Frame of Reference

It does feel like the whole world has fallen down the rabbit hole and ended up in wonderland at times. A surreal wonderland nonetheless. I find it so intriguing how all of us are so unique yet can appear sometimes to be so similar and even almost cookie-cutter in some regards. i am making gross generalizations here but it helps to make my point. Groups can take on an identity that causes most of the members of the group to blend into one common whole. Rebelling against the establishment soon becomes the new *establishment* Seek to be alternativem but alternative to what???

Frame of reference. Each one of us has a particular one. Our intellectual capacity,emotional nature,social conditioning and upbringing all play a part in forming our frame of reference. I have been prodded to think of this lately as it pertains to beliefs and especially spiritual beliefs. What impels us to believe as we do about God, the Bible. Jesus, the Church,living life as God intended???? I have been scanning around pages by people who have de-converted from faith and i have truly found some incredible insights and critiques that make so much sense when brought back to the idea of frame of reference.

Upheaval and anxiety I think are natural responses if we find our worldview and comfort zone in how we relate to life turned upside down. Jesus caused this amongst the jews when He arrived and began His ministry. He turned their conception of Messiah totally on its head and left them with their jaws dropped open and wondering how they missed it. Martin Luther caused it when he posted his 95 theses on the door at Wittenberg and began the Reformation he intended for the Catholic Church but which broke out into Protestantism and soon various splinters of denomnations. I really hope God lets us meet anyone we want in heaven because i so want to find Martin Luther and ask .... dude!!!! did you have even the remotest just what you started by your posting those theses???? Incredible.

I have been seeking to better understand the frame of reference of the audience whom the Scriptures were written to directly. They had no scientific knowledge of the sort we do today and so they needed to speak and be written to in a way that made sense to them. We have all kinds of varieties of writing styles, and they also possessed these styles then as well. Poetry,symbolic,allegorical,irony and hyperbole as well as literal. Symbols have huge meaning for us. The flag,the national anthem,the cross,peace sign,rainbows. Many more but symbols hold a deep emotional connection for us in so many ways, as they did for the people in ancient times.

God created us, we rebelled and wanted selfishly to be God ourselves,God pursued us to reconcile us back to Him and ultimately died for us to express His genuine love for us and to have us restored to life. Is there anything that forces us to believe all that is written in the Bible is to be taken literally??? Does there have to be a supernatural angelic being who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven and became the devil???? Is there really a place where those who reject Gods salvation are sent to spend in eternal conscious torment called hell??? Is the Bible to be believed to be absolutely inerrant and that God wrote it Himself and made sure it was all absolutely inexhaustibly inspired beyond any doubt??? Am i now a crazy heretic falling off the deep end??? LOL Had to add that last one for fun.

Some of these themes i have touched on before. I just have been pursuing to study more intently for awhile and have been stretched to look past what is traditionally and longheld to be the beliefs which correspond with what is true. Frame of reference. I will have more,hope I whetted your appetite a bit though. Definitely look forward to hearing responses from any and all.