poincicco

John, thanks for the magnanimous spirit and the further insight into these issues. Your academic preparation is a lot deeper than mine, as are your observations. Apart from my initial formal theological studies in preparation for the ministry, my studies for the past years have been limited pretty much to that necessary for the preparation of sermons, Bible studies and a few Bible college courses on various Bible books. Since my official defection from the faith four years ago I've been reading more science as well as some apologetic works by various agnostics and atheists. It's all been very enlightening and stimulating after so many years in a closed system. What most effectively snipped the thread on my faith and started it all unravelling was my surrender to the obvious conclusion that the Bible was definitely not a plenary verbally-inspired inerrant and authoritatively inspired revelation from almighty God. I had suspected that for years but resisted the suspicion, having been told as a new Christian that Satan would try to undermine my faith with just such thoughts. But after years of study and thinking I could no longer go on, in the words of Paul Simon, resisting the obvious, child. The Bible still commands my respect as literature, but I can no longer look to it as a source of unbiased history or divine teaching. As for its teachings on Jesus, his words and his acts, who truly knows what, if anything, is historic and what is construct? That it all might be built from older mythologies is certainly not an impossibility. I'll have to try and find your article. Thanks again for the response. RJT