Christian Ponderings...?

Question

My parents are RC and C of E and when I was little we went to church regularly, prayed together and I learned about the faith within our home. When I got older I started to question what I had been taught. When I hit my teens I rejected Christianity and god.
Now I am in my 20's, and I don't know how I feel about god. I don't whether I can explore my spirituality without feeling like I'm being recruited by a church or a faith that doesn't belong to me.
In life is it nessescary to have a relationship with god, any god?
How do you know what to believe? What happens if you believe in god, but believe science over the bible?

I don't want sarcastic nonsense. I'm actually interested in genuine particpants real thoughts.

Answer 1

What is important is that you become comfortable with the idea of NOT KNOWING.

Despite what many religious people say, nobody actually KNOWS anything about god. They have a BELIEF. Many people hold on to their beliefs because it is simply more comfortable than having no answer at all. It is uncomfortable to have no idea why you are here, where you came from, and what is going to happen to you when you die. People want an explanation. It's natural.

From personal experience, I would like to say that it is totally possible to explore your spirituality without leaning on religion. Spirituality is simply acknowledging that there is more to you than just your body. Religion is separate, as it is a social structure that is designed with rules and mandates and dogma. You could say spirituality is in the individual, but religion is in the society.

Believe it or not, it is also possible to explore your spirituality without deciding if you believe in god. I am a spiritual person, but I am agnostic. I believe only in the possibility of god and have decided that it is not important for me to decide if god exists for certain since it is impossible for me to ever know the truth. But I still think about god and what god means to me. You can do that by exploring different religions (without fully subscribing to any one), and by using your own brain. Decide what makes sense to you and what doesn't. You don't have to come up with a clear answer, but a list of possibilities. Become comfortable with the idea that you don't know the answer, and neither does anyone else. Be wary of anyone who claims to 'know' the 'truth', for they are deluded. They don't KNOW, they just BELIEVE. And a person who thinks they have god on their side can be a dangerous person. One must only read a history book, or for that matter a newspaper, to figure that out.

Having said that, I think religion does have value. Just keep an open mind and realize that all religions have good points and bad points. You may relate to part of one religion and part of another. There are things to learn from all religions.

And don't feel like you have to reconcile the Bible with science. Have an open mind and realize that many of the dogmatic parts of religious stories would be much more valuable if taken as allegory. Wars aren't waged over allegory, and yet a story taken allegorically retains its meaning. Also, if you choose to re-embrace Christianity, remember that it is possible to do so without feeling that the Bible must be taken literally. After all, it was written by many different men and interpreted and translated many many times. It is highly likely that the belief and politics of those men and their time influenced what it has become. If you think about it that way, science, reason and the Bible don't clash as much.

You may want to study up on critical thinking, logic and reason. These skills will help you evaluate why you believe certain things. You would be surprised at how many people use blatant logical fallacies to support their beliefs. For instance, I ask people, "How do you KNOW that the Bible is the true revealed word of God?" They respond by saying, "Well, in the Bible it says......" Obviously, you can't support the Bible with the Bible, but people do it every day.

Anyway, long story short - you will never "know what to believe," as you put it. And it may not actually be "necessary" to have a relationship with god, but it is certainly natural to want one or to at least contemplate god. The trick is to have an open mind and use your own brain - don't just believe something because someone else tells you its true.

Answer 2

I was pretty much on the same road. For me, it's been a process of reading different spiritually based material. My spirit beingness became more important to me as new information came in. I have always wondered if I had known when I was young that there actually were alternatives to Christianity if I wouldn't have left it behind a whole lot sooner. I equating god with my spirit. Never knowing until I began to question, that I still craved something beyond how the church defined it.

See, believing science and still wanting a relationship with a godhead is way doable. I started mixing Qauntum-Spirituality together a few years ago, because science likes to seek out explanation for the unexplainable. Where religion likes to accept things at face value. for many enquiring minds, this doesn't hold up well. It's very much an allusion to me that is held together by collective energy.

When I started this journey. I stopped talking about it with everyone else. IT was just me and my source. First thing....what is that source?

Never, have I ever looked back and felt any sort of loss. More often than not, I feel child-like in my curiosities of the world around me. Developement of self awaits you. From where I stand, that's an incredible gift.

Answer 3

My opinion is bound to be biased I am atheist, which means I don't believe in God, or any religion that worships a God.
However I do understand the need for some to believe in God, nothing wrong with that!
What is wrong in believing science , or at least most of it? Cant you still believe in God and science? Whats the bible got to do with it, the Old Testament is a guide book for quite a few religions, the New Testament is a new guide book for Christians, The Koran is another new guide book , all based on the Old Testament!! Just updated a bit to suit the times!! Simple as that really.
I suggest you bin that lot, starting with the Old Testament, then believe in your God pray to him however you wish, you don't need a leader or teacher to tell you how to do that in a certain manner, or that your chosen religion is the only 'true religion'!
Read all you can on all religions , you will no doubt be contacted by the scientologists among this forum , read all about these also, make up your own mind, just do it your way.
If you do that without trying to start up your own brand of religion you will have no hassle from me.

