How to start...i'm a new member, struggling belief wise. Long story short, i was brought up a Christian but as a child didn't know what my religion meant in any way. I stepped away then came back or for the most part led back to a close friend. I then became a literalistic Christian (believed in conspiracies, other religions are hell-bound, judging others). I didn't fair to well with that because i was being someone i wasn't. I then stepped down from that and branched into a loving Christian. I loved that but encountered two atheists on my job. I don't know how this came about but those two shook my faith. I never really knew non-believers trust in. I always thought they were delusional or just blind by the devil and such. I mean I tried over and over again to try to get my points across. They were so content with their current stance that my words meant nothing.
-one of my co-workers claim to not be an atheist but agnostic. saying that he believes there is something out there but is not human or has a personality like us humans and believes that its a force something us humans cannot understand. His religious background was first Christianity and then Muslim and then agnostic.
now i agree with him because currently i am an agnostic and stand at that position. I feel right now as i'm typing i was persuaded into this. the
persuasion i hate but the thinking aspect i like.
-the other co worker is Vietnamese, he totally is against religion of any sense. He has no religious background but i think taoism. He is all about science, astrology and etc. so in a since he is an anti-theist.
which i have no problem with but since at the time i was such a babe slurping on milk (Christian wise) I didn't have any words to talk to them. Every time i encountered them two they just had me thinking and had me really considering turning from the faith. It worked because i did step away and we communicate but we criticize religion now and talk science. I just do not sit to well with both of them criticizing religion. I have so much respect for people who follow their faiths. Just like today i told one of them that has a religious background that "I see nothing wrong with religion but when its used in reality to control or make an specific group feel inferior thats when i have a problem. I look to religion as an entertainment or a hope or promising of an after life." He responded "Religion is good for keeping people humble, but not for worshiping. There is something much more greater than religion." Then I said "Well yes that's why I say that people have their own interpretations of what this force or God can be and its nothing wrong with worshiping it. I mean worship is thanking whatever this force or God is. I see nothing wrong with that." Its hard talking to them but i like the challenge and i wanted to be in an agnostic position for once, since i wasn't.
I was also against science at the time. Because science is in some ways contradicting the bible. I read up on various forums and such. But my mind was open to all the scientific evidence out there, i just find it weird how some can take genesis 1 and 2 as literal but they contradict one another and i stand by the bible and agree with it because its God's way of showing His relationship with mankind and science is His other book to show us humans how he works.
To sum it up the above i was basically persuaded turning from Christianity. I watched these videos on youtube called "the vampires of consciousness on Christianity" by Phil Valentine. I tried to look at those videos several times but kept turning from the them because the author in the video was attacking Christianity. I just didn't sit to well the videos until i really considered leaving the faith and i began to take in everything he was saying and took in some information. He had many valid sources but what i never could understand is how can someone discredit a religion when the sources that person gets are ones of someone hating Christianity also? How can those sources be valid or truth? what i sense was the author (Phil Valentine) trying to persuade current Christians to think.
Things like:
-Christianity is false
-Trinty idea came from Greeks mythology
-Jesus didn't die or wasn't divine
-Christianity was made by the greeks/romans to keep mankind at the time under control
That were a few things i had remembered. Other than that I really took in a lot, but what we added fuel was how i hated literalist religious people. ones who stuff their beliefs down people throats as true and not letting unbelievers seek for themselves. I stepped away from the church because the religious nuts in their were saying "GET IN THE SPIRIT!; PRAISE JESUS!; GET UP!". I don't like to be pushed onto anything, i want to feel God at my time. Also i didn't like when state and church are combined to control mankind. I do not like that and that's what has me thinking that religion was used to control the masses.
What Constantine did in the 4 century was wrong and disrespectful. It wasn't the gospel that spread throughout the world but the sword or violence that spread a religion called Christianity. Jesus never meant to start any religion, he wanted LOVE to spread across the world and that was His commandment that he followed and wanted everyone to do. But when i look back on history and see how people use religion to justify their actions, i get really upset and step away.
