I'm losing it

[Paradoxum]

Hi,

I have almost lost all my faith I once had. I almost never pray now and I'm slowly forgetting all the love I once had for my Father, Saviour and Comforter. God was a life and future. When I look back at myself 4 years ago I wonder how someone so in love with God could become an atheist. While I am troubled by this terrible loss I have gone through, at the same time I apathetic about the whole thing too. I thought that if I ever lost faith it would be quick and I would make one last strive to regain my faith. But it seems it goes out with a whimper rather than a bang.

I'm not really sure what I should ask. I don't need to hear the gospel, popular apologetics or an emotional plea. Strangely I find the idea of blind hopefully faith to be a stronger incentive to believe in God than all the reasons and evidences I have ever heard of. Perhaps it is the case that one must deny knowledge to make room for faith- to quote Kant. But then is faith any more than hope in ideal that one knows deep down has no reality outside ones mind.

Is there any hope for return to faith, other than if there is a God He will show compassion one day and bring me back into His arms? I don't have the will to be able to keep running towards God any more.

 

[seashale76]

Hi,

Is there any hope for return to faith, other than if there is a God He will show compassion one day and bring me back into His arms? I don't have the will to be able to keep running towards God any more.

As long as you live there's hope. However, if you're anything like me, you'll get sick of your own apathy and start the search again some day. May God guide you to Himself.

 

[hedrick]

I don't know anything about your situation, but in the US you would probably be about finishing college. 4 years ago you would have been in high school. Life is very different in those two environments. College is great in many ways, but it's also a kind of artificial environment. Most people find that God is not primarily intellectual for them, but is most real when dealing with real people and real problems.

There is a pattern of kids who grow up as Christians falling away in school and then coming back. The thing that most moves them back is having a family, with the responsibilities and complex human relationships involved. The tendency to come back is less than it used to be, but is still there to some extent. I have no way to know whether you'll experience faith again, but my guess is that if you do, it will come out of experiences with other people. Jesus says that we meet God through others, and many Christians see that as real.

 

[drich0150]

I remember some of your first posts, and will be sad to hear you go. But much like the prodigal son "we" must all find our own way. Just know that if and when you are ready your Father will be waiting for your return with open arms.

 

[jehoiakim]

I don't know really what to tell you. Maybe I am making an incorrect assumption, but it seems like you believe God is real, your just just tired and apathetic. If that is not the case then you might as well ignore everything else I have to say because it wouldn't apply. It is really quite hard not to be so apathetic in our current culture. The American dream is life love and the pursuit of materialism... i mean happiness. Our entire culture is wrapped up in itself and it is very hard to run from, it's a consuming think that wears us out slowly. Even the church, well the american church is pretty much dead. At best there are churches out there that are zombie christians, the living dead, but there are very few Christians that are full of love, passion and faith. If you want to see them more abundantly you probably need to go to a third world country or a place Christians are persecuted.

What may I ask is making you tired, can you point your finger at specific things?

 

[jehoiakim]

Nietzsche is a sad story, sadly many Christians do not know his entire story and hate him based on a few quotes he has made. They do not understand that he was turned off to Christianity by Christians who very poorly reflected God and his truth. His death was even more tragic considering the circumstances. Here was a man who admirably and strived for some of the most identifiable characteristics of God, love, mercy compassion and could not find it in the church.

 

[Paradoxum]

As long as you live there's hope. However, if you're anything like me, you'll get sick of your own apathy and start the search again some day. May God guide you to Himself.

Well or I might turn from apathy to belief that God doesn't exist. But yeah, I may come back, and if so that's good.

I don't know anything about your situation, but in the US you would probably be about finishing college. 4 years ago you would have been in high school. Life is very different in those two environments. College is great in many ways, but it's also a kind of artificial environment. Most people find that God is not primarily intellectual for them, but is most real when dealing with real people and real problems.

