Is it acceptable to question your faith?

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sexymadison69

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Apr 15, 2008
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My friend told me that after years of thinking thoughts like "if my faith is strong enough, it'll hold up if I don't go to church for a year" or something.Then he learned that faith didn't work like that, that faith was precious and delicate and needed to be protected at all costs.This means that to question your own faith, would be a bad thing, as it may result in having less/losing your faith. But if we question our faith, and find it lacking, and consequently lose it, then didn't we lose it for a reason? I'm quite confused about my own faith. My faith was good until I started to question a whole lot of things about myself and the bible and God, and the more questions I asked, well, the answers didn't lead me to a greater faith. So what am I to take from this? That for me christianity only works if I don't think about it? Surely that's not what God wants, a thoughtless blind faith that only exists from a lack of reason.
 

ForYou

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Jan 21, 2008
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Different things will work for different people. As a born again Christian I gave my life to God,I had tons of questions,I questioned everything I could not because I wanted to prove anything wrong,but I wanted to know I have that unquenchable thirst for God. I could easily understand why questioning would be a bad thing,because some people will not accept the fact that God knows what he is doing,and there is a reason for all. In the end it depends on the person,if you have little faith and you question it,you could lose all faith,or maybe in vise versa. I love questioning things,it makes me grow wiser,and just realize God it just that much more amazing. So in the end I say yes because it helps me. Maybe for others no.
 

Mikey

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Jan 22, 2008
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Your friend might have lost faith because if you aren't thinking of God always, we can become misguided and forget. You will always grow as a Christian and things you don't understand now you will learn with time and prayer. If something is bugging you, ask God to give you understanding of His wisdom. Look up stuff about it, maybe all you need is someone to explain it to you.I find that when I come across something I don't understand, I may doubt. I ask God to help me not doubt because I know His word is true, even if I don't see it now. There are still many things I don't understand, I am still a baby in Christ.I hope this helps
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sexymadison69

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Apr 15, 2008
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(Mikey;45638)
Your friend might have lost faith because if you aren't thinking of God always, we can become misguided and forget. I hope this helps
smile.gif

I'm not trying to cause doubt for anyone, these are genuine thoughts I am thinking, but that statement there, saying you can get misguided and forget, well, I used to agree, but now I'm thinking that by definition it disproves faith, because it's the same as saying that the only way to retain faith is to constantly force it upon yourself.I believe in pre-destination from a biblical standpoint. If I end up losing my faith completely because of my inability to accept broad inconsistancies, then isn't it part of God's plan, even though from the non-faith perspective I'll have I won't care?
 

RaddSpencer

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Mar 28, 2008
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To honest with you, I think it is imperative that every Christian question their faith. I mean think about it. What is the difference between Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and Jesus Christ.... Evidence!!!1 Cor 15:12-19" 12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."The punch line is if Jesus did not really die on the cross for our sins -- we are frankly wasting our time and wasting everyone elses time. There is no point in being a Christian if Jesus Christ never existed, or did not rise from the dead on the third day.(sexymadison69;45631)
So what am I to take from this? That for me christianity only works if I don't think about it? Surely that's not what God wants, a thoughtless blind faith that only exists from a lack of reason.
Brother, I don't know where you have been getting your answers from, but you must not be using my sources.What you are looking for is called Christian Apologetics (i.e. defending the faith). "The First Epistle of Peter (3:15) declares that Christians must be ready to give a reason for their faith. Christian apologetics are designed to present non-Christians with reasons to adopt the Christian faith or to strengthen the belief of current Christians. Also, apologetics within the Christian community provide arguments that describe, support and strengthen the doctrinal and moral tenets of the Christian faith." Source: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_apologetics]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_apologetics[/url]
 

sexymadison69

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Apr 15, 2008
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(RaddSpencer;45643)
Brother, I don't know where you have been getting your answers from, but you must not be using my sources.
You might find this a bit odd, but I just can't use christian sources to check. I have done in the past, but they're not objective. Of course no christian source is going to challenge my faith and present arguments from all sides. And in a way it's good for maintaining faith, but I want to ask questions and get answers that possibly do weaken my faith because otherwise I'm not actually challenging it. It's like making a movie, and instead of asking movie critics to review it, you ask your wife. If you want a true unbias opinion you can't get it from christian sources. Mind you, you can't get it from secular sources, but you need to get it from ALL sources and compare. I find christian apologetics need to try so hard to justify some of the terrible ways God treats people in the OT, and some of the terrible laws and sexist acts he encourages.
 

Nyoka

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Mar 26, 2008
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If you are questioning to make sure your faith is scripturally based then I don't see a problem with it. As others have said it depends why you are doing it. Are you doing it to get closer to God and find out more about Him or are you doing it to make sure you are right even when you aren't? I know people who question their faith but only so they can be right in what they already believe - even when their belief is wrong. I find when I question my faith, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide me, then I usually grow in faith and strengthen my walk with Jesus.
 

