#Karen Armstrong does an adequate history of the bible but not that great

[septemberadical]

I am not close to understanding, I do understand. You want unquestionable faith that your god is real and you speak for him through the bible, and anyone who tries to ask you questions about this god's motivations, ultimate goals, or even where he came from are told they are too puny and stupid to understand. You can justify even the most abhorrent and illogical treatment of others because it's in the divine and, most importantly, ineffable plan and we can't possibly understand it.

For example, your argument is that anybody who opens their heart to Jesus and asks for forgiveness will be granted it and invited into the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom which is presumably the alternative to the hell waiting down below for all the non-believers and there is no middle option like the inventive Catholics espouse. That's a pretty low bar for entry, don't you think? It's well known that Hitler believed he was serving god's interests (certainly killing Jews has been a favourite pass-time of pious Christians so he'll be in good company), and almost every serial killer or rapists or heinous criminal on death row has had the opportunity to see a chaplain prior to their execution and repent. They will all go to heaven. But, unfortunately, because pious Jews or peaceful Muslims, or atheists who have done great works and lived, by all accounts, a virtuous life will be subject to the torments of hell because... why, exactly? And we come back to your answer that we are too stupid to understand it, but it is just since god says so. Why isn't it that those who try their best to live like good people go to heaven and those that don't go to hell? Why is simply 'believing' someone died for our sins enough to get us a ticket to the best seat in the house?

God, I'm sure you will agree, is asking for a lot on blind faith. We have to ignore reason and logic (not to mention overwhelming scientific evidence in biology, geology, chemistry, astronomy, physics, and basically every major discipline that contradicts the bible on topics from the origin of life to the age of the universe and the earth), and believe with no proof that everything the bible says is true (including the earth was created in 7 days, woman was created from man's rib, that a man turned water into wine, and brought himself, and others, back from the dead, among other things - all of which if you told me happened today I'd very helpfully drive you to the nearest mental hospital). And on top of all that, we have to believe it without knowing the reason why any of this craziness is happening?

As for this:

We know the basic facts around Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are corroborated by the best-supported primary source documents that exist for any ancient historical event.

What supporting documents are you referring to? As far as I'm aware there is no record in the Roman Empire, at all, of a Jesus of Nazareth despite apparently having been tried by Pontius Pilate and Rome presumably kept records about those sorts of things. Other features of Jesus' life also fail to measure up to historical scrutiny, including the idea of a national census that led Joseph and Mary back to Bethlehem (censuses were conducted but never on that scale and never forcing individuals back to their great-great-great x10 grandfather's birth city). Or any reports of a 'star' moving across the sky to guide 'wise men' to a manger, or any record at all of the birth occurring or a mass culling of infant boys after it occurred. And it's hard to imagine that there are historical 'records' of resurrection, and lots of people believing something is not any kind of evidence. A not insignificant number of Americans believe that you can tell the future by gazing at tea leaves at the bottom of a cup, and presumably tell their friends all about their insights, that doesn't mean it's true.

Also, not for nothing, but the gospels are far from 'reliable' sources on Jesus and his life. The gospels were written by wealthy Greek converts (as obvious a biblical scholar as you are I'm sure you know Jesus spoke Aramaic and could very probably not read or write, as could most of his original disciples) 30 to 80 years after Jesus' death. At best they are the culmination of a complicated game of telephone that crossed continents, not to mention it's had thousands of years to be edited, changed and completely invented by scribes and church leaders (apparently they don't consider that to be a sin, go figure). (I encourage a reading of Jesus, Interrupted and Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman, two excellent summaries of critical bible study and his speciality of new testament studies that goes into so much more detail than what I say here.)

Why does God allow evil to exist?

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭24‬-‭30‬ ‭NASB

“But God is perfect and all powerful, why can’t He get rid of the evil without harming the good?”

Because the evil isn’t just “bad people” among us. The evil is in our own sinful hearts. To get rid of evil, He would have to get rid of us too.

In our Baptism, in Confession and Absolution, in hearing the Gospel, and in Holy Communion, we receive the forgiveness of our sins won for us by Christ on the cross. But while we live here on earth, we still live with our sinfulness - though we are no longer slaves to it (Romans 6).

When Christ returns on the Last Day, then we can finally be resurrected in our glorified, perfected bodies and live with Him without sin and all its consequences. That will happen - just in God’s timing, not ours.

It may feel like we are waiting a long time and suffering under the weight of evil in this world, but when we are in the world without end, this life will seem like a distant memory, a blip compared to eternity.

Almighty, everlasting God, Your Son has assured forgiveness of sins and deliverance from eternal death. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ may increase daily and that we may hold fast to the hope that on the Last Day we shall be raised in glory to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.