There is a pattern of kids who grow up as Christians falling away in school and then coming back. The thing that most moves them back is having a family, with the responsibilities and complex human relationships involved. The tendency to come back is less than it used to be, but is still there to some extent. I have no way to know whether you'll experience faith again, but my guess is that if you do, it will come out of experiences with other people. Jesus says that we meet God through others, and many Christians see that as real.

Yeah, I have heard that many people become Christians because of making relationships with Christians and going to church. The problem I have with that is that it seems like people are becoming Christians just to conform to the a group that gives them what they need socially. I have to admit the church is great for friends.

I have also read that some come to faith when they have a family. My Dad became a Christian not long after I was born. There's one book in particular I have read that gives me reason think this could happen to me as the way I think about the world may change somewhat then. At the same time it seems like hopeful thinking.

 

[Paradoxum]

I remember some of your first posts, and will be sad to hear you go. But much like the prodigal son "we" must all find our own way. Just know that if and when you are ready your Father will be waiting for your return with open arms.

Good to know you remember me

I don't know really what to tell you. Maybe I am making an incorrect assumption, but it seems like you believe God is real, your just just tired and apathetic.

I honestly don't know what I believe right now. If I had to stake my life on it I would probably say I don't believe, but I don't know if that is true. But it is true that I am losing the will to keep fighting for a faith that has so many problems. Apathetic because if I'm going to be agnostic I might as well get it over with so I can move on.

If that is not the case then you might as well ignore everything else I have to say because it wouldn't apply. It is really quite hard not to be so apathetic in our current culture. The American dream is life love and the pursuit of materialism... i mean happiness. Our entire culture is wrapped up in itself and it is very hard to run from, it's a consuming think that wears us out slowly. Even the church, well the american church is pretty much dead. At best there are churches out there that are zombie christians, the living dead, but there are very few Christians that are full of love, passion and faith. If you want to see them more abundantly you probably need to go to a third world country or a place Christians are persecuted.

Well I don't agree that money can buy you happiness. I want to do something meaningful. Also I come from a evangelical charismatic church, so its not as if I don't know what passion for Christ is like.

What may I ask is making you tired, can you point your finger at specific things?

Well I have sort of already said above. I don't want to have to keep defending God. Some say the Bible defends itself. It doesn't. Faith has problems and they go deep and while I have theologies that can explain these problems away, I'm not convinced by them. I can't feel anything when I pray, worship or read the Bible anymore.

If there is a God, where is he? Its a very simple question, but I don't want a simplistic answer like, "If we KNEW God existed then we couldn't have faith".

Nietzsche is a sad story, sadly many Christians do not know his entire story and hate him based on a few quotes he has made. They do not understand that he was turned off to Christianity by Christians who very poorly reflected God and his truth. His death was even more tragic considering the circumstances. Here was a man who admirably and strived for some of the most identifiable characteristics of God, love, mercy compassion and could not find it in the church.

I love the principles of Christianity. Love, forgiveness, liberation, mercy, grace, fighting for the poor and oppressed, selfless giving. Christianity has alot of hope, if only it would help the poor in spirit and money, rather concern itself with what adults do in their bedroom. Such things are to petty and below what the church should aim for, like world peace and eradication of poverty.

These things are all well and good, but God is still merely an ideal.

 

[Lukaris]

From what I have found in living life is that although our conscience is our basic guide to know right from wrong, I realized I was often going severely wrong in respect for others. I briefly perused various belief systems (some basically good, some not) and only the cross of Christ could convict me in my sins (or let us say shortcomings for the sake of generality, although there is much more to it). Life goes on with the same challenges as before but now I know where I need to be accountable to strive to respect others & forgive those who may be hostile to me. I daily (figuratively of course) burn the 2 golden rule (Matthew 7:12), the 2 great commands (Mark 12:28-34, Matthew 22:36-40 etc.), the 10 commandments (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5), the Beatitudes, of which I am inferior to, (Matthew 5:1-12) into my heart & conscience & humbly practice charity where possible (Matthew 6:1-4). The 1st chapter of the 1st Epistle of John reminds me to confess sin daily & pray for evil to dissipate in the world (Psalm 6:1-5 & Psalm 7:9 fill this need) and then to pray our Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). This takes a few minutes a day & I use it to start my day & conform my humdrum daily routine to it always thanking God in the name of Jesus Christ. If you can make this a daily rhythm & not worry about other matters, your faith may re-energize. I pray it will for you.

