God for Dummies

By Lee Dobry

GOD for Dummies is Dobry's attempt to break down some of the basic parts of religious dogma that have so often been deflected by the standard response of "It's a mystery." Certainly God is too immense for us to fully understand. But there are many things that God wants us to understand""simple things that have been so shrouded in theological gobbledygook that even the theologians who develop it get all wrapped around the axles themselves. This book is an attempt to unwrap some of this "deep theology" and just lay it out flat in plain English. It doesn't have to be as complicated as the elites and deep thinkers try to make it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781641140225

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God For Us Beginners

Lee Dobry

ISBN 978-1-64114-021-8 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64114-022-5 (digital)

Copyright © 2017 by Lee Dobry

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Is there really a God? How do I know?

What is the reality of God? What is the reality of You?

What Does God Look Like? Is God Male or Female?

Creation or The Big Bang Theory

Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden

The Mystery of the Blessed Trinity. Three Gods or One?

Was Jesus Really Human? Really God? Both?

Why did Jesus have to die for us?

What about the organized Christian Churches?

The Value of Rituals and Ceremonies

What about religions other than Christians; Jews, Muslims, Hindus?

Original Sin—What is it?

Did Jesus have Original Sin?

The Body and Blood of Christ—Bread and Wine, Body and Blood, or something else?

Was Jesus Really Born of a Virgin?

Did Jesus really suffer anguish in the Garden? On the Cross?

Justice and Mercy—Are They Mutually Exclusive?

Judging Others

Society

What about people like Adolph Hitler, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy?

Why does God let bad things happen to Good People?

What about Satan? (the Devil) Does he really exist?

Who is in control, Me or God?

What about Abortion?

What about Homosexuality?

What about Judgment by God

Salvation: by faith or by works?

What is heaven?

What about the book of the Revelation? Can we take it literally?

What does God want from me?

STORIES FROM THE BIBLE THAT TELL US ABOUT WHO JESUS IS

The woman caught in adultery (John 8:1)

The Raising of Lazarus

Jesus Healing Leper

Jesus and the Centurion (Matthew 8:5–23)

The faith of the Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30–Matthew 15:27)

Jesus tested by the Pharisees (the coin of tribute) (Mark 12:13–17)

Jesus's Crucifixion

Final Thought (For you creatures of Logic)

Where do I go from here?

Disclaimer and Warning

About the Title and Cover

What I hope the title God for Us Beginners conveys is that this book is for all of us. Not just for theologians, or philosophers, or scholars. Not for people who are trying to understand an incredibly immense God with our incredibly limited intelligence. No, this book is intended for all of us, not to figure out who God is but to just try to understand what God wants us to understand, that is, what He wants FOR us. Like the loving parent I'm sure many of you are, God just wants what is best for us. He doesn't want or need anything from us. He just wants us to live, to not hurt ourselves, to not hurt each other, and eventually, to be with Him forever.

Adam and Eve were the first beginners, and they got it wrong, and their progeny (us) have been getting it wrong ever since. This book is for us beginners who just want to learn what God wants us to do so that we can be the children that He intended us to be. I am a father of four. What I want for my children is for them to be happy, to be healthy, to be in control of their own lives, and most importantly to be good children of a loving God.

Theologians and philosophers are welcome to read my simple offering, but it is written for all of us. Like Adam and Eve, we are all just beginners. It's okay. God Himself came down here into the world He created, as a beginner like us, in the person of Jesus. He went through this life, and death, and took the worst that we could do to Him. He taught us, showed us by His example, saved us, and even forgave the people who nailed Him to the cross and hung Him out to die. Not just a few Roman soldiers, but all of us. He gave up His life to pay for the sins of all of us beginners.

The picture on the cover is a slightly modified version of Leonardo da Vinci's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, The Creation of Adam.

The fig leaf in Adam's lap was added not just for modesty's sake. It symbolizes the fact that when Adam and Eve defied God, they became ashamed because of their guilt. They even tried to hide from God. They became aware and ashamed of being naked and vulnerable because they had slipped out of favor with God. Naked and afraid. And so are we.

Whether you take the story of Adam and Eve literally, or figuratively, the essence is the same. God created a beautiful world for us. And out of all His creatures. He gave us humans free will and a part of His creative spirit so that we might live as He intended for us to live, in harmony with Him. Just like us parents, who must eventually turn over control of our children's lives to them and hope that they use that control and freedom well, God gives us control over our lives. But we have used those gifts of free will and creativity to defy Him, to create things like war, murder, perversion, and suffering, for ourselves and for each other right from the start. We need God's help and forgiveness more now than ever. And He offers both to us for free if we will just accept them and use them as He intends.

May God bless you in your life journey, from beginner to a mature child of a loving and very tolerant God who only wants what is best for us all.

