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I cried
I'm so messed up I'm agnostic thinking about turning back into a christian or turn into an athiest.. I'm so scared if I turned into an athiest I'll go to hell If there really is a god... If I turn into a christian I'll be believein in something that may not be real? I cried about this.. Should I just turn into an athiest and if there really is a god go to hell for it.. Or should I turn into a christian and believe and god and maybe go to heaven if god is real?
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Want to answer more questions in the Miscellaneous category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
You have to decide yourself, if you believe in him or not. If you are only believing in him, because your afraid of hell. Then, thats stupid. You should believe in God, because hes the one who created the earth, & you should just believe what the bible say. If all your worried about is going to hell. Then, don't. If God believes you are a good person. Then, you will go to heaven. Don't cry. God is a very loving & forgiving person.
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No one can tell you what to be. You will be believing in something someone told you to. God loves the sinners, he hates the sin. God gives you a choice to follow him. Hell is the eternal seperation from God. The devil chooses all the fire and suffering down there. You should really follow your heart. If you can't think of a choice, just stay agnostic. Don't go atheist if you are uncertain what you believe in.
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There's been a lot of good answers so far...
DO NOT be afraid of Hell. Ever. Do you really think that god would make you spend an eternity roasting in flames for one wrong action? He's supposed to be kind and loving. Plus, even if that stuff is true, you have no guarantee that Christianity is the right religion. Maybe it's Islam or Hinduism. Or Buddhism. Or Satanism. Or Confuscism or Shinto or Judaism or Wicca or Paganism.... There's literally thousands. One god is as likely to exist as any other.
I personally am an atheist, and I don't regret it. Fear is religion's best friend, and you need to make the choice not to let it have power over you.
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Hey,
I'm a Christian and i'd just like to say..my life before i became a christian was a mess.GOD WAS WORKED SOO MANY MIRACLES ON ME..and i just wish u could become involved in a church and let God work through your life like he has in mine...Soo Just Pray tonight Pray to be filled with the wisdom to make the right decision and know that no matter what u choose..God and Jesus will ALWAYS love you..no matter what..but i'd really go to Christianity..Truly and Deeply..i'd go to Christianity
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Hello I cried,
I think first and foremost it is important that you shouldn't feel scared or alone while you are going through this feeling. This is an opportunity for you to grow on a spiritual level. Keep in mind when you look to religion to answer your soul questions, you will always end up short handed. The truth lies within you. You don't have to follow a structured form of belief to guide you to your own inner enlightenment. If you let fear drive your decision on faith...your faith will not be pure in heart. Research all options of faith, not just Christianity and see what feels the most comfortable for you and truth for you. Try not to be too consumed with trying to label yourself and most of all, be patient with yourself. You aren't meant to have all the answers at once. If you ask for truth with an open heart (no matter what the answer is...it will come to you when you are ready to receive it)
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These questions are so hard to answer because your basically asking US to tell you what to choose and honestly.. we can't do that. It's up to you, really.
I am a Christian, so this might be a little bias [just a little heads up].
I believe that there is Heaven & Hell and that there is a God & a Devil [go figure]. Satan is trying to confuse you & lead you down the wrong path. Only way i can put it. Right now your going through this emotional state that could decide where you spend eternity.. and he doesn't want you to choose the BEST choice. See, he's trying to confuse you so you will turn to atheism... I can't make you choose Christianity [although, i would love for you too, i just can't make you], but i can tell you that it's done me such GOOD just knowing that God's there and that he cares about ME [me.. wow, when i thought no one could care he does]. I just hope & pray that you make the right decision.
The thief [the devil] comes only to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
--John 10:10
God Bless,
Nikki.
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Dear One,
You are NOT messed up. You are a deep thinking, feeling young person who's seeking answers to questions we all ask at one time or another!
The answer you are seeking my require another question all together. Perhaps, instead of "either this or that" the answer is "this and that." Why not check out spiritual viewpoints that include understanding God as a Higher Power? Any religious tradition that's so narrow that you fear going to hell if you don't become a strict, dogmatic, fundamentalist might not be the best path for you.
Have you thought about reading a little bit on spiritual traditions from around the world? This might be interesting, and I know your local community college offers classes in "world religions." I have taken just such a class myself, and I can tell you it opened my narrow viewpoint on God and the role spirituality plays in the evolution of humanity. This is not to say that you will become a practitioner of another religious tradition, but it will expose you to other viewpoints.
Remember, spiritual self-inquiry can be a healthy activity and it does not mean you are "messed up."
I wish you well,
Earth Mother
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You shouldn't spend your time worrying about what to belive. There are so many religions out there, and you just need to find what's right for you. Whether or not there is a god you should believe what seems like the best religion for you. Do you believe in god? Jesus? If so become a Christian. If not then maybe you should stay agnostic. Hope I helped.