 

[elman]

Hi,

I have almost lost all my faith I once had. I almost never pray now and I'm slowly forgetting all the love I once had for my Father, Saviour and Comforter. God was a life and future. When I look back at myself 4 years ago I wonder how someone so in love with God could become an atheist. While I am troubled by this terrible loss I have gone through, at the same time I apathetic about the whole thing too. I thought that if I ever lost faith it would be quick and I would make one last strive to regain my faith. But it seems it goes out with a whimper rather than a bang.

I'm not really sure what I should ask. I don't need to hear the gospel, popular apologetics or an emotional plea. Strangely I find the idea of blind hopefully faith to be a stronger incentive to believe in God than all the reasons and evidences I have ever heard of. Perhaps it is the case that one must deny knowledge to make room for faith- to quote Kant. But then is faith any more than hope in ideal that one knows deep down has no reality outside ones mind.

Is there any hope for return to faith, other than if there is a God He will show compassion one day and bring me back into His arms? I don't have the will to be able to keep running towards God any more.

Faith in a loving Creator with you being created with a purpose, is more than hope in something one knows deep down has no reality outside ones mind. You do not know there is no loving Creator. You are wrong if you think you know that. The existence of God is an assumption and we cannot know for sure God is there---but the non existence of God is also an assumption and no one can know for certain God is not there.

 

[elman]

.

These things are all well and good, but God is still merely an ideal.

You assume that. You can believe that, but you cannot know that to be a fact.

 

[Leap]

Hi,

I have almost lost all my faith I once had. I almost never pray now and I'm slowly forgetting all the love I once had for my Father, Saviour and Comforter. God was a life and future. When I look back at myself 4 years ago I wonder how someone so in love with God could become an atheist. While I am troubled by this terrible loss I have gone through, at the same time I apathetic about the whole thing too. I thought that if I ever lost faith it would be quick and I would make one last strive to regain my faith. But it seems it goes out with a whimper rather than a bang.

I'm not really sure what I should ask. I don't need to hear the gospel, popular apologetics or an emotional plea. Strangely I find the idea of blind hopefully faith to be a stronger incentive to believe in God than all the reasons and evidences I have ever heard of. Perhaps it is the case that one must deny knowledge to make room for faith- to quote Kant. But then is faith any more than hope in ideal that one knows deep down has no reality outside ones mind.

Is there any hope for return to faith, other than if there is a God He will show compassion one day and bring me back into His arms? I don't have the will to be able to keep running towards God any more.

Do you like the idea of losing your faith? If you dont like it, then it shows that in your heart you still are drawn to faith, giving you hope.

 

[aiki]

I have almost lost all my faith I once had. I almost never pray now and I'm slowly forgetting all the love I once had for my Father, Saviour and Comforter. God was a life and future. When I look back at myself 4 years ago I wonder how someone so in love with God could become an atheist.

I don't mean to be disparaging, but what you've written here is so typical of the currents of thought about love that presently shape many modern cultures. There was a time when love between people was understood to be a self-sacrificing thing that was rooted in a commitment to the other person come hell or high water. The inevitable waning of feelings of love for another person did not in the past become an excuse to abandon that person. Not so these days. More and more, love is equated with a feeling. Unfortunately, feelings are notoriously changeable and cannot provide a stable basis upon which to rest any commitment. It is not surprising, then, that so many marriages today, embarked upon in the heat of strong feelings of love, dissolve when those feelings cool (as they inevitably do).

