My Doubts and Thoughts.

[IncepTion]

Hello Everyone and if you are reading this Thank you for taking the time.

I am 18 years old and I Live in South Africa. I am Christian and tend to be very realistic about things. I Struggle with coming to terms that there is a God and I also struggle with how other people feel when they think their religion is the right way and the best way. I also do doubt a lot seeing that there is a lot of people around me who have experiences with God but I have none.

I also question the fact that so many forms of christian Beliefs exist and that some of them turn on each other. I feel very far from God and I sometimes doubt if I even am christian myself because I don't experience a lot.

I know these are very hard questions to answer but some light on the subject would be nice .

Than you for reading.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

IncepTion, thank you for writing such a genuine post. I think it takes courage to express your doubts and struggles honestly.

I've also had an ongoing tug of war between my faith and my skepticism. The many religions throughout human history, the many factions within the Christian religion, and the many ways that reality conflicts with all religions has give me a lot of doubt to work my way through the past few years. Don't feel like you are alone with your uncertainties or that there is anything wrong with them. I actually think doubt is healthy to an extent. We're meant to be curious and to be on a quest for knowledge and wisdom. We're meant to explore our faith and claim it as our own if we choose rather than just believing whatever our parents do. I read an article interview of the Archbishop of Canterbury in which he candidly expressed some of his doubts that crop up. It's not just teens who have this struggle.

It's the middle of the night right now and I'm about to fall asleep so I can't really offer too much right now. There's a book called "Making Sense of the Bible" by Adam Hamilton that was helpful to me with resolving some of the challenges I've had with scriptures. The writings of the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard were also really profound for me.

 

[IncepTion]

Wow! Thank you Artemis! I really Appreciate your Reply and thank you for your advice. I have learnt so much and got so much help from people on here! Your advice I will take and use it!. Thank you!

 

[Tayhana]

Don't worry, i feel the same way alot. It is really hard sometimes to accept that God exists but ive learned that that is why its called "faith" because we have to have faith that God is there. If that makes sense hahaha.
But i do understand where youre coming from. One thing i do to remind myself to keep talking to God is that every morning on the bus to school, i pass my church and thats my reminder to pray to God for my day, for any problems, for school, etc. Then at the end of the day i come home and pass my church and it reminds me to pray again or thank Him or whatever. That way, i see the little ways Hes worked in my life on a daily basis, and i make sure to talk to Him every day.

I dont know how helpful this is, but i can tell to just have faith, talk to God, and i know he will work in your life

 

[Tayhana]

Don't worry, i feel the same way alot. It is really hard sometimes to accept that God exists but ive learned that that is why its called "faith" because we have to have faith that God is there. If that makes sense hahaha.
But i do understand where youre coming from. One thing i do to remind myself to keep talking to God is that every morning on the bus to school, i pass my church and thats my reminder to pray to God for my day, for any problems, for school, etc. Then at the end of the day i come home and pass my church and it reminds me to pray again or thank Him or whatever. That way, i see the little ways Hes worked in my life on a daily basis, and i make sure to talk to Him every day.

I dont know how helpful this is, but i can tell to just have faith, talk to God, and i know he will work in your life

 

[Tayhana]

Oops sorry i posted it twice

 

[IncepTion]

Thanks Tayhana no that's fine no problem about the double post . Thanks for your Kind words. I few days ago I did I think had an experience with God. It wasn't loud or thundering or Noticeable. It was subtle and overwhelming. I sat and thought about stuff and relationships, my sins everything just went through my mind, but the utter silence and calm feeling I had just couldn't explain it. It was almost as if I was talking to someone but not a physical or Audible conversation it was just deep thoughts. Feelings of regret and Nostalgic memories lit up. I was confessing my sins but not through prayer but by thought...It was something I have never experienced.

 

[graciesings]

Thanks Tayhana no that's fine no problem about the double post . Thanks for your Kind words. I few days ago I did I think had an experience with God. It wasn't loud or thundering or Noticeable. It was subtle and overwhelming. I sat and thought about stuff and relationships, my sins everything just went through my mind, but the utter silence and calm feeling I had just couldn't explain it. It was almost as if I was talking to someone but not a physical or Audible conversation it was just deep thoughts. Feelings of regret and Nostalgic memories lit up. I was confessing my sins but not through prayer but by thought...It was something I have never experienced.

That's awesome! Most of my experiences with God have been that way... like something touched me very, very deeply. No banging and screaming, just... feeling that God is there and really with me.

He hears our thoughts. I rarely pray audibly, because He can hear me whisper... or think.

I advise you to pray. I know you've heard it before but... pray, pray, pray. You can never pray too much.

 

[Snake75]

I struggled to for a little while. But, I learned that to just look at the evidence (none) and decide for myself. After that things got 100% easier for me. No more worry

 

[Ida Therese]

I know your feeling. Some months ago I found some satanic websites about the end times thinking it was a real christian who wrote this, when she was satanic. I kept reading for months without realizing it. When I figured out, I also understood why I was so scared at night, saw those evil creatures again....etc. I couln't sleep and I kept thinking of not knowing if I'm saved, and that I'll go to hell when sleeping at night. I was terrified, and saw shadows around me. (I know I wasn't hallucinating, because after I saw these things for the first time, I heard that others had seen the same. And it looked just as real as an other object.) I was SO SCARED even though I knew that God wanted to keep me safe. So everything in my faith was basically doubt by then, because I didn't know what to belive. Some time after I was on a meeting in the church. They said that they belived everyone would see the heaven open up that night. I prayed that I couldn't see anything happend, and I had got an answer. First some woman said this in tounges, then some other woman translated it into my native language. She said that I had to give my entire self to God to see the heaven open up.
It is true, being a human is so serious, especially in these times.
God bless.