Inner Struggle

[Nimrauko]

I am at a crossroads at the moment.

I wish to cover so many things in one thread that it may not pan out quite the way I wish.

So lets begin. I have an acquaintance that is 16 and recently became a Christian. ALL he talks about now is Christ this and Christ this, and acts as if he has a half a clue about Christian theology. Well I was reading a blog he posted recently and at the end it says "Jesus Loves You Guys

C**y



p.s. Merry CHRISTmas"

I was physically repulsed. I dont know what it is, but any time I hear a lot of talk about Christ and how everyone should be christian, or Christians who think they know anything about their own religion but sadly do not, I get a physical aversion and must leave the room.

Am I the only one?

I guess ill leave this at this and cover the rest as this pans out.

 

[Aoann]

no.

 

[indianx]

You're not and even though I'm not aware of your situation, I don't think you should be particularly worried. Just yesterday I was taking the bus to college and there was a random individual who just, out of the blue, decided to start yelling about the doomsday and how people were going to burn unless they converted. Needless to say, it made me somewhat sick, but it's just because they're so darn annoying.

 

[Caitlin.ann]

No you're not alone.

 

[BelindaP]

No, you're not alone. Sometimes I feel that way, and I am Christian.

New converts to Christianity tend to be the most overbearing, too. Try to have some patience. He is likely to get a little less effusive as time goes on.

 

[français]

No, you are not alone, trust me.

I have a friend who is a Christian, but she is a BLIND Christian. Words can not describe how blindly she follows her religion.
Anyways, so she converted like 6 weeks ago, and all over she says "Jesus loves you" and "Jesus has changed my life" and it is just so annoying. I mean EVERYTHING is about Jesus now.

And she follows it so blindly. Like I asked her, if the Bible said that the Earth was 800 years old, would she believe it. She said yes. I asked her if it said it was 900,000, would she believe it. And, she said yes.

So she basically believes anything the Bible says, and does not need proof. And it makes me FURIOUS. Oh my gosh does it make me furious. And she says that I am wrong all the time, but she never bothers to tell me how I am wrong.

She can not ever answer my objections, but then she thinks she is still right. I will respond to her, and she will just say "I do not have the time." She has done that twice.

Then, she does not even know what her religion teaches. I ask her if God is perfect. She says no. Then, she asks her sister, who says yes. Then all of a sudden she says "oh wait, yeah he is." I say why? She says because her sister told her LOL.

She knows NOTHING about what she believes, yet she still believes it.

Then I have another Christian friend. Same thing. I ask him why he is a creationist. He says because the Bible says. That is his only reason. He has no the proof for it.

And what I REALLY hate, is how they say other people's religions/beliefs are wrong when they have not studied it.
Both of my friends have said that the Catholics were wrong. So I asked why. They had NO reason.

There is nothing in this world I hate more then blind faith. I mean, ugh, it makes me sooooooooooo furious.

Trust me, you are not alone.

 

[Nimrauko]

Thank g-d im not alone lol.

My second part is this, and I know its going to probably get me in trouble because its Controversial perhaps and I am not saying one way or the other about it but its the cause of my desire to seek. Well I am rambling so here it is, I am wanting to convert to Christianity (Via Catholicism) because half of my family is Catholic. The full reason is this, I was watching a show on the History Chanel on Easter Sunday, and it was talking about a book that had been taken out of the bible by King James that didn't show Jesus in a flattering way to a majority. It made the implication that while jesus was in a town (Dont quote me on specifics lol) a teenager (18-25) came to him and wished to stay with him for the night and know him. Well the biblical "Know him" was used, and we all know that means sexual connotations. Well this apocryphal book was asserting that perhaps Jesus was gay. I AM NOT SAYING JESUS WAS GAY, it just got me to question.

I said "Well perhaps my fault is not with Jesus or his intentions but with how narrow minded Christianity has become and Jesus probably doesn't even care about my sexuality so much as the life I lead and how well I help my fellow man". So I began to get closer to him, and I am not saying I am going to convert but I am leaning heavily towards it.

What do you all think?

 

[français]

Well, I think that it is not a good idea.

The Bible is clear on homosexuality. Old and New, it condemns it over and over. Romans 1 is the clearest example.

