Hello all. I have been browsing around here for some time, not as a member, and I finally decided to join so I could participate more.
As far as my beliefs are concerned, I have always had a keen interest in finding the Truth. I was born and raised as a Southern Baptist, eventually walked the aisle and was baptized, and went to a Christian university. For 16 years I called myself a Christian, believed Christian doctrine, and aligned myself as a Southern Baptist. I accomplished many things as a Christian, came to know the Bible very well, witnessed to lots of people, and even led small group studies with non-Christians to try and convert them. I had my whole life planned out. I was engaged to a Christian woman, I would go to seminary, and later on I would become a preacher.
However, I came to the realization all on my own that I did not believe what I had been raised to believe and thought I believed for years. I realized that all of Christianity is based on assumption (faith), and therefore cannot be logically correct. I also saw the Bible for what it really was, an anthology of letters written by men of similar faiths, an anthology that was put together by other men who deemed those writings to be inspired by God. I do not question the historicity of the Bible, nor do I deny the possibility that the God it speaks of may exist. I just question the divine inspiration of it all. Plus, I do not understand why God would create in us a mind capable of thinking things through and rationalizing, but then give us a book of rules to govern every aspect of our lives.
I think that humans naturally want to believe that God exists, whether He does or not, because we want there to be something greater than ourselves. Of course, if there is a God, then we want Him to be on our side. We want him to care for us and love us, and, most importantly, to look upon our predicament and do something about it. I think that is why the Bible was written, as have many other religious writings.
Therefore, in the interest of my quest for the Truth, I had to cast off all of the chains of my old life, and I am now trying to find what the true meaning and purpose for it all is. I no longer attend church, because when I feel like I have been brainwashed for years, I see no reason to return to the source of the brainwashing. Plus, I have really grown to hate church dogma and Christian naivete. However, I do not want to rule out the possibility that Christianity may be somewhat true, which is why I am here. I do still study the Bible and read Christian authors like C.S. Lewis, but it is from the perspective of an agnostic rather than a Christian. I do not claim to know the Truth, and I don't think I will ever know it fully. But I cannot sit back and live my life in the dark.
I may or may not post on here very much. I mostly just want to read some arguments for both sides.
