Are you a Christian?

[Lion's Sacrifice]

I am a christian. I was raised in a christian home, but really never understood a lot of stuff. For me, I was always thought that it was some what weird. I even gave up on God. I felt that he didn't care, and I began to believe that he didn't exist and here was I. I thought life was life, it's been here for awhile, and it's going to be. So why not have fun. However, over the past several years there has been something that has reintroduced me to Christ.


(this next part may get me some flack, but this is what I believe. I'm not trying to offend anyone.)
I'm a firm believer in the fact that Christ came back to die for me, that he in himself bore my sins. However, I'm am, but I'm not one of the die hard christians, "if you don't believe this then you're going to hell." Now, I may gain a lot of flack for this. However, this is part of my belief. I do believe that Christ is the only way. I will not sit here and say you know what you're all a bunch of sinner's and you're going to hell! To me, those "christians" that say that really just live religion, and do not understand what Christ was here for. Nor, do they grasp the true meaning behind his teachings. I'm not into religion never have been. I think it is a dumb term to try to describe what I belief in. I'm in a relationship with my Lord, who has redeemed me. There is a lot of stuff that I don't understand, but there are conclusions that I've come to in my research into many religions that I find flawed. However, I agree, there are many things in Christianity that don't add up. That's where my faith comes in. Yet, in looking at the text, and looking into the history books. Seeing how this all fits. I've come to the conclusion that Christianity is the most historically based religion.

I believe the biggest problem that I personally struggle with, even as a christian. Is the faith concept. Let's blindly follow someone who you've never really met. Yet, to me I believe that's what God would have me do. He's created me to be dependent on him, not on myself. There's a reason for faith. Why would a God create something and then give it everything he had? For they would be equal. It would be illogical to do so. Least in my opinion. I believe that as all (if you believe in a God) do God is to be worshiped. So why would he create humans to rival him? Doesn't make any sense to me. He created myself, to need him. To trust him, and that he has my best interest at heart. Thus why I have faith in him. He's set my path, and I'm going to follow him.

Sorry if I've pissed anyone off. This topic intrigued me, and I felt like sharing.

 

[Sparky]

No I'm not christian. I wasn't brought up in A christian household and I just never beliaved in god and I don't think I ever will. (but never say never right) I guess you could call me an athiest but I don't know, I just fail to see how God created the world and he "died" for our sins. I don't beliave in heaven and I don't think there is a hell, (well not one you go to after you die anyway) I think that's the main reason I don't beliave in god. I feel that when you die, it's either just lights out, or some chemical reaction in your brain makes you dream for the last time, giving you an illusion of heaven.

The only difference is, I don't bash anybody for there religion, everybody has a right to beliave in what makes them feel better. I have never once said anything to anybody that beliaves in god about him not actually being real or something. I'm not that type of person, I will listen to facts when they're brought up but I always manage to find a reason why that fact is wrong, (at least in my opinion)

 

[The_Gene_Genie]

Bit of a delayed post, but I wasn't a member of the forum when this topic was started. I love a good religious debate, as long as it's kept constructive and not personal. There have been some good in depth posts here. Well, since things are quiet elsewhere and I have nowt else to do I'll get to typing.

I have no religious denomination whatsoever. Nor do I really care for religion in any way shape or form. However, my mum is a Christian and my dad's side of the family are Catholics. That was their choice, but they never enforced their beliefs onto me or my sister. Granted there were elements of religion that may have crept into their parenting, things like teaching us not to steal and the like. These ideals are everywhere around us, in schools and in our laws. Now I live in the UK where religion is not deemed as law as it is in other countries; however the laws are loosely based on religion. Again 'you shall not steal' (Theft) and 'you shall not kill' (Murder). This is about the only time I really adhere to religion.

Now, with the Bible I really struggle. As someone said in an earlier post there are too many flaws contained within. The first major one is God made man (Adam) and woman (Eve). No problems with that. Adam and Eve had two sons, one died, then they had another son. I just don't see the natural progression of the human race from that point on.

