[Aviza]

It's kind of like therapy with prayers. I find it really helpful. But at the same time I'm discovering how much I don't follow the bible. I feel a bit overwhelmed. I kind of went crazy when I read the bible and learned all the rules. There are so many rules. It sort of drove me crazy. So I'm wondering if it's such a good idea to get involved in a bible study.

[CometRider]

In my elementary years, I was kicked out of Sunday School. Since then I haven't missed it.

[divine1966]

I don’t believe you must follow all the rules. Just live by golden rule. The rest is flexible

[sarahsweets]

Without getting too much into religion, I often feel that the Bible is very harsh. I feel like it were more geared towards long ago. For example Abraham and Isaac. God supposedly wanted Abraham to sacrifice his son. And he almost did and then God magically said oh no I just wanted to see if you believed me. Women were stoned. Men had multiple wives. The list goes on and on. Now that applies to the world we live in today. I’m not trying to bash the book, I’m just being realistic. I don’t believe being that is supposed to love you unconditionally we give you arbitrary rules like that. And there are many churches that do not believe in the harsh view of the Bible. However if it makes you feel good then good for you.

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[bpforever1]

I used to attend bible study also. I learned some things from it. I enjoyed my bible study groups because I was down and out and had nobody to talk to during these times. But, in the end, I learned that I don't need the bible to guide me. I learned the most from my experiences and from my mistakes. I think the bible is not to be taken literally. A lot of what is written in the bible does not apply to the current era. Although I think of the bible as a moral and ethical guide for some situations, it is metaphorical and has many good stories that are entertaining.

[ArtleyWilkins]

The Bible is a set of documents generally used to speak to a certain audience in a certain context. It isn't meant to be taken literally. Generally, by studying the context of writing, you can eventually begin to understand how it may apply in some way to the world today, but it isn't literal. Much of it is allegorical, so understanding the allegory can be rather complicated.

[CometRider]

I agree with all of the posts here and agree with you guys.
I wish I could spill my guts here without stepping over the line of this website rules and I also want to respect the rules too.
I do have a lot of anger and depression about the bible and church. I am not looking to be saved.
There are good and spiritual people out there who do not read the bible.
What I found is that people are social persons and need a community. A community can be anything like Save the Whales organization, for example.
There are spiritual communities without the bible.
A good spiritual community is this one, My Support Forum, and I am glad to add this to my spiritual growing years.

[AliceKate]

I adore the bible, even though I am currently not reading it. Reading it was the most awesome experience, and there truly is no book that even comes close to providing the amazingly wide range of perspectives and stories as the bible does. I also love the fallability of the old testament characters. Like they struggle, same as we do, to follow the laws. I am sad that I couldn't follow them myself, or that I didn't, anyways. Like many here said, there are so many laws and if one has a job and stuff it's just really hard to follow all of them appropriately. A community might make it easier, but it might also make it more oppressive and add rules that are not laws in the bible, but simply some interpretation of some church leader or such. One day I aspire to have a perfect year, to follow all the laws, commit to all the holidays and their practices, but I guess it's going to have to be after retirement.

[Nammu]

The Bible was written by men, human men. It’s is interpreted mainly by people with an agenda. The only rule that is important is the golden rule and living a peaceful life.

[AliceKate]

I think not. Of course, it was written by men, but I believe most people that read it also interpret it, and the agenda of most people is but to live a beautiful life, not at all to use it to advance their agenda, but simply to read and grow.