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confused about everything.
ever since i've been a teenager i've been having confusing thoughts and doubts about my religion. i'm methodist christian, and was raised that way. we go to church on sundays, but we're not overly religious. like, my parents drink and stuff, we cuss, they party, i party, we're not like all "ZOMG DON'T SAY GOD'S NAME IN VAIN" or anything of the sort. okay in all honesty, i'm probably the worst christian alive. but from what i was raised to believe, that doesn't matter as long as i'm on the right path. and i wasn't worried about anything up until about 3 or 4 years ago.
i had found out that my closest friend was an atheist and it scared me. i didn't wanna picture the thought of a sweet girl like her burning in hell for eternity. but i couldn't change her mind!! no one could. so i finally gave up a year ago and just let her believe in what she wants to. and after i switched to public school and saw how everyone was either atheist or satanist or wiccan or something, and only a choice few were still christian, i started thinking in terms of more of an atheistic point of view, and if not that, agnostic. i want to believe anything will happen to me when i die. i mean, living for however many years and then going straight to the ground for eternity? what fun is that? i mean, i know dying isn't supposed to be fun, but what about those 4 year old kids that get run over or die of pnuemonia or something? they barely have any memories and they're just going to the ground, never to live again? i want to believe that there is a heaven. and i suppose if i believe there is a heaven, then there has to be a hell. but then i started thinking, how could any of this be possible? if god is real, well then why can't i hear him? i've tried to, and at times when i thought he was talking to me, its just been my own thoughts or my imagination. i find it really unfair that jesus was able to prove himself to everyone in the bible, so that they knew what to believe. well what about the rest of us? what do we have to lean on?! i have ABSOLUTELY NO PROOF of anything, and my clock is ticking! i don't want to stop believing, just to find out i was wrong and then go to hell for it, but i don't want to keep believing, and find out i was wasting my time on the wrong god, or that there is just no god, period. i need help and i need it fast. i have other things to worry about and this helps absolutely nothing. and everytime i turn around, one of my friends stop believing. the love of my life just said he didn't know if there's a god at all, and how can i help him if i can't even help myself? i don't want to lose him like i did with my other friend. it was too late to change her mind but i want to save him.
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Want to answer more questions in the Miscellaneous category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
Well, I agree with howard. The Bible does state that we don't need to hang out with the unholy ones, because they can influence our decision on God. Like the predicament that you are in right now. I know, I've been there. I never stopped believing, but it influenced my decision on how I lived my life. But with your atheist friend, I've been through the same thing. I had a close friend that went atheist. I never gave up on her. It took time though, but she eventually changed, 'cuz i never gave up on her. So don't give up on your friend.
All you can do is continue to pray. God will eventually speak to you. God has a plan for everyone. You've got a good start because you know that there could be a heaven. Others don't care of they don't believe that there's a Heaven. Continue to pray for the one that you love. Continue to pray and God will help you find yourself, then you will be able to spread the word and minister to people and share your story!!! I'll keep you in my prayers. Just continue to pray, read the Bible, and keep CHRIST FIRST in your life!!!!
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interesting...
you know there is a God but you don't know if his real or not.
i won't lie... sometimes i wondered how God was created, or how he came about. (and i used to think that ones i get to heaven, i will ask him the questions). the truth is push that out of your mind. you asked what you have to lean on? THE BIBLE! you have that and if you follow every single thing in it, the you are on the right path. Believe in God, have faith in him, He wants our faith to be as small as a pea. Can you have that faith? trust? God has a plan for you. believe in yourself is the first step. allow God to show you his miracles. If you listen hard, you will hear him speak, you will see him show you the way, you will hear of his miracles. Just keep that image of heaven and don't get consumed with humans man made items......
if you have anymore questions, i will be happy to answer
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i truely believe that you have a God given purpose for your life. Reason why i think that is you know down deep inside that there is a God. Because honey if you did not know that, you would not even be worried about if there is a heaven or a hell. you wouldnt even be worried about where your friend and your boyfriend would be spending eternity. you know, throught out the new testiment in the bible it states that towards the coming of the lord that what is happening to you will start to happen,it also states that God knows who his children are. and i feel as i type this, that God has you on his mind right now.
