Welcome to Joe User.

I have to say I pretty much agree with you. I have a really hard time with the Bible. The root of my problem is that man is inherently flawed. The Bible has been handed down and translated many, many times by man. How do I know that I am not obeying the wishes of some silly translator instead of the word of God?

I know there is a God. I don't know that I believe all that the Bible says. I am certainly less inclined to listen to the teachings of someone who is all "hellfire and brimstone". If I choose to go to church, it is because I am going there to be enlightened so that hopefully what I take away will improve my life.

The bible has many strange coincidences. The Bible for Dummies has some interesting info on the Bible and it is pretty unbiased.

I understand where you are at and I think that your ability to question what you believe only proves that you want to strengthen your faith. Good Luck.

I really understand the feelings of doubt. I suppose one of the things that has helped me the most is that I was always taught to never just believe it because that is what the scriptures say. Study things out for yourself, ponder them, meditate and pray about them if you choose. Of course, it can be hard to do that when the doubt sets in, but I found that my own study and prayer regarding what I am learning helps me gain a testimony of true principles much better than someone telling me I am going to hell and just how fast.

Little Whip is right in telling you to follow your heart. You have to listen to your own voice within and take it from there.

John is also correct when he says the Bible has been translated and re-written so many times that you have no clue as to what is really God's words and what is man's.

It is good that you ask questions of your faith and question what you're being told. I personally dislike "fire and brimstone" preachers because they don't always get what they're saying right. They want to invoke the fear of God in their listeners and that to me is not the right way. Who knows what's the right way or the wrong way anyway. You just have to listen to your heart and read your Bible for yourself as you say you will do and take it from there.

I went in search of a few articles I wrote regarding my own search for enlightenment and what my thoughts were on a few things where my faith is concerned. I am linking them here.


Link
This discussion was about what other people believe and my quest for enlightenment


Link
This was an email I received which I found comforting, a message of Hope


Link
This is an article I wrote as a reminder to myself to let go and trust in God more often

Link
My thoughts about heaven

Link
Questions I had about Christianity


You might not find an answer in any of those blogs (they probably have nothing to what you're seeking) but they hopefully will enlighten you because the response of our fellow bloggers were most important that assisted me in coming to some great conclusions for myself.

Good luck on your path to enlightenment.

Honestly, you do need to decide where you want to go with your faith. Despite the best efforts of this pastor to alienate you, you must retain three things:

1. Your underlying faith in God.
2. Your faith that God is going to lead you to where He wants you to be.
3. Your faith that prayer, reading the scriptures, and self-examination will help you get closer to God.

This will tell you if this particular congregation and this pastor are right for you. But have faith, be strong enough to accept what God says and do it.

I was brought up "generic Christian" (my term) and flitted from church to church (most Christian, some not) throughout my childhood and teenage years. It was when I left for college and fell in with a group of Latter-day Saints that I found my niche. And I have been a Mormon for the last sixteen years, two of which I was on a mission for the church in London. It comes from prayer, study, and faith.

Have faith that you will find your place, and what do you know! You'll find it.

"Once you've convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky, you can convince them of anything." - George Carlin

Once you've convinced people that there's an invisible man living in the sky, you can convince them of anything." - George Carlin

Icono, if you don't have something of substance to add that will help wrs, then say nothing at all. This isn't appropriate!

Icono, if you don't have something of substance to add that will help wrs, then say nothing at all. This isn't appropriate!

Read the body of the article again.

Not sure how long I will be at this crossroads, or which way I will end up going. What I do know is I will continue to read and digest what is out there so I can make an intelligent decision.

I am with you. I guess you would now say that I am an agnostic. I question. I just don't believe that Gahndi is burning in hell because he wasn't a Christian. I do find the rituals of my religion comforting but I cannot accept all of the teachings of my church.

Foreverserenity, thanks for the links. I feel the more information one has the better choice one can make for themselves.