Morally Stuck in Disbelief

[QuestioningAgnostic]

I have been a very easy going agnostic since my teens. I probably fell into it because I'm an overly skeptical person; I just could not see any evidence of god anymore. As a fledgling agnostic I recognized that there were benefits to believing in god. I knew I could try to believe and perhaps be a happier person. But I was a kid and was determined to not base my beliefs on what was convenient. So I settled for agnosticism.

(I'm not saying that most people believe out of convenience. )

A decade later my views haven't changed much but my attitudes toward them have changed. I'm less tied down to the principle of refusing to believe due to lack of evidence. I still don't see any evidence, but it finally seems worth it to try to push doubt aside in order to be a happier person.

However I don't feel like I can anymore. It's not that I think I'm incapable of believing. I feel like for me to make an effort would be morally wrong (it goes against my conscience).

When I last had this discussion with myself as a teenager, I was not really sure what I believed in. To consider "to believe or not to believe" was a matter of principle or convenience. Now I am certainly not a believer, so for me to consider "to believe or not to believe" is a matter of lying to myself or following what I think is right.

(I'm not saying Christians are lying to themselves! I'm not a militant atheist. I am referring to myself specifically, because of my specific position. An equivalent position would be a Christian telling themselves that god does not exist.)

If I unsure as I was ten years ago, I would try to develop my faith. But I’m not that person anymore and I feel somewhat morally stuck because lying to myself seems wrong. I was hoping I might find advice here. Anecdotes of others who made that transition or perhaps faith building activities that don’t require faith to begin with. But any advice or comments are appreciated.

 

[singpeace]

Questioning,

If you took a flight on an airplane, would you be untrue to yourself because you have no wings of your own?

Putting some of your long-held personal views on a shelf for a time isn't being untrue to your morals; rather, it is being even truer to yourself because your intention is to ultimately discover what is best for you.

Try praying for the knowledge of Christ's Salvation to come to you, and read some Bible passages and see what happens. What could you possibly lose? Nothing. On the other hand, if you come to realize that God is real, and that his Son Jesus is the Savior, what have you gained? Everything.


In case you may not know exactly what the true Christian faith implies, here are Jesus Christ's commandments to all Christians, and true followers of the Lord do their best to adhere to them:

Luke 6:27-33
27. Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

29. And unto him that hits thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak give him thy coat also.

30. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

31. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

32. Be merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

33. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:


Matthew 22:37-40 (King James Version)
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

 

[paul1149]

QA:

Unless I misunderstand how you're using the term "happy", it seems to me that you want to do the right thing for the wrong reason. Receiving Christ does bring an incredible joy, as we begin to accept that our sins are forgiven and we now possess eternal life. But it also brings trials and suffering, because we still are in a fallen world that very much resists the reign of Christ. If a superficial happiness is all you're looking for, it's bound to wear thin pretty quickly.

I would suggest you do some homework in apologetics, because there is a very sound logical case to be made for Christianity. Study the reliability of the Bible texts, philosophical apologetics, and most of all, the basic doctrines of Christianity. You could start with McDowell's Evidence books, CS Lewis' Mere Christianity, and Stott's Basic Christianity. Once you come to see that Christianity is a reasonable faith - that you don't have to commit intellectual suicide in order to believe - I think your moral qualms will be quelled, because you'll be able to believe for the right reasons.

I hope I haven't misunderstood your position.

bw,
p.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Hi I better get back to work. But before I do, I would like to leave you with a link to my personal web site, it has on it a long list of miracles that God has performed through my life, to help myself and others. It might inspire you to believe. The link is Home I have not included every miracle but it is a list of some of my favorites.

May the love of God be upon you always.

 

[bling]

Christian are to be involved in helping people with real problems, so if you just want to be “happier”, I do not know if I can help with that. You just may not have lived long enough yet to be involved in some real tragedies, but they will come along. If you are scared about how you might handle some future tragedy, we can work together on that.

There is a reason for faith.

 

[drich0150]

I have been a very easy going agnostic since my teens. I probably fell into it because I'm an overly skeptical person; I just could not see any evidence of god anymore. As a fledgling agnostic I recognized that there were benefits to believing in god. I knew I could try to believe and perhaps be a happier person. But I was a kid and was determined to not base my beliefs on what was convenient. So I settled for agnosticism.

(I'm not saying that most people believe out of convenience. )

A decade later my views haven't changed much but my attitudes toward them have changed. I'm less tied down to the principle of refusing to believe due to lack of evidence. I still don't see any evidence, but it finally seems worth it to try to push doubt aside in order to be a happier person.

However I don't feel like I can anymore. It's not that I think I'm incapable of believing. I feel like for me to make an effort would be morally wrong (it goes against my conscience).

When I last had this discussion with myself as a teenager, I was not really sure what I believed in. To consider "to believe or not to believe" was a matter of principle or convenience. Now I am certainly not a believer, so for me to consider "to believe or not to believe" is a matter of lying to myself or following what I think is right.

(I'm not saying Christians are lying to themselves! I'm not a militant atheist. I am referring to myself specifically, because of my specific position. An equivalent position would be a Christian telling themselves that god does not exist.)

If I unsure as I was ten years ago, I would try to develop my faith. But I’m not that person anymore and I feel somewhat morally stuck because lying to myself seems wrong. I was hoping I might find advice here. Anecdotes of others who made that transition or perhaps faith building activities that don’t require faith to begin with. But any advice or comments are appreciated.

The only thing you need to build a faith is a general desire and the persistance it takes to ask, seek, and knock as outlined in luke 11:

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

We ask through prayer, we seek in church, the bible and in places like this we knock until we get what our hearts want. (what you want is the gift/guidance of the Holy Spirit)

 

[Internet Ministry]

You're welcomed to discuss privately if you wish?

 

[E.C.]

If I unsure as I was ten years ago, I would try to develop my faith. But I’m not that person anymore and I feel somewhat morally stuck because lying to myself seems wrong. I was hoping I might find advice here. Anecdotes of others who made that transition or perhaps faith building activities that don’t require faith to begin with. But any advice or comments are appreciated.

There was a man whom Christ met in one of the Gospels. The man had knowledge, but little to no faith. And so, he said to Christ, "Lord help me with my unbelief". That is a start.

As one who did fall into the teenage agnosticism, let me just say this from personal experience: once you can accept that there might be a God, than it can start from there. It helps by looking at things differently. No longer are things "coincidences", but instead such things are by God's doing. I remember seeing a lot of "coincidences" during that time in my life and slowly accepting, considering the circumstances, that they were not coincidences, but were actually God's way of trying to lead me somewhere.