The bible also says in paslams chapter 1 verse 1 or 2 some where in there, to not be like unholy people, and to not "mingle" with them. now its fine to be friends with everyone you can be friends with thats not a problem. but when it starts to influence your life, your thoughts, and puts your on salvation up for grabs, you need to run away from people like that. Now what you gotta do, before you even atempt to save ANYONE, you must submit yourself to jesus christ, Gods son,and accept him as your lord and personal saviour. you must repent of your sins. and you must be baptized in the name of JESUS CHRIST. AND only that name. and it clearly states in the bible, that these things you must do to be saved, and spend eternity in heaven.
now you ask for proof. well let me ask you this. how can so complexed order(meaning the world,you,earth,planets etc.) come from chaos? how can complete utter chaos transform into this complex order we see today? well let me tell you, it had to have a creator, it had to be planned, things just dont happen to happen. EVERYTHING happens for a reason. theres a reason why you were placed in a "pool" of non belivers. theres a reason why you question these things, there is a reason why im sittin here typing this answer to you. so i pray, that you get firmly planted in the lord through, all i have told you. hope i help. need anything else let me know.
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I totally agree with everything the last person just said. That is some great advice. I wish someone had told me that when I started asking those oh-so-difficult questions about God and the afterlife.
I would like to add...
Figuring out what you believe is a big part of figuring out who you are. Figuring out who you are doesn't happen in a day, or a month, or a year... Because we are constantly changing. With every idea that we have, every decision that we make, we are different than we were yesterday. It takes an entire lifetime to figure out who you are...
And it takes an entire lifetime to figure out who you think God is.
Be patient. Finding God is not a race... You can not win by rushing to judgement. And you can not lose either.
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First of all, you need to relax. Faith is not something to pull your hair out about. And when I say that, I don't mean that faith isn't an important thing to think about. It is. What I am saying is that the experience of descovering one's faith should be an enjoyable process.
Think about it this way. Right now, in this moment, you have opened your heart to an infinate amount of new ways in which you can view the world. You are open to the possibility that there is a God, one specific entity that oversees and touches all of creation. At the same time, you are open to considering the possiblity that there may not be a God. You also admit that if there is a God, you are not sure as to what said God is like.
Have you ever heard of the expression "The wisest man is the man that understands that he understands nothing?". Well, that person is you! In contemplating the unknown, you are admitting that you are not sure of your surroundings. You are not sure about how the world works. You are not sure of God. As a result of this, you are strongly compelled to look even harder for answers. You are open to new ideas. And that is pretty damn wise!
However, at the same time, you seem to be very scared. You say a lot of fearful things, such as "my clock is ticking!" and "I need help, and I need it fast!". You seem to be under the impression that God is a both a mystery and a well-kept secret. You seem to believe that over the course of your lifetime, you either will or will not solve the mystery that is God. You also seem to believe that it is your mission to uncover this secret truth about God.
I can honestly tell you that this line of thinking is flawed. As of right now, you are a human being living on earth who is confused about God. Surrounding you, are a billions of other people who are just as confused as you. Other than that, the world is fairly empty. It doesn't matter that your "clock is ticking". In fifty years, you are still going to be a confused human being, surrounded by other confused people. And that will be about it. The world isn't going to change much as you get older. In other words, you will have no further clues to help you solve the mystery of God than you already have right now. And if nothing changes and you can't figure it out now, what makes you think that you will ever be able to fully comprehend the complexity of devine power?
But, none of that really matters, because faith isn't about knowing for sure. The entire concept of faith relies on believing in something without proof.
In other words, look to your heart. Decide what you want to believe. Even though God does not reveal himself/herself directly to us (provided that God exists, of course), he/she has provided us with excellent intuition and reasoning abilities. Look to those. Even though God (provided he/she exists) may not be coming right out and telling you the truth about the universe, he/she did create you with an abundance of curosity. So go ahead and explore your thoughts and feelings. Begin your journey towards faith; towards believing in something that cannot be proven. And do not worry about being wrong. If God wanted you to know who he/she is, he/she would have told you. Obviously you are meant to struggle through this and think for yourself!
Also, stop telling your friends what to believe. You are no more knowledgeable on the subject of the devine than they are. Please allow them to look to their own hearts and minds, in order to let them begin their own journeys towards faith. Allow them to make their own judgements, decide what God(s) they believe in (if any), etc. Do not deny them a spiritual journey!
Anyway, good luck!
If you would like to talk further, please feel free to send a message to my twitter: @wecareaboutlove
Also, please drop by and visit my blog:
www.wecareaboutlove.blogspot.com
I wrote a section about religion and faith. Come and check it out! :)
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