I appreciate your willingness to dialogue. I completely agree that the intent of the author is of utmost importance in understanding a text.
I take issue with your assessment that I am my own god. I don’t believe this. I believe each of us contain some element of divinity. Essentially what animates us and gives us life. I believe there’s scripture that alludes to this, but I don’t remember the passage right now.
I also agree that we shouldn’t read scripture and twist it to our own benefit. I’m curious, what tools do you use to help you interpret what you read well?