Not only that, but for hundreds of years the Catholic Church killed homosexuals. I hate to say this, but there is no way Christianity and Homosexuality can go together. It is like oil and water.. Just does not mix. I wish it would, and when I was a Christian, I thought it did. But finally, after I left Christianity, I began to see things as they were, and open my mind to the reality. I was a gay Catholic, and condemned by many Catholics for it.


Now if you want to convert, and if that makes you happy, then great, go for it! But, I would not prefer it, coming from personal experience.

Let me tell you, the History Channel is a great place to learn. But I know that there was no widely accepted book of the Bible that said something that may say that Jesus was gay. But you have to understand the historical process of the canonization of the Bible. It did not happen over night. And Christians could not at all agree on what should be in the Bible. They battled for years. Some accepted some books, others did not. The NT we have now is probably most correct, though there are still major problems with it. I am speaking of both Old and New Testaments here.

Sure, there may have been an early Epistle that said Jesus was gay. But there were hundreds. There were many that we do not even know about.

I am not here to discourage you. I mean, if you want to , then go for it. All I am saying is that Christianity and Homosexuality just do not go together.

But, do not take my word. People have the right to different interpretations. I just ask that you study for yourself what the Bible that we have today says, and look at the greek, and what the Church fathers said, etc, and then come to the conclusion yourself. It may take weeks or even months, but you will eventually derive a conclusion.

Good luck!

 

[français]

and it was talking about a book that had been taken out of the bible by King James that didn't show Jesus in a flattering way to a majority.

The King James translation did not take out any books. In fact, the original translated the exact Catholic Bible we have today. The protestants later took out 7 Apocryphal Catholic books, but they were all from the Old Testament, so had nothing to do with Jesus.

If anything was added/taken out(and there was a lot) , look more from the first 400 years of Christianity, notably from the 100-s to the 300's AD.

 

[InnocentOdion]

Hi there!
Convert if you wish, it's totally up to you. Don't convert for anyone else. Girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband, son, daughter, friends, family.. nobody.

If you want to keep your Jewish identity, try Messianic Judaism. Personally, I'm quite 'into' a lot of Judaism (bar circumcision and the 613 mitzvot; I think those 2 are the two that stop me asking a rabbi or something) - if you don't believe in the Trinity, try non-Trinitarian Messianic Judaism.

I've been quite lucky, because I don't encounter nutjob Christians much. I was one of the 'very pious' believers but I don't think I was that bad, but the ones who were 'Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus' can be REALLY annoying.

I believe Jesus existed, and I admire him as a person, I'm just not sure about some of his fanclub.

As for your friend, the candle that burns twice as bright lives half as long. Happened to me.

The books, there were many. Some forged by other people, others not, others forged to make Jesus out to be a bad person, or to cause trouble among early Christians. I tend not to view the books of the NT as 'picked for a reason because of the 3v1l church trying to control the masses', but because these were some of the earliest and most compatible and ones they thought most likely to be true, though apocrypha are interesting to read.

Overall, have fun, pray and trust in G-d.

 

[BelindaP]

Nimrauko, I would suggest you go post in WWMC, the liberal forum or in The Lord's Table, the liberal Catholic forum. Not all Christians condemn homosexuality. And, the Bible is not quite as clear on it as some would have you imagine.

The apocryphal book you mention isn't one that I've ever heard of, and I suspect that whoever told you that is full of bupkus. I wouldn't rule out the possibility that some theologian somewhere has posited the belief that Jesus was gay, but I know of no legitimate apocryphal book that indicates it.

 

[Secundulus]

If you are thinking about converting to Catholicism then I recommend you first read the Catechism of the Catholic Church which is available online at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm or in most bookstores.

This is a comprehensive systematic theology of the Catholic faith. Don't depend upon what others say, Learn it from the source.

You can go on various Catholic forums and get someone to tell you most anything you want to hear. Some of what you hear will be entirely contrary to what the Church teaches.

If you want to know what the Catholic Church teaches about homosexuality, it is in the Catechism here, http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm#2357.

Dominus Vobiscum.

 

[baobobtree]

Am I the only one?

To be quiet honest, I happen to smile fondly, when people tell me "Jesus loves you". That being said, I do find myself quiet annoyed by those who constantly try and shove their beliefs down my throat, or who shout things like "convert or burn" . But, to be honest again, it kind of bewilders me that you were offended by the phrase "Jesus loves you guys', at the end of his blog.