I have a few Questions for Christianity at Large about God, Jesus, Reality & Morality, not necessarily in that order. If you have the answer, or at least an insight or two, please leave a comment. They’re numbered for your convenience.

Happy Sunday.

1. Is there a God? -> a higher power or consciousness in control? (assume yes for basis of following questions)
2. What is the nature of God? Am I meant to fully comprehend the nature of this God? Does God have a plan (does that matter? where do fate/free will enter into this, do they?)
3. Where do I fit in? Am I meant to know?
4. Do I believe in the Judeo-Christian OT-God who calls for Abraham to sacrifice his only son – this same God who will condemn me for blending wool and linen?
5. If Adam & Eve are the first people who was living outside the Garden? Who did their kids marry? Similar problem with Noah, it is rather incestuous.
6. Is Genesis 1 or Genesis 2 the correct version of creation? Are we perfect creations, or are we inherently flawed – if we are creations and reflections of God, is this God inherently flawed as well?
7. Why would God be such a jerk to Job? Also, if all people are God’s children why was God so mean to the Egyptians?
8. We are not all Jewish, so does the Old Testament law apply to us? Do Jesus’ teachings apply?
9. If Jesus came to do away with Old Testament law than what do we follow and what is the point of Old Testament teachings?
10. Virgin birth? Really?!
11. Is Jesus the “son” of God – are we not all children of God? Did Jesus have a choice? What was he trying to prove? The unreality of death? That we should be kind to each other? That we should have “faith” – what is faith in this context?
12. Does any of this really matter?
13. What is the purpose of religion? A deeper understanding of God? Control? Is Marx right – is it simply an opiate of the masses? All of the above?
14. Is ritual important for understanding God, or is ritual more important for control?
15. Ritual is important for small children because of the consistency and familiarity. Is this similar for God? A way to express faith devotion and to find common ground/methods of understanding?
16. Is a complex system of Heaven/Hell/purgatory/pre-life/whatever actually real? Can it be proven? Or is it just a system for control?
17. If it is about control who is trying to control? Why, what are they afraid of? What is the end-goal of this control? Is it altruistic control?
18. In Genesis 2, Adam is put into a deep sleep from which he never wakes, are we in a similar dream? Is this real? Is this just an altered state of consciousness? Are we just brains in jars, or bodies plugged into a computer? What would that accomplish? Who/what would set it up? Is that “reality” also an altered state as well?
19. What is reality?
20. Is the End of the World/Judgement Day/Apocalypse real?
21. Would God arbitrarily punish millions of people simply for having “different” beliefs &/or not being baptized, or not being baptized in the “right” religion? Possibly the God of the Old Testament, he’s a jerk.
22. Who is right? Anyone?
23. If it is real what will really happen? Heaven/Hell? What do those look like? Or will we go to another plane of existence until we reach a higher understanding/level of enlightenment
24. What if this is it?
25. What if this is not real? What is reality? Human perception? Humans’ once thought the earth was flat.
26. Where do our current perceptions of reality come from? Our senses? They can be tricked.
27. What created the Earth and everything? God? Big Bang? Evolution? Some combination?
28. Why is the Old Testament construct of God such a control freak? Was this necessary to keep a tribal people alive in the desert? Does this really apply to day? Or are JC’s “love one another” teachings and the golden rule enough? Does the Bible apply to non-Jews, Jesus was, after all, a reform rabbi.
29. Can we really base a religion on the 2000+ year old writings of what someone might’ve said/done. How do we really know what was going on? What about the scribes and translators motives?
30. How do we know “divine revelation” is true? Does God “talk” to people?
31. Is there a complex hierarchy of angels and demons?
32. If God talks to people what does he/she say? God did tell Abraham to sacrifice Issiac (dangerous precedent).
33. Why is God generally referred to as “he.” Is it because he is a jerk? Or because men like to be in control and translated everything?
34. If the Jews are God’s chosen people than what about the rest of us? Who did Jesus come for?
35. Is Jesus God? Are they separate? What is the relationship?
36. *more an observation than a question. If the Old Testament laws were to preserve a nomadic desert people, and women were property, inheritance laws were based on paternity, etc. infant mortality was also an issue, so it was more important to have kids. women are NO LONGER property, and it is no longer necessary for everyone to have a quiver-full of children.
37. *more an observation than a question. Some practical, marriage provides 2-parent home to raise children which is theoretically easier because more assistance. Also legal context to “moral” – man provides for “his” wife and children, provides structure (and control).
38. Who benefits from fear, uncertainty and control? Anyone? Or is everyone living fearfully, uncertainly and religion is providing a “freedom” from it? Is this freedom a different form of control?
39. By following controlling rituals and doctrine are we really free? What is freedom?
40. Does freedom matter? How is it being defined? Are there limitations on freedom? Who places them? Religion? Society?
41. Does our perception of reality influence our view on freedom?
42. Will any of this really matter tomorrow?
43. Why do bad things happen to good people? Does God have anything to do with it?
44. Does God care about human morality?
45. What does God have to do with any of this? Are we meant to know?
46. Does God have a different moral code than people? Does God care?
47. Is one person’s “revelation” more valid than another’s? How do we know if “revelation” is authentically from God – assuming God talks to people.
48. Do Angels play a role? What/who are angels? Demons? Fallen Angels? Do they exist/matter?
49. Are other belief systems valid? Must God be monotheistic? What about pre-JC religions?
50. Does modern revelations by-pass historical dogmas? What about doomsday cults?

I also have a list of questions specifically for the Mormon Missionaries I’ve encountered, but I feel these 50 for Christianity at large are a good starting place.