You seem sincere - welcome to CF!
It sounds as though both of you are saying that I have to accept something that I, as yet, have little or no reason to accept, before god will give me a reason to accept that he is real. Why is it that I have to make an assumption?
I hate assumptions, and think this can be seen consistently within my posts. Apparently this is just my disposition and I adopted it early, as my Mom often called me "unassuming." My point being, that I never made an assumption to find G-d.
My first Pastor was more than a bit of a rogue, and he got to the point in his life where he prayed "God if you're real show me, and if you're not I'm sorry I asked." You can guess he got a moving response?
And yet there is something involved here sometimes called "a step of Faith" that we must be willing to take. Sorry I can't be more specific, but it is not assumption.
Certainly there would be some evidence that you could point me to that would say to me that god exists. Isn't there any?
Truthfully, all of Christianity hangs on Jesus, suffered, died, buried, and rose again. Each of us who know Him have evidence of this, and the first people to hear this message heard it from women! (This is significant because at that time and in that place, they weren't considered as credible as men)
How can I ask in faith if I don't have any faith? This all just seems so cyclical to me.
First, I want to credit you for not completely dismissing everything out of hand as being "circular." Thank you! Most people with "questions" here do that, and it shows a closed mind.
Next, Scripture tells us that G-d gives "a measure of Faith to every man," and also that Jesus "lights every man that comes into the world." No, I don't think these statements are sexist in any way, nor do I think they are meant to be gender-specific.
So I think you do have some amount of faith of some type, or at least you have in the past before the rigors of life stripped it away. (I'm not actually sure that can really happen, but it sure seems like it to me) This is where a point I have often seen Antz make comes into play, that part of our role is to come to agree with Jesus. A great question he has often asked is if you encounter anything Jesus said that you find wrong? And I often point out that while reading the Bible may seem daunting, 3 chapters a day and you'll get through the whole thing in a year, and Jesus' words are a
tiny fraction of that. I always recommend starting with John's Gospel, (can be read in a day) and continuing from there right to the end of the Bible.
This process will "put you in touch with" your Faith, and how you react may surprise us both! I also have a word document that depicts the sort of attitude I have learned to adopt when approaching reading the Bible, which made ALL the difference in my own life. If you want I'll serve up the copypasta ...
I do recognize my own lack. I know that there is something missing from my life. And I am trying to see if Christianity has what will fill the void. So far it has been frustrating.
I hear ya! That first step is indeed the hardest part. It took me 3 1/2 years of having the Lord indisputably in my life before He managed to bring me into contact with His people. That was a rough time during which I didn't make any progress on my own that I'm aware of, but no doubt He did some preparation in my heart that was necessary before bringing me into His Church.
I encourage you to stay honest, and be real with G-d. You won't get anywhere any other way; He certainly can't be fooled! This "something missing" feeling you have is a NECESSARY ingredient, and I can point you to relevant Scripture:
"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." (Psalm 42:1) Ponder what that might mean. Read the whole Psalm if you want, to get a better context. No doubt understanding what situation David was in when he wrote it would add further insight, but start by taking it at face value, and recognizing this "heart posture" is something to be consciously developed, as it worked for King David!
There is effort involved in finding G-d, for any of us.
