Wisniewski 2BIBLICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY THE EVOLUTION OF PERCEPTION OF THE BIBLE As a child, my primary understanding of the Bible came from a book of collected stories that my mother gave me when I was about seven years old. My family didn't go to church at the time, so I had no other points of reference or input to draw from. I kept this book until I was nineteen and read it cover to cover at least 10 times during my childhood. As a child I saw the Bible as a big book of adventure and action, full of stories with heroes and villains. The heroes, even though they would struggle, would be rewarded by God and would triumph in the end. The bad would be punished and would change and become good or continue to suffer for their misdeeds. At that time I did not perceive the Bible as anything more than a collection of mystical and wonderful stories. When I was a teenager, my parents moved to a small rural area where there was an older church. We started attending this church rather sporadically, however this is where I got my first real taste of organized religion. This church used the Bible as a means to draw attention to the rules God established in the Old Testament. Those who did not follow the rules were considered sinners and were called out before the entire church, so that the rest of the members could try to help them correct their shortcomings and hold them accountable to stay within the confines of God's laws. The few times I went to this church they made me feel bad. I had the feeling that no matter what I did, I would be considered a sinner and I was terrified of being called to this church. Wisniewski 3 I was sure I would be condemned to an été... middle of paper ......carefully. I now have confidence in my abilities to understand what God wants me to do as an individual and also as a member of the Christian community. I have nothing to fear as long as I seek and am open to His guidance. Since this course began, I have felt inspired to take a more active role in my church and outside community. My church was once a thriving congregation, but over time it lost members and failed to grow because everyone got stuck in a spiritual rut. I am now involved in a committee that is working to get more members involved and excited about what is happening in our church again. The main goal of our group is Wisniewski 8to encourage everyone to be active participants instead of just participants. I am excited to see the direction this will take me and what the future holds for our congregation.