Am I a Christian?

Question

I was raised in a very strict Christian household. I left the church when I was 18. Now, years later, I am married to a man who is a Christian. I want my children to be raised with the same values and morals that I was, but I just don't know if I believe that stuff anymore. I just haven't ever seen anything to leave me TO believe. I figure if God really wanted me to believe, he would show me somehow right? I don't NOT believe, I just don't really have any reason TO... What am I, agnostic?

Answer 1

you sound theistic agnostic - you do believe but you don't know why.

Your statement: "I figure if God really wanted me to believe, he would show me somehow right" has an implication that there is a god, so you must believe.

your statement: "I just haven't ever seen anything to leave me TO believe" says you don't know why to believe.

As for whether you are christian or not is another matterbut you are a theistic agnostic.

Answer 2

You do not have to be Christian to have morals.

Morality was around before any religion. Good morals lead to successful societies, successful societies lead to villages, towns and then cities, then you get religion.

Getting your morality from religious texts is actually a bad idea.

For example, the bible clearly states that abortion is O.K. if a fine is paid to the father. That women are worth less than men. That slavery is O.K., as long as you do not have Jewish slaves. That disobedient children should be stones to death.

These may have been O.K. for a bronze age society, but not for today.

You may think that your morals came form religion. they do not. Thay come from you, your parents and society. Teach your children how to be good, honest members of the society that you live in. Let them pick their own religion (or lack of it) when they are old enough to think and decide for themselves.


BTW, I would say that you are a weak atheist. - you do not believe in a god. In the same way you do not believe in dragons or unicorns. This does not mean that you are a weak willed person, I fall into the same group, but coming from an atheistic background. It is just a description to separate it from:

Strong atheism is the belief that there is not a god.

Agnosticism is the thought that they may, or may not be a god. We can not tell. It is different from weak atheism in that it assigns a much higher probability of god existing.

Deism is the belief that there is a god or gods, but they have no care for the day to day running of the universe and those in it.

Answer 3

Are you a Christian? If you have to ask the question the answer is no.

If God wanted you to believe he would show you somehow? Despite that "strict Christian household", it sounds like you weren't taught a fundamental truth about faith. You don't believe because you see...you see because you believe! Jesus made it clear on a number of occasions that faith is a critical component of a decision to follow him (to become a "Christian").

One of the common themes throughout the bible is that for us (humans), seeing is NOT believing. Think about the story of Moses for example...the Israelites saw the power of God...they watched God send the plagues, they knew that he protected them from the angel of death, they felt the dry ground beneath their feet when the crossed the Red Sea, they saw the pillar of fire! ...and with everything that God showed them, they still melted down their jewelry and made a golden calf to worship! ...and this story is by no means the first OR the last time people refused to believe in the face of obvious evidence of his existence and power!

Jesus made it quite clear that faith is a necessary first step. Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. All of these promises require you to take the first step...he won't make you believe, you have to choose to believe first!

For me, I have overwhelming personal "proof" that God exists and that the bible is the truth...but I came to this place only because I chose to to have faith first. If you approach the bible from the perspective that it is the truth, you will find the truth in it...and if you look for evidence that it isn't true, you will find that too. It's called self-fulfilling prophecy and God is well aware of this tendency in humans (after all, he created us!).

Whatever you seek, you will find but what you find isn't always the truth. Surely you have experienced this phenomenon before...you say or do something that another person interprets based on their own perception...their interpretation is dead wrong, but they think it is the truth?

If you want to share your husbands beliefs and raise your children to share those beliefs then you need to make a conscious decision to believe. Simply accept that he knows the truth and begin studying the bible to find that truth...as you do this, with your heart and mind open, God will give you more reasons to believe than you can possibly imagine.

I will say a prayer for you...I'm convinced that a marriage united by a common belief in God is the best possible environment for children and the rewards for you and your husband are immeasurable!

