Does anyone who was brought up Christian or has been exposed to christianity....?

Question

Does anyone who was brought up Christian or has been exposed to christianity have problems believing that it is true. I am older now when i was a kid i believed it, now i'm not so sure and don't know what to do. I think after you die it might just be "total nothingness"

Answer 1

yes i do u just have to keep going and trust in him

Answer 2

Well, apparently talking to my family hasn't worked for me. I hate the way some people try to make it seem that Christianity is the only way to being happy and that people who aren't Christians are going to hell. I mean overall I think that religion itself is just a corrupted cult. Supposedly Christianity is all about love and caring for others. yet they exclude other people if they don't believe in what they do. So much for that whole "equality" thing. I mean seriously. They just arn't open-minded (or at least the ones i have met). I don't care if a person is gay or if they have a religion. It just all goes down ot what kind of a person they are.

Besides i really get annoyed when they say that their religion is all pure and all. But then if you look back at history there was a lot of bloodshed over STUPID stuff. I mean even now they still carry the same traditions as they did before. Which isn't exactly learning from history. Plus, the Bible was written by MAN who aren't perfect, and are biased. Even today people can't even agree on what is true and what isn't. People still debate and FIGHT over what is written. They claim to be all united and all, but then why can't they agree on the same things? Shows a lot of inconsistency.

Answer 3

Ecclesiastes 9:5 Says "For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all."

And quotes like this are all throughout the bible, its not that the bible is wrong but a lot of the christian churches have other beliefs mixed into there doctrines. eg The Roman Catholic came about when the christian movement was becoming too big, so they Incorporated the roman beliefs, the Christian belief and other beliefs in their kingdom together, as Catholic means universal.

But it is hard not to believe in any god, as a lot of your most noteworthy scientist such as Stephen Hawkings still believe there is an intelligent creator behind the whole universe.

Albert Einstein also said “Science without religion is Lame, religion without science is blind.” Meaning religion and science still have to agree with each other

So what will happen? Well the bible says in
Psalms 37:10,11 " And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more;And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be.
But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth,
And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace."

Answer 4

yes I was brought up Christian and although now as an adult I don't believe everything I was told (like creation and the rest of the old testament), I do get something out of church so still attend. I enjoy the fellowship of others and the support system that the church offers me.

As for what I do believe. I have always believed in reincarnation, even when as a kid I was told it was "wrong". (I was one of those kids that could remember something from my past life since a very young age).
As an adult I was able to really start researching all of the different beliefs that are out there and the "proof" that any of it is real.

I think what you choose to believe has to be a personal choice. I personally believe that there is a higher power and that we all serve a purpose here on earth. I believe our souls do continue to survive after death.
I believe in reincarnation and I believe in evolution.

But I also believe that there is a God that loves and cares about us and if we allow Him, helps guide our lives. I believe in the power of prayer and the power of positive thinking.

If you are feeling totally confused, its probably due to feeling guilty because you are starting to question something you've been taught not to question. Religion is man made. Man created religion, religion did not create man.

Answer 5

There are many doctrines to Christianity. Some believe in the Trinity, some don't. Some believe in the divinity of Mary, some don't. Some believe in the divinity of Jesus, some don't. The way I was taught was that Jesus came to fulfill the law, but that he is God's son, and not to be worshipped. I was also taught that there is no physical hell, and that it is a figurative term to describe eternal death. "Total nothingness" is actually right! When Jesus was resurrected, the apostles asked him what death was like. He had no answer, because it was like nothing! Christianity can seem radical, but the correct interpretation might not be so radical. I'm sure you'll find it, or be lead to it, if that's what you're looking for.

Answer 6

I was a practicing Christian for over thirty years. The decision to become an atheist wasn't a decision, it was a process that took years.

I do not encourage anyone to change their religious beliefs based on anything they read on the I'net, or on what some buddy says.

Religion and beliefs are very personal and everyone has to come to his own conclusions regarding same.

Being an atheist can be extremely difficult for a person who was raised in a religion or who lives in a religious home or community.

