I don't think I believe in God anymore. Please help me.

Here is the Ask A Chaplain forum, and they usually get questions of this ilk so will probably be able to help a little.

http://www.christianforums.com/f792/

For what it's worth, it's not at all about spiritual headings in South Africa or modern day miracles. The bible has numerous authors over many years, not just one. Also, to my knowledge, there is an abundance of historical evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and I think that most scholars believe he was baptised, but of course you can Google all of this.

Kimmidoll123 said:

thanks for replying, i guess i'll repost this thread there. i'll have a look at the evidence, thanks again

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That's ok. I understand that some of Christianity's doctrines can be hard to believe, but there's a whole range of beliefs out there with regards to Christians. I'm glad you're deciding to ask the chaplains, and I implore you to study the different sects of Christianity: some denominations are fully accepting of modern day science and are seemingly rational in their approach to religion, whereas others reject science and have somewhat irrational beliefs. I don't want to start a debate here, but if you could study the denominations a little (and feel free to ask other questions on this website) you might find a better home for yourself

Honestly, i understand that it is hard to believe in this stuff sometimes, but I think that is the faith part. It takes alot of work to understand it all, but don't give up. If you truly want to believe in Jesus, you will.

As for getting there, the thing that really got me believing in God was a youth group weekend retreat in sixth grade. Does your family's church have a summer camp or winter/spring retreat that you could go on? Because thats a really good way to get away from regular life for a while and just focus on what you need to, in my opinion. Just a suggestion

Kimmidoll123 said:

I'm 17 and I've been raised in a Christian household. I've been going to church for a while, but grew to resent it, so I haven't been going. I'm a logical person and enjoy sciences, and after looking into all the religious things, they just don't seem like they're real. The bible could just be made up by some loon, Jesus may not have even existed, God might not exist. It could all just be some fairytale. Where is the proof?. My mother is very religious and brigs up religion in every conversation we have and it's irritating and makes me question everything she says. I keep getting this feeling and a pang of realisation that I don't think i believe in God anymore. I really really want to with every fibre of my being, so much it hurts, and Im searching for a reason to, but I just can't find it. I keep praying and asking for a sign, but nothing comes. I'm so close to being done with it and just becoming agnostic, but I know that's crush my mum and I'd be the defect of the family. Please help me, I just want my faith back the way it was before. I'm only 17 so I can't fly to some sermon or watch a spiritual healing in Africa or any of that. Thanks.

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Can you order, or buy, a book? One that your parents approve of?

Lee Strobel's books "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for the Resurrection" are two really good books to read if you're struggling with your faith. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...words=lee+strobel&sprefix=lee+strobel,aps,263

Also, I recommend you talk with your Mom about this. Don't go up and say, "Hey, Mom, I'm an atheist!!!" or anything that would make her really mad.... instead, say that your doubting (this thing) and (that thing.) Ask her WHY she thinks Jesus is real... ask her WHY she thinks the Bible wasn't made up. She probably has some reasonable answers, and she will probably be willing to share them. You may not agree with her, but she will try to guide you back to a full Christian faith. That might not be a bad thing... Also, this way, if you do wind up becoming an atheist or agnostic later in life, it won't be such a shock to her.

Kimmidoll123 said:

I'm 17 and I've been raised in a Christian household. I've been going to church for a while, but grew to resent it, so I haven't been going. I'm a logical person and enjoy sciences, and after looking into all the religious things, they just don't seem like they're real. The bible could just be made up by some loon, Jesus may not have even existed, God might not exist. It could all just be some fairytale. Where is the proof?. My mother is very religious and brigs up religion in every conversation we have and it's irritating and makes me question everything she says. I keep getting this feeling and a pang of realisation that I don't think i believe in God anymore. I really really want to with every fibre of my being, so much it hurts, and Im searching for a reason to, but I just can't find it. I keep praying and asking for a sign, but nothing comes. I'm so close to being done with it and just becoming agnostic, but I know that's crush my mum and I'd be the defect of the family. Please help me, I just want my faith back the way it was before. I'm only 17 so I can't fly to some sermon or watch a spiritual healing in Africa or any of that. Thanks.