Now the other stories in the Bible I can treat as real. However, I believe that they have been exaggerated over time before being documented. Almost like folk stories. I believe Jesus was a real person but do not believe he was the son of God as immaculate conception is not a possibility.

The above are purely my opinions. I must stress that I have nothing against other people following religion nor would I ever dream of knocking someone for doing so. As I said my parents have religious beliefs. My daughter goes to a Catholic school. Hypocritical? Not really, I'm impressed with the standard of their teaching and how much she has improved over the last year. I do struggle with the religious questions she sometimes comes home with. I try to answer them in an open minded manner. I do this by telling her what I think about the subject, and then what her grandparents think about the subject. I try to refrain from enforcing my beliefs on her, and actively encourage her to speak about what any subjects she raises means to her and how it makes her feel. I think she likes the thought of Jesus and there being a God. Good for her.

Leading on from that I really hate when people try to enforce their own religious beliefs on others. She's coming to the age now where her school will be conducting their religious ceremonies; is it communion? Being honest with myself I'd rather she didn't do it until she is slightly older and more aware and understanding of the whole process. But I won't enforce that on her as I've said, she should be free to make her own choice. I did see my arse with a couple of female parents of the school when I overheard them trying to 'sell' it to my daughter in a different light, despite them knowing my feelings about it. One tried to pass it off as just having a big party, where she could wear a really pretty princess dress and have lots and lots of presents. The other tried to sell the idea of Godparents as being like a Fairy Godmother who would give you wishes, buy you presents etc. BOOM! Won't happen again I can assure you (and I was careful not to do this in front of any children, specifically my daughter).

Ultimately, religion is a personal choice. I think it should be kept that way, whether at home or in a church with like minded people. If it makes you happy and content with life, good for you. Just don't preach and sing from the roof tops to people who may not give a damn, and vice versa for people like me who do not believe. We should just let each other find our own enlightenment.

It will be interesting to see what path my daughter takes, and whichever one she chooses I just hope she's happy.

 

[DethMetal]

I'm not a Christian by any means. I hate churches that steal money, I hate how hypocritical the whole thing became. I'm not a Christian, but I am very much spiritual. I do truly believe that there is a Higher Power("It was me, all along Austin!"). I believe that we are eternal; all this pain is an illusion.

I don't like Christians. Not the Christians that mind their own and are fine if you don't believe the same psychobabble bullshit they believe. The ones who are so hypocritical and self loathing. Also, they're so fuckin' dependent on religion. With all of the jacked up shit they've done in life, they think that in their time of peril, if they say a few Hail Marys, they'll be just fine and they'll live with Jesus forever. I'm spiritual, but Christians and they're hypocritical, fickle, ways piss me off to no extent. And the way they try to shove it down your throat...

 

[Lee]

Wow I could have sworn I posted in this thread.

I am a Christian, I dislike those who miss the point. I'm sick of hearing people say "durpdurp durp push belief's on us" whislt telling me my belief's are wrong in turn pushing theirs on me in turn making them a hypocrite.

I believe there's a God, I believe Jesus was sent to Earth, died and rose again. Does that mean I'm a complete idiot? Not at all, I became a Christian when I was 16 and believe you me I've been through a lot the past 9 years , it's not a fad, it's not because my family forced me to it, it's not even because my friends had done it. It just makes sense to me.

So for people to then brush me aside with right wingers who are saying homosexuality is evil (news flash IT'S NOT) or that abortion should be illegal (I'm not in favour of it but I'd rather work on the causes than a banning) or that all Muslims are terrorists (again they're not) just really does my head in. So seriously guys you need to do a bit more research.

 

[Post]

Wow I could have sworn I posted in this thread.

I am a Christian, I dislike those who miss the point. I'm sick of hearing people say "durpdurp durp push belief's on us" whislt telling me my belief's are wrong in turn pushing theirs on me in turn making them a hypocrite.