The bible is a book of mythology and fairy tales. But, just because someone says that, until you KNOW it to be true, you should think very carefully about your decision.

Ultimately, it is your decision, and you will live with that decision.


additional comment related to my pet peeve:

Einstein was an atheist; he did not believe in God or a "creator."

Answer 7

You can be thankful that your parents had the incite to teach you as a child the mysteries of God.
As a small boy I believed in God and His angels. My parents were Catholic and this gave me some ground rules to follow. It was not long that I had discovered the real truth. I then became a Christian. I was 12 years old. My faith has growed from the Word of God where it is today. Strong at 57 and still a Christian.
Don't ever give up on God. He loves you so very much and wants you near Him.

Answer 8

I struggle with the same thing. It has come with my education and growth, and it saddens me. Especially after taking courses like cultural anthropology, psychology, and religions of the world....and reading books like Mysteries of the Bible. I usually keep it to myself because I know that spirituality is a process and realize that this could be a phase of it. There's no sense in upsetting any of my loved ones with it. I feel for you...and understand. Asking about it hear was a good idea. Hopefully you'll get some kind responses that will be helpful and/or comforting.

Answer 9

I've struggled on and off with my faith. Though I know I am far from an expert on it, I hope this convinces you to rethink your decision.

I've had the same feelings and I'm pretty sure most Christians struggle with them. We are all brought up in a society where seeing is believing and the scientific advances of our age can "pove" anything. We see war, terrorism, and horrible eras in history and these things lead us to second guess our faith.

Why didn't you, or any of the Christians I know that once had these feelings, just leave Christianity on the first though of falsehood? It's because our faith means more than us than we know sometimes. God has touched each and every one of our lives in ways we can explain. I've come to see these thoughts as a very effective way of the devil to, essentially, kill us spiritually. (I'm not a Christian "cultist" by anymeans, but there are ongoing spiritual battles. The Bible refers to these in many instances.) You said that you didn't know what to do--I believe that is why.

Job was tempted by the devil in many ways: his children and family were killed, he became deathly ill, he lost his home, etc, and yet he continued his faith in God because he knew that if he could last through the hardships, his reward would be great. AS it will be for us...maybe not in material, Earthly things (those will perish anyways) but in Heaven. O how great that would be!! And all we have to do to get there is continue in our faith in Jesus Christ, that He died for our sins so that we would be cleansed, and that He rose again.

Many pastors and Christians say that being a Christian is "free," and "easy"--but in reality it is not, especially in our ever-so secular world. We have to constantly maintain our faith cause just one slip could lead to a complete fall.

About the "total nothingness"...
That used to be one of my biggest fears. Have you ever sat down and tried to think of "nothingness?" God would never do that to His children. In contrast with that--to return to nothingness, would infer that we came from nothingness. I listened in classes about that but it isn't really feasable. How could we come from an ameba? Do you know how many millions of conditions had to be EXACT for the Earth to be formed and species to develop if that was true? I'm talking temperatures that had to be perfect to the tenth degrees while other stuff was happening simultaneously. (sorry for the sidenotes)

I really think your answers will come from prayer and reading. Go to a Bible concordanance and look up faith, heaven, and doubt. Go over those verses and go over the gospels. You can renew your faith through this. Start/continue to attend church regularly--if you don't care for the one you've been going to or feel you're not getting anything out of it...don't be afraid to find a new one. Friendship/fellowship is very important in a Christian's life and walk with God.

IT WILL NOT be easy. This will be a constant battle and it is for all of us. Don't give up on yourself.

Please if you need to talk or clarify anything IM me on AOL at smeagolyduck13 or e-mail me.

God bless

Answer 10

Oh yes! Hence the reason I am no longer Christian. The older I got the more I questioned it. The more I questioned it the more questions I had about the probability of it and how what was in the book could have happened.

Answer 11

I was into it and other religions for a while but as for believing in Christianity, it all seems like crap and I would not even worry about going to hell, if you study all the religions of the world, christianity will be low in the list of ones to take seriously