What made you turn away?

Question

I use to be christian when i was little. A very open minded and tolerant one. I've been to baptist churches, evangelican, mormen churches and a regular old family worship center so i've been to a bunch. All these churches had something in common: " homosexuality is an evil sin and you are not normal" and "you will go to hell if your not apart of so-in-sos sect". it saddend me that christians had become so far from love that they are turning to verses and chants instead of learning with open minds and hearts. it seemed like they were reading a book and being told how to act and what to do like puppets. I want to have a faith and i do want to love god but i have seen many christians who have tainted christianity for me and it's not longer in my heart. What made you turn away or keep your faith?

Answer 1

What made me keep my faith?

Questions/Frustrations/Doubts, oh they have all been there.

What made me kept my faith? Discovering the PERSON of God. Experiencing personally. And learning how to ASK teh right questions. Learning how to think criticially about the Bible.

Learning not only to be an emotional Christian but an intellectual Christian.

Answer 2

I am 46 and still a Christian. My faith has grown stronger over the years.

One day I heard a TV report about some preacher who was caught with a prostitute. The reporter asked "What affect will this have on Christianity in America?" (Ever notice how there is NEVER a good report about Christianity on the TV?) The answer came to me instantly: None, he's not a Christian. But, even if he was, why would any imperfect person no matter what he does, be able to influence your love for a perfect God? I guess I've never understood that.

I know that a church is really a hospital. It's full of sick people dying of sin. The people ouside the church are also sick and dying of sin, but they're not seeking the cure. Some are apparently content with their sin.

The Bible teaches homosexuality is a sin. It is. The Bible also teaches murder, lying, coveting, and lust after a woman is sin. It also teaches there is no sin Jesus cannot forgive.

There was a Christian man at my work struggling with having to work with another man who chooses to be a homosexual. I asked my buddy what is the difference between that man's sin and yours? He realized there was none.

My advice to you would be to stop looking to your fellow sick and dying brothers to show you the way to God's perfect love. Instead focus all of your attention on Jesus by praying and reading the Bible. Then, I guarentee you'll find what you're looking for: perfect love with perfect understanding. No human being has that.Only Jesus can show it to you.

You will be a stronger Christian because you learned this lesson. May God bless you.

Answer 3

I can't say I've turned away from God. Only organized religion. I was brought up in a church that forbade any type of musical instument in the worship. No piano, organ, etc. It never made sense to me. Even for weddings, all songs must be sung a cappella. Then when I was old enough to experiment, i attended different churches that had different but nevertheless needlessly silly rules, defined by man, that made one church different from another. I finally tired of trying to find the right church. My daughter now goes to a church that has a full rock band and performers. How foreign to me is this???? I think man has messed up organized religion. I practice religion and spirituality on my own. I still have a deep and abiding faith. just not someone elses.

Answer 4

I don't regard it as turning away; I regard it as turning toward. I was raised fundamentalist and received an extensive Biblical education. Then, I experienced something that made me certain, as certain as I was of anything, that God accepted Roman Catholic worship - something that the church I was raised in rejected. This confirmed for me that God was more interested in the heart that was open toward him than in someone's theology - that what was important wasn't what you believed but who you believed in. It's the reality, not the words, that is important. The next logical step was to ask, "Well, if it isn't the theology, but the reality of God, that is important, why should *any* doctrine be 'essential' for a relationship with the divine?" The only way I knew to get an answer to this question was to cross over and see if the divine could be encountered elsewhere. So, I did, and it can. :) Today, I believe in a divine that manifests under many names. What is critical is not what one believes, but who one believes in - and this is not a name, but the living personal reality of the divine.

Answer 5

I turned away because I realized that being a Christian meant always deferring my judgment to other people, or to the Bible (ultimately to God). A sort of blind obedience. And I realized that it's the same as Nazi soldiers saying, "I was just following orders."

