I’ve mentioned in other posts that I grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints (LDS). My siblings and I were read Bible stories and learned lots of church songs. We used to go to the “Old Folks Home” occasionally and make crafts with and sing for the elderly there. Growing up this way actually had a positive impact on my character.
Some things may have changed since I was a teen, but back in my day, when you started high school, you also began Seminary. Each morning before school, you’d go to the church and have an hour of scripture study. My family lived too far away to do that, so my older sister and I had to stay after church on Sundays and get our lessons and study then. I memorized many, many scriptures in those days!
However, a lot didn’t sit right with me, and it started to feel like a lie when I said the words, “I’d like to bear my testimony. I know this church is true…”
By the way, this isn’t a church-bashing post. I wanted you to get a feel for my history with this type of thing. I have always thought of myself as a Christian. I try to live the way I think that means to live as that is what makes the most sense for me.
Returning to Scripture with a New Perspective
Ever since I published Sentenced last year, I’ve encountered situations, interactions, and information that has me wanting to hone up on my scripture knowledge. If someone references something, I want to know firsthand what the good book actually said.
So, I’ve been reading the Bible the past couple of weeks. I’m in the Old Testament now. Then, I’ll move into the New Testament. And, I’ll head over to the Book of Mormon.
Unsettling Observations from the Old Testament
I have to admit that the Old Testament is incredibly disturbing. As a kid, I was entertained by the child-friendly versions of stories like Noah, Moses and the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, etc. I know I read the Bible as a teen, and various portions of it at different times in my adult life, but reading it right now…DUDE.
Some things I’ve noted thus far:
- God loves the smell of barbecue.
- People raised cattle/sheep or warred with each other. Apparently, there was nothing else to do. Oh, maybe there was one other thing – have a crapload of wives!
- Being a woman in those days must have been a nightmare.
Then there’s that part where King Saul tells David he can marry his daughter for the price of 100 foreskins. David goes over and beyond and brings in 200 hundred foreskins! Can you imagine what that looked like in progress – a bunch of dead men getting their penises scalped?
(Hopefully, God doesn’t smote me for being cheeky.)
A Random Thought on Spiritual Evolution
I’m not even sure why I’m mentioning all this now, other than it seems to represent some sort of shift. It feels like I’m going deeper into the roots of what shaped me as a person. The violence and anger of this history stands out to me.
None of this is intended to criticize what is written in the Bible. For me, it is an interesting experience to come to it with all the life experience I have now as a new lens to view what is there.
Sometimes I think about the concept that “Everything that is, is right now. It can be no other way.” It partly suggests an acceptance to what is actually in front of you. It also makes me think about all time happening at once – with only a vibrational shift separating us from other timelines.
And I wonder…what if the healing that we do for ourselves now as the human species is what allowed Jesus to show up for us? By doing this work now, we are unlocking our potential throughout and across time.
Hopefully, this won’t be considered blasphemous. I’m on my journey will you all, too.