A Rough Spot

[Vega]

Hey, well, im in a pretty tough spot. Im not sure if im in the wrong but my christian family and my christian friends say I am. Basically, I hate attending church, I dont particularly like praying or reading the bible either. I stopped saying I was a christian because I figured that would be rather hypocritical of me considering how I live. The only reason I was a christian for so long is because I was basically terrified of the whole "eternal damnation" thing. I was living in fear and now im pretty much over it.
I guess im just asking if you all could pray so I can get some clarity because I don't want to stop believing in God and stuff but I dont see how I can. Thanks

[goldenspines]

I'll be praying.

Whether you are "in the wrong" or not is between you and God. It's not up to your family or friends.
I suppose you can always ask yourself "What makes a person a Christian?". Is fear suppose to be a driving factor? Or is there something deeper that exists beyond worldly actions (going to church, etc.)?
Erk, better stop before I put my preaching hat on. D: I suppose you can PM me if your curious about more of my thoughts. XD;; But otherwise, I hope you can find clarity.

[Sammy Boy]

Hey, well, im in a pretty tough spot. Im not sure if im in the wrong but my christian family and my christian friends say I am. Basically, I hate attending church, I dont particularly like praying or reading the bible either. I stopped saying I was a christian because I figured that would be rather hypocritical of me considering how I live. The only reason I was a christian for so long is because I was basically terrified of the whole "eternal damnation" thing. I was living in fear and now im pretty much over it.
I guess im just asking if you all could pray so I can get some clarity because I don't want to stop believing in God and stuff but I dont see how I can. Thanks

I am slightly similar in that I don't enjoy praying or reading the Bible. But I try to make at least five minutes every morning to do this. I figure if I start small and try to make it a consistent habit it will get easier later.

Just wondering - do you still believe in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? If you do, you are a Christian. We all have times when we don't like doing things we know we ought to do, or even when we don't want to "want to". The fact that you're asking us to pray for you suggests (at least to me) that some part of you still wants to be a Christian.

I became a Christian because I wanted to have eternal life. But now my perspective has changed somewhat. I want to stay a Christian because I want to obey Jesus. To me it is not a burden, but a source of reflection, renewal, and strength.

I will pray for you.

[Xeno]

Well there are a number of routes one can take from where you're at right now. I was where you're at once, and most people know where I am now (atheist). Fear really is no way to live within any religion, because you're not being true to it, however, many people eventually find real faith in their religion and turn back to it. It's okay to be agnostic, or atheist, or Christian, or whatever, but I would implore you to actually study your Bible before making such a decision. Just turning away from something because "meh, I'm really not all that interested in it anymore" is something that you can do, because it's your right to do it, but you can't really defend why you believe, or don't believe, what you do. There are a number of various Bible translations that have great study notes, I still have my Holman Christian Standard Bible which I enjoy for if I need to pull it out for something, there are also many other external books you can read such as Love Wins by Rob Bell when it comes to the concept of Hell if that really is something that has held you in perpetual terror (I recommend reading it in tandem with Francis Chan's Erasing Hell as it provides something of a balance).

Again, where you end up on the other side of this will ultimately be your own call, but I highly encourage you to understand why you're making that decision.

[Vega]

Well, its to the point where yes, I believe in the existence of a God but I dont really buy into a lot of what the bible says. Ive studied the scriptures quite a bit and im just not convinced

[Mr. SmartyPants]

I'm in your boat. I believe in a God but I don't hold the Bible as inerrant and infallible. So welcome to most modern theology, sir. There's a difference between the Bible being a book of facts vs a book of truth. If it is in your interest, take the time to study all sides of this topic. Read books by Gordon Fee and Marcus Borg. They're both all about critical analysis of the Bible, but they're on kind of opposite sides. Or look up N.T. Wright and J.D. Crossan. There's another good conservative/liberal dichotomy there.

Or perhaps dive into classical Christian theology. Do that if you're REALLY into it or if you're gonna go into advanced theological studies or something, lol. But these people are far more esoteric so they can be difficult to approach. Obviously this is why they're not mainstream compared to the four I mentioned above. If you do that I guarantee you will become more educated in Christianity than most of the pastors you run into. Most of us grew up in pretty evangelical circles, taught by pastors from conservative-evangelical backgrounds. But there's far more to Christianity than what we've been exposed to. Conservative-evangelical theology is comparable to a toddler when it comes to the history of Christian philosophy. There are Christians that believe the Bible is literally true and Christ came to earth and died for our sins. There are also Christians why believe that the story of Jesus is a myth and that we only need to believe in the idea of the story. There are also Christians who don't believe in the Bible. Period.

Above all of it, don't feel bad. Keep finding ways to educate yourself!

[uc pseudonym]

Well, if clarity is your goal:
1) What about how you live makes professing to be a Christian hypocritical?
2) Why don't you want to stop believing in God?

[Count Zero]

Well, its to the point where yes, I believe in the existence of a God but I dont really buy into a lot of what the bible says. Ive studied the scriptures quite a bit and im just not convinced

Well for one Vega, I have to say Im a bit upset with you. Dropping out of Christianity just a few days before Christmas! That's like dumping a girl the same week of her birthday, for shame. For shame.

But on a serious note what exactly is keeping you from faith?

[Xeno]

Well for one Vega, I have to say Im a bit upset with you. Dropping out of Christianity just a few days before Christmas! That's like bumping a girl the same week of her birthday, for shame. For shame.

I sincerely hope this was supposed to be sarcasm. And if it is, using it in a thread where someone is heavily questioning the basis/existence of their faith really isn't the best idea.

But on a serious note what exactly is keeping you from faith?

You quoted a post by him that said what. He's not buying what the Bible is selling.

[Count Zero]

*Delete this please*