Help! I want to remain a Christian!?

Question

I have been in love with Jesus my whole life. My precious Holy Spirit has been my constant loving companion, but I have gone back to college to get my advanced degree, and I am taking psychology.

As I review 'abnormal' psychology, I have come to the horrifying realization that I, and the Christians I know are suffering from a common delusionary neurosis.

We claim to "know God" and, as I have, claim that he is more real than a brother, or earthly father, but it's not really the truth.

Once all the psychological pressures (the compelling circular evidence of the Bible and the gratuitous nature of American culture to default into Christianity) are stripped away, it is clear that the process of what Christians call a "relationship" with Jesus and the Holy Spirit is a strong delusional response to fundamental insecurities!

I live a "holy" life, according to scripture, & will continue to do so, but I am having to completely re-evaluate my beliefs, and re-address my moral philosophy

Answer 1

The Spirit of God is in each of us, and to study Psychology would not make you beleive otherwise unless you are weak in the faith. If you were serious about your faith, then you would go and talk to your local pastor or spiritual director about this to get grounded again. But I think you aren't and most people who go to college make an excuse for their being lost in the faith because of knowledge acquired, when in reality it is their own will and wishes to no longer believe.
Dont blame Christianity for your own personal loss.
Thanks for the opportunity to spread the truth, God bless you always.

Answer 2

Do you really want to remain a Christian?
You say that you've loved Jesus your whole life -why did you love Him? What has changed ? Was your faith based on some warm, fuzzy feeling and now you received some contrary information that makes you want to throw it all away?

You are the very reason I tell Christians to study and know what you believe and why? We are told to love God with all our MIND in addition ot our heart, soul and strength.

FYI, if man really only had a material existence, then having a relationship with an invisible Being would be delusional. However, if there really is a metaphysical or supernatural realm, then having a relationship with God is not delusional, but is completely rational to that existence.

The Psychology you're studying only deals with the natural, not the supernatural. It's like trying to measure the size of something large by using a thermometer, instead of a tape measure -both are measuring devices, but one is wholly unsuited for measuring size while totally appropriate for measuring temperature. If you want to remain a Christian, study the sourcebook for Christianity (the Bible) and talk with other Christians who know more about it.

If you do end up ditching the faith, I'd ask yourself why you'd continue to live a "holy" life. Holiness is an attribute of God and is profoundly more than just being a good person. Perhaps you are hedging your bet against the possibility that there really is God that you will have to face one day???

Answer 3

The fundamental base of Christianity is faith, which in itself can be considered psychologically abnormal. To some extent, people will delude themselves intentionally, subconsciously, and even consciously in order to maintain a feeling of security.

So, according to psychology, belief is in itself irrational. Yet, there is rationality in accepting the irrational for one's own better mental being. Faith is not a matter of logic or science, something that atheists and nearly all Christians will agree with. However, the question is whether faith is in itself a good thing.

Should faith make you a better person, then your faith has merit in this alone. Spreading this faith is a question of personal morality, although the consensus is that those with faith believe it should be spread, and those without oppose attempts at conversion.

Your morality and actions should always be tempered with the reality of this world. However, religious belief is not a bad thing simply because it is not rational through our eyes. Even with the most pessimistic assumption that all religion is false, if faith can make one a better person without infringing upon the beliefs of others, then it is certainly still justifiable.

Of course, the matter of keeping one's faith is a personal decision. If you cannot reconcile the notions of psychology as you learn with the religion you have learned, then one will triumph. At the same time, psychological normality is a subjective science in itself, and to assume that can apply to religious belief may be fundamentally faulty, in that man has been religious since before the dawn of psychology itself.

Has the vast majority of mankind been neurotic since the dawn of time? There are scholars with doctorates in theology and psychology who spend lifetimes on these questions, far more versed in these topics than I could hope to be. In the end, it is not a question of what is "normal" or "right", but rather, a question of what you choose to believe and how you live.

Answer 4

I believe you when you say this about you. Many people go by feelings and fool themselves into believing what they wish to believe without ever taking that step of having a real, true relationship with God.

I have no idea why they do this, but I sincerely doubt that it is "abnormal" psychology, sounds more like wanting to fit in, or wishing to be a good person, without all that "burdensome God stuff" attached to it.

I suggest that you either take the plunge and become a Christian, believing in and on God as your own personal Lord and Saviour, making Him the God of your life, or you stop playing the game and admit that you are not a real Christian.

This response is of course assuming that you are telling the truth, when in reality I have no reason to suspect that you are indeed telling us the truth. Just being nice, just in case you are.

