Why do people shy away when God is mentioned in conversations?

[Penny Feeley]

I always knew that God existed. I always felt his warmth and love as a very young child. My parents didn't go to church so I learned by going with my friends to two denominations until i knew which was right for me. As I got older I have attended many churches throughout my life due to being a military dependent. However sorry to say I didn't learn a darn thing.
I felt like my soul was in turmoil and I yearn for God's word. My sinning was breaking my heart and my family apart. I prayed to God for a teacher and firmly believeth God
Would answer my prayer. the teacher was right in front of me the whole time I just didn't see him til then. This pastor taught me how to read the Bible with pure understanding. And how to learn the meanings of words using Strong's concordance when needed. As we know some words lose their translation when converted to the english language.
To make a long story short I was so unbelievably spiritually happy like I was floating on top of the world. And I wouldn't push down God's word into anyones throat ,i would say do you remember the story when Such and such happen in the Bible. Or i would say God Bless you to my friends and associates but not often.
Since then my friends have looked at me very different. They say I post too much on my Facebook about God. And I know I don't because I'm very mindful of people that don't have the same Faith as me. I'm still the same person but just more secure in my own skin and I know what happens when I pass away. You can tell by my post I don't quote scriptures but I can if needed. It makes me sad that people have shied away from me when I haven't done anything wrong. I miss them.

 

[salt-n-light]

Ugh, I'm in that same boat. Even my friends from church just shy so much from talking about God, like they are sick of Him being everywhere ( one of them actually said that, that God doesn't need to be in everyone faces, I'm like huh? lol).

Thats probably why I'm here so much.

But I'm learning whenever I face that, to not go into that state of feeling isolated. I've noticed that I become bitter when that happens, and kinda just show them the joys of the christian walk, and encourage them to find joy in it. Iron sharpen iron, so just as much as I want them to grow, I want to grow too.

Right now, I'm reaching out to people more, encouraging them more, and I even step out of my comfort zone and invited a friend to join me in bible study.

 

[Hidden In Him]

I always knew that God existed. I always felt his warmth and love as a very young child. My parents didn't go to church so I learned by going with my friends to two denominations until i knew which was right for me. As I got older I have attended many churches throughout my life due to being a military dependent. However sorry to say I didn't learn a darn thing.
I felt like my soul was in turmoil and I yearn for God's word. My sinning was breaking my heart and my family apart. I prayed to God for a teacher and firmly believeth God
Would answer my prayer. the teacher was right in front of me the whole time I just didn't see him til then. This pastor taught me how to read the Bible with pure understanding. And how to learn the meanings of words using Strong's concordance when needed. As we know some words lose their translation when converted to the english language.
To make a long story short I was so unbelievably spiritually happy like I was floating on top of the world. And I wouldn't push down God's word into anyones throat ,i would say do you remember the story when Such and such happen in the Bible. Or i would say God Bless you to my friends and associates but not often.
Since then my friends have looked at me very different. They say I post too much on my Facebook about God. And I know I don't because I'm very mindful of people that don't have the same Faith as me. I'm still the same person but just more secure in my own skin and I know what happens when I pass away. You can tell by my post I don't quote scriptures but I can if needed. It makes me sad that people have shied away from me when I haven't done anything wrong. I miss them.

I hear you, and unfortunately there's not much that can be done about it. Christ is the great dividing line, and He knew it when He instructed the disciples that He came not to bring peace but a sword, and the rejection we experience from our loved ones will be part of the cross we have to take up daily (Matthew 10:34-38).

God bless, and be encouraged. Jesus also told them that for whatever family or friends they lost for His sake, they would gain 100 fold more, both in this life and the next (Mark 10:28-30). You just have to know where to find them is all.

Every time you feel sad over a friend you appear to have lost, just pray He sends you a new one you will be able to keep forever. His answer may not come immediately, but you can know He is hearing your prayers and will provide eventually if you keep praying in faith.

In Christ,
Hidden

 

[Penny Feeley]

I hear you, and unfortunately there's not much that can be done about it. Christ is the great dividing line, and He knew it when He instructed the disciples that He came not to bring peace but a sword, and the rejection we experience from our loved ones will be part of the cross we have to take up daily (Matthew 10:34-38).

God bless, and be encouraged. Jesus also told them that for whatever family or friends they lost for His sake, they would gain 100 fold more, both in this life and the next (Mark 10:28-30). You just have to know where to find them is all.

Every time you feel sad over a friend you appear to have lost, just pray He sends you a new one you will be able to keep forever. His answer may not come immediately, but you can know He is hearing your prayers and will provide eventually if you keep praying in faith.

