Hebrew Bible Personal Reflection

My religious background began in the Church of God in Christ also known as C.O.G.I.C. whereas the Old Testament was the primary teachings that shaped my life’s values and forms. Upon publicly stating that I believed in Jesus Christ and that He died for my sins, I was baptized and thereafter considered “saved and sanctified.” The basis of my knowledge the New Testament derived mainly on the importance of my belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; he died for our sins and is our risen Savior. As such the Old Testament was the letter of the law, and if I did not live up to its teachings I was a sinner and God would punish me. Therefore my lens of the world was black and white, if one did not follow it verbatim then God would surely deal with them, thus it became fire and brimstone to me. For example, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah was commonly preached to illustrate the punishment that would happen if you was disobedient and committed sin.
At this point, I must pause to address the common teaching in today’s society regarding the story of Sodom and Gomorrah primarily used to validate the “sin” of homosexuality. In fact, I cannot recall ever being taught from that stance; it was briefly mentioned that men slept with men or same sex relationships. However, as stated above, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah was used to point out the Lord used fire to destroy the city for committing a vast number of sins.
Moreover, the Bible was strict, an open and shut case—either good or bad. Either you were going to heaven and live with God, or hell with the devil, constantly burning. In this narrow-minded perception of the world, I viewed anyone who lived differently as a sinner. If a woman dressed in a way as to expose any flesh she was considered, as being a “loose” woman and was not saved. Also the Bible was the only source of reading, with the exception of schoolbooks, and you should carry it everywhere because it was your sword and protected you from the world.