I was raised an Evangelical, and I have a B.A. in Biblical Studies from one of their institutions. So, I'm familiar with the ground.
Today, I worship a Hindu goddess; but that doesn't mean what you probably think it means -- because the very concept of "worship" has been perverted. And, despite this fact, I also regard Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of the world and acknowledge His Father as genuine.
Confused yet?
Once you realize that "Truth" is nothing less than God Himself, you must accept that Truth cannot be reduced to a set of propositions. God cannot be reduced to written form, or, more broadly, thought. So, what then is the Bible? Does it have meaning?
This is no space to delve into my personal journey; but if you have any respect for personal experience -- what some call UPG, or "unverified personal gnosis" -- then, please take it from me: the Divine is living and active within the Christian church; and, if you claim otherwise -- well, then, don't embarrass yourself. Proof is impossible; but I can come as close as you can imagine to proving this to be true.
Once you realize that you can't put Truth, or God, in a verbal box, you have to ask if the Bible -- or, more broadly, any Scripture, from any religion -- has value. After all, if God is greater than the mind can conceive, what's the point, after all?
The point is simply this: We are creatures of both spirit and flesh; and we are more-or-less trapped in rational consciousness -- at least to start with. Scripture acts as a lens, focusing the mind so that it becomes more receptive to the influence of Spirit. Problems come when people try to substitute theology -- the rational process -- for Spirit itself. That is, to my mind, an abomination of the highest order.
There is a story told about St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the most brilliant theologians in Christian history. Roman Catholics consider him a "doctor of the church" even today. After finishing his written work, including the Summa Theologica, he had what people today would call a "religious experience." On the other side of this experience, he commented, "All I have written is straw." And he never wrote again.
It is a mistake of the first water to discard Jesus Christ and His teachings because of the errors of His disciples. "Christianity" is a religion, and the Bible is a book -- but that doesn't mean they have no value. Greater men and women than I will ever be submitted to both the book and the religion, and found God therein; and only personal pride, hubris, condemns a path that works for others simply because it does not work for you.
It is the Spirit that gives life. Some people hear the Spirit in the book, in the traditions and rituals of the church, or in both. Do not find fault with them for doing so. If you do, you are throwing the baby out with the bath; and there are even greater consequences.
