Questioning my faith

[Man]

I've always went to church and had faith in God but recently I have begun questioning my beliefs. I feel terrible but I can't help it. Some things in the Bible just do not add up. Im not the type of person to talk to family or friends about this kind of stuff and I wouldn't dare tell my wife or kids I'm having trouble. I wouldn't want them to worry about me. Has anyone went through what I'm going through ? I

Yes I have. It all started when I picked up a book in high school called "A Brief History of Time".

[RafterH]

In Mark chapter 9 a father says to Jesus, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'

Notice that the father was not condemned for this. We all face times of trials which the deceiver uses to keep us down. Any one that tells you otherwise may need to look closer. He promises never to leave us nor forsake us. Nowhere does the Bible tell us we have to have a defined quantity of faith. Instead, as mentioned above, the size of a mustard seed is mentioned. My son and I were talking about this very thing the other day. We agreed that sometimes we have a 5 gallon bucket full and others a mustard seed. Please remember that Romans 8:26 tells us that even when we don't know what to pray, His Holy Spirit "intercedes for us through wordless groans".

Like others, I am praying for you and if you need to talk to someone I and many others here are available.

[jerp]

(I apologize for the long post, but I feel compelled)

There are many paths to faith. I suppose there are some who have never doubted the faith they were raised with or converted to. They surround themselves with the like-minded and never really consider alternative arguments. I was raised in the church by parents of strong faith. However in college I started to develop some intellectual curiosity and started reading well-reasoned arguments against traditional religion and belief in God generally. Not angry atheist diatribes, just a lot about the history of Christianity and other religions, as well as the psychology of belief. I will admit that I went through a long stretch of my life that while continuing to hold to some of the comforting traditions, I had pretty much decided I was too smart and well-read to believe of the basic tenets of Christianity. I knew many true believers who would give me their emotional testimony but I never much trusted emotions much, and knew well the human capacity for self-delusion. I never considered myself an atheist, more of a lukewarm agnostic or a Deist at best. (link)

Then by chance (or perhaps heavenly guidance) I met a guy who ran the local branch of Search Ministries. Their evangelistic mission is to gather folks I would term "searchers" - in an informal setting and just talk about about The Big Questions concerning faith and life in general. No browbeating, just honest open conversation. The group held many like me who on some level wanted to believe but just couldn't quite get there intellectually. After getting all our questions out in the open for a few weeks the leader starting giving us - along with Bible study - reading assignments to introduce us to the great apologists which started to open my eyes. I was embarrassed to realize that for all my supposed critical thinking skills I had fallen into a very common trap. When I had questions or doubts I had taken the easy way out and stopped there, not considering that some of the brightest minds to ever live have debated these questions throughout history. (For a very simplistic example you might hear "If there is a good God why does he allow evil to exist?" Well, there are bookshelves groaning with the number of volumes written just on Theodicy - that specific question.)

You can't get all the way there using your intellect of course , faith comes from God - the ability to grasp and internalize things which sometimes defy reason is His gift. (it was a long road for me - I finally got there but the struggle continues)

I guess my very long-winded point is this. If you don't occasionally have doubts, you've never thought about it very hard. But before you hang your hat - and possibly your soul - on your conclusions, do some real digging. You don't have to abandon your God-given intelligence to be a man of faith.

[jer_james]

Using the bible to prove the bible ...

[gunslinger300]

I find it strange you cant tell your wife or kids!!!!! As a spouse and father you give them daily guidance, dont you. Maybe they can return the favor with simple words to help you out.

[RattlesnakeDan]

Yes, I started going through this in my 30's, actually probably my 20's. It lead to where I am today, and have been for a long time. I don't believe any particular religion is more right/wrong than the other. I DO believe there is a supreme being and an after-life and that our actions on Earth affects our after-life. I guess you could refer to me as agnostic. I don't believe that geographics should dictate what's right/wrong and if you should go to heaven or not. In other words, if we were a bunch of bowhunters from China having this discussion, we would more than likely be talking about buddhism. The bible IS a good book with hundreds of good messages, but to try to take everything from it literally is frustrating for some people. I'm one of them.

