Aspergers and faith

[Denmark]

..

 

[Matariki]

First of all my english is not so good, i'm danish and only 15 years old.
I'm a new christian, but i'm struggling with my faith..

I'm addicted to pornography and i dont have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I have Aspergers. I've heard it's really hard to be a christian and have aspergers..

I'm losing hope.. Pray for me..

Firstly; I wish I could speak and write in Dansk, it would make it much more easier for me to communicate with you. So my apologies in advance.

I have Aspergers syndrome myself (as well as ADD) and yes I did struggle with my own faith when I was your age. One thing that should be noted about our relationship with Christ is that it's not based on our feelings or assumptions (how we feel about Christ eg; I don't feel that he loves me).

Our relationship with Christ should be based on evidence and facts (faith built on trust which is the result on Christ revealing whom he is, with positive evidence to support it eg; I know Christ loves me, here is the evidence - John 3:16/Johannes 3:16, and I know the bible is true because of the historical evidence that supports it).

Here are some individuals you can look up on Youtube who present positive evidence (from an academic position) for Christianity;

Dr. John Lennox - the relationship between god and science
Dr. William Lane Craig - evidence for God's existence
Dr. JP Holding - historical evidence for the bible
Dr. Ravi Zacharias - evidence for God's existence and general theology
Dr. JP Moreland - evidence for God's existence and general theology
Dr. Gary Habermas - evidence for the existence of Christ
Dr. Alvin Plantinga - evidence for God's existence

Jesus Christ, the son, is God. Likewise with the father and the holy spirit. When you address god, you are addressing all of the persons that make up the trinity.

As Christ said in John 14:6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Johannes 14:6 - Jesus svarede: »Jeg er Vejen og Sandheden og Livet. Ingen kan komme til Faderen uden gennem mig.

The Trinity Explained (with Reason) - YouTube

As for pornography, I don't have much in terms of experience here (not personal experience, and I'm asexual so I don't have much interest in sex nor sexual relationships).

But I can think of reasons why looking at pornography is not healthy (not just for Christians, but for everyone); for starters it creates a false image of who women and men are. And creates unhealthy exceptions and desires that are not consistent with reality.

Is Porn a Problem? Frederica Mathewes-Green answers at the Veritas Forum @ UCSB - YouTube

The meaning of the sex takes on a singular purpose: Your own self pleasure. Now there is nothing wrong with pleasure and enjoyment, but considering the nature of sex it is something that is enjoyed by two individuals (one man, and one woman - Matthew 19:4-6/Matthæus 19:4-6). If you're only thinking about yourself during sexual activity, then where does love come into the picture? Paul advises men to follow in Christs example - Ephesians 5:25/Efeserne 5:25.

Sexual activity is between one man and one woman, it is one way how a couple (preferably married and committed to each other) show their utmost love and grace to each other. When you think about it, sex would have to be one of the most vulnerable situations a person could be placed in. To engage in sex there first needs to be a sustainable amount of trust between both individuals which again can only be obtained from getting to know a person (your wife or husband). Marriage is a sign of trust, acceptance and commitment between a husband and a wife, and the bond between a husband and wife is very special and should be respected (whether you are married or not).

Now, unfortunately, your desire for Pornography will not disappear overnight (like with any addiction). But hopefully I have given some good reasons to break away from it, to break away from Pornography you will need to seek support (which can be offered here) and God's grace. Jesus states the following:

Luke 9:62 - Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

Lukas 9:62 - Jesus sagde til ham: »Når du begynder at pløje, skal du se fremad og ikke tilbage. De, der hele tiden ser sig tilbage, kan ikke arbejde i Guds rige.«

Basically what Jesus is saying, move forward and look back. Don't seek the sin of your past, seek Jesus instead. If you remember the story of Lot in Genesis/Mosebog and what happened to his wife is a good example of what will happen to us spiritually if we go back to our sin.

 

[dayhiker]

Hi Denmark,
Welcome to CF.
Well, I'd say not to believe everything you hear. No harder to live as a Christian with AS than without. I have been a Christian with AS since I was 11. It think many Christian activities has helped me deal with my AS. To me the key to dealing with AS is to be patient as it takes years to learn all we have to learn to get along with others. So don't get upset, just start watching people and it will pay off for you. Don't try to be like the people you watch, for we are just to be who God created us for.

 

[Sabertooth]

Welcome to CF.

In addition to what everyone else has said, give God time to change/renew your mind. That process is called sanctification.

Read His Word. Seek Scripture-laced music and Godly meat-space friends. If it seems like brain-washing, it is!

Barry McGuire used to reply, "The difference is that we get to choose Who is washing our brains! (Besides, they needed a good scrubbing, anyway...

)"

If, in your walk (with God), you find His teaching difficult to accept, do yourself a favor and place your objections on hold. Give Him a chance to show/prove Himself.

ISA 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool."

 

[Denmark]

..

 

[Darkhorse]

You are definitely NOT alone. I know lots of Asperger people, including one of my sons.

