Why I can't accept Christianity

[Shadow]

Hi! I'm new to these forums.

I was a Christian for many years and never gave it much intellectual thought. Over the last couple years, I started to use reason and logic to analyze the claims which were associated with Christianity as well as what is written in the Bible. Upon doing this, I came to the conclusion that much of what is written in the Bible is mythology. However, many of my good friends as well as my family still attend church and find being in the community so rewarding. I've tried to attend with them, as I don't want to lose the community aspect. But I feel guilty taking up space in the church when I don't believe any of what they're talking about.

The main reasons I can't accept it:
1) contradictions in the Bible
2) the Bible advocates slaughter and killing
3) the logical problems of omniscience, omnipotence and omnibenevolence
4) the mafia boss aspect of it (e.g. "if you don't believe this, you will rot in hell")

I am not a believer, so you are welcome to take my words with caution as you feel appropriate.

It is a sad truth that we are not born with the knowledge of how to love unconditionally but that it is something which we must learn in spite of ourselves and the things which can obscure it: our pride, our lust, our greed, our envy, our hatred and our fear. It is a tragedy which means we walk amongst strangers and can sometimes become a stranger to ourselves, even if we share a common humanity with each other. It is why we can feel most alone around other people. We have to learn how to love ourselves and each other and we have to do it based on having the courage to follow what we know to be true.

I would hope that if the essence of Christianity is the capacity for love, that it would mean that your family and your friends can love and appreciate who you are, whatever your differences. In many ways, having relationships with people who differ from us can enrich us in ways we could not imagine as we learn and share from often alien experiences. You shouldn't have to feel guilty for not sharing a person's beliefs because your value is not in being forced to be the same as others but in being true to who you are.

Now, we all make mistakes and get things wrong and I may be wrong about their being no god, but sometimes it is worth being wrong for the right reasons, rather than be right for the wrong reasons. It is easy to pass a test by repeating the correct answers, but you can get a high score on a test and not be able to apply what you have learned. Life requires not simply knowing the right answers, but also knowing how to apply them even at the right of making mistakes. If the Bible is the book full of the right answers, that is still not the same as being able to live by them.

I probably and reading this wrong but John 14:6 says

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

And John 14:15 to 14:17 says:

15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.d

And John 15:18 and 15:19 says:

"If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

I could be wrong but Jesus would probably tell you to follow the truth. He followed it even on to the cross. I'm not suggesting you build your own cross in your backyard and martyr yourself, but living is an exercise in uncertainty. We don't know how it will turn out and whether we will like the outcome; we don't always know if we are the "good guys" or if we worship at the alter of false gods. Sometimes it can be hard to tell when things get out of control and force us to take a path we are unfamiliar with. But we have to take risks to know the truth and know ourselves but that is what faith is for- so we can find out.

Sometimes it takes the greatest act of faith to let go of those things which makes us feel safe, the things we wish were true but we know aren't. I hope a Christian will recognise that you are not giving up your faith, but are in a sense renewing it by having faith in you knowing that you are listening to the spirit of truth that "abides with you and will be in you". If God is out there, have the faith to doubt him and take your own path. If he is out there- he will find you and love you and you should be loved.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Maria, thanks for your response. I'd like to ask what you think is the reason God doesn't prevent cancer-stricken babies from getting cancer?

How funny, I was going to answer that in my previous response as that is the second most commonly asked question by those who struggle with God. My humble answer:

This may seem trite but God has His reasons for allowing pain ,suffering and death in our lives. Now I can not claim to know His reasons however, I can speculate, as a mere human, on my suspicion.

We are all going to die one day. Do we all die the exact same way? No we do not. Do we all die at the exact same age? No we do not. If God allows a baby to die at birth or an adult to die at the age of 102 is this somehow unfair? No, I do not think so. There are as many ways and times to die as there is sand in the sea. All I can say is God has His reasons for giving us life and He has His reason for ending it.

