I have been thinking about these things for many years. When I was younger, much younger, the Bible was an idol in my life, but I did not know it. I remember saying and thinking, ‘I just want to study the Bible. I don’t want to be studying a book about the Bible, I only want to study the Bible.’

There is a verse in the New Testament that says, ‘For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.’ (2 Peter 1:21 ESV) When I was young, I used to interpret that verse as saying that the Holy Spirit came upon the authors, kind of went into their bodies, grabbed hold of their hands, and wrote the Bible through them as they were physically moved by the Holy Spirit. That literally was what I thought. But my understanding has changed a lot since that time.

Much earlier in my life, for perhaps 10 years or so, I listened to Christian radio 8 to 10 hours per day almost every day. During those early years, I wasn’t thinking for myself. I was only thinking about what other people told me, whether it was from my parents or from other religious leaders. But in my 12 years of counseling, I had to examine my core issues and what motivated me. That started me rethinking my religious beliefs, and for a number of years, I’ve been deeply thinking about what I was taught versus what I have been learning that seems to be more true. I am not trying to say that everything I think or believe is true; I keep learning and seeing many things about my faulty beliefs.

Over the years, I have also seen that there are many religious people who try to prove that the Bible is right and true. In recent times, I’ve come to realize there are also people who are trying to find out what is right and true about the Bible. I have also been reading much about the history of the Bible and how it was written and put together throughout the years. The Bible was not a complete book that was just instantly handed down by God in a complete edition. It was put together kind of hodgepodge over the years and gradually grew into what we see now. And to go even a step further, there are many people who are thinking and writing and building upon things that are right and true that don’t have to depend upon the Bible. You may think that is sacrilege, and that is okay. We are each allowed to have our own thoughts and opinions.

There are many times that I wish I could just put all of this detailed thinking about the Bible and religion out of my mind and not think about it anymore. But that’s not how my mind is wired. There are many things I’ve been thinking about for many years. It is not part of my nature to try to tell anyone else what to think or what to believe. I’ve seen my own thoughts and beliefs change a lot over the years, so I wouldn’t want anyone following me. I think it is up to each person to struggle and think out for themselves what they really think and believe. I don’t think it’s helpful or right for anybody to just grab hold of a pre-written statement of faith or pre-written religious doctrine. But, it seems to me that many people don’t want to have to go through the work of thinking it out for themselves and will just take up whatever statement of faith a particular church teaches. Rather than teach people what to think or believe, I really like the way that Socrates used to ask questions to help people think things out. And I wish religious teaching was more like that, not starting out with a preconceived answer, but helping each person come up with their own answers.