So, I’m back...and I’m agnostic now.

[Ugly]

Where have I said that questioning it is not allowed? You seem to refer to this alot. Can you show me?


The reason I said I would not take your advice pertaining Christianity is I truly believe you to not be a Christian. So when you give me advice on such I will take it with a grain of salt.
The reason for me not taking your advice, majority of it is that I believe you are not a Christian. The second part is, you are straw manning me.

I will break down your statement.
Is not a persons faith a journey? Yes, but journey to where?
Periods of strong faith and periods of doubt? This is true, there are ups and downs as you said. But where is the line to how far down one can go before you question their heart?
Can't it simply be a persons journey and part of their story and not be so generically labeled as deceived by the world? No, this cannot be. I was an atheist. Was it part of my journey? Yes, but I was deceived by the world. Just because it is part of your journey does not mean everything you do is correct.
Your determination to push her into a role you've deemed I am not pushing her into a "role". I asked questions and said what I believed... I did not choose this as THE "role", it is what God says...
The only option speaks more to you, than her. There is only 1 way to God... There is not many... Christ talks about being like the world... I did not make this up as a "role". Do I fall into this myself? Yes, I smell of the world in a lot of aspects.


But let's take your advice, just encourage them, and let them go their path without anyone saying anything different... You are a perfect example, how has it worked for you? According to your own words not very well...
And I also, currently, am not sure where I stand in terms of what I believe, after nearly 30 years.
Reactions went be too bad, though there's always the scripture slingers. And I got told I lacked faith when I posted on questioning God. But most people were supportive.

So since you don't like "scripture slingers" intellectualize your thoughts on this. How can it be beneficial to encourage those who say that the bible is not the full truth, that religion is about feeling not fact, and avoid the bible for any real answers?

So much judgment and accusation bleed from you. Not worth the fight.
Now go and accuse me of not having answers to you and criticize me for it. In true Christian fashion.

 

[MrsDetermined]

I don't know whats more sad.... Seeing someone say that God may not exist after saying they were a Christian... Or seeing people who call themselves Christians and support this bull. This is not someone questioning their faith here... In my honest opinion this shows no signs of questioning faith... It shows something else...

Here is some interesting quotes on the topic from WineRose

"With all these different religions and endless possibilities, I just don't feel right saying that Christianity has absolutely EVERYTHING correct
Sorry, but I'm trying to avoid the Bible for solid proof and answers.
I might return to Christianity...if I feel that it is ACTUALLY the right path.
I have become agnostic for now, NOT because I have any issue with the lessons that the Bible teaches, or have anything else against the religion. This is just me taking a step back for the time being, mostly due to me recently having a bit of an epiphany that there are infinite possibilities out there.
Christianity, while it DOES definitely have some things right, is only one of these endless possible truths out there, whether I liked it or not.
It's just that I don't know who (God) exactly he/she/it is.
Yeah, now that I think about it, the word 'agnostic' wasn't really the best to describe my situation. I think 'deist' would be a better word choice. "

Sounds exactly like what the world says...
Christianity isn't the only truth, CHECK
There can be many gods CHECK
Its about the spirituality more than who God is CHECK
Religion is more about what you feel then truth CHECK
God's gender is arbitrary CHECK
Avoid the bible for the real answers CHECK
Christianity might contain some truths but not everything is true, CHECK

I could go on and on... Sounds identical to the world...

 

[MrsDetermined]

NOWHERE in his post did he say that you're evil. HE SAID that you sound like the world. It's baffling how a Christian can suddenly become an agnostic or deist or whatever foolish thing you think you are now. You cannot un-become being a Christian, Rose..

The sooner you realize that, the better.

What did you hope from us with this thread? Support, sympathy? Agreement that it's okay to be anything other than Christian? Or some unadulterated straight talk from people who DO know who God is, that He IS real and that the bible is the ONLY source to find the answers you're looking for. :/

Your reaction is the reason some non believers turn their noses up at Christianity! We preach the gospel and we share about a God that came fully as man to serve and not be served. Who took on the the bad, the worse, the cursed, the crippled, the adulter etc... but for some reason we think he can’t take care of the confused? The closest that walked with him denied him...What do you think happened to them?

God’s got this and I certainly don’t need to condemn the lost or questioning or deist however he views hisself right now because the God I severe is in pursuit.

Remember he leaves the 99 for the 1 is more than a song it is TRUTH!

