WayneHughes said:
I was raised as a Christian going to the United Methodist Church. I was saved and became a member of the church in my teens. Last week I withdrew from the church (I'm 19 years old). Over the years I have slowly come to the realization that there is no proof god exists, so therfore I cannot believe in god. I don't deny he can exist, but there is no proof, so therefore I can't have faith in god. I am also a homosexual and think it's perfectly natural and "ok" to be gay, and I have experienced alot of judgemental and hateful attitudes by Christians for being gay, and I think alot of Christians can by hypocrites in this way. I wouldn't change being gay for the world, it has shaped much of who I am, it's put alot into perspective. So I have some questions for you guys and gals.
1. Where's the proof God exists?
2. How can you believe in God if there isn't proof?
3. Is homosexuality wrong?
4. Should our government legalize gay marriage?
5. Do you believe being judgemental and hateful toward gays is wrong?
I'd love to talk to you guys about this, I'm keeping an open mind. Ask any questions you'd like.
Hello Wayne I'm interested in discussing this with you.
First off I'll tell you I'm a christian, I was saved when I was 11 years old when missionaries moved next door to my house. I went to church with my parents for a few years and then lost interest in the church for most of my teen years, started drinking and doing drugs and the usual teenager things.
I came back to the faith after several personal experiences that I honestly believed were the result of God calling me. I had to do some searching to get there as well and it wasn't easy.
Now to start off, I know personally that there are many christians who are hateful to homosexuals and that's unacceptable. I think you and I can both agree however that everybody is different. Just because some people may behave a certain way, that doesn't reflect on christianity because there are just as many people who disagree with them. Clearly, the bible isn't changing, so no matter what any individual person claiming to be a christian says or does, we can simply refer to the bible to see if their actions are justifiable. I don't think anyone can show me any scripture that justifies hatred towards homosexuals or even judgement towards them.
So the issue of individual christians should be a non-issue in your search.
I honestly believe many people have a desire to judge others because it gives them a sense of self importance they are lacking, and because of this christianity can become attractive to these people for all the wrong reasons. Once you identify these people however you can see that they do not represent christianity, and you can basically begin ignoring them. But you shouldn't throw out the whole basket just because of a few bad apples.
Now to your questions
1. Where's the proof God exists?
There is none. Plain and simple. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or just being overly optimistic at best. But there is also no proof that God doesn't exist. So where does that leave us? Well, there may not be proof, but there is certainly evidence. The bible could be considered evidence. The universe could be considered evidence. Our existence could be considered evidence.
You can also find evidence to take the opposite road. None of this evidence is conclusive one way or another, it just depends on what you're looking for when you examine it.
2. How can you believe in God if there isn't proof?
Everything we know about God we learn from the bible. So it stands to reason if we are going to believe in the God of the bible, we must believe what the bible says about God. What the bible tells us is that God does not provide us with proof for a reason.
God's purpose for our existence is for God to make a family. God modeled our very existence after this fact. In fact you can see so much of God's imprint in nature as well as human nature it scares me sometimes.
God wants a family of people who love Him, even when that may not seem like the easiest thing to do. God gave us the freedom to hate Him if we choose. God does not impose anything on us, he simply gives us life and let's us make a choice. Do we want to love God, or do we love ourselves more than God? God loves all of us unconditionally, no matter what anyone would have you believe. That includes you.
No matter you think or feel about life or even about God, God still loves you. In fact even if you were the only person to accept his gift of salvation he still would have came to earth as Christ, died on the cross and let the whole human drama play out just so you could be with Him in heaven. That's how much God loves YOU personally.
So to answer your question, how can someone believe in God if there is no proof? Because there is evidence for one. And because we know that God requires faith. And because when you finally reach the place where you have a pure relationship with God, and you cut out all the influences trying to control you in the world both christian and non-christian, there is alot to be gained by believing in God when you finally find Him. More than anything you can gain in this life.
3. Is homosexuality wrong?
What do you believe the bible says about it? There are many homosexual christians who have no trouble with being both. Are you going to allow a select few of a different opinion to make up your entire mind about being a christian just over one issue?
You can read the bible and decide for yourself what you believe. Maybe you will honestly believe through your studies that homosexuality is not wrong as defined by the bible. Many have. It should be your belief not somebody elses. Do you want my opinion? Homosexuality is a sin as defined by the bible. But I also believe that homosexuals will still be in heaven with God, and I honestly believe it won't be an issue then.
But by my definition sin is seperation from God. Sin is disobedience to God's will. We are all sinners. Nobody has the high ground on the issue. I'm a sinner, being able to admit that is why I can be a happy christian today. I still sin every day, I'm not perfect, nor was I ever meant to be. That's not the point of life.
Now I don't understand anymore than you do why homosexuality might be against God's will. It will be silly to reject God just because we don't understand everything about him, or don't like something he tells us.
I said earlier God desgined human nature to teach us about our relation to Him. The family is meant to do that. When you have parents, as a child they simply have more knowledge than you do, sometimes they do things that you don't like and you don't understand why, but when you get to where they are you understand they had your best interests in mind, even though you simply weren't capable of understanding as a child.
To be happy as a christian you must accept that God is the parent and you are the child, and that will never change. Accepting that is one of the most important things in my faith.
4. Should our government legalize gay marriage?
I guess this is a highly debatable issue but it goes into the argument of how should marriage be defined. To be honest I don't agree with how big an issue it's been made into.
If homosexual marriage is legalized, will it really change society at all? People aren't going to start becoming homosexual just because they can get legally married. I do believe in seperation of church and state, and as far as marriage has become a legal enterprise I do believe the government has the right to legalize it. Clearly, it will happen eventually anyway. I believe the debate on this issue has been propagated by parties who are acting more out of self interest than God's interest.
However, ultimately this issue should have no bearing on your belief in God. This is an issue that is decided by society and what individual people decide, or even large groups of people acting in concert, in no way reflects God.
5. Do you believe being judgemental and hateful toward gays is wrong?
I think my position on this one is pretty clear. I don't believe being judgemental or hateful towards any person for any reason is right. We don't know God's mind, and God will be the ultimate Judge, we are not here to act as jury. What one person believes is God's will may very well be the exact opposite of God's will. This is why judgement must be left to God alone, as He is infallible. The bible makes this pretty clear, and it's the reason Jesus said the only two commandemts we need are love God with all your heart and love your brothers.
God basically tells us that the road we should be taking is one of selflessness. Put others before yourself, even when they are in the wrong. We aren't going to be able to do this all the time, but it's what we should be striving for. When someone condemns or judges a homosexual in any way they are sinning, plain and simple.
In closing I will just say for me, there was something I had to learn before I could come back to God. That was that I had to give a little too. There is no reason to put all the burden on God, because God has already taken the burden on the cross. You can't expect to find God if you aren't willing to give Him a chance.
For a long time I wasn't giving God a chance at all. I was expecting God to prove himself to me, or even other christians to prove God to me which is even more silly when you think about it. It turned out all God wanted was me to give Him the benefit of the doubt for once. Pray and read my bible on my own terms, being completely honest with God, even when I'm angry at Him, and not letting anyone else decide what I should believe. When I realized these things God revealed Himself to me in such a way that I will never again doubt his existence no matter how bad things get. I still struggle. I still sin. I still get angry sometimes. But God has never left me, even though I have left Him.
God bless you and good luck with your search. I'm more than happy to discuss this further with you at any time, no topic is out of the question, either here or just send me an email. Even if you decide you can't bring yourself to believe God I hope you make a choice that brings you peace.
