My question is, is its Gods word, or is it mans, and how does one know?
I'm not sure you can know. Thats why faith is necessary.
I believe as I'v said its Gods word put into writing by his imperfect creation, man.
The prophets who were told by God what to do & how to act were men. The desciples & Apostles were men. All those who witnessed Jesus while he lived were men & all who came after were as well. Men not being perfect did the best they could with what they had & I believe they did a dern good job given their limited abilities. The message is there if I seek it. Its real easy to poke holes in alot of it but again thats where faith comes in. I reckon if he wanted God could just whip up a Bible without the mysteries that would amount to a definitive, unquestionable book of the way to live. He could also just make us all believers & be done with it.
I think tho that he wants us to think & ponder the messages in His book, to come to terms with it ourselves wether we really believe or not. Faith is important to Him & faith isn't necessary if we know everything.
That He cares & watches is beyond doubt IMO. From the time of Adam right up till modern times God has helped us see the light when we wandered. With the prophets, with Jesus & in many ways in every day life I see His hand trying to guide us the right way.
For many years I believed the Catholic church the only real church. I was tought that the Church the Apostles got up & running was the only one, the very idea of a Protestant religion seemed out of whack. What are you protesting? If its the church that Jesus's followers started then it would seem you were protesting Jesus. I'v come to terms with the fact that people need diversity & that God knows this. He made us after all.
I dont think he cares where you pray, only that you do. I think he hears me if I'm praying from a campsite in the woods as clearly as in a church.
I believe its much more important how one conducts himself then what name he chooses to give his religion.
I dont believe that everyone who thru circumstances not in their control never gets to know God automatically goes to ****. I believe Evil men go to **** & good ones dont. I'm not here to judge so if I'm wrong no ones the worse off.
I know people who go to Mass every Sunday & then go out & cheat on their wives or beat their children. I refuse to believe that going to a building on Sunday to lie to God wipes that clean.
I know other men who help others whenever they can, do all sorts of volenteer work & raise their families with love, understanding & a genuine desire to have their children grow into good adults with the same values Jesus tought us. I cant help but believe that God smiles on these people & somehow they found God without even knowing it or trying.
Maybe neither of these fellows will enter Heaven but its my opinion that the honest man who does the right thing just because its right is far better off than the one who does what he's been told because he believes it'll over ride anything else he may do.
Jesus said the only way into heaven was thru him. Thats been interpreted alot of different ways & I'm lucky enough to have been brought into this world in a family that already believed in him. Those who arent as lucky as myself & are born into a family or society that doesn't know God arent doomed from birth. I dont think my God is cruel & that would be. If you treat others as you would be treated, If you help those in need & dont let personal greed drive your ambition, if you look at your fellow men as equals regardless of whatever shortcomings you might notice then you've got a good shot IMO.
Course I could be totally wrong & a literal interpretation of the Bible would suggest I am.
For my soul it doesnt much matter as I certainly believe that Jesus walked the earth so as I could be with God when my book closes. That part of the Bible I accept without question.