Alan N

You're describing the idiomatic "churchianity" vs the supposed axiom of christianity. So who determines what the words mean? You? Me? Do they just 'mean what they mean'? This is what my old paster friend was describing about the objectiveness of the bible. If God is observable, available for all to experience, then the bible was a foolish move, for simply by it's existence, it guarantees complete, and potentially lethal , misinterpretation. Just like a "bird" doesn't need description to "be", so should the same be said of God (of which you might be inclined to say, "it can be said of God"). I simply see God as our expression of the cognitive dissonance between what we observe and our ability to describe it.

As for Jesus's "to follow me one must hate their father, mother....)", I think this means you must be willing to give up what you know, the foundational elements of your life, to follow Jesus. I.E. "you must be willing to hate/forsake everything you know, because to follow me requires a new paradigm". FWIW, IMHO.

Perhaps the commandment should have had a subscript notation "honor your father and mother...(1)other details and requirements forthcoming)"

I've enjoyed this exchange. Thanks...

haverbob

Well, someone once suggested that the concept of God itself blocks one from experiencing God. Only when there truly is no concept left, does one possibly begin to experience God. When someones denies God because it sounds like a fairy tale, they are actually denying their interpretation of the fairy tale, not God. So one may say "I have no concept of God left because I don't believe in God, so why don't I experience God?" Because you DO have a concept left, and it is the concept that you reject (and I do to).
This is very close to what i think. Congrats, You have already done better than mainstream theists that I know. Let me re-phrase a little if I may

I think this means you must be willing to give up what you THINK you know, and thereby UNCOVER the foundational elements of your life that have been there all the time,

to follow Jesus. I.E. "you must be willing to hate/forsake everything you THINK you know, because to follow me requires a new paradigm (which is unfiltered reality, so one must drop the false filters to get there)"

I've enjoyed the exchange as well. Thank you.