anoraky said:
I grew up in Pentecostal church. I have to admit that though I was once a Christian that I was never really into it. As I got older, I found it harder to believe in the things I was taught. I now consider myself agnostic because I don't have any definite belief or disbelief. So that's my religious background, onto my problem. I live in a place where most people go to church and it's kind of expected. My family is mostly religious or at least conservative (I'm pretty liberal). My two best friends are also conservative Christians. However, I haven't told any of these people that I'm no longer a Christian. Based on comments many of them have made about non-Christians, I feel like they would think I was a bad person for not having that belief. Often they'll say things that offend me without realizing it, but I'm too afraid to be honest about it. Is it wrong for me to assume that they'll think negatively about me? I'm tired of pretending that I'm something I'm not.
Hi anoraky,
Unfortionately many people think that going to a church that believes in Jesus makes them a Christian. There are many people that believe just because they live in America, they are Christian. However, the Bible paints a very different picture of what a true follower of Christ is.
It's the condition of one's heart that is at the heart of why the Bible say's what it say's about what Christ did. We can all be good according to the standard's of the world but that has nothing to do with the condition of our heart.
According to the Bible, our hearts are "desperately wicked" (Jer 17:9) and "there is none that does good. . .not even one" (PS 14:3).
Also, unfortionately, there are many who think that believing in Jesus, going to church regularly and reading their Bible makes them better than those who don't. . .but that is not true either.
I imagine that if you come forward to your family and friend's that they may treat you differently. . .I don't know. Your family will possibly wonder where they went wrong and they along with your friend's will possibly ask a lot of question's of which you possibly won't be able to answer. . .since you don't really know what you believe.
I guess I'm curious as to what caused you to question what you were taught. Do you feel that there were inconsistencies in word's vs action's? I know that I saw a lot of that in my family and church as I was growing up too, but spending time with God showed me that that was not a failure on His part but on their's.
Or perhap's they were unable to explain thing's so as to you being able to put the pieces of the puzzle together smoothly. I know that frequently I find myself having to reword my question's in varied way's because people often do not really understand what I'm asking and give me answer's that are not really answering what I'm questioning. I'm persistant though and eventually get the answer that make the pieces fit.
God say's that He is faithful to see through to the end every good thing that He has started in each of us. He also say's that we are daily being molded more into His image. Through that of course we can see that it is not something that is immediately seen by the human eye. . .but since it's already in God's thought's, in His view it is already accomplished. . .whether we are acting it out yet or not.
Anyway, I don't want to preach you a sermon

But I do want to incourage you to take a deeper look at the Bible. Sit down, alone with it and since you don't really know if He's really there or not, go ahead and step out and ask "if You are real, please show Yourself to me and help me understand". It can't hurt to ask. . .who know's you may get an answer
Feel free to PM me anytime. I'd be happy to talk more with you.
Quaffer