Answer 4

Sounds like a standard issue crisis of faith. Usually comes with parenthood.
The above post is flippant and for that I apologize. I'm at work and the bell was literally ringing.
Some churches that take missionary work seriously and keep good records (OK the Mormons) recognize young families as a favorable demographic for exactly the reasons that you listed. Missionary work is more than mere marketing.
Your choices are
A) Chose a church at random and send the kids
B) Pick one that you can tolerate and work as hard as you can to set an example for your kids till they see thru the charade.
C) Start your own spiritual journey till you find a faith community that you can be passionate about without hypocrisy, then steel yourself against the heartbreak when you kids walk away because it is th grownup thing to do. If your example is good enough maybe they wont.

Answer 5

I would like to respectfully suggest that you not worry about "what" your are (i.e., Christian, agnostic, etc.) but what you believe.

You used the phrase, "strict Christian household." It may mean that you were always expected to believe, but were never nurtured in the faith. Such households often are full of "law" and not much "Gospel."

The important thing to know is that God wants a relationship with you. He wants you to seek him. You are right, if he wanted you to know he would show you. In fact, he promises to reveal himself if you take sincere steps to seek him.

As a first step, I suggest that both you and your husband find a local church. Not just any church....but one that believes:
o that you are "saved" by faith (and not by what you do)
o that Jesus died (in your place) for your sins, and
o that the Bible is the Word of God.

Such a church can help you instill "Christian" values in your children. Perhaps more importantly, mature Christians in that church can help you to both identify the concepts you are struggling with and to provide you with reasons for their beliefs.

It would probably be best if this church were NOT in the same denomination you were raised in.

Reach out to the pastor(s) and mature Christians in this church. Let them know your questions. If they do not treat you lovingly or if their answers are not at all helpful then seek out another church.

The denomination of the church is much less important than their belief in the three points I listed. God has written us all a love letter with the Bible. Ultimately, it is through the Bible that the answers to your questions will come.

I ask your indulgence to allow me to end with a prayer.

Father in heaven, please send your Holy Spirit to this young woman. Enter her heart and warm the places that have become cold, hard and dark. Give her a sense of your presence. Show her the church that you have already picked for her family. Give her a thirst to know you and your Word. This is prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen

Answer 6

If you believe in any kind of deity, you are a theist, not an agnostic. An agnostic isn't convinced one way or the other about the existence of a deity. Theists don't have to believe in Christianity or any organized religion but they do believe in a god (some say higher power). To me, it just sounds like you are in a seeking phase and I wouldn't be surprised if some day you return to your original faith, but having thought about it from a more mature standpoint, embracing some things and jettisoning others. It also sounds like you're a good mom.

Answer 7

"I figure if God really wanted me to believe, he would show me somehow right?"

Yes. That's absolutely right. It takes God to counter the human nature to not believe in Him, not to trust Him. So you are not saved then, I see. You don't trust God, and futhermore you thought that it was about morals, and going to church, and being born and raised in a strict Christian family. None of that makes anyone a Christian.

This is what Jesus said about being a Christian, or not being a Christian:

John 3
17"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."

Also according to the Bible, we are not moral, because God's standard of morality is impossible for any of us to be. It's only through Jesus and the baptism of His Spirit that we are saved.

So all that time you were thinking that it was about 'morals'? We are not moral. So maybe you can realize this and give it another try, only this time with understanding?

Answer 8

Try to study Christianity subjectively. Go through the nuances of it without doubt. In time the Holy Spirit can help you experience and prove the divine to yourself.

Answer 9

Let me suggest that the strictness might have been what turned you off.

See the links below and if you want to talk about it, I'd be more than happy to talk to you off line in private.

Or call 1-888-NEED-HIM.

Pastor Art

Answer 10

It sounds like perhaps you haven't searched to find God?

Proverbs 8:17 I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me.

Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.

If you have questions, you might check out Josh McDowell's books. "More Than A Carpenter" would be a good one.

If you would like to ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, check out www.godlovestheworld.com