Enduring and stable love-relationships balance feelings with commitment; they involve both passion and relational disciplines. As has been said many times, marriage takes work; not always, but often. This involves purposefully taking time in a busy, tiring day to interact with one's loved one; it involves talking when you'd rather just veg in front of the t.v.; it involves setting aside what you want in favor of what your loved one wants; it involves doing these sorts of things consistently and persistently. In the same way, a love-relationship with God takes work, it requires relational discipline. God asks us to spend time in His Word, taking in His wisdom and truth. He asks us to talk with Him in prayer and to act upon the commands He gives to us as our Heavenly Father. And He intends we do these things consistently and persistently even when it isn't entirely convenient and/or when we'd rather do something else. This is the only way to stable, deep communion with God.

While I am troubled by this terrible loss I have gone through, at the same time I apathetic about the whole thing too.

I don't think you've truly lost whatever you had with God; I think you've merely set it aside. Perhaps your apathy is a way to deflect the angst you might otherwise feel about walking away from your Maker.

I thought that if I ever lost faith it would be quick and I would make one last strive to regain my faith. But it seems it goes out with a whimper rather than a bang.

As with most things we do that take us into darkness, there is a series of seemingly insignificant choices we make that, by themselves, don't seem important but added together move us far from God.

I'm not really sure what I should ask. I don't need to hear the gospel, popular apologetics or an emotional plea. Strangely I find the idea of blind hopefully faith to be a stronger incentive to believe in God than all the reasons and evidences I have ever heard of.

Well, if feelings have been the basis for your faith in God, this isn't surprising.

Perhaps it is the case that one must deny knowledge to make room for faith- to quote Kant.

I'm sorry, but this is silly. More often than not, faith rests upon knowledge; it exists because of knowledge.

But then is faith any more than hope in ideal that one knows deep down has no reality outside ones mind.

Not at all - at least for me and the other mature Christians that I know.

Is there any hope for return to faith, other than if there is a God He will show compassion one day and bring me back into His arms? I don't have the will to be able to keep running towards God any more.

And this is the problem: You are trying to do what only God can do. The faith to believe, love for Him, the power to live righteously - all come from Him, not you. Consider the following verses:

John 15:4-5
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Does a branch struggle to stay attached to the trunk? Does it strain and push to produce leaves and fruit? No. The branch exists as an outgrowth of the trunk; it exists because of the work of the trunk to produce it. And the branch grows and produces leaves and fruit by the lifegiving sap that flows into it from the main body of the tree. So long as the branch abides in the tree, it will have life and health. In the same way, our spiritual life exists as the result of the work of God. He has made us branches of His vine. If we will simply abide there completely dependent upon Him and yielded to His will and way, we will be spiritually healthy and productive. We are, in the end, merely conduits into and through which His grace and power ought to flow. When you understand this and act upon it, the Christian life will take on a whole new positive character, depth, and stability.

Selah.

 

[hedrick]

Yeah, I have heard that many people become Christians because of making relationships with Christians and going to church. The problem I have with that is that it seems like people are becoming Christians just to conform to the a group that gives them what they need socially. I have to admit the church is great for friends.

I have also read that some come to faith when they have a family. My Dad became a Christian not long after I was born. There's one book in particular I have read that gives me reason think this could happen to me as the way I think about the world may change somewhat then. At the same time it seems like hopeful thinking.

Not necessarily. There are some good reasons:

1) People tend not to consider ideas seriously unless they have a reason to do so. There are lots of ideas out there. We're a lot more willing to consider new ideas if people we respect believe that. I don't think there's irrational. There are just too many crackpots out there. Nobody can afford to pursue every idea.

2) The point I was making wasn't that you should believe because someone else does. Rather, it was that Jesus' teachings are largely about how people deal with each other. Sin involves the whole cosmos. If you're spending most of your time in front of a keyboard (which frankly describes me), or with a group of friends at college, you've just got a very different experience than say someone who is working with the poor, conducting prison ministries, etc. Some of Jesus message is really aimed at people confronting difficult personal problems, and may not make as much sense until you are working with people who are different than you, have responsibility for a child, etc. Of course college students have their own problems, which can be just as serious as anyone else's, but I do think that dealing with a wider variety of people and having a family exposes you to experiences where the Gospel may make more sense.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Hi Paradoxum,
I’m sorry to hear that you feel like your faith is slipping away into what we might call a “Humean fire.” I empathize, I really do. Religious doubt, skepticism, and atheism are not typically modes of thought that lend themselves to maintaining peace of mind, unless of course we’ve convinced ourselves that we’ve attained some kind of Promethean comprehensiveness in our understanding of the universe. (And, as you already know from your studies I’m sure, there are many who nearly claim they have.)

