Ok now onto God!
(Responding to someone's post)
You said in your post "When the dozens of authors, got done writing the bibles nobody could agree what they were thinking" You are incorrect, "Bibles" were not written. They were complied from various writings by the various authors of the New Testament. Usually in the form of letters. The writers of the scriptures knew what they thinking, they wrote it! Their immediate predecessors knew what they wrote, they were there! These denominations that started to pop up did not happen immediately it took quite awhile but your right they did appear and flourish. I'll address this later.
Let me address your concern. "There are reported to be approximately 38,000 Christian denominations And they ALL presume to KNOW what a god is thinking".
Yep sure are a lot of denominations. Sure are a lot of interpretations also. That's what happens when groups of people get together, happens all the time. Could be religion, politics, science or any club or social group. People always have their own ideas and interpretations on any given subject. Just look at Science and how many differing opinions scientists have just on the subject of evolution, they can't agree on how, why or even if. BUT....The word of God is not up to anybody's private interpretation. It says what it says. It tells us so that there would be no confusion. You see when people rely on what someone else tells them something means they can be mislead. This could be innocent or malevolent. But if we use our own minds and our own reasoning abilities I believe we will come to the correct conclusions. God even tells us to "Think and Reason". The teachings of Christ and the interpretation of the scriptures is an individual endeavor. If we follow what others tell us it says we could be mislead. They could have it wrong. If we follow what the Word says it is clear. God tells us how to interpret his Word! He gives us instruction, directions! He tells us right there in the Word how to interpret the Word. He makes it simple to know what he thinks. The problems happen when a group of people tells another group of people what it should believe, what it shouldn't believe, I think "Christians" fall into this trap as well as "atheists" and other groups or organizations.
In 2 Peter 1:20, we are told that the Word of God interprets itself so that it is not left up to us humans to decide what it says or does not say.
“Knowing this first,that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” The Greek word for private here is idios and means ‘one’s own’. And you can see what English word comes from the Greek word, idios!
That is, no prophecy of the scripture is of one’s own interpretation. Because if it is left up to us, we will mess it up which causes confusion and dissension and then division. This has been the curse of the Christian church for centuries. But if we faithfully go back to the scripture and search diligently, we find that in most cases it will interpret itself, thus removing the guesswork and providing us with the truth.
So the Word will interpret itself if we allow it. For no prophecy of the scriptures is of any private (one’s own) interpretation.
I believe that we should let the Word to speak for itself. I believe that most of the Bible is plain and simple and easy to understand and can be taken literally for the most part, not always but its easy to see where it is and is not. Even parables have a literal interpretation. One does not need to be a theological wizard to understand the Bible. In fact, Jesus told us to beware of the Doctors of the Law and Scribes and other well educated religious people who always like to point out how smart they are in this field and how many Degrees and Doctorates of Theology they possess. A simple reading of the Gospels will show that the people who constantly challenged the Messiah and tried to trip him up, who organized his betrayal and kangaroo court, who ordered his torture and eventual murder, were the religious leaders, the politicians and the Theological elites.
What was Peter’s occupation? He was a fisherman. And Mark? He took care of sheep. And the rest of the apostles? They were ‘ignorant and unlearned’ according to the chief priests and Theologians of the day. Basically they were a collection of working class peasants most of whom had little schooling. But I bet they were smart people. Peter was a top fisherman and I bet you wouldn’t pull the wool over his eyes too easily. Mark was a great shepherd and probably made a decent living from sheep farming. These men were experts in their own fields. They were street wise and intelligent.Perhaps they were not well versed in Theological matters and were lacking in education as regards to the law. But as that great American satirist Will Rogers said, ‘Everybody is ignorant. Just in different subjects’.
Listen to what the Word says about itself in Hebrews 4:12 KJV “For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The truths of the Word are so sharp that it can divide between the bone and the marrow. Marrow begins as soft in the center and then gets progressively harder until it forms the toughness of the bone proper. So this is a figure exemplifying how sharp the Word of God is insofar as it can divide between the bone and the marrow.
It can also divide between soul and spirit and is so sharp it can pierce even between an individual’s thoughts and the intentions of the heart.
So what I'm saying is that you should not rely on what others tell you the Bible says (the thoughts of God). Listen to what the word itself says. Its written down in plain sight. If we do not apply due reverence to the task of letting the scripture speak for itself, then we do God a disservice. If we allow our own prejudices and misconceptions to guide us, rather than strictly adhering to the revealed Word of truth, then we fall short. We are told in 2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."