about religion PLEASE READ?

Question

i dont know what to believe! i dont really believe in god. it just sounds stupid to me. the bible is just a big long book filled with stories to me. but the bible basically says if you dont believe in god you are going to hell. i dont really believe in god, or heaven or hell. but im still scared, because if it is real, im going to hell. and its hard to imagine what its like after you die, huh? just imagine being dead. you CANT, can you? someone help me understand this.

if there is a god, than why would he leave no proof of his existance except a big boring book and a threat of going to hell if you dont believe?

Answer 1

I suggest that you talk to many different people (not on the web in person) from many differnt religions to get an idea of whats out there. When you find what you belive in you will know it! It would be wrong to follow something out of fear of the outcome in case what you really believe in is false! God knows what you really feel and belive so putting on some show isent gonna fool him (if in your case he is real). If you are truly scared then you should first talk to people learned unbiased religious people who you can come out and talk to openly... make sure that you let them know that you don't want them to convert you and who know what your going through. ( i suggest a catholic priest becuase they are trained in this matter and if you request that they not convert you they will respect your wishes, and you dont worry about feeling guilty about what they will think becuase i can garentee theyve heard worse). Ive been through what your talking about and it is scary in the worst way possible. You just want to curl up in the fetal position with your head in your moms lap and go back to when you were in sunday school and you still belived in an afterlife. You can make it though this just talk to people from differnet religons (squeez in an atheist in there to) and above all live a good life so if there is a god out there and he is going to judge you he will know that you did good things and that you tryed to undertand life and death.

Answer 2

Okay im agnostic. I believe in some sort of higher power but Im not sure I believe in any organized religion.

I think whatever dietty out there that may or may have not created us, will be pretty compassionate. I think if you live your life to help other people, and to be kind and helpful. And you do more good then bad. You will be okay.

You think somebody that killed 30 people and raped 20 people will be in a so-called heaven because he believes in God? And since you werent sure but you gave to charity and help people you are excluded?

I dont really think that will happen. I believe you are judge on your heart, thats what the bible says.

Jesus actually judged faith by one thing. If you have true faith you can tell the mountains to stand up and walk into the sea. Nobody that I know of has been able to do it. So we all have doubts.

If at the end of your life if you think is the world better for me or worse? I think right now thats all you need to worry about.

Answer 3

Have you ever read the bible?
It sounds like somewhere deep down you have this empty feeling. Let me tell you what that is...it's the space that only God can fill. Once you experience the real presence of God then you have NO DOUBT about His existence. I've had that experience and I have no doubts whatsoever. It would be easier for me to believe the sky is green and the grass is red than it would be for me to believe God doesn't exist.

Do you really think everything was created on it's own without a creator. The bible is the only book that should guide our lives. It is the oldest history book around. Every historical fact has been proven by archaeologists. The names, the locations, etc...

Yes, hell is scarey and I have no intention of going. I hope you don't either. I would advise you to read the New Testament. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John to discover what Jesus did while he was here. Find out that he loved you so much that he gave his life for you. Discover that God loved you so much that he gave his only son for you. Discover that God made a way for you to have ETERNAL life...by believing in the sacrifice of his son on the cross. Only through faith in Jesus can you have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world (the people) that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall NOT perish but have everlasting life.

It's all about God's love for you and for me. Our sins (mistakes) seperate us from God. But Jesus came and gave his life and took the punishment that we deserved. He became the bridge that makes us right with God.

The bible also says there is NO MORE condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. That means no hell, no "purgatory", etc. The bible says that for those who are believers in Christ "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord".

Find a bible and read the New Testament...what have you got to lose?

If you're right and there is no God what have I lost?
But if I'm right and there is a God and the bible is true then you've lost it all. Please don't make that mistake. Your life is at stake.
We all have physical bodies and they last about 80 years or so on this earth. But we also have souls that will live on after our earthly body gives out. There are only two places that soul can go...you have to decide which of the two places you want YOURS to go to. Please make the right choice...we're talking about eternity in paradise or eternity in torment.

Which will you choose?

Answer 4

I don't know for sure there is a god. I don't know for sure there's not. I like to think there is something bigger than us. I don't know what happens when a person dies. Hopefully something nice. There are some good things in the bible. There are some not-so-good things in the bible. A lot of what's in there is better described as myth than history (the oldest known story--which predates anything in the bible--speaks of a Noah-type character).

Jesus said some nice stuff (I also think Jesus didn't necessarily say or do some of the things attributed to him). I don't think Jesus or christians have a monopoly on "salvation", morality or ethics.

At the same time, I think many of the things Jesus said have great value (taking care of those on the fringes of society, etc.). In the end, heaven or not, god or not, doen't matter to me, really. I still think people should take care of each other. I think as humans we are responsible to each other. It's really not difficult to make another person's life a little better or a little easier.

If there is a god, if there is a heaven, and taking care of others for the sake of making the world a better place isn't enough...that's not my kind of god or my kind of heaven.

by the way...my husband's a minister.

Answer 5

If you didn't believe in God , you would not be scared. The Bible will tell you what you need to know . It will also help you to not be afraid. God is very real. You need to watch someone take their last breath and see as the living soul leaves the body. You would believe. You would come to understand the reality of the teachings in the Bible. You would understand the importance of prayer. The Bible states that fear is the beginning of wisdom. I will pray for you.

Answer 6

Well, I think that you have an internal battle with your beliefs and with what the Bible says. It is interesting that other holy books, like the Koran, says many similar things.

I have had some experiences and testimonies, and many other people as well, who will affirm you the existence of God and his relation with us.