I empathize with you because, being the philosophical type that I am, I find it fairly easy to critique various arguments about the whole “God thing,” and I often end up turning my mind into a logic pretzel somewhere along the way (something that a bit of sleep or some cozying with my wife help to unwind).
You say you feel “apathetic” about your loss of faith. Wouldn’t the term “ambivalent” be more appropriate? It just seems that if you were truly and fully apathetic, you wouldn’t be communicating on a Christian forums website.

I like your question, “But then is faith any more than hope in ideal that one knows deep down has no reality outside one’s mind?” Well, the answer to that might depend on a range of factors. What have you been expecting to find outside your own mind, Para? And which epistemological mode has contextualized your approach to your inquiries of the world?

Hi,

I have almost lost all my faith I once had. I almost never pray now and I'm slowly forgetting all the love I once had for my Father, Saviour and Comforter. God was a life and future. When I look back at myself 4 years ago I wonder how someone so in love with God could become an atheist. While I am troubled by this terrible loss I have gone through, at the same time I apathetic about the whole thing too. I thought that if I ever lost faith it would be quick and I would make one last strive to regain my faith. But it seems it goes out with a whimper rather than a bang.

I'm not really sure what I should ask. I don't need to hear the gospel, popular apologetics or an emotional plea. Strangely I find the idea of blind hopefully faith to be a stronger incentive to believe in God than all the reasons and evidences I have ever heard of. Perhaps it is the case that one must deny knowledge to make room for faith- to quote Kant. But then is faith any more than hope in ideal that one knows deep down has no reality outside ones mind.

Is there any hope for return to faith, other than if there is a God He will show compassion one day and bring me back into His arms? I don't have the will to be able to keep running towards God any more.

 

[Paradoxum]

From what I have found in living life is that although our conscience is our basic guide to know right from wrong, I realized I was often going severely wrong in respect for others. I briefly perused various belief systems (some basically good, some not) and only the cross of Christ could convict me in my sins (or let us say shortcomings for the sake of generality, although there is much more to it). Life goes on with the same challenges as before but now I know where I need to be accountable to strive to respect others & forgive those who may be hostile to me. I daily (figuratively of course) burn the 2 golden rule (Matthew 7:12), the 2 great commands (Mark 12:28-34, Matthew 22:36-40 etc.), the 10 commandments (Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5), the Beatitudes, of which I am inferior to, (Matthew 5:1-12) into my heart & conscience & humbly practice charity where possible (Matthew 6:1-4). The 1st chapter of the 1st Epistle of John reminds me to confess sin daily & pray for evil to dissipate in the world (Psalm 6:1-5 & Psalm 7:9 fill this need) and then to pray our Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). This takes a few minutes a day & I use it to start my day & conform my humdrum daily routine to it always thanking God in the name of Jesus Christ. If you can make this a daily rhythm & not worry about other matters, your faith may re-energize. I pray it will for you.

Thanks

Faith in a loving Creator with you being created with a purpose, is more than hope in something one knows deep down has no reality outside ones mind. You do not know there is no loving Creator. You are wrong if you think you know that. The existence of God is an assumption and we cannot know for sure God is there---but the non existence of God is also an assumption and no one can know for certain God is not there.

Your right. I don't know. I had my opinions that I sadly think are justified.

You assume that. You can believe that, but you cannot know that to be a fact.

I do assume that.

Do you like the idea of losing your faith? If you dont like it, then it shows that in your heart you still are drawn to faith, giving you hope.