Answer 5

What has happen to you is what has happen to a lot of black people you are and educated fool I am not saying this to hurt you or any black people it,s just that you are trying to reason with your mind and not you spirit your human mind will never get it and if I were you I would just let go and let God it will be all right you said you were a christian right don,t get it twisted God is real. So three years from now when they come out with another book in your psychology class will you quite believing what you just learn and start believing something esle

Answer 6

So you have "loved Jesus all your life" and so you profess to be "Christian", correct?
I gotta tell ya this:
First of all, we do not claim that God is more "real" than anyone in our families, but that God is real, and of course our families are real. So thats a weirdo statement.
Next, I study in the original texts of the Bible; and when I read that you decide to go to school for philosophy, and it only takes a school class and some books and lectures from your teacher to completely destroy your relationship with Christ? Is it that easy for you? Then I submit that you had no faith at all. I submit that you have no relationship at all. You sway this way and that with each wind that blows, and do you know what that makes you to Christ?
Absolutely worthless. As a soldier of Christ. Worthless. As a friend of Christ: worthless.
As a child of God the Father: worthless.
You go ahead and live your "holy life" as you say, but it won't do much good. What is it that you will say to your Heavenly Father when He asks you why you would turn your back on Him and all it took to do that was one college class. How horrible can you possibly be? How insulting to God can you possibly be? If you had or have questions about the reality of your faith, then why didn't you go to Gods Word for the Truth?
Why didn't you study in the manuscripts for example, to see what is and is not truth, so that you don't have to rely on information that may be faulty coming from the churches. But no. You don't study from Gods Word to address your issues and questions. You just believe whatever is put in front of you in school. You would rather
study from some guys philosophy book to make the decision that is the most important decision you will ever make. A life and death decision.
You know what you are? You are a fake who liked to play church, and now you found another game to play.
God have mercy on you. Forgive me, but
you sicken me to the point of vomiting.

Answer 7

Psycology is not of the Lord. period. If you read in the Bible it will tell you that any science that runs contrary to Gods word is false. All these guys do is give you all their incredible theories that bring doubts and blah blah blah, all trying to remove God from our lives, and make us think its all myth. Thats their opinion, but its wrong. If you have prayed and seen a miracle happen right before you , you know the power of prayer, and it didnt come from the mind. IF it did, most would believe cuz it would be easy to think you could just on God for everything. It would be worth giving things up for it it were true, huh? But, psychology is a view of SELF and how we as SELF see things. Its not according to Gods word, and any believer needs to run from it. I have a friend that wanted to be a psycologist, until she started. she is a strong question and was shocked to see how easily they manipulate thought and begin doubt....
God doesnt manipulate, He gives free choice.
Let noone take from you what God has given to you.
Leave the psycology and begin a new line of study where you can teach the things you always knew were true, before you got into this stufff. Run now to the nearest esist. Is it your professors you want to please or GOD> Only God can save you.. RUN NOW. Pray and ask God to show you and He will. I will be praying. One more thing, you will see this:
The devil uses much light mixed with some error to get us to change our thoughts and believes. Secular psychology is the same way. For example, they may show you how roles are played out in the family that will lead to certain kids doing certain things, due to where they are at age level, etc. and you think. WOWOW, this is truth. Yes, much of it is. but, we all still have choice what we think and do. That isnt set in concrete. and its common sense that an older child might go one way and a younger one a different way. dont need any psycology to make that leap, huh? But, even the most messed up child, can make a decision to change and let Jesus help them, and its done. They leave no room for the saving power of GOD. If you knew the Bible was true, stay with that, and let noone take from you the prize that Jesus gave to you. Only you can deceide who you listen to and hear.

Answer 8

It's fair to question your Christian faith, and occassionally we need to step back and reevaluate.

Unfortunately, our western humanist mindset has taught us to everything is based on the natural realm. We miss the spiritual realm (God, angels, demons, spirits, etc...).

But I ask you, as a brother in Christ - don't let go! Ask God to reveal Himself, the reality of the spiritual realm, and to give you a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit.

If you need some intellectual encouragement, I suggest you read some apologetics books by Lee Strobel, Paul Little or Josh McDowell.

And find a pastor, friend, or Christian psychologist that you trust...someone that will listen, counsel, and not push you away...and talk to them about your struggles, and pray with them.