I believe there's a God, I believe Jesus was sent to Earth, died and rose again. Does that mean I'm a complete idiot? Not at all, I became a Christian when I was 16 and believe you me I've been through a lot the past 9 years , it's not a fad, it's not because my family forced me to it, it's not even because my friends had done it. It just makes sense to me.

So for people to then brush me aside with right wingers who are saying homosexuality is evil (news flash IT'S NOT) or that abortion should be illegal (I'm not in favour of it but I'd rather work on the causes than a banning) or that all Muslims are terrorists (again they're not) just really does my head in. So seriously guys you need to do a bit more research.

This ^^^ is spot on. I agree completely. I was raised Lutheran, but over the years have attended Catholic mass a great deal. My wife is Catholic, as is my grandmother.

I am not a holy roller or a Bible thumper. I usually keep my beliefs to myself and only discuss them with friends and family. I attend church when I can, but pray often. I do have fundamental problems w/organized religion just b/c many scream corruption, but that does not change my beliefs faith.

As Lee put it, I do believe in God and that Jesus was sent to Earth (to save us from sin), died, and rose again.

I teach a high school literature class and often the topic of religion comes up. I like to give them facts about religions rather than my views.

My older brother has lost much of his faith in Christianity. He has been suffering from chronic kidney stones for the past decade. His view is, "If there is a God, then why would he do this to me, or let it happen." I can't blame him. If I was in his position, I may feel the same way.

 

[wrestlingfan]

I'm a Christian, and when I was younger I didn't believe in God but I did some soul searching and now I have a better faith with him and I can back up accusations about my religion.

 

[SavageTaker]

No, I'm not a Christian but then again, I don't really associate myself with any religion. And it's not because I think Christians or people of any other religion are hypocrites or crazy people or anything like that, it's just because I personally feel that there is no god and don't think I'll ever believe one because I find that idea to be hard to believe. But those are just my personal thoughts.

However, although I'm not a Christian I still do follow some of its teachings, such as the one Doc mentioned about loving everyone regardless of their ethnic background, their orientation, e.t.c. So clearly it is possible to not believe in a god but still follow some of the teachings in a religion. I do so because I think it's just the right thing to do no matter what, others do so just because their religion tells them to. I like my reasoning better, but I honestly wouldn't condemn anyone's reasoning because that's what they believe and I am no one to tell them otherwise.

 

[iwinulose]

i strongly dont believe in god, im an atheist. no proof of the existance of god. god cant have just existed, i disagree with science cause how did the bacteria and stuff that we suposevly evolved from, come from? theres always a loose end no matter how you look at it. as far as im concerned, religion is a way to make people feel better about death cause you rot in a hole in the ground, people dislike that so they try to sugar coat it. my own opinion, i dont diss people who are christian (unless its jokingly), respect them, but this is how i feel about religion (all of them).

 

[Suibon]

Yes 110 percent Christian. Let's get some things straight really quick:

1.) Jesus was a completely real figure. Anybody who argues he isn't would have to say they don't believe things like Abraham Lincoln or George Washington. There is way more evidence supporting Christ than things like that.

2.) Jesus claimed he was God in the flesh. That's a pretty big claim. Jesus was completely sane. However, the statement lacks authority unless...

3.) Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus claimed he was God, predicted his own death and rose from the dead three days later, defeating death and proving his statements. Theres over 400 accounts of people who saw him walking around. AKA he was legit. Also, If it were a lie it would logically make no sense for the disciple to say that two women found the tomb empty. Women in that time period were given no respect or voice. Why would they claim two women made the statements and expect anybody to believe them?

4.) Because of Christ rising from the dead we know he is perfect and what he says is absolute truth. therefore we must obey his teachings, he says the only way to heaven is by believing in him through faith, then that goes.

5.) for everybody arguing that the Bible is inaccurate because of being passed through generations you're utterly mistaken. First off all the New Testament was compiled from documents that were written around the time of Christ. The OT was in documents too, but I can understand you saying that it was passed down. However, in this time period oral tradtion was different. The priests and scribes and such recorded things perfectly. Studies have shown that this oral type of tradition works perfectly.

