Yes. The common threads are discipline and education, the latter of which has been distorted to such an extent that the former has become a grey area.

Treating a dog like a baby denies the dog its innate nature of being a dog; that principle applies universally for species as well as genders although problems may not be apparent immediately.

I know of no simple solution that does not involve counterproductive violence.


Might I ask elaboration on your attempt to embrace Christianity? What did you try to do, how did you try it, etc? If there are links to previously written explanations, that might be more expedient.

I had struggled with the laws as well, preferring to have comprehensive explanations and detailed history accompanying concepts. The problem here is that rationalization only gets one to the point of considering alternate viewpoints. Dangerously, misinterpretation causes misapplication and commensurate return; part of the learning process.

Adding to the confusion, many churches espouse damnation for breaking the laws even though God proclaimed Daniel a man after His own heart despite committing adultery and murder - Acts 13:22, 2 Samuel 7:14-16. Talk about a WTF moment. To sum: reading directly from the bible is far more enlightening than adhering to the dogma of one denomination or another.

Getting caught up in the details is easy; I've spent a good amount of time pondering Revelation and other prophecies. What's most important is the simple command from Jesus to love one another - John 13:34, Romans 13:8

From a familial and spiritual perspective, it can be observed that God entered into successive covenants with the Jewish people even though it was destined that the people would fail and break the laws. Why?

When I finally had gone through various spiritual avenues and felt the urge to pick up the bible again, the following quote came to mind:
When I was sixteen, my father was the most ignorant man in the world. By the time I reached 21, I was surprised at how much he had learned in five years.

It was letting go of trying to figure it all out that led to a profound shift in understanding.

This time I found my reading of the bible described humanity as a unified entity, each of us part of a greater whole and far more connected than it might seem from a worldly standpoint - God is raising a child. Reward and punishment, discipline and praise.

From that I came to see the triune God as we are - collectively one, just as collections of neurons function as parts of one mind.

When exploring the bible, the details are important for historicity. Egyptian chronology is undergoing upheaval due to inconsistencies in traditional dating compared with timelines in other regions of the world - see Donovan Courville and David Rohl. Should those revisions bear scrutiny and find acceptance, biblical accuracy will be profoundly vindicated.

Regardless of the details, the story is far more important. It's rare that we ask people to verify their life story in conversation - we're interested in getting to know one another. What makes a person think the way they do, what have they seen and done, what are their hopes and dreams? The foundation of a relationship is based on that communication; establishing a give and take.

Putting aside family issues, assume your father raises you and at the age of 13 you decide you're going to leave home. Disregarding contemporary legal issues for the sake of argument, consider that your father allows you to leave. He has taught you as much as he could, given you as much knowledge as could be crammed into a young man's head. As you attempt to make your way in the world, you can choose to follow your father's teaching or try your own ways.

Experience is arguably the greatest educator. A youth trying everything but a proven successful method will, more often than not, eventually realize the optimal path was the one from the voice of experience. What happens then? Does the now experienced youth return to his father with new wisdom and make amends, or does he simply continue on his way and disregard family?

Assume God is real. He has a fatherly role, and keeps earth safe from destruction catastrophic enough to wipe out all of mankind. Similar to a game designer, he attends to every detail of the world - every character, every creature, every stone and all of the algorithms running the show; He lines up the living dominoes and sets them cascading on their way. He creates a human and esteems man as his own child. This human is given a choice between temptation and obedience. Man chooses temptation and is sent packing, not as unjustly cruel punishment but to become experienced in understanding.

Now what happens when man has gained wisdom and understanding? Does he acknowledge that not all in this world is knowable or falsifiable, or ignore family and wander the world looking for what he already has? The communication and relationship are what the bible is getting across. I would argue that the greatest lesson is not explicitly in the book: it comes from the experience of living as described in it.

This is not to scream "repent and believe" but to describe the message in the noise; your belief is your choice. In my view, there is far more to the bible than laws about behaviors and sage wisdom. The parts combine to make something greater than the whole. Not to mention that so many stories from Genesis onward point to Jesus, how his life and ministry were to unfold, especially Isaiah 53.