This sir is the heart of a fool.To spread it is worse.
You must come to Him as a child, with child-like faith.

[NimbleNavigator]

It’s normal for it to feel really bad. You are questioning your entire life view and belief system that your family probably taught you and still believes.

I went to church and religion classes every week all the way through high school and was confirmed in the Catholic Church. I started having serious doubts about all of it when I was 19. Over the next several years my doubts continued to steadily grow stronger. Eventually, I just didn’t believe anymore and no longer felt guilty about it. It’s a slow transition.

[coop2564]

Think about how impossible evolution really is. Think about how impossible just the one cell life form would be, how would that work its way into thousands of other complex life forms all very different. And why would a single cell life change into a grass, plant, insect, dinosaur, bird, etc. And why hasnt all single cell life already changed into someting else????Evolution is the biggest lie satan ever come up with, a grownup fairy tale. Think about ALL the astronomical odds of the life side of things and then think about all astronomical odds of the earth being just right, the sun and staying that way for billions or years. There is NO WAY all this just happen...it takes blind stick your head in the sand faith to beleive in evolution...because there is no bases for any facts, its a theory. You just have to say well I dont want to believe in God so this is all I got.

Gods story explains everything is created, this explains how there could be so many species, plants and insects, the only thing that takes faith is one thing, not hundreds of thousands of things...how did God come to be and he will explain that when we get to heaven. So beleive one miracle that God was just there and always has been or beleive hundreds of thousands miracles have taken place at astronomical odds but it all worked out and has managed to somehow stay that way for billions of years. GOD the creator is only one that makes sense to me! The odds that evolution happened are far greater than it would be for a tornado to go thru a salvage yard and a pristen 18 wheeler, motorscycle, truck, bus, van, bike, boat and sportscar all be setting there able to run. Even with all the part availibe it would never happen without intellegence to make it.

[AntlerCollector]

I wonder how penguins made it to the Ark

[AntlerCollector]

I do not question my faith. It's my lack of faith at times that raises questions and doubt.

[ultrastealth]

Perhaps the greatest measure of faith is having doubt, but overcoming it, because you understand that religion and the modern world we live in don't have to agree. My faith in God is given to me by the Holy Spirit and not the physical world. If I'm in conflict, my faith keeps me strong in the face of all detractors.

[OldRiverRat]

Even in the face of many miracles that Jesus performed the disciples still struggled to have faith. It's not easy to have faith in the abstract. Like someone mentioned above, this is battle you will have with satan and it would be very easy to simply not believe.

[Birddog66]

This sir is the heart of a fool.To spread it is worse.

You must come to Him as a child, with child-like faith.

Annnnnd there is always this guy.


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[Ouch]

I guess my very long-winded point is this. If you don't occasionally have doubts, you've never thought about it very hard. But before you hang your hat - and possibly your soul - on your conclusions, do some real digging. You don't have to abandon your God-given intelligence to be a man of faith.

A man claiming to have never doubted his faith probably hadn't staked much on it to begin with.

[Roy]

I've always went to church and had faith in God but recently I have begun questioning my beliefs. I feel terrible but I can't help it. Some things in the Bible just do not add up. Im not the type of person to talk to family or friends about this kind of stuff and I wouldn't dare tell my wife or kids I'm having trouble. I wouldn't want them to worry about me. Has anyone went through what I'm going through ? I

I used to question my faith and the Bible. Still do. But I used to...


Seriously, I wouldn't worry about this. It is normal to question things that do not make sense- even the Bible. That is when I turn to others for guidance (friends, priest, etc...). I may not get the answer I want, but it will be the answer I need. And sometimes, it takes time for the answers to reveal themselves to you.