Note: Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this, but I just realized I have to have 15 posts to start a thread and I just spent 20 minutes typing the following up. It's related to the feelings of the person who started thread, so I thought it would be fitting to post it here.
Over the last few years, I've slowly come to grips with losing my faith. I don't really take it as a bad thing, more of a progression from being naive and single minded to open and confused. I'm not here to try to point any fingers, rather just trying to explain my feelings and journey in an attempt to get a conversation going. I'm not always eloquent in my efforts to write, so please bear with me.
I always went to church growing up. My family attended a fairly large Lutheran church and was highly involved with the community. Eventually I moved to a much smaller mission church nearby, which gave me a different experience in a much more intimate congregation. Despite being involved, my true acceptance did not occur until my freshman year of high school. I had once again moved to another Lutheran church, this time with a much more involved youth group.
I had always studied the bible, but always had trouble with its inconsistencies and what seemed to me as contradictions. Most of the time I simply accepted this as my own inability to correctly comprehend a given chapter and eventually ended up ignoring such feelings, relying on the "faith alone" mentality that so many people around me had. Not to say I that I no longer studied, just that more emphasis was placed on the connection I had with God rather than the material behind it. Being in a place where I accepted the truth of Jesus as my only savior was euphoric at first, a revelation, which as much strength it gave me, lead me asking more questions.
Questions are not a bad thing, most people say they help strengthen your faith. In time however, I've gained much more doubts about the material that my faith is based on, so much in fact that I've turned away from Christianity all together. I'm not saying that Christianity is a bad thing, the same faults that are applied to Christians are found in every other part of life. This of course being one of the most heavily preached aspects of the religion, trying to relate to everyone.
In a similar respect, what I was gaining from Christianity, a sense of community, personal meditation and desire to improve myself and help other people was nothing that couldn't be found outside Christianity. My problems were with the Christian faith, doctrine and claims made in the bible.
Where does that put me now? Well to be honest I'd say, pleasantly happy and confused. I don't have any new answers, nor do I particularly need them. Simplicity doesn't have to mean ignorance and naive. I believe there is a god or some sort of outside force that created us. This is apparent in the universe, and the complexity of life. I believe the purpose of life is to simply enjoy it, and the way to do so is to help others live in a similar state. Enjoy it and help others. Live, learn, help and explore. If I live my entire life with the purpose of helping others improve their state what could be more fulfilling? Even more so, I wouldn't wish to worship a god who condemns solely on whether or not I believe in Jesus Christ. Anyway, that's where I'm at this moment. It was perhaps a bit too long and fragmented. I apologize for not being much of a writer. I hope I don't offend anyone.
I also wanted to separately initiate a dialogue about some of my concerns with the bible. I just have some questions, as I still study the bible.
Why were the gospels written so late after the death of Jesus? Like other documents of the time, it's hard to know exactly when they were written, but it generally seems to be accepted, or at least what I've researched to be anywhere between 10 and 100 years after. A second in terms of ancient history, but if the events were so important, why were they not recorded sooner? Often arguments are made to its timing with the fact that none of the gospels discuss the burning down of the temple in 70 CE which was proven by the prophecy Jesus made in Mark 13:2, Matthew 24:2 and Luke 21:6. While the prophecy did come true, it seems like a pretty vague one, simply stating the temple would eventually fall.
Anyway, since I have a hard time explaining many of the frustrations I've had with the bible, I found a good article explaining and exploring many of them. If anyone has the time to comment on its contents that would be great.
humanknowledge.net/Philosophy/Metaphysics/Theology/Christianity.html
Over the last few years, I've slowly come to grips with losing my faith. I don't really take it as a bad thing, more of a progression from being naive and single minded to open and confused. I'm not here to try to point any fingers, rather just trying to explain my feelings and journey in an attempt to get a conversation going. I'm not always eloquent in my efforts to write, so please bear with me.
I always went to church growing up. My family attended a fairly large Lutheran church and was highly involved with the community. Eventually I moved to a much smaller mission church nearby, which gave me a different experience in a much more intimate congregation. Despite being involved, my true acceptance did not occur until my freshman year of high school. I had once again moved to another Lutheran church, this time with a much more involved youth group.
I had always studied the bible, but always had trouble with its inconsistencies and what seemed to me as contradictions. Most of the time I simply accepted this as my own inability to correctly comprehend a given chapter and eventually ended up ignoring such feelings, relying on the "faith alone" mentality that so many people around me had. Not to say I that I no longer studied, just that more emphasis was placed on the connection I had with God rather than the material behind it. Being in a place where I accepted the truth of Jesus as my only savior was euphoric at first, a revelation, which as much strength it gave me, lead me asking more questions.
Questions are not a bad thing, most people say they help strengthen your faith. In time however, I've gained much more doubts about the material that my faith is based on, so much in fact that I've turned away from Christianity all together. I'm not saying that Christianity is a bad thing, the same faults that are applied to Christians are found in every other part of life. This of course being one of the most heavily preached aspects of the religion, trying to relate to everyone.
In a similar respect, what I was gaining from Christianity, a sense of community, personal meditation and desire to improve myself and help other people was nothing that couldn't be found outside Christianity. My problems were with the Christian faith, doctrine and claims made in the bible.
Where does that put me now? Well to be honest I'd say, pleasantly happy and confused. I don't have any new answers, nor do I particularly need them. Simplicity doesn't have to mean ignorance and naive. I believe there is a god or some sort of outside force that created us. This is apparent in the universe, and the complexity of life. I believe the purpose of life is to simply enjoy it, and the way to do so is to help others live in a similar state. Enjoy it and help others. Live, learn, help and explore. If I live my entire life with the purpose of helping others improve their state what could be more fulfilling? Even more so, I wouldn't wish to worship a god who condemns solely on whether or not I believe in Jesus Christ. Anyway, that's where I'm at this moment. It was perhaps a bit too long and fragmented. I apologize for not being much of a writer. I hope I don't offend anyone.
I also wanted to separately initiate a dialogue about some of my concerns with the bible. I just have some questions, as I still study the bible.
Why were the gospels written so late after the death of Jesus? Like other documents of the time, it's hard to know exactly when they were written, but it generally seems to be accepted, or at least what I've researched to be anywhere between 10 and 100 years after. A second in terms of ancient history, but if the events were so important, why were they not recorded sooner? Often arguments are made to its timing with the fact that none of the gospels discuss the burning down of the temple in 70 CE which was proven by the prophecy Jesus made in Mark 13:2, Matthew 24:2 and Luke 21:6. While the prophecy did come true, it seems like a pretty vague one, simply stating the temple would eventually fall.
Anyway, since I have a hard time explaining many of the frustrations I've had with the bible, I found a good article explaining and exploring many of them. If anyone has the time to comment on its contents that would be great.
humanknowledge.net/Philosophy/Metaphysics/Theology/Christianity.html