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my God. It is HIS Book, just as everything in creation is HIS. Most of creation was brought into existence by His will alone. But then He gives to each of us opportunities to be part of his creative work, a chance to get our fingers, feeble as they may be, into His creative work. I remember working with my earthly father remodeling and building onto our house. Dad was a carpenter. Many of the things I did when I was little, working with him, were clumsy and slow, and I know he could have done them so much better and faster himself. But he let me get my hands into the work with him. Not for him, but for me, to give me a part in the final work and a sense of pride and accomplishment that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. And so my heavenly Father has allowed me to get my hands into his work, not for Himself, but for me, to give me a little piece of the accomplishment with Him. I know that he could have done this so much better himself, but like the patient father he is, He let me do it, guided me, helped me, and I'm sure at times just watched me while shaking his head at my slow and clumsy efforts, but he bore with me and let me do it. I Thank You Lord for your guidance, your help, for all the people you put into my life at the right times to help me, and most of all for your loving patience.

Acknowledgments

First of all, I want to Thank my God for allowing me to do this and for giving me everything I needed, when I needed it, to get it accomplished. Among the gifts and helps he gave me were:

My mom and dad, who introduced me to God and showed him to me through their example. My dad taught me the value and satisfaction of hard work, and most of all, he taught me self-control and discipline. He taught me how to be a man. For as long as I can remember, from my earliest childhood, I wanted to be a man, primarily because I wanted to grow up to be like him.

My mom showed me the feminine side of God: gentleness, patience, and how to give of one's self. I remember as a child, in the hot summer, no matter how busy she was, she could always find time to hook up the lawn sprinkler so we could play in the cool water for a while and cool off. And no matter how broke we were, she could always come up with a couple of nickels to get some Popsicles when the ice cream man came around. No matter how many times we disappointed her, she was always on our side.

My wife, who put up with me so many weekends and evenings while I ignored her and sometimes even snapped at her. Most of all she provided me with a home where I could work in peace. I guess some writers have a den or office where they can work undisturbed. I wrote this sitting on the couch in the living room with my laptop on my lap, TV on, birds chirping, it didn't matter. Maria gives me a home free from the distractions of pressure, arguments, and melodrama. A place where I can work with the internal peace that just drowns out any external noise or interruptions. And she believed in me, encouraged me and supported me all the way.

My pastor who taught me so much. Every week he spoke directly to me just what I needed to hear that week and much of his wisdom and his understanding of God has gone into this work. He set such an incredible example in his own life including his tremendous struggles. He inspired me even though I'm sure he wasn't even aware of the effect he was having on me. I thank you, Pastor John, for taking the time to proof read my manuscript and encouraging me in more ways than you will ever know.

The staff at Christian Faith Publishing for deciding to accept my manuscript and then working so hard to bring it to a completed work and get it out for distribution.

One more person I have to acknowledge and thank here is Chip, who was an angel in my life when I needed one very badly. In addition to helping me through a very difficult time after the loss of my daughter, it was Chip who encouraged me to try my hand at writing, by writing my story. So I gave it a try, and in addition to helping me bring my life into focus, I found out that I not only could write, but that I wanted to. It is amazing how God put all of these people in my life just when I needed each one of them.

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Introduction

I don't know who you are or what may have possessed you to pick up this book. But I will tell you who I am and more importantly who and what I am not. I am a simple working man. I started out as a merchant seaman, a marine engineer working in shipboard engine rooms. When I came ashore, I did blue-collar work as a stationary engineer working in power plants for about twenty years and then moved into power plant training. I believe all of us have gifts given to us by God. My gift is that I am a pretty good teacher: good at breaking things down and simplifying them. I'm particularly good at making abstract concepts such as entropy and reactive power more concrete and understandable. I am not a religious theologian, a philosopher, or a prophet sent from God or any other extraordinary thing. Those people are dangerous. They cause more confusion than they cure: sometimes for their own edification, showing off their extreme intellect by tossing around words that most of us have to look up and by using circular logic that just gets us all wrapped around the axles. Sometimes there are more sinister motives to deliberately lead or mislead people who are searching for someone to believe in and trust. I'm just an ordinary Joe Lunchbucket, about as ordinary as you will ever find. I have no more gifts from God or connection with God than anyone else does. But as I said, my gift (and we all have them) is an ability to make complex things a little simpler. It's what made me a good technical trainer; that and the fact that I am not too smart. And that's not false modesty; it's the truth, and I consider that also a gift from God. I used to tell people that my strength as a teacher is my stupidity. If I can break something down into terms simple enough for me to understand, I can teach it to an oyster or a potted plant. We all have been given gifts by God. The only difference between us is whether we choose to use those gifts for His purpose or not.

God is way too complex for me to understand. I admit that. But I do believe that there are some things that God wants us to understand and that are within our level of understanding. And this is where theologians sometimes do us a disservice by trying to make things more complicated than they really are to confuse those of us who are fairly simple minded. Or perhaps it's just that they have to have everything figured out and nailed down in their own minds. Imagine believing that we can really understand God. That's just plain arrogant. I want nothing from anyone reading this book. I don't have any church for you to join or a PO box for you to send your money to. And I'm not going to try to sell anything to you, and I am not bound by the dogma of any church or