Former (current?) atheist, finding myself drawn towards Christ--desperately seeking comfort!

[Davoarid]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 32-year-old guy who spent roughly 32 years as an atheist. And not just any atheist.... for most of this time (especially in my teens!) I was the very obnoxious kind, the one who read Dawkins and Hitchens and took delight in trolling boards like this very own with the same old arguments I'm sure you've all seen a thousand times before.

But now? Now I find myself.... extremely confused and more than a little terrified. The proximate cause was a series of books I read over the last couple months: The (extremely profane) novels of Michel Houellebecq which first began cementing in my mind the emptiness and hopelessness of the atheist/materialist mindset, and this was shortly followed (by pure chance!) with Elizabeth Prentiss's "Stepping Heavenward," which expounded on the benefits and comforts of Christianity in a way I hadn't ever experienced before. And it was shortly after that I read the big--and more common!--one: CS Lewis's "Mere Christianity." For the first time, the world began to make sense: what before seemed full of chaos and despair suddenly became orderly and hopeful. For the very first time in my life I began reading the Bible with an open mind and an open heart.

And.....that's where I am at now. I am in the position of the man who oh so desperately wished to believe in Christ, but whose lifelong background in "rationality" is making such a conversion very, very hard.

Now--this place is supposed to be for introductions, and I will stick to that. I just....I know how annoying it can be to get smug atheists here, and I just wanted a place to show that I am posting in good faith, and if I do offend any of you here it is most assuredly not my intent.

Oh, a few other things about me:

* I'm married and have a 3-year-old son.

* I'm an American. Politically I lean right on cultural issues but very far left on the economic side.

* I will cop to being a "film snob"; I am obsessed with the medium as an art form, which frequently results in my hating popular Hollywood movies. Among my favorite directors are two who I hope will be familiar to some here (as their work is frequently and explicitly Christian-themed): the Dardennes and Robert Bresson. (That said, I'm not a total snob--I do think some of the most interesting films in the world right now are coming out of the American micro-budget indie scene.)

* I suspect I read more books than the average person, though I stick pretty exclusively to literary fiction. I love Edith Wharton, Knut Hamsun, and Gustave Flaubert, particularly . Among the modern writers I admire include Neil LaBute, Lionel Shriver, and the aforementioned Michel Houellebecq.

* Huuuuuuge baseball fan. (Go Royals!) Not a drinker or a smoker. I have only been to church twice in my life (both due to being invited to weddings. Therefore, I've not been baptized and neither has my son. My wife is not religious either.) Prefer cats to dogs. Do not believe pineapple belongs on pizza.

....That about covers it. I look forward to joining your community....and hope to someday join your faith.

 

[Targaryen]

Well welcome to CF. Hopefully you can steer a path where you're spiritual growth is nurtured but you aren't forced to subscribe to checking your brain at the door either.

 

[Tigger45]

Glad you decided to join us!

 

[RC1970]

Welcome to CF.

Maybe you could adopt the motto "Post Tenebras Lux", which means "After Darkness, Light". Because, the Christian Faith is altogether rational.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 32-year-old guy who spent roughly 32 years as an atheist. And not just any atheist.... for most of this time (especially in my teens!) I was the very obnoxious kind, the one who read Dawkins and Hitchens and took delight in trolling boards like this very own with the same old arguments I'm sure you've all seen a thousand times before.

But now? Now I find myself.... extremely confused and more than a little terrified. The proximate cause was a series of books I read over the last couple months: The (extremely profane) novels of Michel Houellebecq which first began cementing in my mind the emptiness and hopelessness of the atheist/materialist mindset, and this was shortly followed (by pure chance!) with Elizabeth Prentiss's "Stepping Heavenward," which expounded on the benefits and comforts of Christianity in a way I hadn't ever experienced before. And it was shortly after that I read the big--and more common!--one: CS Lewis's "Mere Christianity." For the first time, the world began to make sense: what before seemed full of chaos and despair suddenly became orderly and hopeful. For the very first time in my life I began reading the Bible with an open mind and an open heart.

