An atheist helped this Christian believe again?

Question

My Son was all I had. When He died four yrs ago, I spiritually died too. I turned to every Christian I knew. The answer was always"don't question God's wisdom. I prayed. I just fell deeper into darkness.A few months ago I made friends on Q/A with a man who happened to be an aitheist. He never put down Christians, instead He showed me an understanding and compassion that was above any religion. My God is inside ME. My God would never condemn someone that brought me back from the darkness. In the afterlife that nooone knows, I will see my friend. I respect and thank MY God for bringing this amazing person into my life..Atheist is a word created by Man. Why do we Christians judge? Isn't that wrong?

Answer 1

I am glad to hear you rediscovered your faith, it will be a source of inner strength, and you will need that to obtain some emotional healing.
Don't feel guilty about losing your Faith temporarily because you lost your son and your life was shattered, pain and bewilderment has been a reason for many people to lose their
(meaning in life and can feel little or no joy anymore.
It is good to see that the spark has returned to you, and if you feel the other Christians let you down, don't judge them too harshly either because some questions are just to difficult or
complex to answer. If you didn't get enough moral and emotional support I would find that disappointing, and it does
not reflect very well on those close to you ( I presume they call
themselves Christians too ).
The fact that you do not have an answer, does not mean you can leave the person asking an inconvenient question out in the cold.
I would think the giving of comfort and solace and emphatizing with a bereft mother would be compulsory to a Christian ( or any other human being ), and if they failed you
I'd say a bit of honest soul searching in themselves is in order.
After all their shortcomings have forced a sheep to stray from the flock, and that's bad.
And if it takes an Atheist to show her the way back than that
(although a happy occasion ) should make them think even more.
But I am very glad for you personally, you are great to have as a friend and a warm caring person, I feel for your loss but I'm
convinced you'll find your way somehow.
As an Atheist I don't really mind being judged by others as I judge myself everyday, what I do object to is that many people
prejudge you, ready to condemn immediately and never give you an opportunity to ' prove' yourself.
I mention Atheist, and they open the box marked Evil, Immoral, and beyond redemption and stuff you in it without a second of hesitation . It's easy and convenient I suppose.
But to me it's hateful and callous, and it sure does hurt.

Answer 2

I am very sorry to hear about your lose, you are a very brave and strong person for going on and sharing this with us! I'm also glad you found your god, Losing your faith is common when something so close is taking away. and for that, I have the utmost respect and sincerity for you.

As for that word Atheism, All people can be compassionate, and some of those people don't have faith in god. But there is alot of prejudging going on in religions, I feel (Please don't hate me for this) Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Muslim, etc.. is faith based on one god, and one son (or prophet). So why judge, all of this is faithful to GOD. It's like judging names, "bob is evil" yet ":Robert is true". Since someone believes that earth began 44 billion years ago, and man was created by a mix of carbon and gasses slowly evolving, doesn't make them less a person, just means it's a different opinion. We all love, it's in the bible, it's programmed in our brains, lets not prejudge. You don't have to believe anything you don't actually believe. but accept and respect that there is a difference out there.

Anyways, I'm ranting on. God bless you susanm

Answer 3

Thanks for sharing your heart in this way.
I cant imagine how one feels at loosing a child..your pain must have been indescribable.
Sadly i identify with other Christians lack of compassion and understanding,( of yourself and God ) towards you...although i must say there are some beautiful Christian believers around..i still have 3 in my life and wouldn't be where i am without them....my family members don't share my beliefs, and i wouldn't want to live without them..
I agree some non-believers operate in love and compassion more than some Christians..If i like a person it doesn't matter to me what their spiritual beliefs are....you know we are human, and were all just getting through this life the best we can...
God can use anyone to help us through, but i think you have brought a lot of people together on here tonight...be blessed in every way....Shalom xxx

Answer 4

Is it wrong to judge? It all depends. If you are juding something that is wrong I say you have that right. If you are judging something or someone for no reason that is wrong. To me a person that rapes women does a bad thing. I have judged him as a rapist. A man that gets drunk and beats his wife and kids is doing a bad thing. I judge him an abuser and a drunk. If you break into my house with intent to steal or kill I will judge you and you will either get shot in my self defense or I will call the police.

