liberal and Christian. We get it from both sides, and lately my thought has been "that narrow gate spoken of seems to be getting a lot more narrow for someone like me to try to enter by".

jeff47 I can not preach to you, the best I can do is suggest you find a newer translation of the training manual and go to that second half and digest the words with your own understanding. There's 180 degrees between what the conservatives loudly say, and what the training manual says. There is one thing to take notice of in reading the Four Gospels, who the thorn is in Yeshua's side- and to me in THIS day those thorns are found yelling at non-Christians. But they are equal-opportunity self righteous, they don't like Liberal/Progressive Christians either- we've "lost our way".

I have most of the translations/versions of the training manual, but have a preference for the Jerusalem Bible, I did not know it was banned in 1968 in the US and Canada when it became my choice. Yeah, I'll explain this choice: In Exodus the Creator gives a name to Moses for when he goes back to the "slaves" he's about to lead through the wilderness for 40 years. The Jewish feel the name is too sacred to be spoken. BUT in my addled brain: its like there is a football hall of fame, and a god hall of fame, so to clarify which god I believe IS GOD, I use and prefer to read that name when I study and try to understand that Book. "Yhwh" "I am that I am". The Jerusalem Bible uses the name. Plus the translation is more geared to my level of intelligence. There is also versions that include the Acrophya/ non canonical(excluded from the "Book", one of these is Esdras II. One of the keys that still stuns me is that it was believed the Christ would be a military leader and be the Hero that blessed the Jewish people. What came instead was a Leader who practiced love and set an example, plus opened up that it was not just those of Jewish heritage to be told. St. Paul had his reasons, but he wasn't part of those who wrote the Four Gospels, though most of his writings are wonderful and graceful, the words that are where our "example" comes from are in those first four.

Don't think I think I know it all, because there are places and words and ideas and concepts I will struggle with forever I fear. Like the Nephilim. Duh???? Another that still makes me cringe is: Okay the real reason I found my rear in the Lutheran School was because the State of California decided it would teach sight-reading over phonetics. So the number of times I read Genesis about Eve and the serpent and the fruit is beyond counting. Years and years worth. One day a few years ago I'm reading the same verses again, only THIS time- I realilzed "I'm just like Eve, naive, gullible...I am EVE." I am "easily deceived", what this did was make me more neurotic about having truth, truth being eternal not temporary.

Life is an adventure. Finding your own Soul is also an adventure, a becoming aware. Some may never feel the need to, then there are those like myself who lust after understandings.
Do I not believe in the Big Bang, dunno, wasn't there. BUT still believe even the Big Bang came from Intelligence. If there is any logic to this it has to do with what I believe are creations from Intelligent Design. The variety, be it birds; minerals; and my favorite wonders are the tastes and smells of what the earth produces. I AM easily amused, but HOW did the taste of a peach, lemon, apple, almond, walnut, watermelon, zucchini came to be separate from each other?

Okay I've blathered on too long. So I'll close with this: There is a perfectly sound reason that the Creator wants one-to-one relationships, wants it personal not as a collective. In the end it may be where the Conservatives can't see the forest for all the trees.