Am I a bad Christian, or I'm just doing it wrong?

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Am I?
Yes, you must repent now you heathen! 40%  40%  [ 2 ]
No, not really. 60%  60%  [ 3 ]
Total votes : 5

Brainfre3ze_93
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27 Jun 2014, 6:39 pm

I get this feeling like I'm a bad Christian, or something to that extent. Whatever this feeling is it has been a persistent one for many years now. Maybe it is because of me having Asperger's Syndrome maybe something else, but when I look at several subjects I feel conflicted all the time on which one I should believe in. One example is the Universe, and how it was formed. Secularism/Science says that it happened 14 billion years ago in a big bang. While Christianity says that a higher being "God" created the universe somehow, and that it pleased him.I know to most people this would be a no brainier, but I was raised into the whole idea of creationism. Another thing is medicine, and whether or not it should be used to heal people that are sick or prevent it. Most people would say that modern medicine is beneficial to mankind. Yet there are some sects of Christianity who often refused medical help simply based on the idea that God will provide for their health.
I've to shake my head as to why they do this? For example, there was a church down here in Texas where a church refused to get shots for influenza simply because they believed God would protect them. Guess what happened... there was an outbreak of the flu, and like most viruses it tended to spread like wildfire. A good portion of the church got sick, when they could've prevented all of it if they got the vaccines. I know I can't be the only one thinking this is complete lunacy... right? I mean it is not like I 've never prayed for good health. A few years back I needed my wisdom teeth removed. While I trusted my orthodontist surgeon that he knows what he is doing, I still prayed that the operation would go smoothly. Which it did by the way, no complications came up as far as I 'm aware. That being said I felt like I trusted my surgeon to know what he was doing more than God. Another fine example is this so-called " voice of God " This right here this voice of God is where I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Because I remember in a service the pastor was leading everyone into the closing prayers. When suddenly he asked for the audience if they could hear the voice of God calling to them right now.
A bunch of people answered with a yes, or an Amen, but when I tried to call to God. All I got was silence, and honestly I wanted to answer with, " I think my prayer device is broken. " :lol: because I don't hear anything I'm missing something here? Did God give everyone an updated manual on hearing him, and I wasn't given it. You may be thinking oh, you were sitting too far back to hear him. Except for the fact that I was sitting in the front row yet I hear nothing. One thing that I might add I this idea of inclusivity in the Christian community. That we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, that we take care of one another like family. The problem that I have with that is that I don't feel like I'm anyone's brother, except for my own family. The same people who are calling me their brother, in my perspective are almost complete strangers to me. Which makes me uncomfortable to no end when they insist on hugging me like family. In the back of my head I'm like what are you doing I barley even know you, and yet you're hugging me like we have know each other a decade or so.
The final thing is this feeling of skepticism I get whenever a church tries to include me into their congregation. Saying how they are different from other churches in how they act. Yet I always get this feeling of deja vu or something to that extent. A fine example is the idea of loving one another as God loved you, which supposedly unconditional, yet there is this massive disagreement downright hatred when that message is directed towards gays. Westboro Baptist is a prime example of this. I'm sorry isn't the bible clear on it. Didn't Jesus say to love one another as God has loved as the greatest commandment of all. That his love is unconditional, because I'm pretty sure I got that message loud and clear. Apparently homosexuality is not included. Which defeats the whole purpose does it not?

So my question is this? I'm I a bad Christian, or I'm simply just doing it wrong?


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DentArthurDent
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27 Jun 2014, 8:00 pm

Yep you are doing it wrong. That is you are questioning the rationale of blind faith. Creationists are blind to knowledge, they are blind to facts about the natural world, they are completely closed minded to any suggestion that even one word in the Bible is errant. So if you want to be a creationist then yes you are doing it wrong, you must repent all knowledge save for that which is in the bible, On the other hand there are many more christians with a reasonable sense of the ridiculous (although this does not extend to the whole Jesus narrative) who take the bible as analogous, I suggest you look to this group of Christians, better still check out the historicity of the Jesus narrative and dump the lot.


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Cash__
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27 Jun 2014, 9:07 pm

I think your doing it wrong. If you ask questions and not blindly take what your church teaches then your doing it wrong.