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I think as we grow up we can grow out of religious and personal beliefs that were once unquestioned, instrumental parts of our daily routine and way of life. As children most of us simply become a Christian, a Jew, an atheist, a Muslim, or so forth because that is what our families are, and that is what we are trained to be. We learn the tenets of the faith, and our cultures can influence and shape us. But mature faith isn't something that you inherit from your parents or gain through cultural osmosis. It is personal. And it is something that you can build within your own heart based on how you respond to the Bible, how you are guided into understanding of it, and what you truly believe. You don't have to abandon your Christianity just because it does not fit within the molds of your mother's religion or the dogma you've been taught at your church. Her faith is hers. Yours is yours. And you can grow and expand.

You do not need to abandon your logic or dim your enthusiasm for science in order to be a Christian.


One of the most prominent scientists of modern times is also an evangelical Christian. Dr. Francis Collins is a physician-geneticist who was appointed by President Obama to be the director of the National Institutes of Health. Prior to that role he was the leader of the Human Genome Project, which is the world's largest collaborative biological project to map out and identify all the genes of the human genome. His discovery of disease genes has been revolutionary in the field of medicine advancement. His beliefs as an adult are not what they were as a child. He grew up as a happy and content atheist with kind and lively parents he described as hippies before the era of hippies. In his late 20s as a physician he was perplexed and touched by the profound faith of some of his patients who had such a peace even in pain. It started him on his own journey towards Christianity. He also is a logical-minded, evidence-driven person, and it was in studying science that he felt more confident in the existence of God. He said:

Will we turn our backs on science because it is perceived as a threat to God, abandoning all the promise of advancing our understanding of nature and applying that to the alleviation of suffering and the betterment of humankind? Alternatively, will we turn our backs on faith, concluding that science has rendered the spiritual life no longer necessary, and that traditional religious symbols can now be replaced by engravings of the double helix on our alters?

Both of these choices are profoundly dangerous. Both deny truth. Both will diminish the nobility of humankind. Both will be devastating to our future. And both are unnecessary. The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. He can be worshipped in the cathedral or in the laboratory. His creation is majestic, awesome, intricate and beautiful - and it cannot be at war with itself. Only we imperfect humans can start such battles. And only we can end them.”
― Francis S. Collins, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief

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He's written several books presenting what he believes is evidence for God as well as one titled Belief about faith. There are several YouTube videos from the Veritas Forum which hosts conversations about faith and science on college campuses.

It's not at all unusual for teens and young adults to have religious beliefs that clash with their parents. I used to write an advice column for my school's online newspaper, and it then sort of evolved into an Ask.Fm page where anyone can ask me questions. I get so many about conflicts regarding religion. It seems like those who have developed this rhythm of respecting but not personally accepting their parents's beliefs have the most harmony and peace with them. You don't need to tell your mom about your agnosticism or your disagreements unless you feel the need. Some friends have "come out" as atheists or humanist, or converted to another faith, while others have simply keep their personal religious beliefs private due to sensitivities in the family. You don't have to agree with someone to have an agreeable relationship with her.

I think many Christians grapple with doubt and feel the light of faith flicker out within them. Doubt is natural and often a natural byproduct of introspective thinking and reason. It's something I think you can still have to an extent while carrying on with faith. You don't need to do anything bold or substantial. Romans 10:17 tells us that "faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." Even if you don't feel faith, even if you doubt Christ's divinity, you can put Christ's words into action. They have been praised by Deists and nonbelievers throughout the ages as being a profound philosophy for life, a guide. For me, diving back into the words of Christ and trying my best to live them has rebuilt my faith when it's been weakened. Hopefully it will gradually help to rekindle your faith as well.

I hope this is helpful to you. I wish I had written a response and reached out to you sooner. This is a little-used section of the site and I don't pop into it that often.

God bless you!

Oh, and I hope you pop back on here, Kimmidoll123! We need more teens on this site!!!

Hi Kimmidoll,
There are lots of evidences for the existence of God. Also there are evidences
for the existence of the soul. Besides all these, God has also given us some
"updates" to help us maintain our faith. Where are they ?

A New Lourdes Miracle The Marian apparition site of Lourdes is famous for
its miracles. In 1905, the Lourdes Medical Bureau was set up to investigate
volunteered testimonies of cures in order to prove that they took place
immediately, instantaneously, and without convalescence. They normally
receive a new volunteered account of a miracle each week but only ten a year
are singled out for investigation. The work of verification is meticulous and
complex and takes a minimum of 10 years. The Medical Bureau passes its
findings to the Catholic Church for approval. On October 11, 2012,the Church
approved the 68th official miracle of Lourdes. It is the unexplained cure of an
Italian nun, Sister Luigina Traverso, who stood up and walked after being
paralyzed and bedridden for years.
(Source: Crusade magazine, American TFP)

Let go and let god. Don't try so hard to believe in god, just believe, or don't think about it at all. God will make himself present throughout your life.