Answer 4

I too had such doubts ( I am 50 now) before. But I discovered that when I pray, things somehow work out to be better, even for those that appear not to have been answered immediately, but in the long run. I was a born Christian, strayed into Hinduism and then came back to the Christian fold again. Life is not a bed of roses....
Believing Science is all nonsense. Science cannot give a fulfilling answer. But religion can and of course Christianity can. Do keep praying asking the Holy Spirit to guide you. Submit your all to Him......it will work out to be good in the end.

Answer 5

Ultimately, it falls on you to decide how you want to play this game. I know it's hard; I still have problems with it, myself. But I would rather take the Agnostic view of how we look at this reality: We really don't know what it's about, so it's best to just live in the now, and go from there. Carl Sagan was cursed because he refused to endorse the Atheistic point of view; just before he died, he said something along the lines of "well, here's where I find out!" or somesuch.

Taking a different view requires courage. Not only do you have all kinds of people P.O.'d about you not joining their church, but you also have the disadvantage of not having belief to fall back on when you wake up in the middle of the night and realize that you're not immortal. With that in mind, I'd like to offer you this advice: Be patient, and don't let fear rule you. Live for today, and don't back down when the situation seems hopeless. You'll become a better, stronger person for it. Okay?

Answer 6

Well done for being normal! All of the questions you have asked are reasonable and rational. I went through a long period of being good but not a Christian. While not feeling free to diss God at the time I was still able to respect the faith of others around me. There is only one God, people see him differently but he is still the same God. Explore away, dismiss anything that comes with pressure, I believe that God will show you the necessity of your relationship with him. God is the God of science as well, it's man who can't be trusted with what is revealed. Happy hunting and trust your heart...

Answer 7

It is not important to believe in god
It is not important seek out the teachings of a religion to believe in God

The argument between whether to believe the Bible or trust science is only a side show. The only thing that matters is that you believe in yourself, what and who you are. Believe in what you want and how you will achieve your goals.
Religion and belief in God helps some people as Science does others in the pursuit of this (as described above).

Personally I believe in science, and I feel no part missing from my life. Should something happen, I do not turn to God I turn to family and friends.

Each person has their own perceptions and beliefs, nobody can advise what would be best in your case only offer opinions as I have done, and hope you find it help full in making up your own mind.

Answer 8

My parents didn't raise me in any faith, I was actually sitting on the beach at a friends' baptism service when I got zapped by the Holy spirit and just knew Jesus had called me. It's ok to question what you were taught, I also had to question the things my parents taught me, even though those things weren't 'religious'.

Churches were Jesus' idea, to allow believers to live in a loving community, helping each other and reaching out to others. This kind of community seems to be 'cultish' in the eyes of the world but that's no reason to reject it.

Science and the Bible don't necessarily clash, in fact science backs the Bible up.

Ask God to send someone to you who can give you clarity, and be open to meeting that person.

It's also ok to try different churches, in my experience those led by the holy spirit are most in line with Jesus' plans for us.

Answer 9

Wow. Great question, particularly for this forum. I am in a similar situation, I've questioned my faith for the last 10 years or so (was raised Episcopalian).
A relationship with a god...I wouldn't say it's necessary to life, but there's definitely a yearning to feel attached to something greater. For me, I know I get a bigger spiritual lift from wandering around in nature than I do from sitting in a church -- hiking to the top of a mountain, finding a secluded cove, sitting under a waterfall, etc. Does that make me a pagan? I don't think so.
I think many religions are still pretty good about telling people about their faith without actively recruiting them. The Evangelical sects of Christianity are among the more active recruiters, but other branches of Christianity, as well as Judaism and Unitarianism, I know to be more given to talking about their faith without proselytizing.
Reading books is also an enlightening way to learn about different religions and spiritualities, but always keep in mind that the writers are biased and to take things with a grain of salt.
I've referred people here to beliefnet.com before -- it's a great resource for comparing different religious faiths and their core beliefs.
At this point I consider myself somewhere between an Agnostic and a liberal Christian -- the more liberal branches of Christianity (which some Episcopalian congregations are considered) are more tolerant with regard to social issues, and interpret the Bible very loosely, which is helpful for those of us who do believe in science.
I hope this helps, feel free to e-mail me thru my profile if you want to talk more.

Answer 10

As a child I was made to go to church with mom and dad. I resented the whole thing. Just like a child.
As a teen and young adult, became agnostic, then started studying eastern religion. Questioning everything.

I came back to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit about 8 years ago. it was the teaching that was instilled in me as a child, but also that I found truth there. I found respect and honor in God. And that He had it for me.

I do believe it is necessary to have a relationship with God. Not just any God, though.

I know what to believe because of the work in my life. I follow the word of God, and it changes me. I have the testimony of the bible to stand on in my life and family.

be blessed in Jesus ~ Vicki