Now if you live non-threatning lifestyle that I feel is against my spiritual and moral beliefs I will not agree with that but I am not going to judge you for that. Does this make sense?

Answer 5

I can't imagine what it would be like to go through what you have. One day I might. But there are countless many who have. Some have the most inspirational stories of praising God even in tough times. Tragedy happens all the time and most people will experience it to some degree. When you look at the history of the church you see many instances of tragedy. But those people continued through with steadfast belief in God our father. Some have burdens that are harder than others.

I'm glad that even a person who doesn't know God can help you. But in the end, Gods word never changes. Regardless of how good a human can be, their goodness will never measure up to Gods standards. It's impossible. The only way to heaven is through Jesus. Just as God himself said. It's cast in stone. Even if in our minds, the person who meant the most to us in a time of trouble, is the one who is in jeopardy of judgment. If you are what you claim to be, and you still believe in God, then pray for this persons salvation. I'd pray as fervently as I could That God would have mercy on him. That would be your best way to pay him back.

And before you ask why do we Christians judge, remember where the commands came from in the first place. Is it Christians or God himself? We only are to represent what God has said in his word. It is either all true - or all false. There can not be an in-between where we ourselves put words in Gods mouth.

Answer 6

A simply beautiful encounter, that I could feel on so many levels.

The religion is taught in such a way that only those who are alittle rebellious actually have escape routes.

Many people celebrate their relationship with the Divine on personal levels and as someone who honors both the Atheist way and those who believe in Spiritual aspects; I honor yours, as so beautifully spoken and so beneficial to our collective peace.

I'm sorry about the loss of your son, I'm glad that a friend was there to help you through it.

Answer 7

Yes it is wrong to judge. Jesus didn't judge. It is sad that you didn't get the support you needed from your faith community. Sadly, many Christians tend to just fall back on things they have heard, or ideas that they haven't really examined. I'm sorry about your son, I can't imagine that loss. I too would be filled with doubt and anger, and I think God understands those times in our lives.
Peace

Answer 8

It's sad that people judge based on classifications of a person I guess there is no real answer other then it's human nature to fear what they don't know. The sad fact is that people hear atheist and think evil or something horrible but it's not many of the people I know that think the way I do are compassionate, caring, and loving people. It's sad that belief divides people the way it does why can't we just accept peoples differences? guess we will never know.

Answer 9

Sometimes when we face difficult events, the last thing we need is someone telling us we just have to have faith. That seems to be the main item of advice given by the religious.

And atheist, or an agnostic, or even a buddhist may indeed offer some advice that isn't structured merely on taking faith in something. And it may mean a lot coming from that person, because it is being offered not out of an assumed superiority, but out of actual unmotivated compassion.

The problem I have found with so much Christian 'compassion' is that it is externally motivated. The thought is: I must do this good thing, not because it is right and good, but rather I will be punished or rewarded if I do it.

A person who does good simply because they know it is good, and who expects no real reward, may be offering something of greater substance than someone who thinks doing good is a ticket to heaven, which in the end is just a form of selfishness, is it not?

Do you follow my thinking on this?

Answer 10

First, I am SO sorry for your loss. My sister had this kind of pain but I have never known it. You have my deepest condolances.

I'm glad that this place could be such a comfort to you! It's heartwarming that people can connect and really help each other in this format. Hugs to you for your open heart. I am so glad you were able to find such good in this place. :) You made my day hon!

((Edit)) I also posted a link to this question on my 360 account. Thank you for reminding us again that there are real people here and open minds and open hearts are never a bad thing.