Best I can do on this subject

 

[Maria Billingsley]

So you don't know it to be true. You just believe what the Bible says. If correct, then why do you pretend to know it? This is yet another thing which has turned me off about Christianity - the tendency of Christians to act as if they know things which they don't really know.

Yes, I believe the historical account in the bible. Just like we believe in the thousands of historical accounts in other books, why not believe in this historical account.

 

[Dave L]

Why would a loving God punish sin with death? That doesn't sound much like love to me.


So Christianity teaches that it is loving to kill others. That's one of many reasons I don't care anymore for Christianity.


How do you know that? The medical and scientific world has come to different conclusions as to why babies die.


How do you know that anyone suffers in hell?


How do you know this?

>God is good for punishing sin. Only a sleazy god would let it slide.

>Christians do not kill people anywhere in the New Testament, even though wicked people kill them.

> All death is because of sin. [David said] Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5)

>“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:28–29)

 

[mark kennedy]

Your obviously one of those who want to take Hebrews out of the bible.

No I'm not interested in any such thing. I love Hebrews but I do question Pauline authorship, I thin Barnabas wrote it. He does qualify as apostolic because of his association with the Apostles, specifically Paul. The only way I'd have a problem is if he ran contrary to Apostolic authority and there is no indication of that.

 

[Kim7229]

You are here, on a Christian website. Who brought you here? Yes, God!

No. I brought myself here. Why would you think God brought me here?

The Bible is very complex but, Christianity is much more than words in a book. Look at the bigger picture. Dont get hung up on just scripture. Thats the beauty of Catholicism. We have Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Open your mind to God. He is not trapped in the Bible.

How would I open my mind to something which I don't believe to exist? Could you open your mind to the Norse God Thor (assuming you don't believe it exists)?

 

[hedrick]

So you don't know it to be true. You just believe what the Bible says. If correct, then why do you pretend to know it? This is yet another thing which has turned me off about Christianity - the tendency of Christians to act as if they know things which they don't really know.

Not all Christians. Taking the Bible as 100% historically accurate is a hallmark of conservative Protestants. Liberal Protestants and Catholics allow the possibility that parts of it are legendary. The reason is that there are three different theories about what the Bible is, though all will say that it is in some sense the Word of God:
* conservative Protestants mean it's the word of God in the sense that God is responsible for 100% of the content; thus it is completely accurate and cant contain contradictions
* liberal Protestants say it's written by people with whom God worked, and thus is is like any human witness. Further, the early parts are from times where no records were kept, so it may be in part legends.
* Catholics say it's a witness to the Church's faith. In the last century or so that has come to mean something pretty close to what liberal Protestants say.

By liberal Protestants I mean the traditional denominations, i.e. the largest parts of Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, etc. Membership among Protestants seems to be about 2/1 conservative / liberal.

 

[~Zao~]

No I'm not interested in any such thing. I love Hebrews but I do question Pauline authorship, I thin Barnabas wrote it. He does qualify as apostolic because of his association with the Apostles, specifically Paul. The only way I'd have a problem is if he ran contrary to Apostolic authority and there is no indication of that.

I'm sure there are numerous reasons why the authorship was not included Barnabas would be my second guess but more evidence shows that this is also questionable. However the contents clearly prove your theory false.

 

[GTW27]

I am not a believer, so you are welcome to take my words with caution as you feel appropriate.

It is a sad truth that we are not born with the knowledge of how to love unconditionally but that it is something which we must learn in spite of ourselves and the things which can obscure it: our pride, our lust, our greed, our envy, our hatred and our fear. It is a tragedy which means we walk amongst strangers and can sometimes become a stranger to ourselves, even if we share a common humanity with each other. It is why we can feel most alone around other people. We have to learn how to love ourselves and each other and we have to do it based on having the courage to follow what we know to be true.

I would hope that if the essence of Christianity is the capacity for love, that it would mean that your family and your friends can love and appreciate who you are, whatever your differences. In many ways, having relationships with people who differ from us can enrich us in ways we could not imagine as we learn and share from often alien experiences. You shouldn't have to feel guilty for not sharing a person's beliefs because your value is not in being forced to be the same as others but in being true to who you are.

