The ultimate truth is Love. Reaching the ultimate truth can be contradictory. Thus many things can be contradictory but still 100% true as love is what it is all about. The examples that you have given above are excellent examples of this.
I bet Eve thought when she bit that apple that it was a ‘gray’ matter. She loved apples and came to the truth that it was OK to take a bite. She listened to her conscience, justified her actions, and then all hell broke loose. Why? Well, guess who influenced her conscience.
I’m sorry and don’t mean to offend but your ‘views’ smack of free spirit hippy philosophy - perhaps with some elements of Buddhist/Hindu thrown in. This voice of God - we do have - if not guided by someone who’s been called by God to teach and qualified by years of study of philosophy, theology, religion, scripture, etc., this unchecked voice of God can guide someone to do some pretty atrocious things. There are serial killers who thought God spoke to them, and the pro-life activist who kills an abortion provider, WTC bombing planners, etc…all had consciences they listened to. These are extremes to validate that just because someone’s conscience says something doesn’t mean they are from God.
More commonly, the devil works much more patiently to distort the Truth and is more subtle with consciences. . Or have you discounted the devil in your equation? The devil is a higher being - pure spirit - and more intelligent than human beings. It knows your weaknesses better than you do. So, let’s not forget that we are subject to spiritual warfare. Christ Himself was, and since to live like Christ is to die like Christ, we must not expect any preferential treatment as the child of God. As long as we are IN this world we are subject to attack at any time.
Our Father would not leave us that abandoned and alone in this world with evil forces that want to do battle with His children. From the Old Testament - God guided His children whether it be directly, or in scripture or tradition. Christ changed it not - He did not abolish the Law - but perfected it by fulfilling it. God is a Father who cares for His children and does so by providing the Church through His Son Jesus Christ. Christ provides teachers of the Truth of God through this Church in His Apostles. Through Apostolic Succession, we are guaranteed that when matters of faith and morals are taught, we have the Magisterium and the Holy Father to fall back on.
In the Old Testament, God knew He had to get concrete with His children because they would let their minds take them away from the Truth so He left them stone tablets. He knew they would wander off theologically and provided them a Temple with rabbis to teach them so they could find their way back to the revealed Truth they knew then.
To fulfill the Law - Christ instituted a CHURCH. So when people would develop some goop they said was inspired by Scripture or voices, the Church could make a judgement on it and judge it worthy of believe or condemn this belief and save them from hell. Otherwise, it becomes anarchy. God is orderly. Hell is chaos.
He did not leave them to fend for themselves like you say He does. The voice of God within can be twisted and turned by evil forces much smarter than we. The ‘Spirit’ of God you say you have when you read the Word of God can cause you to interpret the same passage another is reading and have an entirely different view - because they have the ‘Spirit’ too. Our Father cares for His children better than that!
It’s ridiculous to think that God Our Father is negligent and abuses His children like that…keeping every individual guessing or ‘knowing’ if their way is right or not. Laughable really even more so to say everyone is right. What good is there to believe in Heaven or hell then? The lyrics from Imagine by John Lennon comes to mind.
There aren’t ‘many rights’ in interpreting. There is only One Way, One Truth, and One Life. Therefore there is logically only one Church to teach this One Way, One Truth, and One Life. Christ was one person - He didn’t conform to satisfy the inner voices of those that His teachings made uncomfortable. Neither has His Church, thank God.
…or the devil would have won…
“The gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
God bless,
luke1_28