I like and don't like the idea :S

 

[Paradoxum]

I don't mean to be disparaging, but what you've written here is so typical of the currents of thought about love that presently shape many modern cultures. There was a time when love between people was understood to be a self-sacrificing thing that was rooted in a commitment to the other person come hell or high water. The inevitable waning of feelings of love for another person did not in the past become an excuse to abandon that person. Not so these days. More and more, love is equated with a feeling. Unfortunately, feelings are notoriously changeable and cannot provide a stable basis upon which to rest any commitment. It is not surprising, then, that so many marriages today, embarked upon in the heat of strong feelings of love, dissolve when those feelings cool (as they inevitably do).

Enduring and stable love-relationships balance feelings with commitment; they involve both passion and relational disciplines. As has been said many times, marriage takes work; not always, but often. This involves purposefully taking time in a busy, tiring day to interact with one's loved one; it involves talking when you'd rather just veg in front of the t.v.; it involves setting aside what you want in favor of what your loved one wants; it involves doing these sorts of things consistently and persistently. In the same way, a love-relationship with God takes work, it requires relational discipline. God asks us to spend time in His Word, taking in His wisdom and truth. He asks us to talk with Him in prayer and to act upon the commands He gives to us as our Heavenly Father. And He intends we do these things consistently and persistently even when it isn't entirely convenient and/or when we'd rather do something else. This is the only way to stable, deep communion with God.

Oh, I do agree with you. I know love is more than a feeling. A loss of feeling and a loss of belief that someone exists does tend to dent that commitment over an extended period of time though.

I don't think you've truly lost whatever you had with God; I think you've merely set it aside. Perhaps your apathy is a way to deflect the angst you might otherwise feel about walking away from your Maker.

Perhaps your right.

Well, if feelings have been the basis for your faith in God, this isn't surprising.

It isn't. This is just a particularly emotional post from me. I could write an essay on the rationality of God if I needed to. In my past I could give so many reasons for belief in God. But tell me, what do you believe faith should be based on?

I'm sorry, but this is silly. More often than not, faith rests upon knowledge; it exists because of knowledge.

I know it can sound silly, but it isn't necessarily.

And this is the problem: You are trying to do what only God can do. The faith to believe, love for Him, the power to live righteously - all come from Him, not you. Consider the following verses:

John 15:4-5
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

I've never really liked the fatalistic elements of Christianity. I am open minded though... mostly.

Not necessarily. There are some good reasons:

1) People tend not to consider ideas seriously unless they have a reason to do so. There are lots of ideas out there. We're a lot more willing to consider new ideas if people we respect believe that. I don't think there's irrational. There are just too many crackpots out there. Nobody can afford to pursue every idea.

Way too many crackpots lol

2) The point I was making wasn't that you should believe because someone else does. Rather, it was that Jesus' teachings are largely about how people deal with each other. Sin involves the whole cosmos. If you're spending most of your time in front of a keyboard (which frankly describes me), or with a group of friends at college, you've just got a very different experience than say someone who is working with the poor, conducting prison ministries, etc. Some of Jesus message is really aimed at people confronting difficult personal problems, and may not make as much sense until you are working with people who are different than you, have responsibility for a child, etc. Of course college students have their own problems, which can be just as serious as anyone else's, but I do think that dealing with a wider variety of people and having a family exposes you to experiences where the Gospel may make more sense.

Can Christ not be met in a developed country then? XD

Hi Paradoxum,
I’m sorry to hear that you feel like your faith is slipping away into what we might call a “Humean fire.” I empathize, I really do. Religious doubt, skepticism, and atheism are not typically modes of thought that lend themselves to maintaining peace of mind, unless of course we’ve convinced ourselves that we’ve attained some kind of Promethean comprehensiveness in our understanding of the universe. (And, as you already know from your studies I’m sure, there are many who nearly claim they have.)

That is unless your philosophy is very simple... s**t happens and you can't understand it

But yeah, some atheists do seem to be happy and unafraid of death, don't you think?

