No matter how hard I try to believe in God, I....?

Question

I just can't. I've worn crosses, I've been to church, I've been to youth group, I've talked about him daily, I've prayed, I've asked for help, I've read the bible numerous times..

But no matter ALL of this I can't seem to believe in him. I would love to, I adore the idea of a higher being. But no matter how hard I try to believe it just never works.

Anyone know why? Or feel the same way?

Answer 1

Maybe its time to start looking within instead of looking outside of yourself.

Answer 2

Y'know, if there was a god, then it was he who made you a doubter, and so that's not really something that you can (or should) be accountable for. I'm an atheist myself--I haven't believed in a god or gods since I started giving serious thought to such issues back in my teen years. And you know what? It's pretty nice. (BTW, don't believe ANYTHING church people tell you about us atheists--they neither know us, nor care about getting their facts straight about us.)

But, maybe atheism's too big a jump for you at this point in your life. That's fine, I'm not gonna proselytize to you. However, there are other belief systems that you might want to investigate:

Agnosticism is the belief that we simply can not know if there is a god or not. It does not mean you're undecided, just that you acknowledge that there's no way of knowing for sure. Agnostics also believe that if there is a god, there's no way of knowing what that god is like--whether he is kind and loving (like in much of the new testament) or angry and vengeful (like in much of the old testament). Or whether "He" might be a "She" or "They". Agnostics certainly have a point that there is no solid evidence for the existence of a god.

Deism is another alternative. Deists believe in a god, but also that god is not a personal god. He created the universe, got it going initially, and then let it run on its own purely by natural laws. Deists do not believe in a god that talks to people or answers prayers, merely one that created the universe in the beginning and set up the physical laws it runs by.

Buddhism is yet another alternative you may be interested in. (My wife is Buddhist.) Buddhists do not believe in gods per se, but they do believe in a greater power that's kind of hard to explain in words. Buddhists are definitely the most at-peace people I know, so they must be doing something right.

If you're not ready to give up your xtian religion, then try the Unitarians. (Or Unitarian Universalists as they're sometimes called.) They are probably the most tolerant of all xtian denominations and if you're unsure of whether there's a god or not, they won't beat you over the head with a bible trying to get you to believe something that deep inside you simply can't believe in. They're actually OK with agnostics, deists, philosophical Buddhists, and others attending their services and won't usually try to pressure you into anything.

Hope this helps. If you want to discuss anything more, feel free to drop me an email--I neither bite nor proselytize. :-) Good luck!

Answer 3

I am an old man now , and I've been on and off just like you all of my life. I know that I could never be a Christian, or any other religion for that matter, but neither could I be an Evolutionist or a Buddhist. I just know that there is something other than these religions, with all their rules and regulations to follow. I've even tried prayer and that doesn't work either. If I don't find him in this life it wont be my fault, I'll know why when I get round the corner.

Answer 4

Because the God has show you the way to the truth.The bible isn't the real bible! You know why, because many people of many century ago has faking bible. Because of that, many people in the world now has not teally believe the God.Jesus is not the God son!.His real name was Isa, the massenger of the Muslims.He is Muslim to you know!.But they change the story from praising the the Muslims God to praising Jesus.And now, they change the story by said "Jesus is the son of God".The christians are Muslims at first, but, they just don't like the rule of Islam, so, they make new reliegion after Jesus was died.Before Jesus died, the christians are praising the God of Muslims.After Jesus died,It's start.So that's why you hard to believe in the god of christians, because the real God has shown you the way to the straight path.So, it's up to you, want to be christians for a long time but not believing it or change into Islam.Islam is peaceful and it's God will help you to change your mind from rhe christians, may the real God bless you. :)

Answer 5

It is intriguing to embrace the "higher being" concept. Look
inside yourself for this. It's there. Without speculation,
without all the mystique and fables. Your connection with
the planet...the spiritual feeling you have when standing
on the ocean's shore or looking out over the Grand Canyon...
nobody can understand your particular brand of worship.
There are no rules as to how you should or should not
feel. No church or book or preaching can interfere with
your gut reaction when it comes to this. I would like to
believe in faeries..but I don't. I relegate them to the
imaginary world along with a lot of other things. Doesn't
make them less magical, just not taken for fact.. Over the
years I've developed beliefs similar to the American
Indians. The four seasons, the animals on the planet,
the constellations and movement of the Earth. These are
real things I can see and believe in..no less spiritual
than believing in a diety. Follow your own mind and heart
on this and be proud that you've come to your conclusions
after diligently educating yourself on the options out there.
Most people I know follow this idea. Listen to the lyrics
by John Lennon's "Imagine" and know that millions of
people recognized their own breed of "religion" through
this simple song.

Answer 6

I kinda know how u feel. I believe in God, I just don't believe in the bibilical form of God. I've been to church and everything, but I still question most parts of the bible.

Answer 7

Seek help with a priest or pastor at your church. Try not to sin and pray to God for help with this. Invite him into your heart through prayer and keep away from evil. Share his love with others.
I apologize that I cannot give you very good advice. I'll pray for you, I promise. As a matter of fact, I'm praying for you right now. Keep trying and don't give up, okay?
Merry Christmas!
And god speed!

From ~ Kidalanna

Answer 8

The first step is not to try to find him through logic or reason. You must first try to FEEL his presence before you can believe in his existence.

How can we have faith in something that we don't have any feelings for?

Answer 9

Your wisdom mind (Yi) believes in god, but your emotional mind (xing) dosent feel connected to god. Dont force it, look for god in certain situations, think about how certain things have shaped you. Is it just by chance? God and spiritual things are often around us, yet we walk around with "blinders"
Let it come on its own.


" Dont focus on the finger pointing to the moon, or you will miss all of that heavenly glory!" - Bruce Lee

Answer 10

Try living on the streets for awhile or get yourself into a situation where you have nothing and all hope has escaped you... thats when most people find religion. If you live a warm sheltered life there is nothing to compare your life to.