RaddSpencer

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Mar 28, 2008
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(sexymadison69;45645)
You might find this a bit odd, but I just can't use christian sources to check. I have done in the past, but they're not objective.
Ok, Well you have officially won my "What in the heck are you talking about" award! If you are willing to discount large swaths of Christian academic material (even dating back to early church fathers like Justyn Martyr, Tertullian, and Jerome), then there is nothing I can do to help you. I mean, its like you are asking a doctor to put away his tools because you don't trust them. There is not much the doctor can do for you if you don't trust his tools. But this begs another question. WHY are you asking us about questioning your faith? Aren't we considered a BIASED CHRISTIAN SOURCE too? YOU have already made up your own mind concerning this question. Its obvious to me that you have rejected Christianity.It seems to me that you are asking us a question, and hoping that we do not answer. I have to admit, I've never seen anyone say something like this, and I thought I had seen everything.
 

zadzial

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Mar 23, 2008
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(sexymadison69;45631)
My friend told me that after years of thinking thoughts like "if my faith is strong enough, it'll hold up if I don't go to church for a year" or something.Then he learned that faith didn't work like that, that faith was precious and delicate and needed to be protected at all costs.
I once thought like this, but then I learnt that going to church was more about being with God's people, hearing God's Word preached and worshipping God, than it was about my own faith. Being away from God's people is dangerous. The Bible talks about the church being a body, believers are meant to work together for God's glory. You wouldn't remove a toe from your body and expect it to remain strong. It is the same with us. Isolating yourself from other believers gives Satan the opportunity to deceive you.(sexymadison69;45631)
This means that to question your own faith, would be a bad thing, as it may result in having less/losing your faith. But if we question our faith, and find it lacking, and consequently lose it, then didn't we lose it for a reason? I'm quite confused about my own faith. My faith was good until I started to question a whole lot of things about myself and the bible and God, and the more questions I asked, well, the answers didn't lead me to a greater faith. So what am I to take from this? That for me christianity only works if I don't think about it? Surely that's not what God wants, a thoughtless blind faith that only exists from a lack of reason.
God says that we are to love him with all our heart, mind, body and soul. He wants us to know him and to understand what he has done for us. Questioning is a natural and good thing. God is happy for us to ask questions and the Bible provides us with the answers. We are not meant to rely on our own faith, but rather on God's faithfulness. The best thing you can do is ask your questions. That is what this forum is good for. And I for one will try my best to answer you.
 

Red_Letters88

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Jan 5, 2008
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Questioning your faith huh?Well that sounds a lot like me a year ago. I was letting satan give me all the wrong things to focus on. I was listening to a bunch of garbage and letting it attach to me. It was at that moment when I decided to read the bible cover to cover. I know the OT is difficult to understand sometimes but let me tell ya, this past year of reading the Word, and im still in the OT, Ive learned so much- and in this time God has built up my faith as strong as its ever been before. Christ gave himself so that we may follow Him and live- We can at least give our Lord some of the time He gives us back to him daily. Making a certain part of your day reading from the TRUTH and praying to the Lord will set you free of satans lies.
 

sexymadison69

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Apr 15, 2008
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(Red_Letters88;45739)
It was at that moment when I decided to read the bible cover to cover.
(zadzial;45738)
God is happy for us to ask questions and the Bible provides us with the answers.
(Nyoka;45649)
If you are questioning to make sure your faith is scripturally based then I don't see a problem with it.
The problem for me is, when I read the bible, I find more and more things I don't like about it. I notice contradictions, and poor treatment of people. I'm not trying to bring anyone down, but that's my experience.(RaddSpencer;45705)
Ok, Well you have officially won my "What in the heck are you talking about" award! If you are willing to discount large swaths of Christian academic material (even dating back to early church fathers like Justyn Martyr, Tertullian, and Jerome), then there is nothing I can do to help you.
It's not that I have a problem with christian literature, it's just that I have a problem by using ONLY christian literature to get answers. No christian literature is seriously going to challenge me is it? That'd be "dangerous".I've got a reasonable amount of christian literature and have ead it.
I mean, its like you are asking a doctor to put away his tools because you don't trust them. There is not much the doctor can do for you if you don't trust his tools.
I think that's a poor analogy, a better analogy would be one doctor prescribing me aspirin for a headache, and another doctor prescribing me acetaphomin, because both doctors have been "paid" by drug companies to prescribe certain things. Which one would I trust?If I read a book on NT history from a christian source, it gives proof of how it's infallible and completely historical, but if I read about about the NT from a secular historian, it points in a completely different direction. WHY should I trust the christian one more than the secular one? I should give each equal weight, otherwise I'm not being fair on myself and not being honest with myself. Can you see what I mean?
But this begs another question. WHY are you asking us about questioning your faith? Aren't we considered a BIASED CHRISTIAN SOURCE too? YOU have already made up your own mind concerning this question. Its obvious to me that you have rejected Christianity.
I haven't rejected it, but the more I try to look deeper and deeper into it, the less satisfied I become with it. I'm asking because I genuinely want to know what other think of this situation. It has been inspiring and has helped me think about it though, so not all is lost. (Denver;45677)
Well, it comes down to are you are Christian or are you not a Christian? What's your answer to that?
Right now I honestly don't know. I'm struggling, thats for realI guess when I ask if it's ok to question your faith, I'm asking if it's ok to question your faith from an outside/objective view. Because looking at your faith from inside your faith, yeah that's fine, but what about if I try to look at it from an outsiders point of view. I mean, if the bible is real and inerrant, then it WILL stand up to questioning. But right now for me, it's not. How can I deal with the contradictions I find? Am I really meant to trust in God even though I disagree with his treatment of people and the general total path he has put humans on?
 