I will tell you to do the following, of course if you want to do it. Tonight, before going to bed and alone in your room, try to have a "conversation" with him. It is very easy. Like if you are talking to your father or mother. But not an imaginary conversation, but a real one, like if He is actually with you in your room. I know this can be very difficult for you for the fact that you don't believe in His existence, but give it a try. Then try to close your eyes and relax, then concentrate in what He may say to you. Imagine yourself in a nice place you like, like the river or in the beach, alone with him, just sitting one beside the other, in silence. You may feel a big peace, or probably a big urge to weep. Do so, you are at your room and nobody will disturb you. Then ask for guidance.

Do this every night, as every day you will have a different experience. Maybe the first day you will "feel" nothing, but you will find "it" as you do this exercise every night. But it depends on your openness. And, more importantly, you will find peace within your soul and will find what you are longing for a long time.

It is your decision... God is knocking at your door now... Will you open it for Him, so He can enter? Hope yes.

Answer 7

Well, you can't know what being dead is like, or what comes after. I mean, no one comes back from being all the way dead to tell what their experiences were (except Lazarus and Jesus, and you don't believe in them). So, instead of focusing on what death is like and what it has to hold for you, focus on life and what it has to offer you. You say you don't really believe in God. That's fine. Are you committed to that disbelief? If so, then stay committed to it and just do whatever you want to, because if there's no God, it really doesn't matter. You say, though, that you're scared, so I'm thinking you're really not very committed, if committed at all, to the notion that God does not, in fact exist. If that's the case, then you really need to find out what He has to say about Himself. If He's real, Who is He? What does He want? Does He want anything from you? If so, what? How do you go about providing Him what He wants from you? Why should you concern yourself with Him at all, even if He does exist? These are very serious questions that YOU have to answer for yourself. The problem is, where do you find out anything about Him? There are only two known sources of information about God, prayer and the Bible. If you believe that the Bible's just some book, you've eliminated the first and foremost source of information He will give you. Then you're just left with prayer, and He will hear you if you pray to Him, but you have to be willing to hear the answer when it comes, and it may be hard to recognize. It's easier if you give the Bible a chance to reveal itself to you (it's a living thing, you know). But ultimately, it's up to you. What are YOU going to decide about Him? If you're not willing to consider the first source of information He has given you, then it's hard to help you. People keep saying "don't answer me with the Bible," but for the believer there is no other higher authority, with the sole exception of Direct Divine Revelation, and God doesn't do that much anymore (sometimes, but not a lot). He's given us His Word. It was meant to be enough.

Answer 8

If you were raised from childhood in a religion, the fear of the consequences of turning your back on it can be very powerful. How many people are only Christian because they're afraid of going to hell?

It's easy to get confused and scared with all of the overwhelming information from all sorts of religious viewpoints. It's even easier to get lost when you're not really sure what you believe.

You can find someone to talk to, but most people will have an agenda when you're talking about religion. Not all, but most. All Christians have a duty to make sure you remain Christian. Other religions will want to convert you, for the most part. Atheists and agnostics, while not scripturally bound to convert you, are like everyone else in that they like to be right and they like to have a social group. It's human nature. I'm like that; everyone is like that.

You've identified what you don't believe and you've identified what you're afraid of. You've identified the reason why you may remain with your religion. That's the easy part of a religious crisis. This is the hard part. Identify what you do believe. It took me a few months of some pretty heavy duty soul searching to figure it out. For me, it boiled down to a few things. I believe that a person is responsible for his or her own salvation. I believe that salvation comes not from a hell of some sort, but the pain and suffering we feel as we go through life. I believe that my potential as a person isn't limited by my gender, preferences, beliefs, affiliations, ethnicity, marital status, or anything else that I either have no control over or has no bearing on my abilities. From those three basic beliefs---which are my own---I discovered that I'm not compatible with Christianity. That's my own example. You're different because, obviously, you're you.

Figure out what you believe to be real, what you believe is the rock bottom truth about reality, people, spirituality, and all that. Life, the Universe, and Everything, as it were. Once you've figured that part out, figuring out religion will get easier. It won't necessarily get less scary. I still get caught with the occasional fear of hell. I grew up with it, it's hard to get over. You may find that you still believe in god, just maybe not the way your church thinks you should. You may find yourself thinking atheism is for you. You may convert to Rastafarianism. I converted to Zen Buddhism. I wanted to have religion and it most closely matches what I think is true.

Answer 9

If you don't believe in good you can't believe in bad or evil because without good there is no frame of reference. Now that you know you do believe, you need to understand that the Bible is a spiritual book and can only be properly applied to your life as the result of you opening yourself up to the God of the Bible to make real to you His word as you read. The knowledge that results from reading scripture is insignificant to the value of a relationship with the One who not only inspired scripture but created you. He is your Father in heaven and will answer your honest search for truth.

Answer 10

You are not alone. Every person on earth comes to a point in their lives when they start examining their values and their beliefs.
Psychologists state that fear of death is actually a fear of life, but I would make a wager that you have technical abilities. People with technical abilities often have difficulty in understanding or believing in the infinites. The technical brain wants to see, hear, or touch something tangible in order to understand it. God is not tangible and cannot be proved scientifically and therefore the technical part of the brain doubts the veracity of the existence of God.
You are not going to be sent to an eternal damnation. Scholars of scriptures, worldwide, do not believe in a burning hell. If you want to relieve yourself of fear, learn the facts. Go to : http://www.bibleed.com/bibleteachings/otherbibleteachings/hellandgrave.asp
The more you know, the less you will fear. Good Luck !

Answer 11

Well my belief is that there is a God that is kind and when you die you will get what you belive will happen, say if you were christian, when you die you would go to heaven. I would say not to stress about death it's something natural and if you figure out what you personally think will happen after you die then use that as comfort. Existance would be pretty darn sad if when you died it was just, over. Hope I helped