The bottom line is this. Anybody who doesn't believe in God essentially doesn't believe in life after death. Nobody has come back from death after a long period to tell us theres an afterlife, (other than Jesus) so any other beliefs in an afterlife would be man made. If you don't believe in an afterlife, then you're saying your life has no point. One day, youre going to die and thats it. It won't matter if you had many happy memories, were a good parent, effected millions of lives, were the worlds richest person, you'l just be dead. The question is are you okay with that? Persoanlly, I want my life to have value and purpose and I believe that God created everybody with a purpose. One day we will day, but we will either be reunited with Christ in Heaven, or have to spend an eternity in Hell.

Yes, for some of you that have said many Christians are hypocrits, and also look down upon others I completely agee with you, but please don't let that effect your opinion of all Christians. Thats life if one guy in baseball did steroids and was good accusing everybody thats good of doing steroids. Don't group everybody together. Most Christians try and talk to people about God not because they think there better but because they are scared for the person's life. Anybody who is unsure look into C.S. Lewis. Lewis was a brilliant man and was a srong atheist. He completely thought there was no God whatsoever. But as he began to research more and more he realized it would take more faith for him to remain an atheist than to accept God. Or, if you like movies watch Lee Strobel's "A Case For Christ." Yet again, a brilliant journalist Strobel didnt believe in God.As he began to gather evidence though he relaised the same thing Lewis did.

Let me begin by saying I am a Christian. Roman Catholic, to be exact. In my younger years I was reared to be a flag-waving militant on the mold of Ibsen's Brand; till very recently I held that the Bible and the Church are right, the Pope is infallible in everything, and every dogma now in place is there for a reason, and was prepared to deal with the fatuous claims of science, from the possibility of artificial reproduction to the possibility of the non-existence of God itself.

I will not go into the details of how my admittedly extreme view moderated over time, but suffice it to say that it has moderated, as you'll see here:

1. Did Jesus exist? Probably - the problem here is the only evidence we have that sheds light on the matter are a few forged documents, the four canon Gospels (as well as the extra-canonical ones), and a lot of legend.

3. As for this, there is no evidence AT ALL. What we do have are the Gospels (again), which were written at least after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

4. The problem here is that his teachings either apply only to the Jews (unless one does himself a favor and takes it out of context) or else have been supplanted by the teachings of those who claim to represent him, whether it be Paul, the Catholic Church, Martin Luther, the leaders of every Protestant splinter group, etc.

5. Must I point out the difficulties posed by translating works from one language to another, not to mention the ego of those involved in the translating? It would be a miracle in itself if the Bible as is read by millions (for us Catholics - Old, deuterocanonical, New) was passed down from language to language unaltered in form and content.

6. Do I believe in God? I do. Do I believe in the afterlife? As there is no evidence that would throw me one side or the other except the Bible (and as evidence I now think it weak, especially as it's unsupported by anything else), I prefer to suspend my judgment. (I have a nagging suspicion, though, that if there is an afterlife, it would be boring enough for me.)

7. C. S. Lewis? I like his work, but meh. I prefer Evelyn Waugh.
​

 

[Nate DaMac]

I am not a Christian and while I suppose I'd be labeled as an Atheist, I hate the stigma that goes with being called one. I honestly don't give a shit what anyone believes at all. I live my life by my own moral code which was instilled into me by my parents. Essentially, I try my hardest to do right by those I care about and I refrain from doing things I find immoral, such as rape, murder, etc. I won't acknowledge the existence of a God, but to those who do, go for it.

I won't attack anyone who has a different belief system than I do, unless it is legitimately detrimental to the advancement of society. Radical extremists who kill in the name of their God, protesting funerals of fallen soldiers while grieving families are forced to suffer through their hate speech, denying an entire group of indvidual their basic human rights due their sexual preference with no other reason besides "Homosexuality is a sin," these are all things that have stemmed from religion that I will verbally attack. If you use your religion as a tool to justify your own agenda, you are the worst kind of person. If I'm wrong and there is a God, I hope that he sees you for what you truly are.