In Christ,
Hidden

 

[~Anastasia~]

I hear you, and unfortunately there's not much that can be done about it. Christ is the great dividing line, and He knew it when He instructed the disciples that He came not to bring peace but a sword, and the rejection we experience from our loved ones will be part of the cross we have to take up daily (Matthew 10:34-38).

God bless, and be encouraged. Jesus also told them that for whatever family or friends they lost for His sake, they would gain 100 fold more, both in this life and the next (Mark 10:28-30). You just have to know where to find them is all.

Every time you feel sad over a friend you appear to have lost, just pray He sends you a new one you will be able to keep forever. His answer may not come immediately, but you can know He is hearing your prayers and will provide eventually if you keep praying in faith.

In Christ,
Hidden

This is very true.

By the way, I think our society right now (if you are in the US ... probably other places too to varying degrees) ... but I think society is pushing this subtly as well.

I have lost so many, and lose more even of Christian friends because of the kind of Church I belong to now. But thankfully ours is one that holds to the old meaning (ha, they still speak the language, so they undererstand koinonia and ekklesia very well) and not only do I have a community of friends there, but they literally consider me family in the dynamics Christianity has long held. So it took a long time - years - and I lost almost everyone along the way, but God HAS provided that for me again. I love them so much.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

I always knew that God existed. I always felt his warmth and love as a very young child. My parents didn't go to church so I learned by going with my friends to two denominations until i knew which was right for me. As I got older I have attended many churches throughout my life due to being a military dependent. However sorry to say I didn't learn a darn thing.
I felt like my soul was in turmoil and I yearn for God's word. My sinning was breaking my heart and my family apart. I prayed to God for a teacher and firmly believeth God
Would answer my prayer. the teacher was right in front of me the whole time I just didn't see him til then. This pastor taught me how to read the Bible with pure understanding. And how to learn the meanings of words using Strong's concordance when needed.
As we know some words lose their translation when converted to the english language.
To make a long story short I was so unbelievably spiritually happy like I was floating on top of the world. And I wouldn't push down God's word into anyones throat ,i would say do you remember the story when Such and such happen in the Bible. Or i would say God Bless you to my friends and associates but not often.
Since then my friends have looked at me very different. They say I post too much on my Facebook about God. And I know I don't because I'm very mindful of people that don't have the same Faith as me. I'm still the same person but just more secure in my own skin and I know what happens when I pass away. You can tell by my post I don't quote scriptures but I can if needed. It makes me sad that people have shied away from me when I haven't done anything wrong. I miss them.

Hello.
The same thing happened to me when I came to Christ in 2003.
I would read the Bible for hours at a times, even at work when I was on break or lunch.
I then started delving into the Hebrew and Greek yand translated a few of the NT books, Roman, Galatians, Hebrews and a lot of Revelation.

I posted this study on Romans on the forum back in 2009, and may go back over it again as I have become just a tad more knowledgeable since then, I think ehehe.

Book of Romans verse by verse study
Book of Romans verse by verse study

The book of Romans appears to be the main Epistle of Paul in the NT and I thought it would be "fun" to do a thread on the GT board on it.
I would like to show the rendering word-for-word in the greek along with the greek text itself then perhaps pick out a word from each one that "stands out" and do a little study on that.
God bless

#873 used 10 times in NT [3 times in Gosples, Matt and Luke]. It seems to be formed by the prefix "apo" and root word "horizo".
The lexicon appears to show a few ways it can be rendered.

Romans 1:1 Paul, bondslave of Jesus Christ, called apostle seperated/ordained/afwrismenoV <873> (5772) into Good-Message of God

Romans 1:1 pauloV douloV ihsou cristou klhtoV apostoloV afwrismenoV eiV euaggelion qeou

873. aphorizo af-or-id'-zo from 575 and 3724; to set off by boundary, i.e. (figuratively) limit, exclude, appoint, etc.:--divide, separate, sever.
575. apo apo' a primary particle; "off," i.e. away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative):--(
3724. horizo hor-id'-zo from 3725; to mark out or bound ("horizon"), i.e. (figuratively) to appoint, decree, specify:--declare, determine, limit, ordain.