And when it boils down to it this led to me where i am right now. I'm agnostic but still lingering on to Jesus. I want Him and yearn for His love. He is waiting for me with open arms and I want a relationship with Him. Prayer does work, because its a direct communication with Jesus. Because for some odd reason when I stand by Him I get a sense of comfort and love from someone that saved me from my condition.
i stand currently in my position as an agnostic and a lingering Jesus believer but I would like some help from others to steer me in the correct path and help me understand those two co-workers i'm having a hard time with.
please help me...
-one of my co-workers claim to not be an atheist but agnostic. saying that he believes there is something out there but is not human or has a personality like us humans and believes that its a force something us humans cannot understand. His religious background was first Christianity and then Muslim and then agnostic.
now i agree with him because currently i am an agnostic and stand at that position. I feel right now as i'm typing i was persuaded into this. the
persuasion i hate but the thinking aspect i like.
-the other co worker is Vietnamese, he totally is against religion of any sense. He has no religious background but i think taoism. He is all about science, astrology and etc. so in a since he is an anti-theist.
which i have no problem with but since at the time i was such a babe slurping on milk (Christian wise) I didn't have any words to talk to them. Every time i encountered them two they just had me thinking and had me really considering turning from the faith. It worked because i did step away and we communicate but we criticize religion now and talk science. I just do not sit to well with both of them criticizing religion. I have so much respect for people who follow their faiths. Just like today i told one of them that has a religious background that "I see nothing wrong with religion but when its used in reality to control or make an specific group feel inferior thats when i have a problem. I look to religion as an entertainment or a hope or promising of an after life." He responded "Religion is good for keeping people humble, but not for worshiping. There is something much more greater than religion." Then I said "Well yes that's why I say that people have their own interpretations of what this force or God can be and its nothing wrong with worshiping it. I mean worship is thanking whatever this force or God is. I see nothing wrong with that." Its hard talking to them but i like the challenge and i wanted to be in an agnostic position for once, since i wasn't.
I was also against science at the time. Because science is in some ways contradicting the bible. I read up on various forums and such. But my mind was open to all the scientific evidence out there, i just find it weird how some can take genesis 1 and 2 as literal but they contradict one another and i stand by the bible and agree with it because its God's way of showing His relationship with mankind and science is His other book to show us humans how he works.
To sum it up the above i was basically persuaded turning from Christianity. I watched these videos on youtube called "the vampires of consciousness on Christianity" by Phil Valentine. I tried to look at those videos several times but kept turning from the them because the author in the video was attacking Christianity. I just didn't sit to well the videos until i really considered leaving the faith and i began to take in everything he was saying and took in some information. He had many valid sources but what i never could understand is how can someone discredit a religion when the sources that person gets are ones of someone hating Christianity also? How can those sources be valid or truth? what i sense was the author (Phil Valentine) trying to persuade current Christians to think.
Things like:
-Christianity is false
-Trinty idea came from Greeks mythology
-Jesus didn't die or wasn't divine
-Christianity was made by the greeks/romans to keep mankind at the time under control
That were a few things i had remembered. Other than that I really took in a lot, but what we added fuel was how i hated literalist religious people. ones who stuff their beliefs down people throats as true and not letting unbelievers seek for themselves. I stepped away from the church because the religious nuts in their were saying "GET IN THE SPIRIT!; PRAISE JESUS!; GET UP!". I don't like to be pushed onto anything, i want to feel God at my time. Also i didn't like when state and church are combined to control mankind. I do not like that and that's what has me thinking that religion was used to control the masses.
What Constantine did in the 4 century was wrong and disrespectful. It wasn't the gospel that spread throughout the world but the sword or violence that spread a religion called Christianity. Jesus never meant to start any religion, he wanted LOVE to spread across the world and that was His commandment that he followed and wanted everyone to do. But when i look back on history and see how people use religion to justify their actions, i get really upset and step away.
And when it boils down to it this led to me where i am right now. I'm agnostic but still lingering on to Jesus. I want Him and yearn for His love. He is waiting for me with open arms and I want a relationship with Him. Prayer does work, because its a direct communication with Jesus. Because for some odd reason when I stand by Him I get a sense of comfort and love from someone that saved me from my condition.
i stand currently in my position as an agnostic and a lingering Jesus believer but I would like some help from others to steer me in the correct path and help me understand those two co-workers i'm having a hard time with.
please help me...
