Guest sawitch Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 I've been struggling with Christianity and I think I'm at the point where I don't believe any more, but have yet to make the break! I e-mailed a good friend who has helped me with issues before and explained the reasons for my unbelief. This was his reply: But you can believe again – it is simply a matter of choice. Trouble is you want all the answers up front (unfair maybe but I am trying to make a point here!) and where is the need or room for faith then? By all means study the questions but don’t expect to have everything sewn up tight. At the end of the day the question is a simple one: Do you want to believe? If so, then do it. Take a step of faith and make a confession of utter faith in the God who made you, loves you and died to save you. You are going to have to spend an eternity with Him (whatever you do now) and that’s a long time to ask all those questions. Mind you I suspect we won’t bother with any of them by then as they will seem so trivial and unimportant in the light of living in Heaven with Him. So, don't ask questions, take a deep breath and BELIEVE. Simple isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_raven23 Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Considering the level of independant study, the reading, the counter-reading, the counter-counter reading, the comparison and the confirmation.....all taking possibly years, and that just for the intellectual struggle alone.... You cannot just "choose" to believe once you're far down the path to truly KNOW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Funny, I wonder how the Christian would react if their statements were put into perspective: But you can believe again – it is simply a matter of choice. Trouble is you want all the answers up front (unfair maybe but I am trying to make a point here!) and where is the need or room for faith then? By all means study the questions but don’t expect to have everything sewn up tight. At the end of the day the question is a simple one: Do you want to believe? If so, then do it. Take a step of faith and make a confession of utter faith in the Santa Claus who loves you and gives you presents every Christmas, and whose reindeer and sleigh grace your roof with their presence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxic Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Or what about: But you can believe again – it is simply a matter of choice. Trouble is you want all the answers up front (unfair maybe but I am trying to make a point here!) and where is the need or room for faith then? By all means study the questions but don’t expect to have everything sewn up tight. At the end of the day the question is a simple one: Do you want to believe? If so, then do it. Take a step of faith and make a confession of utter faith in Odin who made you, loves you and died to bring you the Runes. You are going to have to spend an eternity with Him (whatever you do now) and that’s a long time to ask all those questions. Mind you I suspect we won’t bother with any of them by then as they will seem so trivial and unimportant in the light of quaffing ale in Valhalla with Him. So, don't ask questions, take a deep breath and BELIEVE. Simple isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted December 31, 2006 Share Posted December 31, 2006 Heh. You could also do this: But you can believe again – it is simply a matter of choice. Trouble is you want all the answers up front (unfair maybe but I am trying to make a point here!) and where is the need or room for faith then? By all means study the questions but don’t expect to have everything sewn up tight. At the end of the day the question is a simple one: Do you want to believe? If so, then do it. Take a step of faith and make a confession of utter faith in the Invisible Pink Unicorn who made you, loves you and died to save you. You are going to have to spend an eternity with Her (whatever you do now) and that’s a long time to ask all those questions. Mind you I suspect we won’t bother with any of them by then as they will seem so trivial and unimportant in the rose-colored light of living in the Hereafter with the Invisible Pink Unicorn. All hail the IPU! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trancelation Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 I've one thing to contribute here, and that is that the idea of choice is necessary for the Christian dogma to flourish. think about it; if homosexuality is NOT a choice, then the Christian God is sending people to Hell for something they could not change. And deep down inside, even Christians know that such a thing is sadistic and terrible. In a fit of denial, they claim that sexuality (among other things) is a choice. Because who wants to worship a monster that sends people to a place of eternal punishment for something they could not help? Either you agree with something, or you don't. Time and again, I have gone down the road of "choice" in debating Christians. My nonbelief is a "choice" I have made, they claim. Indeed? Why, then, are human beings incapable of changing their sexuality on the fly? If my sexuality is a choice, then why do I have the hardest damn time doing it with other men, an activity I do not engage in at all because I simply canno bring myself to do it, even though I can CHOOSE to do it, CHOOSE to like it, and CHOOSE to believe in it? Belief is not a choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Friendly Misanthrope Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 If my sexuality is a choice, then why do I have the hardest damn time doing it with other men, an activity I do not engage in at all because I simply canno bring myself to do it, even though I can CHOOSE to do it, CHOOSE to like it, and CHOOSE to believe in it? You just haven't met the right guy yet! Sorry, I just couldn't resist. I agree with you on the whole sexual orientation thing not being a choice. I am not gay, but I have gay friends. Believe it or not, xians, you can be friends with, and even HUG "a gay" without catching faggotry! I often pose to anti-gay bigots the question as to why would anyone choose to be gay in a world (esp. the Bible Belt, USA) that often treats them with disrepect, mistrust, as second-class citizens, and even sometimes with violence? If it were a choice, I dare say the gay population would be much fewer in number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Dweller Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 So, don't ask questions, take a deep breath and BELIEVE. Simple isn't it? Doesn't work, does it? Just like those so-called proofs or arguments for God - you have to already believe them, they won't convince you otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBungle Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 I've been struggling with Christianity and I think I'm at the point where I don't believe any more, but have yet to make the break! I e-mailed a good friend who has helped me with issues before and explained the reasons for my unbelief. This was his reply: But you can believe again – it is simply a matter of choice. Trouble is you want all the answers up front (unfair maybe but I am trying to make a point here!) and where is the need or room for faith then? By all means study the questions but don’t expect to have everything sewn up tight. At the end of the day the question is a simple one: Do you want to believe? If so, then do it. Take a step of faith and make a confession of utter faith in the God who made you, loves you and died to save you. You are going to have to spend an eternity with Him (whatever you do now) and that’s a long time to ask all those questions. Mind you I suspect we won’t bother with any of them by then as they will seem so trivial and unimportant in the light of living in Heaven with Him. So, don't ask questions, take a deep breath and BELIEVE. Simple isn't it? yeah try this one... Just believe that 2 + 2 = -46! I know it doesn't add up and you don't understand how it is possible. I can't explain it or show you any evidence for why it could be -46 but just have faith and believe it. Someday it will all make sense, you just have to believe to the very depths of your soul that 2 + 2 = -46 see how easy that is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 The mindboggling thing is, of course, that if you do believe in something, it immediately becomes real to you, because you believe it is! So in some really bizarre circular way, it actually works. I'm not sure where I stand at the moment on the issue of belief and choice. For the most part I don't think belief is a choice; but I think it operates something like the way denial does. Some people will indeed continue in denial when confronted with reality. Is that a choice? I think so, though perhaps not a conscious one. I do think it naive of Xians to assume that it's really a cut-and-dried, conscious choice, though. I could pretend again to be a Xian, and do a pretty good job of it, I'm sure, but while I'd regard pretense as a choice, it isn't the same as actual belief. Food for thought, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts