Help With Spiritual/Religious Struggles...

[Trish]

God calls us to be with him and to get to know him better. So, just by responding to that call, (spending time in prayer, reading the Bible with an open heart, listening for God in the moment), then you'll be called in a certain direction, and things may become clearer.

 

I don't think it's necessary to work it all out intellectually while beginning the journey. I think the different faiths have aspects of the truth, but no one has a full understanding, so I don't consider it a bad thing is you're unable to fully embrace any particular denomination. I think God isn't so much interested in your ability to follow a set denomination, but more so that whatever one you are in is leading you closer to him.

 

:grouphug:

[mlbuchina]

 

I have considered Reform Judaism, but a lot of my issues with the characteristics of God stem from the OT.

 

I'm going to say something here that you may have never heard in your life. The OT is not written to you (not to be confused with for you). You will not find how to be saved from reading it. It was written about what God was doing with man in the beginning, and then more specifically what He was doing with/through the Jewish nation.

 

I would like to gently say to you that the Bible is not there to match up with what you want it to say or to change to better fit what you want to believe. It says what it says, and that is what it says. As someone very wise once told me, "Adust YOUR system (doctrine statement), to match the Book, not the Book to match your system."

 

:grouphug: You are not alone! The only way to figure things out is to talk about it and ask lots of questions. And definitely be telling God about your concerns and confusions. One of the great things you learn from the OT is that He has no problem with us talking to Him about these issues.

Edited March 19, 2012 by mlbuchina

[mlbuchina]

I could have written your post about a year ago. I was still trying hard to hold onto some sort of faith but those roots were snapping off, one by one. The more I read the bible, the worse it got. The more I prayed and got silence in return, the worse it got. The more I heard about other people experiencing God while I was getting nothing, the worse it got. Reading the liberal theologians helped for awhile, until it didn't anymore. The more I read about those who had lost their faith and the reasons why, the more sense it made to me that there probably is no theistic God, or at least one that loves everyone and longs for a relationship with them.

 

Now I attend a liberal Presbyterian church because I like that it helps me organize my work for others, the sermons help me focus my priorities (I filter out the god part), and I enjoy the excellent high-church music complete with huge organ and beautiful choir. My kids are really pretty much non-believers too but they are welcomed and loved on. My husband lost his faith awhile ago but he attends too. I consider myself a non-believer that keeps muddling through anyway and hoping maybe someday it won't be like that. If there is a god, the ball's in his/her/its court though. I'm done.

 

:grouphug: This breaks my heart.

[Hunter's Moon]

I just wanted to thank everyone who took part in this thread. I appreciate all the thoughts.

 

I'm going to try and attend the 8AM service at the Episcopal Church when I can, but they also have a service on Thursdays about an hour after I get out of class, and the Church is right down the street from my school, so I'll give that one a try, too.