 

[blue_ladybug]

Your reaction is the reason some non believers turn their noses up at Christianity! We preach the gospel and we share about a God that came fully as man to serve and not be served. Who took on the the bad, the worse, the cursed, the crippled, the adulter etc... but for some reason we think he can’t take care of the confused? The closest that walked with him denied him...What do you think happened to them?

God’s got this and I certainly don’t need to condemn the lost or questioning or deist however he views hisself right now because the God I severe is in pursuit.

Remember he leaves the 99 for the 1 is more than a song it is TRUTH!

1.) WineRose is a female.

2. I'm not condemning her. There's more to the story that she has disclosed to me, but I won't reveal it here.

3. The closest that walked with Jesus denied Him. Let's see what happened to them. Judas committed suicide and I believe Peter was crucified, upside down btw.. :/

I have no doubt that God has this and will return her to his fold. But we would be remiss if we didn't keep reminding her that the bible has ALL the answers she's seeking..

 

[Lynx]

Whew! The things I miss while I'm at work!

WineRose: For what it is worth I am impressed that you haven't blasted the people blasting you. Your responses have been moderate and my opinion of you has risen somewhat. Of course my opinion is only worth as much as anybody else's, but I thought I should mention I am impressed. Many people would have gotten upset and fired back at these people.

So now you know why Christians with doubts or questions never, ever talk to other people, ESPECIALLY other Christians, about their doubts or questions. People usually have a very strong, very negative reaction when their beliefs are questioned - not just Christians, everybody. If you are a member of their group that has a belief, and you say you are no longer a member of that group, people can sometimes take that as a betrayal of sorts.

In short, when you say you are no longer a Christian, that makes some of the more argumentative Christians go to Red Alert and start blasting you.

I can understand why you want to find Truth without relying on the Bible. Each religion has its own religious texts, and each religion believes its written works are The Truth. How do you determine which one to follow? All I know is I have proven the Bible for myself, to my own satisfaction. I can assure you it is true. But many others from many other religions will also assure you their written works are true.

You will eventually have to take somebody's word for some things though. There is no way you can verify every truth in the world with your own eyes. Your life isn't long enough. The best you can do is find the beliefs that fit observable reality, and investigate those closer.

It also helps to determine which end-point you want and work backward. Look at elderly people, how their lives turned out, and determine which ones turned out the way you want yours to turn out. Then find out what they followed to get there. (Protip: Christian lives have a good track record for influencing large numbers of people in positive ways... but Christian lives are not always the most comfortable.)

Above all, please make sure to not just sit down and let your life ride on "I'm not sure what truth is." You need to figure out what you believe, and soon. The sooner you figure out what you believe, the more of your life you will have to put into it.

 

[CherieR]

Hey WineRose, it is good you are being honest. Don't be afraid to ask the hard questions and seek truth. I do encourage you to read the bible though. See one reason I say this is some people will say the bible says certain things or teaches certain things when it is not true. If you know your bible very well, it should help you discern what information you hear about the bible is true or false. There are many resources out there on Christianity, Apologetics and different religions. The library should have lots of books on those topics. You can message me if you want as well.

 

[MrsDetermined]

1.) WineRose is a female.

2. I'm not condemning her. There's more to the story that she has disclosed to me, but I won't reveal it here.

3. The closest that walked with Jesus denied Him. Let's see what happened to them. Judas committed suicide and I believe Peter was crucified, upside down btw.. :/

I have no doubt that God has this and will return her to his fold. But we would be remiss if we didn't keep reminding her that the bible has ALL the answers she's seeking..

First let me apologize for mistaken gender identity.

Second she seems like a smart lady and she was once Christian. So saying you are now questioning your faith doesn't automatically erase the truth you already know. She knows the bible has all the answers. She ask for the time and space to do that. She doesn't need force fed. When my friends around me who are not Christians ask me about things in my life being so good or my ability to get through tough situations...THAT IS WHEN I SHARE THE GOSPEL.

So sorry if my question went over your head....During judgment will Peter go to Hell because he denied Jesus?

 

[SkittlePumpkin]

Hi WineRose! Welcome back 😄 I was also gone from CC for a while, and am back now...though not agnostic 😆

 

[SkittlePumpkin]

Also, the Bible truly is living and active; my favourite thing about it is that you can literally read it cover to cover 500 times, and then on the 501st time, you suddenly see things you'd never seen before. So, re-reading it might not be a bad idea!
Just some food for thought 😁

 

[blue_ladybug]

First let me apologize for mistaken gender identity.

