Questions I have asked God this week.

I am, by personality, a thinker.  This runs into every area of my life and I am not unfamiliar with the advice, "Lucy. I think you might be over thinking this..." 

Studying theology is therefore deeply satisfying for me, but also a great source of frustration.  This week has been a headache because of two burning questions that I can not seem to resolve.

Firstly, "God, why am I not a Muslim?"

This may seem a strange thing to ask, but the issue was raised in class as we studied pluralism, inclusivism and exclusivism.

 Do all religions worship the same God?   It has been suggested that the religions all emerged at a similar time because God was revealed and then interpreted differently in different cultural contexts; forming the different world religions.  I was shocked to hear that some Christians refer to God as 'Allah' when praying because they believe both are the same.

Or should I approach my religion as separate but true only in that it is right for me? Whereas Buddhism may also be true because it is right for my friend.  Must I simply respect their beliefs and not seek to convert them to my thinking?

If the above are incorrect then why do I get to assume the superior religion? Because I have experienced God? Because Christianity has a Holy Book that tells me so? Would these arguments stand against the testimony of a 20 year old girl of another religion?

And so my mind echoes the question that has been put to me before, If I was born in the Middle East with a Muslim mother, would I not be Muslim too?

Secondly, "God, since when did you approve of Genocide?"

This was raised by an essay on the conquests of Joshua where I have anguished over finding a conclusion.  The arguments available follow that the story is either historically true or a myth. If it is true then God divinely sanctioned and therefore approved of the total destruction of an indigenous people in Canaan. But if it is a myth, which archaeological contradictions would seem to agree with, then my whole viewpoint of the bible must open up and change.  Tempting though it is to dismiss the moral dilemmas raised and understand it all to be story, the opportunity to recreate an idea of God's behaviour that suits the ethics of today's society does not sit well with me.  

I am therefore exposed to the issue of an apparent inconsistency with the loving and compassionate God of life I think I know.  i've always known the Old Testament is violent but what I once pushed to the back of my mind now seems unavoidable. I read the other day the suggestion that those who say they love the bible, probably haven't read it all. Is this true, am I unable to love it all?