And.....that's where I am at now. I am in the position of the man who oh so desperately wished to believe in Christ, but whose lifelong background in "rationality" is making such a conversion very, very hard.

Now--this place is supposed to be for introductions, and I will stick to that. I just....I know how annoying it can be to get smug atheists here, and I just wanted a place to show that I am posting in good faith, and if I do offend any of you here it is most assuredly not my intent.

Oh, a few other things about me:

* I'm married and have a 3-year-old son.

* I'm an American. Politically I lean right on cultural issues but very far left on the economic side.

* I will cop to being a "film snob"; I am obsessed with the medium as an art form, which frequently results in my hating popular Hollywood movies. Among my favorite directors are two who I hope will be familiar to some here (as their work is frequently and explicitly Christian-themed): the Dardennes and Robert Bresson. (That said, I'm not a total snob--I do think some of the most interesting films in the world right now are coming out of the American micro-budget indie scene.)

* I suspect I read more books than the average person, though I stick pretty exclusively to literary fiction. I love Edith Wharton, Knut Hamsun, and Gustave Flaubert, particularly . Among the modern writers I admire include Neil LaBute, Lionel Shriver, and the aforementioned Michel Houellebecq.

* Huuuuuuge baseball fan. (Go Royals!) Not a drinker or a smoker. I have only been to church twice in my life (both due to being invited to weddings. Therefore, I've not been baptized and neither has my son. My wife is not religious either.) Prefer cats to dogs. Do not believe pineapple belongs on pizza.

....That about covers it. I look forward to joining your community....and hope to someday join your faith.

I grew up as a liberal Christian because my mom was a liberal Christian (GOD love her). My idea of Jesus was that He was a nice guy or a good teacher back then. Then after listening to my Science teacher in high school (back in the day), I became an atheist. However, when I declared I was an atheist, it seemed like every person who believed in GOD came out of the wood work to convince me otherwise that GOD exists. In time, GOD softened my heart by the use of women. For it was my pursuit to find true love in life; You know, I was your down and out fat kid who had a great dream of finding true love. You know, the kind of love you see in movies that makes you click your heels together and makes you feel like you are walking on air? Well, GOD did something interesting in my life. He brought various Christian women at different points of time in my life (that I fell for). They each had their unique purpose and impact in my life. The first one had motivated me to lose weight and transform myself from looking like a child of John Candy to a child of Jon Bon Jovi. The second one had helped me to warm up to the idea of Christianity. I had seen how Christian women were different. This one had made me think even more on this idea by her impressive behavior. I said to myself, that there was something really amazing and different about these women that made me want to be with them. They were loving, kind, happy, good, funny, and pure. Other women were takers. What was in it for them. They judged by outward appearances only. Then GOD sent his call to me. In a Taco Bell drive thru (back in the day), I received a tract called, "This Was Your Life." GOD used this little comic book to reach me. I repented of my sins and accepted Jesus as my Savior. When I did that, it was like a light went on inside of me and I wanted everyone to know about the love, peace, and good that Jesus had to offer. I was pretty intense when I first got saved. Everyone had to know about Jesus that I knew. In time, I fell into the ways of the world. I lost my focus for the Lord and desired to be rich. While I always loved Jesus and stood up for Him, He took a back seat in my life. I wanted to be a big time famous guy for creating comic books that would be turned into big Hollywood budget films. I am really a talented artist and writer (Not to boast or anything). Seeing I grew up as a kid loving Marvel comics, this kind of life was a perfect fit for me. I was even thinking of how I could incorporate some Christian elements in my comics. But GOD was calling me out of following my own life and way. The problem was I was like I was before. I was stuck in a life of sin again; And I wanted out. Then one day (after talking with my mom) over my life goals and my future, I decided to dedicate my life to following the LORD, instead. When I made that decision, I repented of my past; And God answered my prayers (of over a decade) of having a soul mate. She was a wonderful Christian women (who lived half way across the world). We married a year ago and life is great. We both love GOD; And it is great. I am serving GOD; And I am writing a Christian book (With motivation from my wife). I am happy in the Lord and I am happy GOD brought my soul mate into my life. We are of the same mind. We love GOD, and we love others. It is really great. It's a beautiful journey so far. GOD is so good.

Glad to see that you are opening up to GOD's Word, my friend.

Anyways, welcome to the forums;
May the LORD's love shine upon you in all things.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 32-year-old guy who spent roughly 32 years as an atheist. And not just any atheist.... for most of this time (especially in my teens!) I was the very obnoxious kind, the one who read Dawkins and Hitchens and took delight in trolling boards like this very own with the same old arguments I'm sure you've all seen a thousand times before.

But now? Now I find myself.... extremely confused and more than a little terrified. The proximate cause was a series of books I read over the last couple months: The (extremely profane) novels of Michel Houellebecq which first began cementing in my mind the emptiness and hopelessness of the atheist/materialist mindset, and this was shortly followed (by pure chance!) with Elizabeth Prentiss's "Stepping Heavenward," which expounded on the benefits and comforts of Christianity in a way I hadn't ever experienced before. And it was shortly after that I read the big--and more common!--one: CS Lewis's "Mere Christianity." For the first time, the world began to make sense: what before seemed full of chaos and despair suddenly became orderly and hopeful. For the very first time in my life I began reading the Bible with an open mind and an open heart.

And.....that's where I am at now. I am in the position of the man who oh so desperately wished to believe in Christ, but whose lifelong background in "rationality" is making such a conversion very, very hard.

Now--this place is supposed to be for introductions, and I will stick to that. I just....I know how annoying it can be to get smug atheists here, and I just wanted a place to show that I am posting in good faith, and if I do offend any of you here it is most assuredly not my intent.

Oh, a few other things about me:

* I'm married and have a 3-year-old son.

* I'm an American. Politically I lean right on cultural issues but very far left on the economic side.

* I will cop to being a "film snob"; I am obsessed with the medium as an art form, which frequently results in my hating popular Hollywood movies. Among my favorite directors are two who I hope will be familiar to some here (as their work is frequently and explicitly Christian-themed): the Dardennes and Robert Bresson. (That said, I'm not a total snob--I do think some of the most interesting films in the world right now are coming out of the American micro-budget indie scene.)

* I suspect I read more books than the average person, though I stick pretty exclusively to literary fiction. I love Edith Wharton, Knut Hamsun, and Gustave Flaubert, particularly . Among the modern writers I admire include Neil LaBute, Lionel Shriver, and the aforementioned Michel Houellebecq.

* Huuuuuuge baseball fan. (Go Royals!) Not a drinker or a smoker. I have only been to church twice in my life (both due to being invited to weddings. Therefore, I've not been baptized and neither has my son. My wife is not religious either.) Prefer cats to dogs. Do not believe pineapple belongs on pizza.

....That about covers it. I look forward to joining your community....and hope to someday join your faith.

Oh, and please check out the DVD called, the Case for Christ.
It really should hit home for you.

Here is the trailer:

 

[teresa]

Warm Welcome to you Dear Friend

Take your time looking around and ask any questions you have here, as this is a mighty large website.

In the meantime, here are some ideas:

Ask a Chaplain (private)
Prayer Requests
Prayer Requests by Non-Christians
Struggles by Non-Christians
Christian Advice

 

[Little Lantern]

Welcome to CF, @Davoarid ! So glad you're here. I hope you will find lots of good encouragement and fellowship here.

I just....I know how annoying it can be to get smug atheists here, and I just wanted a place to show that I am posting in good faith, and if I do offend any of you here it is most assuredly not my intent.

Actually, it's smug Christians who are truly annoying because they should know better. (You don't come across as smug at all, in case you were concerned about that.)

I ask you to have patience with us believers as you explore Christianity here. We are all at different stages of learning and growing in faith, and none of us has arrived. Please, don't let the prideful or argumentative among us cause you to discount the love of Christ. And if someone makes you feel over-proselytized, try to see their heart. When people realize the truth of the gospel, it's like finding a mine full of diamonds, but when they try to share it, most folks scoff because they only see a pile of coal. The diamond of Christ is Life itself, and sometimes we believers have a hard time managing our zeal.

I will be praying for you, @Davoarid, as you search for truth.

BTW- great intro post! -- well, except for preferring cats .

 

[Neostarwcc]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 32-year-old guy who spent roughly 32 years as an atheist. And not just any atheist.... for most of this time (especially in my teens!) I was the very obnoxious kind, the one who read Dawkins and Hitchens and took delight in trolling boards like this very own with the same old arguments I'm sure you've all seen a thousand times before.

But now? Now I find myself.... extremely confused and more than a little terrified. The proximate cause was a series of books I read over the last couple months: The (extremely profane) novels of Michel Houellebecq which first began cementing in my mind the emptiness and hopelessness of the atheist/materialist mindset, and this was shortly followed (by pure chance!) with Elizabeth Prentiss's "Stepping Heavenward," which expounded on the benefits and comforts of Christianity in a way I hadn't ever experienced before. And it was shortly after that I read the big--and more common!--one: CS Lewis's "Mere Christianity." For the first time, the world began to make sense: what before seemed full of chaos and despair suddenly became orderly and hopeful. For the very first time in my life I began reading the Bible with an open mind and an open heart.

And.....that's where I am at now. I am in the position of the man who oh so desperately wished to believe in Christ, but whose lifelong background in "rationality" is making such a conversion very, very hard.

Now--this place is supposed to be for introductions, and I will stick to that. I just....I know how annoying it can be to get smug atheists here, and I just wanted a place to show that I am posting in good faith, and if I do offend any of you here it is most assuredly not my intent.

Oh, a few other things about me:

* I'm married and have a 3-year-old son.

* I'm an American. Politically I lean right on cultural issues but very far left on the economic side.

* I will cop to being a "film snob"; I am obsessed with the medium as an art form, which frequently results in my hating popular Hollywood movies. Among my favorite directors are two who I hope will be familiar to some here (as their work is frequently and explicitly Christian-themed): the Dardennes and Robert Bresson. (That said, I'm not a total snob--I do think some of the most interesting films in the world right now are coming out of the American micro-budget indie scene.)

* I suspect I read more books than the average person, though I stick pretty exclusively to literary fiction. I love Edith Wharton, Knut Hamsun, and Gustave Flaubert, particularly . Among the modern writers I admire include Neil LaBute, Lionel Shriver, and the aforementioned Michel Houellebecq.

* Huuuuuuge baseball fan. (Go Royals!) Not a drinker or a smoker. I have only been to church twice in my life (both due to being invited to weddings. Therefore, I've not been baptized and neither has my son. My wife is not religious either.) Prefer cats to dogs. Do not believe pineapple belongs on pizza.

....That about covers it. I look forward to joining your community....and hope to someday join your faith.

Welcome to CF! I am an ex atheist myself. I was an atheist for about 6 years and I didn't and couldn't believe in God back then. Now, I obviously believe that God exists and how much of a fool I was back then to think that he didn't. But, I'm glad that Christ is drawing you towards him for salvation like he did me! It will be a long struggle but in the end it will be very well worth it. You will be in my prayers and I wish you well.

 

[Little Lantern]

For the very first time in my life I began reading the Bible with an open mind and an open heart.

Your heart is open, so as you're reading (the Gospel of John might good place to start), ask Christ to reveal Himself to you and enable you to understand.

I am in the position of the man who oh so desperately wished to believe in Christ, but whose lifelong background in "rationality" is making such a conversion very, very hard.

Human rationality is nothing/nada/zilch to God. A person can live his entire life in a cave, but if someone switches on a flashlight, the darkness is dispelled instantly!

 

[Truthfrees]

MOD HAT

moving to exploring christianity forum so the op can ask questions freely and recieve answers

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 32-year-old guy who spent roughly 32 years as an atheist. And not just any atheist.... for most of this time (especially in my teens!) I was the very obnoxious kind, the one who read Dawkins and Hitchens and took delight in trolling boards like this very own with the same old arguments I'm sure you've all seen a thousand times before.

But now? Now I find myself.... extremely confused and more than a little terrified. The proximate cause was a series of books I read over the last couple months: The (extremely profane) novels of Michel Houellebecq which first began cementing in my mind the emptiness and hopelessness of the atheist/materialist mindset, and this was shortly followed (by pure chance!) with Elizabeth Prentiss's "Stepping Heavenward," which expounded on the benefits and comforts of Christianity in a way I hadn't ever experienced before. And it was shortly after that I read the big--and more common!--one: CS Lewis's "Mere Christianity." For the first time, the world began to make sense: what before seemed full of chaos and despair suddenly became orderly and hopeful. For the very first time in my life I began reading the Bible with an open mind and an open heart.

And.....that's where I am at now. I am in the position of the man who oh so desperately wished to believe in Christ, but whose lifelong background in "rationality" is making such a conversion very, very hard.

Now--this place is supposed to be for introductions, and I will stick to that. I just....I know how annoying it can be to get smug atheists here, and I just wanted a place to show that I am posting in good faith, and if I do offend any of you here it is most assuredly not my intent.

Oh, a few other things about me:

* I'm married and have a 3-year-old son.

* I'm an American. Politically I lean right on cultural issues but very far left on the economic side.

* I will cop to being a "film snob"; I am obsessed with the medium as an art form, which frequently results in my hating popular Hollywood movies. Among my favorite directors are two who I hope will be familiar to some here (as their work is frequently and explicitly Christian-themed): the Dardennes and Robert Bresson. (That said, I'm not a total snob--I do think some of the most interesting films in the world right now are coming out of the American micro-budget indie scene.)

* I suspect I read more books than the average person, though I stick pretty exclusively to literary fiction. I love Edith Wharton, Knut Hamsun, and Gustave Flaubert, particularly . Among the modern writers I admire include Neil LaBute, Lionel Shriver, and the aforementioned Michel Houellebecq.

* Huuuuuuge baseball fan. (Go Royals!) Not a drinker or a smoker. I have only been to church twice in my life (both due to being invited to weddings. Therefore, I've not been baptized and neither has my son. My wife is not religious either.) Prefer cats to dogs. Do not believe pineapple belongs on pizza.

....That about covers it. I look forward to joining your community....and hope to someday join your faith.

Welcome to CF, Davoarid! From what you've said in your post, it seems you've made quite a turn about in your view of the possibility that Christ could be for real. I rather find that to be an amazing "come to" which isn't seen very often.

Here at CF, you're going to find a whole lot of variation in answers among Christians, and there are historical reasons for this which I won't touch up here. But, just know that you're on a good track now, and I encourage you to look at your newly realized perception as an opportunity of exploration rather than a specific destination to be reached in this life time.

As for myself, in short, I'm a philosophy and theology "nut," so if there's anything I can try to answer, I'll see what I can do in giving you a useful (and concise) response, or directing you to sources that will open this up for you.

Peace,
2PhiloVoid

 

[Serving Zion]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 32-year-old guy who spent roughly 32 years as an atheist. And not just any atheist.... for most of this time (especially in my teens!) I was the very obnoxious kind, the one who read Dawkins and Hitchens and took delight in trolling boards like this very own with the same old arguments I'm sure you've all seen a thousand times before.

But now? Now I find myself.... extremely confused and more than a little terrified. The proximate cause was a series of books I read over the last couple months: The (extremely profane) novels of Michel Houellebecq which first began cementing in my mind the emptiness and hopelessness of the atheist/materialist mindset, and this was shortly followed (by pure chance!) with Elizabeth Prentiss's "Stepping Heavenward," which expounded on the benefits and comforts of Christianity in a way I hadn't ever experienced before. And it was shortly after that I read the big--and more common!--one: CS Lewis's "Mere Christianity." For the first time, the world began to make sense: what before seemed full of chaos and despair suddenly became orderly and hopeful. For the very first time in my life I began reading the Bible with an open mind and an open heart.

And.....that's where I am at now. I am in the position of the man who oh so desperately wished to believe in Christ, but whose lifelong background in "rationality" is making such a conversion very, very hard.

Now--this place is supposed to be for introductions, and I will stick to that. I just....I know how annoying it can be to get smug atheists here, and I just wanted a place to show that I am posting in good faith, and if I do offend any of you here it is most assuredly not my intent.

Oh, a few other things about me:

* I'm married and have a 3-year-old son.

* I'm an American. Politically I lean right on cultural issues but very far left on the economic side.

* I will cop to being a "film snob"; I am obsessed with the medium as an art form, which frequently results in my hating popular Hollywood movies. Among my favorite directors are two who I hope will be familiar to some here (as their work is frequently and explicitly Christian-themed): the Dardennes and Robert Bresson. (That said, I'm not a total snob--I do think some of the most interesting films in the world right now are coming out of the American micro-budget indie scene.)

* I suspect I read more books than the average person, though I stick pretty exclusively to literary fiction. I love Edith Wharton, Knut Hamsun, and Gustave Flaubert, particularly . Among the modern writers I admire include Neil LaBute, Lionel Shriver, and the aforementioned Michel Houellebecq.

* Huuuuuuge baseball fan. (Go Royals!) Not a drinker or a smoker. I have only been to church twice in my life (both due to being invited to weddings. Therefore, I've not been baptized and neither has my son. My wife is not religious either.) Prefer cats to dogs. Do not believe pineapple belongs on pizza.

....That about covers it. I look forward to joining your community....and hope to someday join your faith.

I like this post - it's neat that you're able to just raise your hand and so easily say that you've come to have a change of heart and mind. IMO that is the most necessary quality for someone who pursues the knowledge of truth.

Here, take a look at this booklet that I have made, that lays out the basics of Christianity and forms a solid foundation for reading the scriptures in proper perspective. I was led to make this when I came to realise that we all come from different backgrounds and some of us might be missing some basic but fundamental piece of the puzzle. It is easy to take our knowledge for granted with having been taught scripture since childhood, and it is becoming less common these days for various reasons.

Welcome to CF anyway! I don't know if you'd be so adventurous, but if you would dare, this is one pizza that nothing else compares to:

Drizzle honey on the base, sprinkle coarsely crumbled and lightly fried walnuts over it, add some slices of soft, juicy pear and some crumbled blue cheese. Maybe some Mozzarella or cheddar if you really like cheese (I do!).

I'd have never thought of putting blue cheese and pear together, but I tell you it is worth doing this!

See you round

 

[seashale76]

Come and see!

I am a firm believer that one can't know what the faith is about truly unless they come and see it for themselves. You must visit a church to learn about the faith. Visiting doesn't lock one into becoming a member. I've never yet been to an Orthodox Church where I've seen anyone harassed and hounded into joining- and even if you want to become Orthodox you would have to be catechized.

Find an Orthodox Church in your area:
http://orthodoxyinamerica.org/lr/locator.php

My advice to you:
Pray and do your research. I will post a few things that it certainly wouldn't hurt for you to read that explain the Orthodox Christian faith fairly well. (The first 3 links are a comprehensive, easy read that covers a lot.)
The Orthodox Faith
Excerpts from the Orthodox Church by Bishop Kallistos Ware (part 1)
Excerpts from the Orthodox Church by Bishop Kallistos Ware (part 2)
What Is Most Important
The One
Introduction to the Bible

To get you started, here are some helpful resources regarding prayer:
P r a y e r
Let us
Abbreviated Prayerbook

May God continue to guide you to Himself!

 

[faroukfarouk]

Hi; good to see you; God bless His Word to you. John 3.16 has a wonderful summary of the Gospel. The whole chapter can be a blessing.

 

[mozo41]

Hawaiian pizza is a favorite of mine ... but we can still be friends

 

[tonemonkey]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 32-year-old guy who spent roughly 32 years as an atheist. And not just any atheist.... for most of this time (especially in my teens!) I was the very obnoxious kind, the one who read Dawkins and Hitchens and took delight in trolling boards like this very own with the same old arguments I'm sure you've all seen a thousand times before.

But now? Now I find myself.... extremely confused and more than a little terrified. The proximate cause was a series of books I read over the last couple months: The (extremely profane) novels of Michel Houellebecq which first began cementing in my mind the emptiness and hopelessness of the atheist/materialist mindset, and this was shortly followed (by pure chance!) with Elizabeth Prentiss's "Stepping Heavenward," which expounded on the benefits and comforts of Christianity in a way I hadn't ever experienced before. And it was shortly after that I read the big--and more common!--one: CS Lewis's "Mere Christianity." For the first time, the world began to make sense: what before seemed full of chaos and despair suddenly became orderly and hopeful. For the very first time in my life I began reading the Bible with an open mind and an open heart.

And.....that's where I am at now. I am in the position of the man who oh so desperately wished to believe in Christ, but whose lifelong background in "rationality" is making such a conversion very, very hard.

Now--this place is supposed to be for introductions, and I will stick to that. I just....I know how annoying it can be to get smug atheists here, and I just wanted a place to show that I am posting in good faith, and if I do offend any of you here it is most assuredly not my intent.

Oh, a few other things about me:

* I'm married and have a 3-year-old son.

* I'm an American. Politically I lean right on cultural issues but very far left on the economic side.

* I will cop to being a "film snob"; I am obsessed with the medium as an art form, which frequently results in my hating popular Hollywood movies. Among my favorite directors are two who I hope will be familiar to some here (as their work is frequently and explicitly Christian-themed): the Dardennes and Robert Bresson. (That said, I'm not a total snob--I do think some of the most interesting films in the world right now are coming out of the American micro-budget indie scene.)

* I suspect I read more books than the average person, though I stick pretty exclusively to literary fiction. I love Edith Wharton, Knut Hamsun, and Gustave Flaubert, particularly . Among the modern writers I admire include Neil LaBute, Lionel Shriver, and the aforementioned Michel Houellebecq.

* Huuuuuuge baseball fan. (Go Royals!) Not a drinker or a smoker. I have only been to church twice in my life (both due to being invited to weddings. Therefore, I've not been baptized and neither has my son. My wife is not religious either.) Prefer cats to dogs. Do not believe pineapple belongs on pizza.

....That about covers it. I look forward to joining your community....and hope to someday join your faith.

Sounds like you're definitely on the right path! I can understand having trouble with parts of the Bible from a rational standpoint. Many people struggle with things like Adam and Eve, Noah, and parting of the Red Sea, etc. The miracles of Christ throw people off as well. As a rational thinker myself I've struggled with a lot of it. My focus became Jesus' resurrection, and since I've found enough for me to believe in that I have an easier time with the other stuff.

I would encourage you to read More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. It a short book that goes into McDowell's struggles with belief until he dug deep into what we know of Jesus and what Jesus said. He approaches things from a very rational and logical standpoint, and it's honestly hard to finish the book without believing in Jesus. Another one to read is Who Moved the Stone by Frank Morrison. Morrison was an atheist and a law student who set about to disprove the resurrection of Jesus. He dug deep into the historical record, explored the validity of the Bible from an ancient texts standpoint, and realized that there's vastly more evidence for the resurrection of Christ from a historical/legal standpoint than for any other occurrence in ancient times. In an attempt to disprove the resurrection he became an ardent believer.

Where you're at I wouldn't start by trying to wrap your head around the miraculous stuff in the Old Testament. Focus instead on Jesus and his Resurrection. That's completely the focus. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, if he didn't take on our sins and come back to life as the Risen Lord, then none of the other stuff matters at all.

 

[Davoarid]

There's has been so much to respond to--so much to read and listen to--it's hard to know where to begin. I don't want to go asking you guys every little question about Christ and the Bible that pops up because

A) They've surely been asked and answered before; and

B) Most will, for sure, "derail" this thread because the different Christians here will answer things differently.

But I suppose there is one question I have that is very practical (and the last post touched on it):

I've never read the Bible before (save for a few passages in college--I studied literature, so it was in a purely scholarly context). I am starting now, and, my initial plan is to go in this order:

Genesis, Exodus, all 4 Gospels, Acts.

Does this seem the most prudent course of action?

 

[Targaryen]

Genesis and Exodus are ok to start with if you're if you're looking to go in a front to back fashion with both the OT and NT. For me I stick to the what is called the Daily Office Lectionary, which is an Old Testament reading, at least 1 Psalm or a portion of it, a Epistle (the NT books that are after the Gospels) and a Gospel reading. But there is no right way or wrong way to read through the Bible.

 

[tonemonkey]

There's has been so much to respond to--so much to read and listen to--it's hard to know where to begin. I don't want to go asking you guys every little question about Christ and the Bible that pops up because

A) They've surely been asked and answered before; and

B) Most will, for sure, "derail" this thread because the different Christians here will answer things differently.

But I suppose there is one question I have that is very practical (and the last post touched on it):

I've never read the Bible before (save for a few passages in college--I studied literature, so it was in a purely scholarly context). I am starting now, and, my initial plan is to go in this order:

Genesis, Exodus, all 4 Gospels, Acts.

Does this seem the most prudent course of action?

Actually, given that this will be your first time through reading the Bible I would suggest starting at the Gospels in the New Testament. I'd start with John, which focuses on the divinity of Jesus. Then I'd hit Matthew, which starts with the story of Jesus' birth and the miracles involved in that. Then read Mark, Luke, Acts, and then on through the rest of the New Testament. After reading Acts you'll be reading the letters to the churches, most of which were written by Paul. This is where the Gospel and Christian living are really fleshed out. I'd stop after Jude, skipping Revelation for now.

When you're finished with that you can head back to Genesis. At that point it'll be important to follow a chronological reading schedule. The Bible is organized by the kind of books there are. Genesis - Esther are history books. Psalms is poetry and Proverbs is wisdom. Isaiah - Malachi are prophecy. If you don't read the stories in order you're potentially going to get lost and will definitely read the same stories twice. Much of 1st and 2nd Kings, and 1st and 2nd Chronicles are telling the same history in almost the exact same ways. Reading it chronologically will also unfold the story of God's plan for salvation that was fulfilled when Jesus came and ultimately died on the cross for our sins.

I would suggest getting either the New International Version (NIV) or the New Living Translation (NLT) for reading. The King James Version and these others were all translated from the same Greek and Aramaic manuscripts, but the NIV and NLT are in more modern language, and so will be easier to put in context with the language. Each of the modern translations were translated right from the original manuscripts, not from other translations. Avoid The Message or The Living Bible since these are paraphrases of translations.

There is one more thing that is important to understand. There are some things that are said in the Bible that mean the same thing as we would mean it. There are a few other things that are said that mean something huge but could be missed based on our understanding of the words.

A major example of this are two times when Jesus claimed to be God. He doesn't use the words, "I am God" but the religious leaders understand him to say so.

One of these is John 10:30-33.
30 I and the Father are one.” 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

Another of these is John 8:48-59
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

The key to this passage is that these were not just any Jews, but Jewish religious leaders. They were bound to follow the law. There were only a few crimes punishable with death by stoning, and blasphemy was one of those - only after a trial. I Am is one of the names God calls Himself. He said that and they picked up stones to kill him on the spot without a trial, breaking their own law. To us it doesn't seem like he claimed to be God, but the way they reacted surely means that he did.