First of all Stephen, I love how you have said this. It's true that for me to know you, and you to know me, means more than us arguing over who is right and who is wrong. After all, how can there be so MANY different views? I bet I'm a little bit wrong, and you too.
I came to believe what I believe through a lot of trial and error, scrutiny. And having Jesus commands in my foremost thoughts: Love thy God, and Love thy neighbour.
If I were meant to do it, then I believe that God and Jesus both uphold the very ideals that they tell us to adhere to.
So when I read scripture, I read it like God is always trying to love through what He says and does.
But not only that, I look for hebrew root words, for meanings and painted pictures instead of taking the sword on one side, so to speak.
And I think that what I came to see was a totally different kind of teaching than what I was brought up to believe. And it makes so much more sense once I understood the decipherable meanings and messages. Wheat and tares. Chaff and grain. Trees. Husband and wife. The Kingdom of God. Baptism, water and fire. Sin. Death.
Just a sidenote: the way you've posted this, as a 'let me get to know you' rather than 'let me prove you wrong', is a real change to the usual.
Thank you