 

[~Anastasia~]

I always knew that God existed. I always felt his warmth and love as a very young child. My parents didn't go to church so I learned by going with my friends to two denominations until i knew which was right for me. As I got older I have attended many churches throughout my life due to being a military dependent. However sorry to say I didn't learn a darn thing.
I felt like my soul was in turmoil and I yearn for God's word. My sinning was breaking my heart and my family apart. I prayed to God for a teacher and firmly believeth God
Would answer my prayer. the teacher was right in front of me the whole time I just didn't see him til then. This pastor taught me how to read the Bible with pure understanding. And how to learn the meanings of words using Strong's concordance when needed. As we know some words lose their translation when converted to the english language.
To make a long story short I was so unbelievably spiritually happy like I was floating on top of the world. And I wouldn't push down God's word into anyones throat ,i would say do you remember the story when Such and such happen in the Bible. Or i would say God Bless you to my friends and associates but not often.
Since then my friends have looked at me very different. They say I post too much on my Facebook about God. And I know I don't because I'm very mindful of people that don't have the same Faith as me. I'm still the same person but just more secure in my own skin and I know what happens when I pass away. You can tell by my post I don't quote scriptures but I can if needed. It makes me sad that people have shied away from me when I haven't done anything wrong. I miss them.

And welcome to CF! I pray you are blessed by being here. If you need any help navigating the forums, or have any questions, feel free to ask!

Online friends can become very good friends as well, so I hope you find some here.

 

[Hidden In Him]

This is very true.

By the way, I think our society right now (if you are in the US ... probably other places too to varying degrees) ... but I think society is pushing this subtly as well.

I have lost so many, and lose more even of Christian friends because of the kind of Church I belong to now. But thankfully ours is one that holds to the old meaning (ha, they still speak the language, so they undererstand koinonia and ekklesia very well) and not only do I have a community of friends there, but they literally consider me family in the dynamics Christianity has long held. So it took a long time - years - and I lost almost everyone along the way, but God HAS provided that for me again. I love them so much.

That's a wonderful post, Anastasia. I'm not sure how many are ready to embrace your kind of church, but that is definitely one of the advantages of it. Church community in New Testament times was more than just getting together and being acquaintances a few times a week.

 

[Hidden In Him]

I then started delving into the Hebrew and Greek yand translated a few of the NT books, Roman, Galatians, Hebrews and a lot of Revelation.

That's good that you do/did translation work. The deeper you can get into the original the harder it is for the Devil to deceive you. I use the Complete Biblical Library, which is a 16 Volume work that shows all the variants in the different Greek texts, and makes determining which is the proper reading much easier. I've done work in many of the books you haven't (1st Thessalonians, 2nd Thessalonians, Colossians, James, Jude, & 1st Corinthians 1-4. I plan on doing Ephesians and 2 Timothy eventually, along with finishing work on the rest of 1st Corinthians).

 

[~Anastasia~]

That's a wonderful post, Anastasia. I'm not sure how are ready to many embrace your kind of church, but that is definitely one of the advantages of it. Church community in New Testament times was more than just getting together and being acquaintances a few times a week.

Indeed it was. And if any denominations out there manage to recapture that ethos, then I would celebrate that as well.

I'm just so glad to have found it. It's kind of ironic and fitting ... I come from a large family. So many have died that we now only have a small family. I used to wish that maybe I'd marry into a large close family, since that's another way to be part of one, but my husband is an immigrant and I was not well received by his family. So I had given up. To now have a large literal family that I see often is a blessing I never thought to have again in life. So yes, I'm very grateful.

God did indeed literally keep that promise to me, after I lost many people for just that reason too.

I hope the OP is similarly blessed.

 

[Hidden In Him]

I'm just so glad to have found it. It's kind of ironic and fitting ... I come from a large family. So many have died that we now only have a small family. I used to wish that maybe I'd marry into a large close family, since that's another way to be part of one, but my husband is an immigrant and I was not well received by his family. So I had given up. To now have a large literal family that I see often is a blessing I never thought to have again in life. So yes, I'm very grateful.

Very happy for you.

Btw, sorry about putting "many" in the wrong place in my post, LoL. I've been rapid-fire posting lately, and I seem to be letting my enthusiasm get the better of me.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Very happy for you.

Btw, sorry about putting "many" in the wrong place in my post, LoL. I've been rapid-fire posting lately, and I seem to be letting my enthusiasm get the better of me.

No problems. I realized your basic intent.

Love the gif as illustration, btw!


(Except I hope the jumper was ok!)

 

[Hidden In Him]

Love the gif as illustration, btw!

(Except I hope the jumper was ok!)

He was probably fine. Maybe a little less zealous next time around, but able bodied just in case, LoL.

 

[~Anastasia~]

He was probably fine. Maybe a little less zealous next time around, but able bodied just in case, LoL.

Good to know. There's something to be said for learning from your mistakes!

