A KEY difference in the mindset of Christianity and an ancient Hebrew mindset, is the common difference of Western Greco-Roman (GREEK) mindset (which is more abstract/mystical in nature) and the Eastern mindset (which is more concrete/physical in nature). Christianity teaches everything is SPIRITUAL (mystical), and anything "physical" is secondary and usually implied to be "carnal"-- which is Unbeneficial, in the least-- and usually considered "sin", in the extreme. The ancient Hebrews, however, understood that we are created PHYSICAL beings that live and function in a PHYSICAL world, and view things through a PHYSICAL CONCRETE thought process. Which makes absolute TOTAL sense! Most every confusing or unexplainable facet of Christianity comes from the "super-natural" mystical ideology of abstract thinking and "realms of the spiritual unknown"... all pretty much Pagan in origin. We are just taught to ACCEPT it BY FAITH, regardless if we can understand it or make any sense of it... and because we live in such a "Greek culture" anyway, that is exactly what we do! We "learn" the language and terminology of Christianity, we learn the doctrinal beliefs of Christianity, and we learn all the rituals that go along with Christianity-- as well as our particular denomination, and even down to our little local assembly's "rituals", and thus "learn" to be a Christian whether we understand any of it or not. The main emphasis in Christianity is SPIRITUALITY... the mystical "born again" experience, where a spiritual being enters your body (your heart/spirit) and lives on the inside of you. Everything else develops from that experience-- or lack of that experience-- all "super-natural" and unseen, YET BELIEVED.
When it comes to reading/interpreting/understanding the bible or the Hebrew Scriptures, it makes all the difference according to WHICH mindset you are coming from. THAT is usually the main difference in how I *now* understand the Scriptures and how the people I talk with understand the Scriptures (and the bible-- which *I* do not consider the "New Testament" Scripture). One of the main reasons we don't agree is because *I* understand the Scriptures in a LITERAL PHYSICAL sense and contextual time-frame.... most others I talk with consider it NOT literal & physical in the contextual time-frame-- they understand it to be SPIRITUAL and "in code" only to be understood "through supernatural revelation of the Holy Ghost/Spirit"..... OR if they understand it in a literal, physical sense, they think it ALSO has a SPIRITUAL meaning (which is MORE relevant, in their opinion). Therefore, the Scriptures that cause me to understand things DIFFERENTLY are usually disregarded... because I "cannot see" the SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE (according to their understanding/belief), and they cannot lay aside their pagan mindsets (which they are unaware they have) to see the PLAIN CLEAR TRUTH as it is recorded. Thus... the differences remain~
When it comes to reading/interpreting/understanding the bible or the Hebrew Scriptures, it makes all the difference according to WHICH mindset you are coming from. THAT is usually the main difference in how I *now* understand the Scriptures and how the people I talk with understand the Scriptures (and the bible-- which *I* do not consider the "New Testament" Scripture). One of the main reasons we don't agree is because *I* understand the Scriptures in a LITERAL PHYSICAL sense and contextual time-frame.... most others I talk with consider it NOT literal & physical in the contextual time-frame-- they understand it to be SPIRITUAL and "in code" only to be understood "through supernatural revelation of the Holy Ghost/Spirit"..... OR if they understand it in a literal, physical sense, they think it ALSO has a SPIRITUAL meaning (which is MORE relevant, in their opinion). Therefore, the Scriptures that cause me to understand things DIFFERENTLY are usually disregarded... because I "cannot see" the SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE (according to their understanding/belief), and they cannot lay aside their pagan mindsets (which they are unaware they have) to see the PLAIN CLEAR TRUTH as it is recorded. Thus... the differences remain~