 

[Zigglerfan227]

I have been saved. I am supposed to be a Christian. But I don't feel like one anymore because I always doubt God and some of the things in the Bible. I believe that Jesus existed but I find myself doubting if He was the Son of God. I think that Jesus was the best person ever and I try to live like He did. Today is Easter, but I don't feel God's presence. Where is He? I talk to Him but He never seems to answer me. I believe that the Bible is a great piece of literature and it is the key to living a great life. As of right now I doubt God, but I follow the Bible's laws and I try to live like Jesus.

Hopefully if God really does exist He will show Himself somehow. I want to know if God is real before I say that I am a true Christian. Why would I want to be a super servant to someone or something that doesn't even exist? I cannot say whether He does or not.

One thing that leads me to believe in Christianity over everything else is that we happen to be on earth, the perfect planet for life. Our bodies are created to live and we don't have feet for hands or hands for feet. In other words, our body is perfectly set up and we have a brain that can do awesome things. Creation or a Big Bang could not have set up life the way that it is. This did not happen by an accident. Someone planned this.

Whether Christianity is real or not I feel that there must be some God.
That's my story.

 

[SalvIsWin]

One thing that leads me to believe in Christianity over everything else is that we happen to be on earth, the perfect planet for life. Our bodies are created to live and we don't have feet for hands or hands for feet. In other words, our body is perfectly set up and we have a brain that can do awesome things. Creation or a Big Bang could not have set up life the way that it is. This did not happen by an accident. Someone planned this.

Not meaning to hijack this thread but I think this is important to address. Evolution or natural selection doesn't state that we just got to be human beings by chance or by accident, it happened very deliberately over time. If you research the way evolution works, you will see that it is perfectly logical and likely that we would evolve in such a way to have hands where it's beneficial to have hands, and to have feet where it is beneficial to have feet.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Not meaning to hijack this thread but I think this is important to address. Evolution or natural selection doesn't state that we just got to be human beings by chance or by accident, it happened very deliberately over time. If you research the way evolution works, you will see that it is perfectly logical and likely that we would evolve in such a way to have hands where it's beneficial to have hands, and to have feet where it is beneficial to have feet.

Yes but I think what that person was tyring to say is even evolution, which is how humans came today (I myself is a Christian that believes science can be connected to religion and that even science itself is a mechanism of God) couldn't have just randomly happened that even there has to be a cause in why natural selection happens and that there's a big grand daddy behind it, no pun intended.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Not meaning to hijack this thread but I think this is important to address. Evolution or natural selection doesn't state that we just got to be human beings by chance or by accident, it happened very deliberately over time. If you research the way evolution works, you will see that it is perfectly logical and likely that we would evolve in such a way to have hands where it's beneficial to have hands, and to have feet where it is beneficial to have feet.

Yes but I think what that person was tyring to say is even evolution, which is how humans came today (I myself is a Christian that believes science can be connected to religion and that even science itself is a mechanism of God) couldn't have just randomly happened that even there has to be a cause in why natural selection happens and that there's a big grand daddy behind it, no pun intended.

 

[Kermit]

I am a Christian and I am proud to say that. I attend a Christian university and I have came into my beliefs by my own accord.

I have read some things in here that Christians have said that are wrong, based on the teachings of Christ, and i have read some things in here that non-Christians have said that are wrong, based on the teachings of Christ.

My point though is not to point out wrongs or rights; because i don't believe this is the place for that. I am happy to see a lot of the non-Christians say that they have met some good Christian people. That makes me really happy knowing that people have positively displayed the image of Christ through their actions.

Christians are not perfect, we fail just like everyone else. We give into the things we label as "sin" all the time. That is the world, but we try to strive above that, and we rely on God to be our comfort.

I know God is real because of my faith, and what i have experienced in my life that has proved his existence to me. If you don't believe that, then that is okay. I love you anyway, and if you ever want to accept it then know that God's love is already in action for you.

True Christianity is founded on love; always remember that.