I got my wisdom teeth removed without complications and I didn't pray to God first. Praise be to Doctor whatever his name was.



khaoz
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27 Jun 2014, 10:00 pm

If you have the feeling you are doing it wrong they did a good job of reeling you in. Christianity is all about guilt. You are exactly where you should be.



Tollorin
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28 Jun 2014, 12:25 am

God may or may not exist, Jesus may, or may not have been the son of God. Still, the peoples who are to the head of churchs are humans, and thus prone to errors and what believers call "sins". At such the messages of Jesus about loving each other and helping the poors are frequently subverted and/or ignored. Also, you can be a believer and not liking the church as institution. A good example of such a attitude is Victor Hugo, he was a believer but hated the church. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo#Religious_views
A good example of this is his will. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo#Declining_years_and_death

Victor Hugo wrote:
« Je donne cinquante mille francs aux pauvres. Je veux être enterré dans leur corbillard.
Je refuse l'oraison de toutes les Eglises. Je demande une prière à toutes les âmes.
Je crois en Dieu. »

("I leave 50 000 francs to the poor. I want to be buried in their hearse.
I refuse [funeral] orations of all churches. I beg a prayer to all souls.
I believe in God.")


Another example is the character of Bishop Myriel in the beginning of Les Misérables; A satire of priesthood by showing a bishop who act like a priest should act rather that how they generally act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_Myriel

By the way, the Catholic Church consider evolution as a fact, showing that you can believe in God and still accept the evolution theory.

khaoz wrote:
If you have the feeling you are doing it wrong they did a good job of reeling you in. Christianity is all about guilt. You are exactly where you should be.

It may be for a lot of christians congregations, but it shouldn't be.



mr_bigmouth_502
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28 Jun 2014, 3:28 am

My grandmother is a devout Catholic, and I don't think she would take issue with your views on things. She's also a realist, who's seen and experienced a lot of s**t, and her beliefs aren't so "far-fetched", at least as far as theists go. Now, I don't believe in a god, or spirits, or the afterlife like she does, but other than that I agree with most of her views on things.

You don't sound like a "bad Christian", you sound like a normal person who's skeptical about a few things, as most people are. Some denominations of Christianity may say you're wrong, but really, who are they to judge?



zer0netgain
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28 Jun 2014, 7:00 am

The Bible is not an owner's manual to the universe. It is about your relationship with God.

Focus on what's important. You either believe God is real, that Jesus died for your sins, and that you want Christ to be in charge of your life. The rest will follow.

Lots of Christians question how literal the story of creation can be believed. Certainly, science has not proven what happened because nobody was there to record it happening. They are guessing based on how they interpret the physical evidence they can find, and their views of the universe can radically change with each new discovery.

Doubting the authenticity of God's Word for your life based on the impossibility of being able to scientifically prove the first 1/100th or LESS of the book isn't a smart move.



Brainfre3ze_93
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28 Jun 2014, 8:37 am

Tollorin wrote:
God may or may not exist, Jesus may, or may not have been the son of God. Still, the peoples who are to the head of churchs are humans, and thus prone to errors and what believers call "sins". At such the messages of Jesus about loving each other and helping the poors are frequently subverted and/or ignored. Also, you can be a believer and not liking the church as institution. A good example of such a attitude is Victor Hugo, he was a believer but hated the church. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo#Religious_views
A good example of this is his will. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugo#Declining_years_and_death

Victor Hugo wrote:
« Je donne cinquante mille francs aux pauvres. Je veux être enterré dans leur corbillard.
Je refuse l'oraison de toutes les Eglises. Je demande une prière à toutes les âmes.
Je crois en Dieu. »

("I leave 50 000 francs to the poor. I want to be buried in their hearse.
I refuse [funeral] orations of all churches. I beg a prayer to all souls.
I believe in God.")


Another example is the character of Bishop Myriel in the beginning of Les Misérables; A satire of priesthood by showing a bishop who act like a priest should act rather that how they generally act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_Myriel

By the way, the Catholic Church consider evolution as a fact, showing that you can believe in God and still accept the evolution theory.

khaoz wrote:
If you have the feeling you are doing it wrong they did a good job of reeling you in. Christianity is all about guilt. You are exactly where you should be.

It may be for a lot of christians congregations, but it shouldn't be.


I definitely have the same attitude as Victor Hugo. I still find myself as a believer, but I can't stand the church at all.


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