I empathize with you because, being the philosophical type that I am, I find it fairly easy to critique various arguments about the whole “God thing,” and I often end up turning my mind into a logic pretzel somewhere along the way (something that a bit of sleep or some cozying with my wife help to unwind).

Why do you continue to believe, very simply?

You say you feel “apathetic” about your loss of faith. Wouldn’t the term “ambivalent” be more appropriate? It just seems that if you were truly and fully apathetic, you wouldn’t be communicating on a Christian forums website.

Yeah, that is probably a better word.

I like your question, “But then is faith any more than hope in ideal that one knows deep down has no reality outside one’s mind?” Well, the answer to that might depend on a range of factors. What have you been expecting to find outside your own mind, Para? And which epistemological mode has contextualized your approach to your inquiries of the world?

I'm open to God coming to be my reason, evidence or even religious experience. I don't have any particularly well thought out theory of knowledge though. I guess my first commitment is accepting what science 'knows'. After that all I can do is try to be careful with my reasoning.

 

[Lukaris]

I might add to your last post re science. Science further & further explains the mechanics of our fallen universe & should be part of our general understanding of its material side. We can apply this towards whatever we do with our knowledge according to the will of God (by following His basic commandments as best we can). To find good preaching & discussions re faith & science I would recommend searching the website of Ravi Zacharias: Welcome to Ravi Zacharias International Ministries

Also look for examples of educated Christians who are in the world & making differences like Doctors on this website:

Home

There is much negative propaganda in the secular media trying to portray Christians as often superstitious types & clearly this is faulty. May God truly bless you in keeping faith in focus & in furthering your education.

 

[elman]

Your right. I don't know. I had my opinions that I sadly think are justified.

I do assume that.

:S

Good. I think then what you are referring to as your loss of faith is more your coming to the conclusion that much of what you have been told from preachers and teachers of Christianity is not true. If that is the case, we are alike. I have come to the conclusion that much of what is taught under the banner of Christianity is garbage. I consider myself still a Christian, although I would think a more accurate description of my present theology is Christian Agnostic. In my opinion this state of coming to the conclusion that many of the so called orthodox Christian ideas are false, is the natural result of becoming a thinking person. I think you should not let it disturb you too much, as long as you continue to believe you exist for a reason that transcends this physical existence and that you have a destiny of life and not death.

 

[aiki]

Well, if feelings have been the basis for your faith in God, this isn't surprising.
It isn't. This is just a particularly emotional post from me. I could write an essay on the rationality of God if I needed to. In my past I could give so many reasons for belief in God. But tell me, what do you believe faith should be based on?

I think this is fairly self-evident. For example, consider what a person does when they decide to sit in a chair they've never seen before. I know for myself I don't give sitting in an unfamiliar chair a second thought even though I have no guarantee it will hold me as a chair should. Why am I so willing to trust a strange chair? Well, I know something of the purpose and function of chairs; I have sat in many chairs that held me perfectly well; my experience with the thousands of chairs I've sat in gives me a good basis upon which to judge the sit-worthiness of an unfamiliar chair; I see others sitting successfully in chairs (perhaps even exactly like the strange one I'm about to sit in), and so on. Now, even though all these things inform my decision to sit in a chair I've never sat in before, I'm still trusting in the chair to do its job. As I said, I have no absolute guarantee before I sit in the chair that it will support me. Therefore, my decision to sit in the chair requires a measure of faith in the chair. This connection between knowledge and faith plays out in a huge variety of ways in my daily living (and, I expect, in yours, too). When I mail a package, or take public transit, or flick a light switch, or start my car, or visit the doctor - all of these things (and many more besides) require the exertion of faith based on a supporting body of knowledge both experiential and theoretical.

The apostle Paul links knowledge and faith quite explicitly in his writing:

2 Timothy 1:12
12...for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

For Paul the process of faith was: knowledge>belief>action - as it should be for every follower of Christ.

I've never really liked the fatalistic elements of Christianity. I am open minded though... mostly.

I'm not sure what you mean here...

Selah.