When things go bad, you will be the one accountable for your actions. No one else. Even the Bible says this. Therefore, shouldn't you be free to do what you think is right? Not just follow some ethical code and justify it after the fact?

Anyway, personally, after years of humbling myself, and deferring to others, and surrender, and obedience, I honestly lost the ability to make my own decisions. And this led to a lot of problems, and people taking advantage of me. So eventually I had to say that this belief system is not a healthy way to live, and therefore it must not have been made by God.

Answer 6

I started my life as a Southern Baptist. While I was young I questioned all the bible stories...would argue with Sunday School teachers about whether the stories were true or not. My favorite story to argue about was the one where Jesus fed the thousands on a few loaves of bread and a few fish. Even my 7 year old mind could not comprehend that as being true. As I got older and started trying to live a christian life I would pray and actively seek out the holy spirit. I went to different churches trying to find a place to fit in. After several years of struggling with my ever growing disbelief and feeling of hopelessness...I finally came to the conclusion that I was an atheist. At first I identified myself as an agnostic, but after a short time I realized that I didn't question the existance of a god, I just didn't believe.

Answer 7

Ms Finch,
My wife and I became Non-denominational Christians about twenty years ago. A wonderful friend of my mom and dad's came to our house with his wife and ask if we would be interested in a Bible Study. We were very interested in studying GOD's WORD directly from the Bible and not using any of man's additions or deletions in services and found exactly that in this church. Any time that we or any other person has ask a question about why or what is being done the answer is backed up scripturally from the BIBLE. I can see nothing wrong with wanting to be scripturally correct in everything that is done and that is exactly what I have seen in this church. I love studying GOD's WORD with our family and friends because we are expected to do this and it feels great to be able to answer questions that I used to ask others about. Thank you for this great question. I only hope that you find just such a church to attend near your home also. Have a great day!!
Eds

Answer 8

ahhh where do i start. Ok...homosexuality is a sin. There are many sins though and that is one of them. You may try to argue that they cant help it, thats who they are. People say the same thing about child molestors too, that they cant help it. Whether they want to believe it or not, it is a choice. (I could probably write 10 pages about why this is, but im not going to so i can address the other issues) You are right about one thing. Some christians are far from love and they use their religion as a type of "im better than you" currency. And what other christians do should have no effect on you. Going to church is not about bonding with other christians, its about bonding with God. I read the bible, but I never go to church anymore. The bible says Keep holy the sabbath day. It does not say Go to church on sundays with the other christians. The bible is about God and you and how you treat other people, not how they treat other people. If you think other christians are wrong about something, read your bible and find why they are wrong and confront them. Dont confront them because you saw someone like Oprah say "homosexuality is ok" No matter what though in this life you are told how to act by someone. Whether its the bible, someone on TV, your parents....What would say to a child whos parents tell him what to do? Things like "look both ways before crossing the street" "mind your manners" or "dont touch that hot stove" Would you say "Hey child...why do you listen to you parents tell you how to act and what to do like a puppet" (when its said like that, kinda sounds like something satan might have said to Christ growing up) The bible is trying to protect you, not start some elitist cult against others. Surrender yourself to God if you wish to be happy.

Answer 9

I absolutely agree with Eulalie. I turned towards the truth. I also attended several types of churches. No matter how hard I tried, it seemed false. Also the lack of tolerance with religions is really disturbing.

Answer 10

Nowhere was homosexuality part of faith in God.PC crowd has tried to impose homosexual acceptance on christianity.
Some liberal theolgians and denominations have joined the PC push.You will find no verse in the bible supporting men with men or women with women.The modern PC push is trying to taint Christianity.Christainity has never approved homosexuality.God set His standards and has never changed them.
Stealing,lust,hating poor,adultry,fornication,lying,blasphemy,idolatry, false witness,cheating, drunkenness,murder,wrongfully hating someone,backbiting,coveting,etc.All are sins (in the past and will always be sin).If the PC crowd makes adultry a protected group God won't change His mind.