Kimmidoll123 said:

I'm so close to being done with it and just becoming agnostic, but I know that's crush my mum and I'd be the defect of the family.

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Don't worry. Trust me when I say that you are at a point in life where you have to make your own decisions. If you feel like going agnostic then that is YOUR belief and YOUR worldview to decide, not your parents. Do some research and make an educated decision for yourself.

Faith in Christ isn't always about miracles, and a lot of time its not. You don't need to look for proof that God exists, just look at yourself and you will know he created you. Science is good but its also polluted by atheist idealism which isn't really supported by science, but instead is more fantasy than science. I once struggled to understand why i didn't see healing in my life but since then i found that there is something much better. Look with spiritual eyes and you will see. You don't need to see signs brother, just walk by faith not sight and you can see the truth.

1 Corinthians 1:22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men

2 Corinthians 5:5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Kimm I think we're in the same boat! I grew up in a Christian home, too, and at 17, I'm questioning. I think what everyone has said is really good. just hang in there and know there is hope for you because, like you, I want my faith back. I just want to know it's real. Questioning isn't always a bad thing. If you do it right, in the end it can actually lead you closer to God!

I have also been dealing with this problem for the last 2 months. I was a christian for 3 years, but all that time i didn't have full conviction of that God is a 100% there. I allways had what ifs, which i prayed about but i never got an anwser. I also had a lot of questions unanwsered but i put those things aside not letting them "bother" me but i guess eventually these things just piled until i just snapped. I think the problem with me is that im a realist, i think i can only believe in something if i have experienced it. If i have not then for me its like an Statement that has not been proven. When i talked to my pastors i found out that faith is believeing/accepting something is true, without proof. But i think i just cant beileve without experience. I have been searchig for a solution for the past month, but so far i have only heard "we cant help you with this". Im running out of strenght to keep going like this.

Karl947: Well, you're a realist, so you would perhaps listen to a realist philosopher (of course, there is not real proof when it comes to the faith: how can you see love?!), Descartes: he said that the human beings are finite beings and that a finite being can't conceive the idea of the infinite: we can't imagine such a thing, as you can't invent something out of nowhere. So if we have this idea of infinite, this is because someone put the idea in ourselves: God.

You look for experiences: ask for experiences. Speak to people who experienced it. Look for miracles, look for love. And open your heart, not by waiting for something incredible to happen -I'm afraid you would wait forever- but for a little feeling, a little heat and the certainty you are loved. You doubt and this is normal. Which believer can honestly pretend he never doubted? He would be a great hypocritical. Look inside yourself. You will find God in yourself, in your heart and your soul.

Karl947 said:

I have also been dealing with this problem for the last 2 months. I was a christian for 3 years, but all that time i didn't have full conviction of that God is a 100% there. I allways had what ifs, which i prayed about but i never got an anwser. I also had a lot of questions unanwsered but i put those things aside not letting them "bother" me but i guess eventually these things just piled until i just snapped. I think the problem with me is that im a realist, i think i can only believe in something if i have experienced it. If i have not then for me its like an Statement that has not been proven. When i talked to my pastors i found out that faith is believeing/accepting something is true, without proof. But i think i just cant beileve without experience. I have been searchig for a solution for the past month, but so far i have only heard "we cant help you with this". Im running out of strenght to keep going like this.

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I have had my doubts too. But I have realised that there is no reason to doubt. Seriously!

Just think that you exist! That's pretty convincing that someone put you there!

If you are looking for a supernatural experience, some sort of extraordinary miracle, something great and awesome, some amazing way in which God would reveal himself to you — then I doubt it will happen. If God wanted to do that, he would do that to everyone and everyone would immediately become a Christian. But that's not the point. You are not supposed to wait for an extraordinary sign in order to know that God exists. You must look to the already available evidence. What happened to the Pharisees when they asked Jesus to show them a sign? (Read Matthew 12:38-39.)

