To wonder if a lot of people who are Christians have had a rather nice life?

My experience of devout Christians:

1. Brought up in the faith, never been tested as such and thus believe their life is a reward for good behaviour

1. Suffered a terrible tragedy and finding solace in god and the afterlife

1. Find god just prior to school selection.

1. Have a deep and unshakable faith that is deeply rooted in every aspect of life, with no sense of entitlement.

My Christian faith is just about the one thing that's keeping me going at the moment - despite the fact that it's a Christian organisation that has messed up our lives unbelievably. Or contributed to the mess whilst "praying for us" I feel that it gives me hope that things WILL resolve despite this current bleak bit.

OP have you tried replacing Christian with atheist, and references to faith with no faith ?

It makes equal sense.

Op, in Wales the results of the last census showed that Maerdy (a poor town in a post industrial Rhondda Valley) was identified as having the lowest number of people with religious belief. So although some find great comfort and strength in their faith (whatever faith that may be), there are also those communities where faith doesn't play such an important role. I don't think it would be naive to assume that poverty may be a factor in why someone may not believe in a faith, just as long as that assumption doesn't presume agnostic or atheist views just because someone lives in poverty.

I think OP has been more pleasant and open to changing her view than some posters on this thread, hasn't she?

I think plenty of people who have hard lives are Christians too. Their faith helps them get through the hard times. there are many devout people in poor countries, and look at the number of devout black A mericans for instance, many of whom have had very tough lives. for that matter, being white, middle class and well off doesn't make you immune from things like illness, old age, and death, which can be trying whatever your class or colour.

I don't think you need to delete the thread OP. Just try and be less defensive and a bit more open minded.

I am very committed to being agnostic/ atheist so have no personal axe to grind.

The most committed Christians I know currently, have nice lives (despite the fact they don't all come from nice backgrounds) because they have made good choices and worked at getting themselves to a good place. Some of them have shit upbringings, but they've chosen to find a better place to have their children in. I don't share their beliefs, but I can respect that having them makes them do generous things for others and generally make life better for those around them.

When I was growing up I encountered a lot of 'do as I say, not as I do' Christians, who were the ones who made me think religion was an evil thing which made people behave badly towards others. The Christians I've encountered more recently have made me reassess that view a bit.

Btw, I do think the ones who are expressing such strong indignance are overreacting. Yes, OP made an assumption and a naive generalisation but that doesn't mean she's trivialising or dismissing problems that Christians have had in their lives. She's just demonstrating her lack of experience and association with a broad selection of society.

I don't feel there was anything offensive in her post at all.

In other words, I don't think you have to justify your uncertainty about your faith, or indeed why others still have it.

Your title doesn't in any way refer to the UK, or to the rather narrow sample of your immediate contemporaries or church-goers. It says Christians usually have a nice life. This suggests you are ignorant of the growth of huge pentecostal and Bible based movements in non-Western countries/continents with considerable poverty, such as South America (e.g. Brazil) or in Africa (e.g.in Nigeria). Many Catholics around the world welcomed the new Pope precisely because they believe he represents them, the poor and disenfranchised in non-Western parts of the world.

You looked around your own little world and have obviously come up with a reason you can't believe. I don't think faith is logical or rational in this way (see above), history teaches us that Christianity has often been dominant at times of extreme poverty, famine and so on but if this reason seems plausible to you as a basis for not believing, who am I to argue?

I am a Christian - practising

I am white, middle class, privileged and had afaith of sorts until I was about 30 when spirituality touched me and I just knew - not going into details here. I was also taken to stately homes, came from a far from devout christian background and struggled a bit with myself in my teens and twenties.

My son died nearly 17 years ago - he was with us for only a few hours. I would not have survived without my faith regardless of any other factor I can possibly imagine. I cannot describe how I did survive.

I know of many many christians who are poor, black, who have struggled, who have suffered adversity but they still have faith and are far jollier and more accepting than many of the white christians I know. I do not necessarily feel comfortable with their particular philosophy but for as long as it is christian in spirit I think it is good.

I'm not offended stillliving - I just disagree.

I'm Muslim, not Christian but as the common factor is having faith, I thought I'd add my thoughts.

I've always felt grateful for having lived an easy and good life. Having said that I've experienced poverty for months on end to such an extent that there were days when I was pregnant and had nothing to eat in 48 hours except a bag of milk. I have also suffered a physically abusive relationship and have been beaten until I've had bruises numerous times. I've experienced sudden death of close two family members in short space of time and have worked hard my entire life.

For me, the difference between having faith and not having it is that I constantly feel I have someone to turn to and something to look forward to in the next life. We believe that the difficulties of this world are transitory and that we will be rewarded beyond measure for everything we bear with grace in this world. That makes every difficulty in life so much easier to tolerate and face.

People often remark that I'm quite a positive, happy and enthusiastic person. I feel it's my faith that gives me that optimism in life and makes every negative a positive.

i haven't said that 'Abu to think Christians have never lost anyone, never had a horrible thing happen' have I?

Your thread title wonders if a lot of Christians have had a nice life....

I don't think you mean any ill will here but I do think you should have thought your original post through more clearly before you started this thread.

But in its entirety my experience has been most Christians have stable and loving backgrounds. Most, not all.

In my experience I would say that a similar proportion of Christians have had great, average and tough lives as the general population have.

I doubt (happy to be proved wrong with stats) that the global Christian population will be vastly different to the global population in terms of race, upbringing, class, wealth, health or happiness (I believe there is a difference in gender and age - higher percentage of female Christians and fewer 20s/30s Christians)

I believe in god - and I suppose an outsider would say I've had an easy life (although it's certainly not bee plain sailing). However I'm not sure god or Christianity can ever help me make sense of my children being stillborn. I'm very angry at god and the empty platitude from other Christians (I know it's difficult to know what to say in such situations but some of these comments have been unbelievable).

So maybe for me I can understand what the OP is saying - it's easier to believe in a higher being when all is going well, but when it's not you (I) really question things...

Being a Christian doesn't mean I need to sit here and simply say oh bless you my child, you spout whatever nonsense you like about me and people like me and I'll just put up with it.........

I'd say it was rather the opposite, particularly if you look further afield than just the UK.

I think part of the decline of the church in our society is because of our increasing health and quality of life, and moreoever our relative control over those things.

A century or so ago, suffering was ubiquitous, wasn't it? No family, I'd have thought, was left untouched by a loss of a child, parent or sibling prematurely.

Religion, a belief in something better to come at least, and a guiding force at best, was what kept our forebears sane, I'd have thought.

I think worldwide it probably still has that role.

I dunno, I have no data to back this up at all, it is probably a load of old guff.