Answer 9

Wow, man, that's really amazing stuff. I have always wondered what they teach people in psychology...
Am I right in thinking that you accept the historical validity of the Bible? There actually is quite good historical evidence for this. However, your problem seems to be more with having a personal relationship with God. I'm gonna quote one such verse: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and he whom you have sent, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3).
It seems like this is what the basic issue boils down to: Is God really there, and does He really talk to people? "Knowing God" is not just a matter of personal feeling. If the Holy Spirit is not really there, than yes you are correct in saying that this belief is actually a form of this psychological condition that you have learned about. But if He is THERE, and I don't mean "in your mind", I mean in reality, than it is real. The problem is, most people can't understand knowing what you can't physically see or touch.
The key to this is if God *initiates* (He touches you, not you touch Him) a supernatural experience that no one can explain based on any known physical phenomenon, psychological or otherwise. Of course, the problem is that no one may be convinced except the person who had the experience. But there have been cases of people who were not Christians, did not want to believe in God or Jesus, and were "compelled" to believe when they had a supernatural experience... I know a lady who had this happen, she says she heard God's voice audibly speak to her. Other miraculous events include being supernaturally healed (there are many examples, especially healings from life-threatening diseases), speaking to people in foreign languages when you do not know the language (a friend of my dad's saw this, he was the one who understood the language), seeing visions or dreams, etc. To speak from personal experience, in 2004 I had two dreams which showed me specific things that I had absolutely no prior knowledge of-- the first was about a situation in China and the second was about two events that took place in Israel/Palestine that took place a week and a month later after the dream. I also have heard God speak to me specifically when in tough situations. Sometimes, I don't know whether it's God or just me thinking, but sometimes I really know it's God because it doesn't sound like me at all........ the voice is a "masculine" sounding voice that is unlike anyone else's voice that I have ever heard, definitely not me, it always speaks with authority and finality, and it always brings peace.
I don't know about psychology, but I myself have struggled with the same basic issue myself as long as I have been a Christian.... how do I know this isn't all in my head? That I am not "crazy" as you say? And I have concluded, for myself, that for one thing I am otherwise I am a normal, well-adjusted person with actually a very self-assured, strong-willed personality (btw that's not always a good thing), thus, I am pretty normal for the radically crazy person that I must be! But mainly, even if I am crazy, I am happy and I am doing okay with God, loving life and loving loving other people. For how I'm doing right now, I may be crazy, but I don't care! And I can say that the times when I'm going through tough stuff, it's been feeling God's presence and love that was what kept me filled with joy and peace. So, maybe it is just a coping mechanism or something.... so what, it's free, it works great, and there don't seem to be any side effects. (By the way, have you read C.S. Lewis's great parable about this in his book *The Silver Chair*? You should if you haven't...) But through experience I really have come to believe otherwise.
If you really do want to remain a Christian, I encourage you to seek God's face. Don't give up without trying sincerely! The Bible, if you believe it, says that God wants you to know Him; according to the verse I quoted, that's what eternal life really is. I am doing a history major and like I said, there is good historical evidence for the Bible itself, you can check it out if you want. I know what they say, a lot of people lose their faith in college, but if God is real, He doesn't need people to prop Him up. He can show you He's real Himself... and I hope He will.

Answer 10

Perhaps what your experience has really taught you is that many of your "Christian" beliefs were false.

You say "it is clear that the process of what Christians call a relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit is a strong delusional response to fundamental insecurities!"

I think you might have something there. A lasting relationship with Jesus Christ is not established by saying a prayer or by getting worked up in Church by emotional music and sentimental testimonies and waving hands in the air.

All of these man-made Protestant rituals are substitutes for the lasting peace and closeness that Christ truly does offer.

Christ instituted the 7 sacraments as a means of channeling His love and grace to us. By receiving His actual body and blood at communion we literally take Him into ourselves. By receiving absolution for sins at confession we directly receive the reconciliation of Christ and assurance of His forgiveness.

There is much more to living a holy life than just following Scriptures by the letter. Remember the man who told Christ "from my youth up I've followed all of your commandments - what now?"

Jesus told him "Go sell all you own and give it to the poor."

In other words, God is asking much more of you than you are willing to give, and the "Holy Ghost" Christianity you've been following after all these years might very well be a counterfeit version of the real thing.

Email me at [e-mail] if you want to chat more about the Catholic faith.

Which, by the way, has very strong philosophical and psychological underpinnings.

God bless you.

Answer 11

The answer that I have to give to you is pray.... When down call on the name of Jesus.... And of course a public college is going to try to strip away your beliefs, but God is the truth...

For in the end times the Bible says that people will begin to claim that things have happened now as always, and that the past brings the future(uniformitariansim and evolution) it also says that the scoffers will be willingly ignorant(in greek that is dumb on purpose)

Read and follow the Bible...