Just because one color in the crayon box looks ugly does not mean that all the other colors are ugly.

God Bless.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I am and I am not. I was raised in a very religious family, they are episcopal and two have been preists(Grandpa who has passed, and my Uncle is still doing it) and two organ players at churches. I am the only one in the family who is not uber religious, but I do take alot from christianity. I got alot of my morals from the religion and am glad that I was exposed to the lifestyle it just isnt for me. However because I grew up around it I do have respect for it and and most of the good people who believe in it. What I dislike is atheists who mock the religion and those who follow it, many have no more knowledge of it than seeing videos of "christians" jumping up and down screaming jesus. There are others who are very knowledgable and still mock it, and if you want to that is your perogative but I personally respect everyone and their views. I do not believe I would be the man I am today without exposure to both sides of this topic, and I am thankful for that.

 

[Foshinzo]

I am not. I've even been baptized and I am not.
I'm from a very, very small, fundamentalist Christian, Eastern Kentucky town, where to be an atheist is quite frowned upon. For example, my elderly mother doesn't know because I feel like she would be disappointed with me or worse, herself.
I hope I don't get too personal for some of you, but my father passed away very tragically and suddenly when I had just turned 19, and it was quite devastating to my family. Just to answer the inevitable question, there was an accident in the home and my father was electrocuted. The whole thing was quite traumatic as my mother tried desperately to resuscitate him, but obviously to no avail. At the time, the electrician who inspected our basement could not tell where the current had come from, and my family moved out of the house shortly thereafter, after 15 years of living there. All of this may seem desperately personal, and for that I'm sorry. I've grown comfortable enough to talk about this after all these years, but I just realized that I may have gotten a little too specific above; if I've saddened anyone, I apologize. However, I don't seek pity in any way, so don't feel obligated. All of what I'm trying to conclude to, is that people know what I went through at that time, and they're amazed to learn that I'm an atheist. My father was a devout Christian, though he wasn't a fan of organized church or Southern Baptism, and many wonder how I came out to feel the way I do.

Mostly, they're argument is, "Well, wouldn't you want to take the chance on seeing your father again?" While I usually get slightly offended by the bravado of their questioning, I admit that the argument makes sense. However, I tell them something to the effect of, "Yes, but my father also believed that in order to reach Heaven, all you had to do was treat others as well as humanly possible. Also, I believe that even if my father doesn't exist anymore, I know that he's at peace." (My father was a manual laborer for most of his life and he and mother had to work very hard to get what they had.) This is indeed a much more painful route of belief because I miss my father dearly as he was a great man and my best friend, but this is what makes sense to me and I feel that to believe in the alternative would be lying to myself.

In this inordinately long digression into my personal life, I suppose the original point I wanted to make whenever I began typing this post was that though I am an atheist, I've never had a problem with people believing in Christianity or any other religion really, so long as their beliefs don't harm anybody else. I suppose the only time I'm ever offended by Christianity is when certain people in my area try to, "shove it down our throats." In my area, going to church more of a social event than it is an actual religious ceremony, and a lot of people tend to grow quite snob-ish towards other people's churches. Also, they typically will post Biblical quotes on their Facebook pages and tell you that there is only one, "GOD," (that's an actual quote because they always spell it in all caps, for some reason,) which seems grows tiring, quickly. I understand what they're point is, but it would be rude to de-friend these people and it just grows tiring when it's all that they post on their wall. It just gets annoying having to hide their posts, is all.

Conversely, however, I do think that it's bad of atheists to do the same. I guess all I'm trying to say is that I don't care for anyone who so openly and often makes their opinions on the one subject vocal. Also, what makes me genuinely angry are the people who seem to just search for these arguments. There is just no point in engaging in conversation when you know that it will just turn into a, "verbal bloodbath." To do this over a public platform makes me even more angry, so that is really what I was trying to convey. My sister is quite guilty of this on the atheist side, so I feel like I've seen enough of this from both sides.

Tl;dr
I'm an atheist, but I try not to hold it against anyone for their beliefs.