I'm a born-again christian single parent - AMA

[midwifeinthemaking]

Just that really - would love to answer any questions, dispel myths etc.

Are there any other fellow Christians out there that don't believe in going to heaven and hell? I belong to a very small sect , we believe that once you die you are dead in the ground, your 'soul' does not go anywhere. We await for Jesus return when people will be resurrected to eternal life on earth in Jesus's kingdom ( "on earth as it is in heaven") . Unbelievers will simple die and stay dead. No eternal suffering. My God is not a cruel God but everyone has their choice to accept him or not. If you want to live your life your way then do it, you will simply die. If you accept Jesus you will have the opportunity to experience love and humanity on a whole different level in the kingdom.

@toocold54

Jews don't believe that Jesus is the son of God... why would someone who believes in Jesus become Jewish?

I went to a Christian school who worshipped Jesus but was taught that he was Jewish so I don’t understand how Christians believe Christianity is the one true faith but worship a man of Jewish faith - it has always confused me I’m not judging.

They diverge at the son of god bit

@ktp100 - my DH is an atheist who studied Theology. He went on the Alpha Course as he was genuinely interested in what they taught. I don’t think he has it in him to be goady. He was asked to leave after week two as his well intentioned questions were stopping God’s work from happening (I.e the conversion of people). He was quite put out from an academic point of view but I thought it awesome my DH was able to thwart an all powerful God’s intentions

@Krazynights34

This OP is utterly deluded

Winner

Interesting perspective @Rubiales678. I haven't come across that before, but it sounds like a reasonable deal to me. Personally, I'm quite happy staying dead - the prospect of eternal life never appealed to me that much in any case!

How interesting @TitusPullo. Interesting choice for an atheist to study theology. He obviously irritated the hell out of them!

How can you ascribe to a strong faith if you haven't read the Bible in full? That's crazy. I did a history degree and read loads as part of that it doesn't take that long to read if you're genuinely interested.

Noah’s Ark is depicted as a lovely story of the animals going in two-by-two, being chosen and saved, 40 fun days at sea until a beautiful rainbow appears, and a dove carrying an olive branch.

But actually, a flood that engulfs the planet and all but wipes out humankind can’t really be described as a ‘hands off’ approach on the part of God.

He is an interesting specimen all round @AlexaShutUp - he wasn’t the only atheist on his degree course though so there are others out there. I think perhaps he wanted to discuss the ins and outs of Christianity at a level the Alpha Course organisers were not prepared for. It is primarily a recruitment method.

It is primarily a recruitment method.

Yes, but isn't it telling that they weren't able to deal with the scrutiny? So much for exploring and discussing the big questions, eh? Only on their terms...

@Rubiales678

Are there any other fellow Christians out there that don't believe in going to heaven and hell? I belong to a very small sect , we believe that once you die you are dead in the ground, your 'soul' does not go anywhere. We await for Jesus return when people will be resurrected to eternal life on earth in Jesus's kingdom ( "on earth as it is in heaven") . Unbelievers will simple die and stay dead. No eternal suffering. My God is not a cruel God but everyone has their choice to accept him or not. If you want to live your life your way then do it, you will simply die. If you accept Jesus you will have the opportunity to experience love and humanity on a whole different level in the kingdom.

What's your God's perspective on children being born with illnesses that require significant interventions to survive / childhood cancer etc?

"the prospect of eternal life never appealed to me that much in any case!"

oh I know - how utterly exhausting!

I'd be like Spike at the end of Buffy: "My soul - it's really there.....it kind of stinks" :)

OP this is very brave. I read your thread as asking us to question your personal experiences. Not be a whipping boy for the wider evangelical movement. You've taken it in good humour all things considered.

I'm Catholic but believe other religions are also valid ways to celebrate and thank God.

I dont think science and religion are incompatible, quite the opposite.

It's perfectly possible to be an atheist and live a moral life. Conversely some Christians may behave in an immoral fashion.

I'm frustrated by the church's stance on homosexuality and on married and female priests. I don't agree with all the dogma of the faith but I am a practicing Catholic. It's the best way I know to connect to God.

My husband and many friends and family are atheists so I pray for them . I hope all will be saved. I don't love the word saved tbh but it gets the point across.

