|
I don't know what I believe.
I'm a teenager who was raised Catholic but now I'm like agnostic or atheist or something.
I don't really believe there was a guy named jesus who died for everyone's sins. i really do not believe that. so how can i call myself a christian?
i do not agree with the christian ideals on premarital sex. i lust all the time- so i don't want a religion that prevents lusting.
i also masturbate. i'm not going to stop it for some higher power that isn't even real.
what should i do? i don't believe anything.
i don't want to be a Christian. I never really was one in the first place.
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Miscellaneous category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
if your mind is telling you one thing and your heart another, follow your heart
you might think that hey, i've been doing this religious thing all my life but i want to stop. but that's bad...
and then your heart might be telling you that you are not what you've been acting all your life
go with your heart
give it a try and if you like the fact that your agnostic or atheist, then keep it that way
but before you give a final decision, i suggest you do research on agonsticism and atheism because they might seem similar but they can be very different
personally, i'm an atheist and sometimes i might feel like i should be religious but i know that deep down, it's not right for me
i stick up in what i believe, i respect what others believe, and i never EVER push my beliefs onto others
so think through this and do your research, you'll be glad you did :D
]
What you should do is research other religions, such as Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, and Islam.
I must tell you something, though. Most religions require things and prohibit other things. For example, I can tell you right now that Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all look down upon premarital sex. If you decide to follow one of these religions, it is you who must change. You cannot shape a religion out of what you are willing to do and what you won't do. Religions shape YOU.
]
If you dont want to be a christian, then dont be one. There is no point in making yourself miserable by trying to fit yourself into a mold that may not work for you. Doing this will only cause inner conflict.
If you dont believe in anything then you would be considered a nihlist. However, if you feel the need to search for a truth in your life I suggest that you do some research and spend time examining you're own desires and thoughts.
]
Jesus or no Jesus, most religions are not pro-lust outside the commitment of marriage. Religions do not have the power to define or prevent sin. A system of beliefs about the supernatural held as common thought amongst individuals will constitute a religion. Almost everyone agrees that the world is a safer place with rules and laws in it, such as traffic laws. However, most people also are guilty of breaking the law at sometime in their life. This does not mean they suddenly don't believe in the goodness and values of the traffic laws for instance, but that they were late for work and thought that the law did not need to apply to them at that time, like they are above the law when it suits them to be. We are all guilty, all "sinners" if you believe in moral law and not just legal law. Everyone, even the non-religious believe in some sort of moral laws or moral code. At the same time, we all are hypocrates when we break our own moral code. What is wrong for you, should not be right for me and vice-versa. If you believe that masterbation and pre-marital sex are fine, that is up to you, as long as you also think if is fine that your potential future partner is going around doing the same things. That is the hard part. We all want to marry a virgin and be sluts ourselves. We all want freedom and no rules for ourselves and everyone else to do what is right, and safe and lawful. If we all live for ourselves there is chaos. If we never do...well, we are Jesus or The Buddha or Mother Theresa or someone very much like that. Listen, if you don't believe in Jesus, no one can make you. Whatever you do or don't believe, just make sure that you are making the decisions in your own life based upon your own thoughts and experiences. Remember, life is bigger than any of us can really comprehend and there is something wonderful about this existance we are a part of...I don't care what you call it, just acknowledge it.
]
...
If you don't believe in Christ, then no, you are not a Christian.
Please understand something, though. MANY people, (including myself) believe that Catholicism and Christianity are two very different things.
Using your masturbation example, as far as I have been able to find out, that's a Catholic doctrine.
To the best of my knowledge, this is the scripture that many people point to in order to say that masturbation is a sin:
(Genesis 38:8 - 10) "And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled [it] on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also."
See, Onan's brother was dead, but Onan was supposed to marry his brother's widow and make her pregnant and the resulting baby would be raised as his brother's baby, not his. Some people translate these passages as saying that instead of making her pregnant, he masturbated, then got killed for it because he "spilled [it] on the ground" (his seed).
If you read it, it's pretty obvious that's not what happened because it first says "he went in unto his brother's wife". So basically, he had sex with his brother's wife, then pulled out at the last second in an effort not to make her pregnant. He didn't want to "donate" his seed to his dead brother, but he still went ahead and had sex with his brother's wife, you see?
It had nothing to do with masturbation. That's the way, I read it, anyway.
But there may be some other reason why the Catholic Church thinks it's a sin. If they have a different reason, it might be from one of the exclusively Catholic doctrines.
The Catholic Church believes that the Bible is not the only authority. Their teachings include such documentation as Catechisms, and Papal Encyclicals (defined as "authoritative teaching instruments from the Vicar of Christ" (the Pope)) which have been written and added to throughout the years of the history of the Catholic Church.
Because of this, the Catholic Church has MANY teachings, beliefs, and traditions which are VERY different from a Christian who believes the Holy Bible is the exclusive authority of Christianity.
Their belief that masturbation is a sin may come from one of these other 'authorities', rather than the Biblical scripture I quoted.
So I would ask that you not to write-off Christianity just because of your experiences with Catholicism. Please keep an open mind about this.
My personal opinion based upon experience: Sometimes people feel a *wrongness* with the Catholic Church, and it makes them feel that there might be something wrong with Christianity... But maybe if they understood all the things that make Catholicism, Catholicism, they would understand how little some of the doctrines and such that bother them have to do with the Bible, and exclusively Bible-based Christianity.
For more information about the differences between Catholicism and *exclusively* Bible-Based Christianity, see the following link:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
You may find that many of the things that bother you about Catholicism aren't based on the Bible at all, and may even be the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches.
If you have any questions, my email is DangerWench@gmail.com
]
If you don't want to be Christian, than don't. Religion is about finding yourself, and what makes you truly happy. But being Christian isnt about dreading the rules or beliefs, its about accepting life for its journey and living it right. About being a good person. Just because you are attracted to guys, want to have sex before marriage, and etc, doesnt mean you cant be christian.
Whatever you do, do what you believe in. You dont have to be any type of a religion, or you can be five different religions. Whatever fits in your lifestyle and what you believe in.
-Abby
]
Spend some time deciding what you actually believe. Then look for a compatible religion. There are Abrahamic religions that believe in the Christian god but not jesus. Churches like the unitarian universalists will let you join no matter what you believe. After you decide what you believe(it's important to do that first), take a look at:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location) and choose your religion.
Don't mind the person below me. If the Muslims are right, she'll BURN IN HELL with you. And if the Bhudhists are right you'll both BURN IN NARAKA. There's no proof of any one true religion, so it's pointless to worry about it. But she's correct in that you can't call yourself a CHRISTian if you don't believe in CHRIST; it's central to the religion.
I know a fair bit about all the major religions, and I would enjoy answering your questions if you have them.
]
In Christian belief it doesn't matter if you do that, they just perfer you don't do it before marriage but many christians do anyway! I'm a Christian ad through the Bible it says Jesus died for us and if you don't beleive he died for your sins you go to hell!! I don't want that to happen to you!! but of course its your desicion! I can't make you believe and nobody else can!! For now don't be anything until you know for sure what you want to believe! Sry I'm a STRONG christian! but it's your life and your opinion! so you decide!! good luck
]
More Questions: |