zadzial

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Mar 23, 2008
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Hi Sexymadison69,I am happy to answer any question you have. If I do not know the answer I will find out. The Bible is sometimes not easy to understand and there are many parts, particularly in the Old Testament, that make us question things. But there are answers and they all show God's amazing love for us. I have spent many years reading and studying the Word of God and as I grow deeper in my understanding, my love for God grows stonger. I would love to share that with you so that you, too, may know how much God loves you and the extreme measures he has taken to bring you to himself. zadzial
 

RaddSpencer

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Mar 28, 2008
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(sexymadison69;45800)
I guess when I ask if it's ok to question your faith, I'm asking if it's ok to question your faith from an outside/objective view. Because looking at your faith from inside your faith, yeah that's fine, but what about if I try to look at it from an outsiders point of view. I mean, if the bible is real and inerrant, then it WILL stand up to questioning. But right now for me, it's not. How can I deal with the contradictions I find? Am I really meant to trust in God even though I disagree with his treatment of people and the general total path he has put humans on?
As I said before in my previous post, you are looking for Christian Apologetics. As for your "Christian Literature" that seems somewhat vague -- I have no idea what literature you are referring to.However, I doubt that you have read literature like Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis or Christian Apologetics by Norm Geisler.If you want to automatically discount this literature, then there is nothing I can help you with. When I was in high school I began to doubt my Christianity. I figured that there was no difference between God and Santa Claus --- STRANGELY ENOUGH, I had a class on Christian Apologetics the next year. That sure cleared my confusion up. God was there to answer my questions.Your soul and your eternal destiny is your own responsibility. If you want to reject the apologetics sources that I recommended, its foolish, but ultimately your business.
 

RobinD69

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Oct 7, 2007
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(sexymadison69;45860)
Alright, I'll hunt some down and give it a go
You must interprit the Bible with the Bible and try to understand from Gods perfect perspective rather than mans imperfect selfish perspective. The contradictions are easily explained if one is willing to examine the entire Bible rather than a few select verses. It is perfectly fine to question ones faith, it encourages one to study and dig deeper. Ofcourse not all Christians are going to completely agree depending on ones level of understandind or ones walk with the Lord. My wife stays in the NT because she has difficulty with the OT, she still believes the OT to be the word of God, she just doesnt completely understand Gods perspective in the OT. Please share your doubts, there are plenty here who would be more than happy to address them.
 

tim_from_pa

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Jul 11, 2007
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The problem for me is, when I read the bible, I find more and more things I don't like about it. I notice contradictions, and poor treatment of people. I'm not trying to bring anyone down, but that's my experience.
What contradictions do you have in mind? Maybe some of us here can answer that.Sometimes "contradictions" cited by critics result from improper assumptions.Here's an everyday example. My brother's birthday is celebrated 4 days of the week later than mine. For example, if my birthday is on Monday, his is on Friday.We were both born on the same day of the week.Heres' another example. I live in the NE United States. Israel is in the same direction in the Northeast as London England. And if we arrive in Israel, the opposite direction to face me in the United States is Northwest.Does all this sound contradictory?It is not actually, although some critics will swear that it is because they have their minds made up already. They take points that sound intuitive to make their argument, but truth is often counterintuitive like the examples I just gave.
 

zadzial

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Mar 23, 2008
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(RobinD69;46248)
You must interprit the Bible with the Bible and try to understand from Gods perfect perspective rather than mans imperfect selfish perspective. The contradictions are easily explained if one is willing to examine the entire Bible rather than a few select verses. It is perfectly fine to question ones faith, it encourages one to study and dig deeper. Ofcourse not all Christians are going to completely agree depending on ones level of understandind or ones walk with the Lord. My wife stays in the NT because she has difficulty with the OT, she still believes the OT to be the word of God, she just doesnt completely understand Gods perspective in the OT. Please share your doubts, there are plenty here who would be more than happy to address them.
I use to think like your wife does, until I read "According to Plan" by Graeme Goldworthy. It really brought the Old Testament alive for me. To have someone explain clearly how everything in the Old Testament points directly to Jesus was really an eye opener for me. I recommend that book to anyone struggling to understand the Old Testament.