I'm raising my dc Catholic. I expect them to have periods in their life of being closer to and further away from God. It's a lot easier to choose a life away from the faith so they may go this route. I think childhood faith is often swept away in adulthood and replaced by something stronger. Walking away from the church is not the be all. God calls his children back.

I see why the bible causes confusion. It confuses me. It's an old book. It's still quite useful. I usually read it with guides and explanations. I think the OP is using "true" to describe the Bible as resonating with the human condition not meaning actually happened. Some of it actually happened.

Religion has been around forever and it seems many conflate the actions of the church specifically and adherents of a religion in general throughout history with those of God. Its an easy target as there's so much evil in the name of religion. It does seem a shame if that stops people seeking spiritual experiences.

@SleepingStandingUp I'll admit I don't have a straight answer but I see it like this. Sin is in the world. The world how it is now is not necessarily how God would have wanted it to be ( tho due to free will this is how it is, He can do anything) so I do agree somewhat with pp that God is sometimes " hands off" as like others have said you cannot have true free will without God letting us choose. Yes he knows what we will choose but he hasn't chosen for us, there is a difference. Sin in the world means there is bad stuff in the world. People dying, the planet in a mess, bad things happen to Christians and non Christians alike . With the belief in resurrection we at least have hope that children that lost their lives early may be resurrected in the kingdom , I do not know this I am speculating. But it is certainly comforting to believe they are simply asleep until Jesus returns. Why humans have to endure so much suffering I do not know, but we do learn so much through suffering and it does bring one closer to God . You would not spoil a child endlessly so they did not suffer never even losing a game or being "last" . At least with a faith you ALWAYS have someone to fall back on who knows you better than you know yourself . You cannot experience true joy and love without having experienced the opposite.

I probably don't make any sense but I'm trying!

My mother died when I was a child. I was told that god saw her suffering and took her to him; I would have been happier if he had just made her kidneys work, but then I suppose that was too much for a benevolent omnipresent and omnipotent being. I stopped believing then.

@LoislovesStewie, I don't blame you. Sometimes, children see through the mental gymnastics better than anyone.

we do learn so much through suffering and it does bring one closer to God

I wonder how many parents who have lost their beloved children would agree with you. I very much doubt that they would consider their pain and suffering in the way that you present it.

All Christians are born again. It's a basic part of Christian theology. I'm always interested why some Christians feel the need to describe themselves as such.

All Christians are born again. It's a basic part of Christian theology. I'm always interested why some Christians feel the need to describe themselves as such.

@AlexaShutUp

we do learn so much through suffering and it does bring one closer to God

I wonder how many parents who have lost their beloved children would agree with you. I very much doubt that they would consider their pain and suffering in the way that you present it.

I know. I can't comment . I haven't experienced it. My heart goes out to them. I don't have the answer.

I don't have the answer.

I haven't experienced it either, but tbh, I think this is the most honest response. Some things are just unfathomable, beyond our comprehension. And perhaps there is no reason or purpose in them. They are just random, cruel events.

I think it can be easy for some people of faith to be unwittingly dismissive of the dreadful suffering that some people experience by voicing platitudes about how pain brings us closer to God or helps us to experience joy more fully. I'm sure that they are trying to offer comfort, but it is actually rather insensitive. The reality is, Christianity (like other religions) cannot actually offer us any meaningful kind of explanation for that suffering. None of us know why some people have to go through that. Let's just be honest about that.

Maybe not but at least it gives hope that they may see them again one day. And maybe one day we will understand. But it is not for us to understand right now.

Maybe not but at least it gives hope that they may see them again one day.

Yes, I can see that this would give comfort to those who believe it.

I think anyone who considers the death of children, mutilation, rape, war crimes and slavery (alongside all of the other monstrosities we envisioned reading that list) to be some kind of "necessary evil" or "pathway to strength" etc pretty privileged. I can't even comprehend some of the lived experiences that have occurred throughout history, even more specifically in my family, and I genuinely would never dare to suggest that any of it was for a reason.

If there's a God who can sit back and watch his children suffer through monstrosities from the pearly gates of Heaven, he's not a man I'm putting my palms together for.