False beliefs, of course, are connected to false actions. If I believe, on this snowy morning, that is it sunny and warm so I go outside with shorts and a tank top expecting to go for an hour-long walk, that false belief will cost me dearly. In the interest of preventing self-destruction any loving human (and, indeed, loving God) would be passionately concerned about truth, per se.

One purpose of the Bible is to accomplish precisely that; to separate truth from error. It does more than that, obviously, but that is a major role. It informs us about God’s true nature so we are not fooled into believing false claims about God. It informs us about our own true human nature so we behave appropriately to our nature. What you call “stifling” I see as a loving parent graciously holding up a hand and saying, “no, my dear child, do not go there; you will hurt yourself.”

The Church is supposed to be God’s primary voice in the world helping people understand the truth and calling people to repentence. All too many of us not only spread our wings, but fly off to destinations that prove utterly destructive for us in this life or the next. God and his Church will always speak up, inspired by love, to point us back to truth and safety.

Of course it certainly could be the case that the Bible is false in its claims about reality. It could be that the Bible’s portrait of God is wrong. It could be that the Bible falsely describes human nature. As we discussed previously, you seemed open to the prospect (though had not concluded either way) that the New Testament is catastrophically wrong with respect to not only the historical fact of Jesus’ death, but the profound and absolutely foundational theological significance of his death. All that is certainly possible.

And if the Bible is false then any intelligent person would reject it. Throw it out! No loving God would allow falsehood to continue as the standard for humanity. If, for instance, Francine is right that Jesus did not die then I will be the first to burn my New Testament. I assume you would be the second?

So that leads me to wonder if God’s word is, indeed, stifling as you say, or if it is accurate and trustworthy, and therefore lovingly protective against self-destruction. That all depends on whether or not it is true. That is the critical question that should determine our response to it.

Are you leaning any particular direction on that issue?