Expert: Austin Cline - 7/21/2008

Question
My question is is it wrong to question or critisize what is written in the bible or taught in church? What if your pastor says something you don't agree with or the bible says something you don't agree with? I was taught never to disobey God or question His word, but as I get older there are a lot of things that don't make sense to me.

Like for example, when my brother "came out" to our parents at the age of 21, my parents basically disowned him. They say he is a sinner and he is going to hell, but that doesn't seem right or fair. After all, he is a good person. He does a lot of volunteer work, is very compassionate and generous, takes in stray animals etc. He says he was born gay and can't help it. I feel he isn't really hurting anyone, so why is it so bad? This started me questioning what I was taught. I am seventeen. if you know of any sites on-line or books I could read to help me sort through my feelings I'd appreciate the recommendation. Thanks.

James

Answer
No, it is not wrong to question what is in the Bible or what you are taught in church. Even if we accept the premises of Christianity, it can't be wrong to question your pastor because no matter what your pastor says, there are pastors who have disagreed. They can't all be right and your pastor isn't perfect, is he? If you can question, doubt, or disagree with those other pastors, why not your current pastor?

As for the Bible, questioning it means questioning someone's interpretation of the text — probably your pastor's. So once again what we are talking about is questioning what some fallible human is telling you to believe. Maybe they are right, maybe not, but there are plenty out there who disagree so you so you can't avoid disagreeing with someone, somewhere.

One good sign that the people around you are worth disagreeing with is when their beliefs and/or actions cause harm. That's happening with their treatment of your brother. Even if they are correct that there is a god who disapproves of homosexuality, that doesn't justify their treatment of him — especially when he is doing more to alleviate other's suffering than the average person.

There are lots of books out there that could help you, but that makes it difficult to recommend just a couple. I'm not sure where you should start and I'm not sure what would be best for you right now. I have reviewed a number of books on homosexuality which might be helpful:

http://atheism.about.com/od/bookshomosexualitygays/

I also have books on lots of other subjects:

http://atheism.about.com/od/bookreviews/