I would also add a name to your reading list: Josh McDowell. He's been around for a long time, and builds a strong logical case for the details of Christianity. You might also benefit from expanding your prayer life.

My son enjoys church and youth group.

 

[Sabertooth]

BTW, I'm an Aspie, too. I got saved at 15. Besides, Josh McDowell, there is CS Lewis [Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters among others...]

 

[Matariki]

Thank you so much Matariki. I really appreciate your help!! I'm so happy for your reply.

It's good to now i'm not alone.. I have spend so much time being sad! I don't really have any friends and sometimes i think that i will never get any.

I really struggle with low self-esteem and self-pityl..

I know. There is good evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and for the existence of God! I love apologetics, it's like my special interest.

I'm glad I could help.

Remember that the walk with Christ is exactly what it is, a walk. Its not a 100 meter sprint. You have a friend in Christ, you also have people here you can talk to. And if you want to, you could join your local church. It takes time to build friendships, it requires getting to know another person and build trust with them. Your esteem can be found in Christ, who has given you a new identity, whom you have good reasons to have faith (trust with evidence) in. I encourage you to study Christianity from an academic perspective (like with the individuals I recommended), as you'll begin to appreciate God's creation more and understand his purpose for us (which varies from individual to individual).

 

[catzetier]

BTW, I'm an Aspie, too. I got saved at 15. Besides, Josh McDowell, there is CS Lewis [Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters among others...]

Be careful with Screwtape. It's written from the point of view of a demon, so obviously you can't trust anything he says, but I'm not sure that a simple reversal of everything he says will result in the truth. There are ways of lying by only telling part of the truth, after all. I'm a very literal-minded person, probably like many aspies, and having to figure out how much of Screwtape to reverse totally (and how to do it) and how much was a subtle yet pervasive perversion and how much was just slightly wrong was too difficult for me, and that's only the first few pages!

I enjoy many of Lewis' books but Screwtape was just too confusing. If you try it, and it muddles you, stop reading. There are plenty of other Christian books out there.

 

[Fencepost]

Why would you want to waste your time reading anything but the bible? Will take you your entire life to learn and apply The Bible to your life. Why waste it reading nonsense. To escape the Adonikam system that has so engulfed our world through man-made systems you must surrender to God's will. God tells everything you need to know. Most people don't understand this but the 613 torah laws explain how to live and deal with people etc. Jesus is the fulfillment of living out The law of God lawfully. Do you even know who Jesus is? Or do you just think you know Him. Why not live your life THE WAY HE LIVED?

 

[Sabertooth]

Be careful with Screwtape. It's written from the point of view of a demon, so obviously you can't trust anything he says,...

Keith Green had a couple of songs written from the Devil's perspective as did the CCM singer Carmen. This literary technique can be quite effective, if done well.

"I used to have to sneak around
But now they just open their doors
You know, no one's watching for my tricks
Because no one believes in me anymore..."
Keith Green, No One Believes in Me Anymore

 

[Paholainen]

I have Asperger's. You're right, it is difficult to have Asperger's and be a Christian, because people with AS are generally very intelligent.

 

[catzetier]

I have Asperger's. You're right, it is difficult to have Asperger's and be a Christian, because people with AS are generally very intelligent.

Intelligent or literal? (By the way, do you realise you've indirectly insulted the intelligence of all Christians, including people such as J.R.R. Tolkien who was very intelligent indeed... and a devout Christian? I'm not sure whether you meant to be rude or not.)

Taking the first step of faith perhaps is harder for aspies - I know, personally, that I always wanted to understand everything before committing, meaning that I brought up some dreadfully tangled questions (which, unfortunately, I don't even remember now - they would have been an interesting example). I was curious but I wanted it to make sense first. My decision for Christ was partially because what I understood of it did at least hang together properly, and it's made more and more sense since, but mainly because my Aspergers was driving me insane (and I didn't even know I was an aspie at that stage); I was almost hopeless at making human friends so I thought that it couldn't possibly hurt to give Jesus a try. (For example, I went to youth group - which is like a bible study for teenagers - and for years on end the only person I would ever have an actual discussion with was the person who ran the group. Sigh.)

So, my coming to Jesus was more a leap of faith/desperation based somewhat on rational evidence. Now I've been a Christian for a few years, I've begun to explore stuff like creationism vs. evolutionism using my intelligence (because it's fascinating and because one of my early interests was dinosaurs. I had a huge disconnect between my Christianity and this for years until I finally found out that there was an alternative to evolution which made a lot more sense to me than evolution - "evolution" being stuff like, oh, something with no organic matter giving rise to life, or an amoeba that gets a mutation to give it scales and over several thousand years becomes a fish, not cats-with-medium-fur becoming cats-with-long-fur). However, my literal way of thinking still causes me some problems. I have a habit of taking things in the Bible both literally and pessimistically, which usually ends up with me getting upset because I don't understand how whatever-it-is fits in with what I already know. I am so glad that I have a good bible study group! They've helped a lot.