(I had a German Shepherd that had been riding with me for years, and something prompted him to suddenly jump out the half open driver window from the seat behind mine. It was in a parking lot but thankfully I was only going about 5pmh because the impact slightly jammed his shoulder. I never found out why he jumped ... he himself seemed so surprised he did it and KNEW he wasn't supposed to, so he was more worried about making sure he wasn't in trouble than continuing to react to whatever it was.

I hope the grass considerably softened the blow for the one in your GIF, by comparison. )

 

[Mrs. WBW]

Hi Penny, I know how you feel. I have had many people avoid me and others act very uncomfortable around me when I talk about God. I guess they think I'm going to erupt into a sermon at any moment! I think non-believers are uncomfortable when we make reference to God because they have not yet developed their own faith. I have a FB page and I use it to praise our Holy Father and His Son with lots of posts. I also post other things and as you might imagine, if I post something cute, I get a lot of "likes." If I post scripture or something about our Lord, I will get maybe 2 "likes." However, it doesn't matter at all to me how many people respond to my posts on FB, I do it because my faith brings me joy and comfort and I just want to share that with everyone! Never be afraid to share your faith with others! There is always the chance someone that needs to hear about God will be listening.

 

[Blade]

You know.. its the sweet sweet Holy Spirit in you.. JESUS. Like He said.. light come on..darkness.. they see who they really are..in the light. And.. it shows us GOD is at work in them.

And then.. its what you cant see. When you post and what not.. all those that hear listen.. read.. and turn from sin.. give their life to Christ. And what do you see? Friends or so not wanting to talk as much..oh if you could just SEE Bless you

 

[The Grouch]

Speaking of God is seen by many as a weakness in society. Not inteligent not sophisticated offensive etc

But at the same time politness generosity compassion defence of the weak love are seen as weak too. Its not just talk of God but christian values in general are seen as week and stupid.

As human beings we are social creatures we care about how others view us so often we shy away from mentioning God or moral values... this is something i personally have to combat daily in my own life

 

[radhead]

I grew up with a great love of Jesus and knew God as a loving and kind, and that he would listen to our prayers and even answer them if they were honorable and in the right spirit. (Which I still believe)

But when I got a little older I was introduced to the "gospel" which to me was the worst news I had ever heard. I didn't realize that you could love Jesus and still be in danger of eternal Hell if you didn't pray to receive him into your heart in the correct manner.

So, people who have heard the "good news", which requires even believers in God to have a certain kind of faith, have every right to be put off in regards to any discussion about God. Christianity can be really depressing.

 

[The Grouch]

I grew up with a great love of Jesus and knew God as a loving and kind, and that he would listen to our prayers and even answer them if they were honorable and in the right spirit. (Which I still believe)

But when I got a little older I was introduced to the "gospel" which to me was the worst news I had ever heard. I didn't realize that you could love Jesus and still be in danger of eternal Hell if you didn't pray to receive him into your heart in the correct manner.

So, people who have heard the "good news", which requires even believers in God to have a certain kind of faith, have every right to be put off in regards to any discussion about God. Christianity can be really depressing.

Yeah that has a lot of truth to it. For Many people apathy and ignorance is more bareable than the truth it makes them feel uncomfortable most people just want an easy care free life... it just aint good for their eternal health... i think i would rather feel uncomfortable in this life for 70 to 80+ years than be in absolute torment for all eternity. Sand & Head spring to mind

 

[alex2165]

I think some people shy acknowledging or even saying the word “GOD” because they do not want to look too “religious” in the eyes of others. I myself experienced such “shyness “ due to the same reason, but I always able overcome this by simply not to care much about what other people think about me.

There is other side to this issue. Even among pastors, who are talk a lot about GOD and Christ in the church, but in private, outside the church or at home, I noticed that they prefer to talk about any subject but not about religion.

It seems to me that the pastors and entire congregation dedicated only two (very long and boring) hours to the church to preach and listen to Gospel, but the rest of the time until next Sunday, people prefer not to talk about religion at all (we already have enough).

Last year I was invited to pastor’s house for thanksgiving and I was expected to have with him some conversation concerning some spiritual issues, but it was obvious to me that he was not really willing or wanted to talk about, and instead I spent the rest of the evening watching meaningless football game.

Because my favorite subject and topic of any conversation is about religion first, I view myself as a religious nerd, and while I sometimes ashamed of it, I am still very careful not to annoying other people with unwanted conversation.

But despite some uncomforting feelings, I still do it at every chance I have, but I am very careful not to spark any displeasure or anger in other people.

Luke 12.8

8.And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before others, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of GOD,

9.but whoever denies Me before other, will be denied before the angels of GOD.