginning to make my faith my own, and to grow in my understanding of the scriptures as well as my walk with God. But she took it exactly how it wasn't meant and started shooting me down with questions. Questions about how I could possibly believe the scriptures to be true if I'm doubting their stories ever happened. As much as I tried to talk her down from the heresy ledge, she let loose, saying that I'm destroying God's truth and manipulating His word.
I just can't believe this has happened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I broke down and started crying right there. After a while she told me she didn't want to talk to me anymore, saying that I was upsetting her just as much as she was upsetting me. Obviously she now thinks that I have no faith, and subsequently am not a true Christian. I tried to explain our unity as Christians is in Jesus Christ, not in our interpretations of the Old Testament, but of course she turned that around to make me sound like a hypocrite, saying that the Bible is His word and so therefore if you don't believe the Bible to be historically accurate down to the last word, then you are exempt from that unity.
So now I'm hiding out in my room, I've finally stopped crying, but now my initial hurt has turned into bitter anger. Like, screw the witch. But of course, that would negate my witness. So I'm trying my best to remain calm and forgive.