Doctrine

So many different church traditions. Many different doctrines. Why? Aren't we all reading from the same book? Where does all the differences come from?

Experience. 

Some have set hedges around their own experience, pointing to it saying "this is what we should believe." Experience is a great gift, but it should never be the foundation of our belief system, especially if it doesn't line up with God's Word. Experience should serve the Word, not the other way around. If you are taking scripture apart to support all your life experiences, take caution and change course.

Hard Questions

There are many problems in this world. The problem of evil, the problem of pain. And the supernatural is beyond our finite reasoning. Sometimes we can't explain how or why certain things happen, or are 'allowed' to happen, so we come up with theories. We need answers for hard questions. Scripture is scoured to find the right verse to sustain our own ideas and opinions and we come up with what we think should be doctrine. It happens more often than not.

Various Interpretations

Two people who read the same verse can come up with two very different interpretations. That's why when we read we should be good students and do some research. We should also realize we bring a lot of baggage to the table--cultural or otherwise. Scripture was never meant for us to pour meaning into it. It breathes with meaning, with purpose, with life. So much damage can be done when scripture is taken out of context and thrown around to suite our own purposes. 

Baby Out With the Bath Water

Some church traditions and doctrines have changed because they seemed like the next upgrade. Martin Luther left the Catholic tradition and formed the Lutheran church because he didn't believe in Catholocisms works trumping grace message and had differing views on the sacraments. He also wanted to throw out the book of James altogether because it leaned too much toward works in his opinion. I'm seeing the same kind of exodus in the Assemblies of God.  Some have left and have thrown off anything deemed a 'restraint'--church membership, tithing, the Old Testament... Freedom is not the absence of accountability, the absence of commitment, the absence of God's law. That sounds more like chaos to me.