Now, we all make mistakes and get things wrong and I may be wrong about their being no god, but sometimes it is worth being wrong for the right reasons, rather than be right for the wrong reasons. It is easy to pass a test by repeating the correct answers, but you can get a high score on a test and not be able to apply what you have learned. Life requires not simply knowing the right answers, but also knowing how to apply them even at the right of making mistakes. If the Bible is the book full of the right answers, that is still not the same as being able to live by them.

I probably and reading this wrong but John 14:6 says

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

And John 14:15 to 14:17 says:

15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.d

And John 15:18 and 15:19 says:

"If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

I could be wrong but Jesus would probably tell you to follow the truth. He followed it even on to the cross. I'm not suggesting you build your own cross in your backyard and martyr yourself, but living is an exercise in uncertainty. We don't know how it will turn out and whether we will like the outcome; we don't always know if we are the "good guys" or if we worship at the alter of false gods. Sometimes it can be hard to tell when things get out of control and force us to take a path we are unfamiliar with. But we have to take risks to know the truth and know ourselves but that is what faith is for- so we can find out.

Sometimes it takes the greatest act of faith to let go of those things which makes us feel safe, the things we wish were true but we know aren't. I hope a Christian will recognise that you are not giving up your faith, but are in a sense renewing it by having faith in you knowing that you are listening to the spirit of truth that "abides with you and will be in you". If God is out there, have the faith to doubt him and take your own path. If he is out there- he will find you and love you and you should be loved.

"I tell you truly, you are not far from The Kingdom of God."

 

[mark kennedy]

I'm sure there are numerous reasons why the authorship was not included Barnabas would be my second guess but more evidence shows that this is also questionable. However the contents clearly prove your theory false.

What exactly makes the theory false? It's very Pauline but the real content looks levetical to me.

 

[Kim7229]

How funny, I was going to answer that in my previous response as that is the second most commonly asked question by those who struggle with God. My humble answer:

This may seem trite but God has His reasons for allowing pain ,suffering and death in our lives. Now I can not claim to know His reasons however, I can speculate, as a mere human, on my suspicion.

We are all going to die one day. Do we all die the exact same way? No we do not. Do we all die at the exact same age? No we do not. If God allows a baby to die at birth or an adult to die at the age of 102 is this somehow unfair? No, I do not think so. There are as many ways and times to die as there is sand in the sea. All I can say is God has His reasons for giving us life and He has His reason for ending it.

Best I can do on this subject

If God exists and doesn't prevent the type of evil we're talking about, then he either doesn't know about the evil, doesn't care to prevent it or isn't capable of preventing it. Which of those do you think it is?

 

[FireDragon76]

I think that's largely fair criticism of certain forms of Christianity, but keep in mind not all Christians are religious fundamentalists. There are plenty of Christians that would have problems with those things too.

My understanding of what it means to be a Christian, ethically, is to be a person for others. That does not involve acting in an egotistical, fear-driven manner. I would understand much of the OT as a human experience of God over thousands of years, involving oral traditions, and not as an exhaustive guide to human ethics.

I suppose I continue to be a Christian because I believe, with room for fair criticism and reasonable discernment, there is enough in what we call Christianity that is worth believing in and that can inspire people.

 

[NBB]

Your logic and reason is contaminated because God is true believe me. Search google for testimonies of experiences with the holy spirit, and you will see a lot of people experienced God like me. If i could transfer memories to another person i would, but i can't, believe God exists and interacts with people. The devil too.

You can receive this gift too, if you become a child of God.

 

[NBB]

If God exists and doesn't prevent the type of evil we're talking about, then he either doesn't know about the evil, doesn't care to prevent it or isn't capable of preventing it. Which of those do you think it is?

You can criticize what kind of world God has created, that he doesn't help all people, but that doesn't make him not exist, he cares a lot for humanity, he knows everything, and is very capable of creating the whole universe and ourselves.

