Christians, how often do you question your beliefs?

Question

Please be honest, this question is not to provoke people but to further understand them. Do you often have difficulties maintaining your beliefs and how do you overcome them?

Answer 1

I once doubted God, but then I realized this was a form of test. I found myself in a certain chapter of the book, "Purpose-Driven Life" by Dr. Rick Warren, and it made me realize two things: God is real, no matter how I feel, and that He tests people to see how they will face the situation. I found myself down on my knees but God didn't seem to answer me. By reading this book, I realized that times like those really come, and that it will be over. I just needed to keep my feet firmly planted on God, and I needed to strongly believe that God really is there. Now I am sure, and I will never doubt God again. He has proven Himself so many times before in my life, and in others' lives as well. This was an encouraging fact that I clung to during those times.

Answer 2

I question my beliefs a hundred times a day, at least.

I still have issues with some of the stories in the Bible; a great example of this would be Balaam and the talking donkey. I know that there's archaeological evidence that a man called Balaam actually did exist at the time the Bible said he did, and that he was the kind of person the Bible said he was. But a talking donkey? I still have some reservations about believing that.

Mainly, when I have doubts like this, I remember the things that I KNOW, without a doubt. I know that Jesus really did live, and I know that I can believe in the reliability of the Gospels. Then I go from there, with my questions.

I'm one of those people that is ALWAYS skeptical. When I was an atheist, I was skeptical of atheism. Now, I'm a Christian, and I'm skeptical of some aspects of that, as well. It's kind of hard to explain. I know that there's a God, I've seen too much to believe otherwise. And I've studied too much of history to not believe in Jesus. Everything else...I continue looking for evidence to support it. In the meantime, I just keep believing, praying, asking questions, and reading.

Right now, I'm reading the Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel, and I'm having some issues with it. I think I'm going to have to start writing down the questions it brings up, and then reference the works that he cites to see if they give a more thorough answer (and then I'll probably dig into the works that attempt to refute the claims in those). I'm not satisfied with glib answers.

I hope this answers your question.

Answer 3

Maintaining your faith or beliefs is similar to maintaining your garden. If you allow the weeds to take over and do not remove them and thin them out then you have nothing but a bed of weeds.

I constantly weed my garden and when I come across a new one I look at it to see what it is. There are times when they are stubborn and will not go away but as long as I work in my garden the weeds that I have are few.

Peace & Love,
Sam

PS.
I come to the R&S forum to ask questions and sometimes I get answers and sometimes I get nothing. I ask and as long as I ask I will get an answer either from others or myself with the help of others or the lack thereof.

Answer 4

I go through periods of questioning. It happens every few years. After I converted, I waited a couple of years and entered the university to train as a Baptist minister. The information I discovered in the first couple of years caused a good bit of soul searching, so I began to restructure. I rebuilt my faith into a sort of scholarly faith, but that type of faith is an empty shell of what it should be. It left me with faith, but it was a faith built around hollow scholarly models, accepting their presuppositions as valid.

The next time I reevaluated everything, I did so through history. This led me to question my fundamental approach to doctrine and spirituality. This culminated in my conversion to the Orthodox Church. I couldn't maintain a claim that Christianity was binding and authoritative unless I was willing to submit, but this required I submit fully to historical Christianity, even where I didn't like it.

Each time I reevaluate, I cleanse myself of misconceptions about God, and they happen rather frequently. Recently I did some soul searching over my theistic evolution stance, and right now I'm doing some soul searching over politics and still trying to unlearn faith and relearn it in an Orthodox manner.

My philosophy to maintaining my beliefs is to address my doubts with stubborn tenacity. I don't like being a fair weather believer. I don't want to change at the drop of a hat, but I also realize that doubts arise from my own errors, either by misreading data, or a wrong approach to learning, or even a faulty conception of God. I prefer to address whatever's troubling me head-on, but I never give up on faith, even when it seems to be bleak and hopeless. God eventually shows me the next path I must walk, sometimes after a few years of soul-searching.

For the most part, I believe in going forward, not back. I generally don't take up a position I've already abandoned, because I've addressed it thoroughly enough that I don't need to (theistic evolution is the big exception on this). I never finished my investigation of Orthodoxy, though. I just found it to be "home" after a while and joined.

Answer 5

God gave me the ability to think for myself, choose for myself and act for myself through God's grace. God constantly presents new things for me to look at and consider. Whatever God may be. So, I question them constantly, especially when new points of view are put forward. I cannot remain open-minded, and honor God if I choose not to consider or close off even one option. Sometimes I adopt a new value, sometimes I only incorporate pieces, but difficulties maintaining my beliefs, no.

You know, I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they do come up with some pretty good ideas.

Answer 6

Many times. Maybe more than a couple of times a day. But I think it is just human nature to ask the question WHY.

Besides I am a very new believer and I am still working on just Believing. I was raised by parents who for the most part never really believed.

I doubt constantly, it is a constant struggle. But I feel as though I need it to keep me going.

I usually overcome them by telling myself that my questions are stupid. I also tell myself that who cares if it is not real or not. I need something to believe in, for me. This is how I overcome my doubts most of the time....
I say, "Candice, it does not matter if it is real or not, it does not hurt just believing in it, so believe in it, you need it to help you through anyways."

Answer 7

Hello and if one is to believe it must be based WITHOUT taking out of context a It is written. in Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.
However belief is NOT enough, did you know in James2:19 it says satan believes and trembles, instead of just a belief make it BE-LIVE, For God [The Father] "SO" Love me that He gave [Jesus the second member of The Godhead gave Himself] that "IF" I Love Him enough to KEEP HIS Commandments then i will have everlasting life, John 3:16, and 14:15 overcome in Rev.12:11 by the blood of The Lamb, find out more free bible lessons www.amazingfacts.org email me also [e-mail] God bless

Answer 8

I used to question Christianity all the time (thanks to public schools teaching Evolution). Once I started researching Creation and realized that the Bible was right about that, then I concluded that it must be right about Jesus being the Savior, also. From then on my faith has been pretty firm.

I do have moments where I say "What if there really is no God and there is no purpose?" When that happens I remind myself that it is the devil trying to torment me and there has been no evidence to disprove God's existence and then I'm fine. :)

Answer 9

Faith is the power that strengthens beliefs, if I question what I believe in then ultimately I question myself in general, that's like asking myself, "Who Am I"? Ive done this before but this was in my younger days, Its okay to question authority, for if authority is never questioned there wouldn't be any answers. Right? I overcame this by seeking truth from within.

Answer 10

I don't really question my beliefs at all. There is a God. To me that is obvious. The intelligent design argument seems to me to be irrefutable. He seems to have created man with a desire to know Him. Why is there religion and why do all the cultures we know about seem to have had one? Therefore, it seems obvious to me that if God created man with a desire to know about Him, He would have revealed Himself. Therefore, there should be a Holy Book somewhere. But there are many Holy Books and they all contradict each other and they all say they're coming from God.
Logic tells us that either one is true or they're all false(that's got to be considered a logical possibillity). Logically, you can't have more than one that is true, not if they all contradict each other. But if they're all false then we're back to square one where God created man with a desire to know Him but failed to reveal Himself. I think there is a Holy book. I think it's the bible. The bible seems to me to have the signature of God due to certain features it posseses. So, again, to answer your question.....no I don't question my beliefs.