Second she seems like a smart lady and she was once Christian. So saying you are now questioning your faith doesn't automatically erase the truth you already know. She knows the bible has all the answers. She ask for the time and space to do that. She doesn't need force fed. When my friends around me who are not Christians ask me about things in my life being so good or my ability to get through tough situations...THAT IS WHEN I SHARE THE GOSPEL.

So sorry if my question went over your head....During judgment will Peter go to Hell because he denied Jesus?

She's not a "lady". She's a smart 16 year old child. And she IS still a Christian. It's impossible to un-become a Christian. No one is "force feeding" her, but she says she's avoiding the bible for answers. So despite knowing that the bible has the answers she seeks, she's purposely avoiding it for certain reasons that she has disclosed to me in PM. Hopefully she won't take too long to realize the truth. The end is closer than we think, and satan's trying to get whoever he can right now.

Only God knows if Peter will go to the lake of fire. That's where those who deny Jesus end up. And Peter denied Him not once, but THREE times. HELL is only the resting place for the dead, apparently. The lake of fire is where the evil go, but that's a subject for another thread.

 

[thatfizzyguy]

First let me apologize for mistaken gender identity.

Second she seems like a smart lady and she was once Christian. So saying you are now questioning your faith doesn't automatically erase the truth you already know. She knows the bible has all the answers. She ask for the time and space to do that. She doesn't need force fed. When my friends around me who are not Christians ask me about things in my life being so good or my ability to get through tough situations...THAT IS WHEN I SHARE THE GOSPEL.

So sorry if my question went over your head....During judgment will Peter go to Hell because he denied Jesus?

 

[thatfizzyguy]

She's not a "lady". She's a smart 16 year old child. And she IS still a Christian. It's impossible to un-become a Christian. No one is "force feeding" her, but she says she's avoiding the bible for answers. So despite knowing that the bible has the answers she seeks, she's purposely avoiding it for certain reasons that she has disclosed to me in PM. Hopefully she won't take too long to realize the truth. The end is closer than we think, and satan's trying to get whoever he can right now.

Only God knows if Peter will go to the lake of fire. That's where those who deny Jesus end up. And Peter denied Him not once, but THREE times. HELL is only the resting place for the dead, apparently. The lake of fire is where the evil go, but that's a subject for another thread.

I approve this blue lady bug message!

 

[thatfizzyguy]

Also, the Bible truly is living and active; my favourite thing about it is that you can literally read it cover to cover 500 times, and then on the 501st time, you suddenly see things you'd never seen before. So, re-reading it might not be a bad idea!
Just some food for thought 😁

You are correct it's so very fascinating that reading it over and over definitely happens even for people that aren't Christians.

 

[thatfizzyguy]

Hmm a lot is going on here and the op isn't seeking to reply anymore I'll respectfully leave this thread too...

 

[tanakh]

The core difference between Christianity and every other religion or philosophy you care to mention is that they all teach that
an individual can be acceptable to God through some form of self effort. This is the key point by which they all fail to produce the
goods. You will find that they all contain some truth and moral guidance which can help an individual in life and from the worlds point of view make that person seem a fine upstanding individual. But from Gods point of view it always falls short because we all possess
a sin nature that cannot be removed by self effort. Adam and Eve used Fig Leaves to cover their sin nature and people still use them
in the form of alternative routes to God. Sadly some of those people are considered Christians and spend their lives trying to achieve
in themselves what Christ achieved on their behalf.

 

[Miri]

The core difference between Christianity and every other religion or philosophy you care to mention is that they all teach that
an individual can be acceptable to God through some form of self effort. This is the key point by which they all fail to produce the
goods. You will find that they all contain some truth and moral guidance which can help an individual in life and from the worlds point of view make that person seem a fine upstanding individual. But from Gods point of view it always falls short because we all possess
a sin nature that cannot be removed by self effort. Adam and Eve used Fig Leaves to cover their sin nature and people still use them
in the form of alternative routes to God. Sadly some of those people are considered Christians and spend their lives trying to achieve
in themselves what Christ achieved on their behalf.

Plus Jesus is still alive! All the others are dead, how can a dead person save
people. If the others can’t even save themselves they can’t save anyone else. 😉