Please read my post, and then you can ask me some questions at the end. Also, if you can tell me how to edit my posts to add some indents in the paragraphs to make it look neater I'd appreciate it! I ask that all parties in this thread please remain civil, and try to ask things in a fairly neutral manner.
I want to start off with a personal testimony of how I became a Christian. After that I will go into some things you guys might be a bit more interested in. I am only one person and I would guess that there are a great many eloquent athiests/deists/agnostics on this board. I ask that you do not overwhelm me with questions, and that you do not ssume that I am not an intellectual due to my belief. I may not have all of the answers, but if I do not, I assure you I will make every attempt to find someone that does have the answer. And with that, I'll begin my short testimony.
I grew up in a decidedly non-Christian home. I guess you could say that my parents were deists. They even called themselves Christian, and so did I. We didn't go to church, we didn't own a Bible, and "Jesus Christ" was a word you said when you were angry. I suppose we were 'cultural Christians'. So as I got older I went from being vaguely deist to hardcore outspoken athiest throughout much of my high school life. In fact, at the time, I hated Christians. I certainly would have hated God too if, as I thought, he actually existed. I suppose I hated the idea of God more than anything. I felt strong, I did not need a 'crutch' as I called it.
I didn't feel like I was missing anything in my life. I was fairly popular in school, I was smart, had a loving family, and I always had food on the table. I didn't understand what the big deal was with going to church. Video games sure sounded like a better proposition for sunday morning to me.
Near the end of high school I started watching a group of kids who always stuck together and were very tight knit. I knew they were Christians. In fact, the few that were in my classes earned some pretty harsh statements for being such pseudo-intellectuals. I made it my job to be mean to this one girl in my class every day, every chance I could get. She did something that made me angrier and angier every day. She was nice to me. I couldn't understand why she didn't slap me, or yell, or even report it to a teacher.
Well, my friends eventually became hardcore alcoholics. It seemed like every night they'd go out and drink. Sometimes they'd bash mailboxes and other really idiotic things. I decided not to do any of that. One morning, just on a whim, I thought I'd 'try this church thing out'. Those people I'd treated bad before seemed very excited to see me at church. The fact that my friends were so tolerant of me really made me think. I did not immediately become a Christian. It did cause me to step back and take a 2nd look at Christianity. The rest, as they say, is history.
I'd never seen anyone really live out what they say they believed like I did these people. In fact, it shocked me to see that some Christians actually do occasionally 'practice what they preach.'
Now I understand that many people have a problem with Christianity because of Christians. I believe I read a quote by Gandhi at one point saying "I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians." I think it is important to note two groups within Gandhi's Christians. First, I think there is a group that imitates Christians to give them a bad name. I believe this is a small group proportionally to the other group, which are 'cultural Christians'. These are people that have been brought up to be a "Christian" because thats what mommy and daddy said they were. These people sincerely believe that they are Christians, and they do not see a need to act like a Christian in their public life. They have a face they wear 6 days a week, and then they have a sunday face. These are the big instigators of trouble inside and outside of church for Christians. For example, they may not ever tithe, but when the finance report for the church comes around they have the most questions and complaints.
Unfortunately, I cannot blame fakers for all of the problems of the Church. I make mistakes. All Christians make mistakes, and we will be the first to tell you that. My pastor goes so far as to say "Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints." The Bible teaches that we are freed from our inability to resist sin. We are still capable of sin, but it is within our power to fight and overcome a temptation in our life. Also, if we commit a sin, we are forgiven for that sin if we repent and truly make the effort to turn from that sin. Please understand that we are human, and that at times we may make a mistake.
I will try to answer any questions you may have. Please understand that it may take time to find your answer and write it up. I may also have to go to someone more knowledgable and get the answer.
Thanks for your time!
I want to start off with a personal testimony of how I became a Christian. After that I will go into some things you guys might be a bit more interested in. I am only one person and I would guess that there are a great many eloquent athiests/deists/agnostics on this board. I ask that you do not overwhelm me with questions, and that you do not ssume that I am not an intellectual due to my belief. I may not have all of the answers, but if I do not, I assure you I will make every attempt to find someone that does have the answer. And with that, I'll begin my short testimony.
I grew up in a decidedly non-Christian home. I guess you could say that my parents were deists. They even called themselves Christian, and so did I. We didn't go to church, we didn't own a Bible, and "Jesus Christ" was a word you said when you were angry. I suppose we were 'cultural Christians'. So as I got older I went from being vaguely deist to hardcore outspoken athiest throughout much of my high school life. In fact, at the time, I hated Christians. I certainly would have hated God too if, as I thought, he actually existed. I suppose I hated the idea of God more than anything. I felt strong, I did not need a 'crutch' as I called it.
I didn't feel like I was missing anything in my life. I was fairly popular in school, I was smart, had a loving family, and I always had food on the table. I didn't understand what the big deal was with going to church. Video games sure sounded like a better proposition for sunday morning to me.
Near the end of high school I started watching a group of kids who always stuck together and were very tight knit. I knew they were Christians. In fact, the few that were in my classes earned some pretty harsh statements for being such pseudo-intellectuals. I made it my job to be mean to this one girl in my class every day, every chance I could get. She did something that made me angrier and angier every day. She was nice to me. I couldn't understand why she didn't slap me, or yell, or even report it to a teacher.
Well, my friends eventually became hardcore alcoholics. It seemed like every night they'd go out and drink. Sometimes they'd bash mailboxes and other really idiotic things. I decided not to do any of that. One morning, just on a whim, I thought I'd 'try this church thing out'. Those people I'd treated bad before seemed very excited to see me at church. The fact that my friends were so tolerant of me really made me think. I did not immediately become a Christian. It did cause me to step back and take a 2nd look at Christianity. The rest, as they say, is history.
I'd never seen anyone really live out what they say they believed like I did these people. In fact, it shocked me to see that some Christians actually do occasionally 'practice what they preach.'
Now I understand that many people have a problem with Christianity because of Christians. I believe I read a quote by Gandhi at one point saying "I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians." I think it is important to note two groups within Gandhi's Christians. First, I think there is a group that imitates Christians to give them a bad name. I believe this is a small group proportionally to the other group, which are 'cultural Christians'. These are people that have been brought up to be a "Christian" because thats what mommy and daddy said they were. These people sincerely believe that they are Christians, and they do not see a need to act like a Christian in their public life. They have a face they wear 6 days a week, and then they have a sunday face. These are the big instigators of trouble inside and outside of church for Christians. For example, they may not ever tithe, but when the finance report for the church comes around they have the most questions and complaints.
Unfortunately, I cannot blame fakers for all of the problems of the Church. I make mistakes. All Christians make mistakes, and we will be the first to tell you that. My pastor goes so far as to say "Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints." The Bible teaches that we are freed from our inability to resist sin. We are still capable of sin, but it is within our power to fight and overcome a temptation in our life. Also, if we commit a sin, we are forgiven for that sin if we repent and truly make the effort to turn from that sin. Please understand that we are human, and that at times we may make a mistake.
I will try to answer any questions you may have. Please understand that it may take time to find your answer and write it up. I may also have to go to someone more knowledgable and get the answer.
Thanks for your time!