 

[~Zao~]

What exactly makes the theory false? It's very Pauline but the real content looks levetical to me.

Mainly because it says the the levitical priesthood has passed away

 

[Kim7229]

Your logic and reason is contaminated because God is true believe me. Search google for testimonies of experiences with the holy spirit, and you will see a lot of people experienced God like me. If i could transfer memories to another person i would, but i can't, believe God exists and interacts with people. The devil too.

You can receive this gift too, if you become a child of God.

What is your definition of 'God' and how do you know God exists?

 

[NBB]

What is your definition of 'God' and how do you know God exists?

Main reason, the holy spirit, he will do things to you, he can speak to you (spiritually) and you can feel him also (spiritually), and he can change people.

Is so Good to have someone like Him along side you. He is so nice

 

[2PhiloVoid]

If God exists and doesn't prevent the type of evil we're talking about, then he either doesn't know about the evil, doesn't care to prevent it or isn't capable of preventing it. Which of those do you think it is?

Personally, since the God of religious Jews and of Christians does not reside in our space-time existence, I'm not sure why we'd have to think that these 3 possibilities are the only three options available for us to contemplate. If there are more factors to be considered, then it's not a logical conclusion to stop with these 3 you've mentioned, Kim.

 

[NBB]

I am not a believer, so you are welcome to take my words with caution as you feel appropriate.

It is a sad truth that we are not born with the knowledge of how to love unconditionally but that it is something which we must learn in spite of ourselves and the things which can obscure it: our pride, our lust, our greed, our envy, our hatred and our fear. It is a tragedy which means we walk amongst strangers and can sometimes become a stranger to ourselves, even if we share a common humanity with each other. It is why we can feel most alone around other people. We have to learn how to love ourselves and each other and we have to do it based on having the courage to follow what we know to be true.

I would hope that if the essence of Christianity is the capacity for love, that it would mean that your family and your friends can love and appreciate who you are, whatever your differences. In many ways, having relationships with people who differ from us can enrich us in ways we could not imagine as we learn and share from often alien experiences. You shouldn't have to feel guilty for not sharing a person's beliefs because your value is not in being forced to be the same as others but in being true to who you are.

Now, we all make mistakes and get things wrong and I may be wrong about their being no god, but sometimes it is worth being wrong for the right reasons, rather than be right for the wrong reasons. It is easy to pass a test by repeating the correct answers, but you can get a high score on a test and not be able to apply what you have learned. Life requires not simply knowing the right answers, but also knowing how to apply them even at the right of making mistakes. If the Bible is the book full of the right answers, that is still not the same as being able to live by them.

I probably and reading this wrong but John 14:6 says

"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

And John 14:15 to 14:17 says:

15If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.d

And John 15:18 and 15:19 says:

"If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

I could be wrong but Jesus would probably tell you to follow the truth. He followed it even on to the cross. I'm not suggesting you build your own cross in your backyard and martyr yourself, but living is an exercise in uncertainty. We don't know how it will turn out and whether we will like the outcome; we don't always know if we are the "good guys" or if we worship at the alter of false gods. Sometimes it can be hard to tell when things get out of control and force us to take a path we are unfamiliar with. But we have to take risks to know the truth and know ourselves but that is what faith is for- so we can find out.

Sometimes it takes the greatest act of faith to let go of those things which makes us feel safe, the things we wish were true but we know aren't. I hope a Christian will recognise that you are not giving up your faith, but are in a sense renewing it by having faith in you knowing that you are listening to the spirit of truth that "abides with you and will be in you". If God is out there, have the faith to doubt him and take your own path. If he is out there- he will find you and love you and you should be loved.

Truth can be learned different to some people than others... but true truth doesn't change obviously.

 

[mark kennedy]

Mainly because it says the the levitical priesthood has passed away

It hadn't in the first century, how do you think Christians learned how to preserve their sacred texts. Barnabus and John Mark were both Levites.