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The fact that you cried and are obviously struggling with this tells me you are in a battle for your soul. To be atheist, you would have to believe that there is no God at all. You would have to believe there is no absolute truth. Your question sounds like you know there is a God and you know there is absolute truth, but the battle to find that truth is getting hard. Don't give up the fight. If it's getting hard, it means you're getting close to knowing truth.
Since you mentioned "turning back into a Christian", I am going to assume you were a Christian at one time. If that's the case, you know there really is a God and there really is absolute truth, at least intellectually you know that. But perhaps you haven't opened your heart to it and you are in fear of facing God. Let me assure you God forgives those who come to Him with a repentant heart. But the key is REPENTANCE.
So many people believe God will just forgive because He loves everyone and wouldn't send anyone to hell. God does love.....He proved that when He sent His only Son Jesus to take the punishment for our sins; a punishment we could never ever pay because the debt is to much. But God is also a just God. Anyone who does not accept His gift of grace will bear there own punishment in the end which is hell.
Would a judge in the U.S. court system let a criminal go with no punishment? If he did, he would not be just. How many people would raise there hands in a courtroom and offer to take the criminal's place -- take his/her punishment? If someone actually did offer to take the punishment, how many criminals would say to that person who raised their hand, "No thanks. I want to bear my own punishment." Yet this is what people do when they turn their backs to God's gift of grace. We are all sinners and need a Savior. God has made a way. All a person has to do is embrace it.
I'm not here to "push" my Christianity on you. I just want to encourage you to keep seeking. The Bible says in Luke 11:9-10, "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."
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Don't become Christian just to go to heaven. Honestly, being agnostic sounds like the best choice for you...you don't seem to really want to be a christian or atheist.
But keeping in mind...if there was a god...and he really did love people and forgive them, etc etc...why would he send them to hell for not being Christian?
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You're not the first person to struggle with this question, don't worry, you're not so alone as you feel.
Here's what I know: you should not believe in God just to get into heaven. trust me, plenty of big churches will tell you otherwise, they basically act like that's the point of everything, but I disagree. I think journeys, like the one you're on now, are the point of everything. Religion is a gift to make us bigger than ourselves. Anyone who tries to make it less is getting just that: less.
If God loves you like us Christians say He does, he won't send you to hell for questioning, anyway. We all do it, it's the way we're made, and it's definitely the way you're made. It's okay to be frustrated about it, cry about it, get mad about it... the important thing is that you continue on your journey and appreciate the mind you've been given that wants to look beyond what everybody's trying to feed you.
My advice is to read... read the New Testament, C.S Lewis, Marcus Borg, and give yourself time to think and decide what's really calling you. Don't act out of fear of going to hell, act out of love for God or the world or being true to yourself. Then you'll really have faith that's part of you, not something forced. that goes for either side, too, remember atheism takes faith, sometimes more than Christianity, because it's hard to really know what's going on here.
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Naturally, atheists and agnostics will tell you that you should be one of those choices and that you won't go to hell because that's what they believe.
Christians will advise you not to turn away from God and give up your eternal life, because that's what we believe.
I have something for you to read that might be helpful to you:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
It's an absolutely fascinating read about a former die-hard atheist who was determined to write a book called "All the Stupidity of the Bible".
As a teacher of physics and earth science, he is a logical and analytical person.
He also looked into many religions and read the Vedas, Koran, Sayings of Buddha, writings of Bahaullah and Zoroaster.
I think you might be interested in his story.
Good Luck.
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uhh why would you cry over this? maybe you should learn to chill out about stuff beforeyou make any important decisions.
but yeah i'm agnostic and i think its the way to be!
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agnostic? thats where you think there's something there but don't know, don't care?
assuming my idea is around correct:
I've never understood the concept of hell: an omnipotent god, able to forgive can't save you from someone who he cast out of heaven? but then that interfers with 1.we have our free will,and 2. that satan, has any power at all.
if the latter is true, it explains how you can go to hell. If the former is true, and we still go to hell, it is because we choose to.
i find christianity is full of contidictions like this. i have nothing against the faith, or the people in it, and i love the concept, of a wholly forgiving god, and the personification of darkness, because it means our actions are not our own. I think the problem lies in the bible, because of the fact that its english translations, are far from the untranlated versions, perhaps because the people who first translated it had very little knoladge of the language they were translating it into.
if this issue causes you so much grief, i say you are narrowing your choices, because you see atheism and christianity as your only choices. there are other faiths, ones i would reccomend include buhddism, and paganism.
Solemnstar
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atheist.do you actually believ in heaven and hell. think about it: HEaven, everything you want, wouldnt it get boring after a month or so? also, then you could never die, unless theres more and more heavens. thewhole thing is shit. also, heaven and hell WOULD be discrimatory, because you cant help it if you came from a trashy home, resulting in your steeling and doing other crimes, it was the way you were brought up, so does that mean you should go to hell for being raised. NO its your parent's fautl
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that is a hard decission
i think i would become a christian but i am catholic which is kind of like a christian
but its not what i would do that matters...
its what you think would be best for you
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