Questions I ponder as a Christian: 1) How can Jesus Christ expect us to believe something written by someone else, yet if we don't believe what's

written, we're accused of not believing in the Father? He didn't write it himself, so if we do believe what's written, we're essentially putting our faith in the people who wrote it, not in Jesus directly. After all, we didn’t hear it from the horse's mouth.

I believe that any thoughtful person will critically scrutinize the Bible. Sorry, I can't just buy the argument, "The Bible is the word of God, you should just believe it."

We know the Bible was compiled in the late 4th century and wasn't originally a single book. So, the idea of the Bible being the word of God stems from those who compiled the manuscripts, books, and epistles. What we as Christians should do is approach the Bible as a historical document, understanding that it may contain errors, and focus on Jesus Christ. In reality, we can't be certain about the accuracy of every part of the Bible. But by following Jesus Christ, he will guide us toward what is truth and what isn’t.

The individuals who compiled the Bible were clearly aiming to control the narrative. In the early Church, there was a lot of division, and early Christians did not share the same beliefs. The early Church sought uniformity, kind of like The Lord of the Rings, "One Ring to Rule them all." That is why Constantine called the Council of Nicaea and declared "The Catholic Church." Those in power were the ones who determined for everyone else which books and doctrines we should adhere to, and how to interpret those teachings. They chose to include certain letters and exclude others because the ones left out didn’t align with the message they wanted to promote.