Yes, you can believe in things without experiencing them. 1) Do you believe that the Earth is round? If so, why? Have you ever gone on a spaceship into outer space in order to look at it from the outside? 2) Do you believe in your brain? Why? Have you ever seen it? 3) Do you believe in electricity? 4) Do you believe in electromagnetic waves? Think about these things. The ‘I'll only believe it if I see it’ mentality is one that exposes a great amount of ridiculousness, mistrust and even an excessive amount of doubt.

Pray to God that he may comfort you that he really exists. Do not worry: he really does! Ask him to comfort you and to reveal himself to you in the little things. Ask him to help you trust in him.

God bless you!

And a last thing: no, God doesn't exist, at least not in the etymological sense of the word: he doesn't stand to the outside with a physical appearance. To exist is an human concept (you see? We always try to give to God some human characteristics as we can't conceive his infinity) God doesn't exist, God IS. This is so much more.

thehehe said:

And a last thing: no, God doesn't exist, at least not in the etymological sense of the word: he doesn't stand to the outside with a physical appearance. To exist is an human concept (you see? We always try to give to God some human characteristics as we can't conceive his infinity) God doesn't exist, God IS. This is so much more.

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That makes sense. God is. But he also exists. I believe that (correct me if I'm wrong) what you are trying to say is that God's existence should be so evident that it does not even makes sense to discuss whether he ‘exists’ or not. It is like, to God, we are like young children, and our form of speaking is like that of a child; when we get to Heaven and God begins to share his wisdom with us, perhaps it will sound relatively ridiculous to say that God exists, as if that were just baby language.

Kimmidoll123 said:

I'm 17 and I've been raised in a Christian household. I've been going to church for a while, but grew to resent it, so I haven't been going. I'm a logical person and enjoy sciences, and after looking into all the religious things, they just don't seem like they're real. The bible could just be made up by some loon, Jesus may not have even existed, God might not exist. It could all just be some fairytale. Where is the proof?. My mother is very religious and brigs up religion in every conversation we have and it's irritating and makes me question everything she says. I keep getting this feeling and a pang of realisation that I don't think i believe in God anymore. I really really want to with every fibre of my being, so much it hurts, and Im searching for a reason to, but I just can't find it. I keep praying and asking for a sign, but nothing comes. I'm so close to being done with it and just becoming agnostic, but I know that's crush my mum and I'd be the defect of the family. Please help me, I just want my faith back the way it was before. I'm only 17 so I can't fly to some sermon or watch a spiritual healing in Africa or any of that. Thanks.

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I was a similar age to you, when I started having very similar doubts.

It's good to ask for the opinions of others, on all sides of the debate. Listen carefully to their answers, and read good writing on the subject. But ultimately, whether or not you believe in God is a personal decision, for you alone to make. Never be tempted to come to a decision either way because it seems easiest, or will cause you fewest problems, or because you're pressured to do so. Always be intellectually honest with yourself - that is the route to happiness.

Incidentally, you're already agnostic. All that means is that you're not completely certain either way. There are agnostic believers, who believe in God but can't be 100% sure, and there are agnostic atheists, like me, who don't believe there are any Gods, but can't say for certain that there aren't. What you're toying with is switching from being an agnostic believer to an agnostic atheist. Personally, I don't see how anyone can be 100% sure, whichever side of the debate they're on, and I don't really trust the opinions of those who claim to be. Wisest is she who knows she does not know!

One more thing. You never really need to reach a 'final' decision. This is something that many of us spend much of our lives pondering, and I know people who have changed their minds more than once during their lives. There's nothing at all wrong with that. With a question that has no objectively true answer (IMO at least) there's no good reason to ever commit to a decision.

Good luck in your philosophical quest! It's fun to think about these things, and it's good for your psychological well-being to do so.

The Portuguese Baptist said:

That makes sense. God is. But he also exists. I believe that (correct me if I'm wrong) what you are trying to say is that God's existence should be so evident that it does not even makes sense to discuss whether he ‘exists’ or not. It is like, to God, we are like young children, and our form of speaking is like that of a child; when we get to Heaven and God begins to share his wisdom with us, perhaps it will sound relatively ridiculous to say that God exists, as if that were just baby language.

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I did not think to the evidence of God's existence, but why not. I agree with the "childish" way to try to give to God an human perspective with our form of speaking! In fact I think that I would need an another term than "exist" to be satisfied when it comes to God.