I would like to ask questions about God/Jesus/Christianity with people who have faith (not non believers),

[BlockPreventor]

the reason I say that, is because I have been a non-believer my whole life and I know that POV.

I went to a CoE primary school so I think I know alot of the Bible stories and messages but not in any depth because my family was devout atheists. And I am a scientist.

however, at the age of 50 I think I might be 'finding faith', I don't really know what the term would be. there have been events and circumstances that I don't particularly want to go into, that have led me here. I have spent a lot of time in Church recently and have found it really comforting. I have prayed and I feel lighter. I can totally get on board with the ideology (as far as I know it). it fills in some of the holes left by science too. but I struggle with a lot of the actual belief in a creator and sacrifice of his son. I have a load of questions, but for starters;

1)if there is a creator, would she be female? it makes no sense that it would be male

2. if you join God in heaven when you die, how do all the graves open to raise the souls, when Jesus returns? aren't they already there?

3. I don't understand the logic of sacrificing Jesus for our sins. how does that help?

4. I'm not keen that heaven is for believers and non-believers don't make it. there are some abominable people who would get into heaven and some amazing people that wouldn't. I don't even want to go if it's full of douches

TIA

or, if no one wants to get into it...does anyone know where I can ask questions? I don't feel comfortable approaching the pastor in church, with it

Is it faith or Christianity you're beginning to find? I was brought up Catholic and after years of not practicing I think I have now came to a place where I have faith in a higher power but not a single all seeing, all being God. I don't think the beauty of nature and the intricacy of the world can just be an accident but neither do I think a person type being came up with it all.

As far as practicing faith these days, I offer up general prayers, wishes and thanks to the universe/nature and take comfort from the fact I feel there is something larger out there despite not fully knowing what it is.

I am similar age and are starting to feel as you do. I have not been to a church but am considering it.

I also have loads of questions! I bought a Kindle book on the Bible in really easy explanation, I think its for kids, I have just started reading that.

One of my major worries is: what about people who have more than one marriage/love of their life and you then go on to meet again in heaven, how do you decide which "one" to be with? Also my cat had a lovely cheeky personality, I was devastated when he died, will I meet him again? I hope so and if not, why not?

Also people with dementia, the personality changes and is lost, is that not the same thing as the soul? How do they go to heaven?

sorry to hijack thread, I am very interested in all points of view

Is it faith or Christianity you're beginning to find?

I don't know @GrettaGreen ! I don't really understand the difference 🤷🏼‍♀️

so, is it ok to go to church if you believe there is a higher power, but are not convinced by 'God' as represented? because what you have described is close to what I am feeling

I found these people really helpful when I was in your position OP. They are happy to chat.
https://www.christianity.org.uk/

no no, don't apologise @StanleyGoodspeed ....these are exactly the thoughts I am having

I would never ended up in church of my own volition. I had to go for reasons...and then was very surprised by how appealing I found it. was having no religious thoughts before that. and my only experience of church from school, had been very boring and uninspiring

@StanleyGoodspeed I find the Bible impenetrable....I will get a kids version and see how I get on. thanks for the idea

Yes it would be fine to go to church in these circumstances. There will be lots of people with a whole variety of beliefs.
I would try a few different churches, I tried CofE, Baptist, Methodist and settled on a large CofE near a university as I liked it’s lighter touch.

Try The Message. It’s a more modern version.
I use a Bible app sometimes but I rarely read the Bible. I tend to just go to church regularly.

https://messagebible.com/

I'm a practising Catholic and also an RE teacher! Ask me anything :-)

God is referred to as 'he' because of Jesus who is God in flesh. Or God 'incarnate' which means the same thing. God is pure spirit or pure reason he is the name we give to the reason why there's something rather than nothing. He can't have a sex. It's worth reading some philosophy to get your head round God!

The declares that people are in heaven - the saints for example but doesn't say anyone is definitely in hell. You can have hope that anyone has a good death and gets to heaven. There are particular easy to get there - faith in Jesus - a sacramental life - following the precepts of the church etc.

All Christian's are committed to belief in Jesus as God. Adam and Eve broke creation and let sin/suffering/evil into the world and made human beings' relationship with God imperfect. Because it was a man who broke creation, it needed a man to fix it so God became man and died on the cross so that he could shoulder the entirety of our sins.

There is nothing to stop you going to church - if you pray or just take part in the service then you are simply IMO exploring what faith is practiced in that church. If it offers you comfort then there is nothing wrong with that - that is why people develop their faith - they begin to believe in their thoughts and feelings concerning that religion - whatever religion it may be. I'm a catholic but lapsed but that does not mean I won't say a prayer or ask for a little help form the angels.
As for questions - do ask them of the pastor, priest or whoever they are - they are representatives of their faith and want to share their knowledge with you.

Church is for anyone asking about faith as well as those who believe and no one has all the answers. If you want to find out about the basics of Christianity then maybe look out for an Alpha course locally. They are designed for people asking questions.

1. Female and Male

1. 'Joining God in heaven' isn't as you as an individual but instead your soul joining all the other souls to live in harmony/praise - there's no individuality

1. We didn't sacrifice him - he sacrificed himself for us. He was fully human and God. He didn't die because God demanded a sacrifice but because we NEED it - dying in our place so we are saved by Grace

1. You won't see individuals in Heaven - the douches aren't there 'No one comes to the Father except through me' (Jesus) doesn't mean what people think it means in my opinion. He died for us, all the people who live in love are there.

Also 'Hell' is a life without God - so for all the people living on earth right now without God it will be the same

Awful for those who know God but you know, a trip round Sainsbury's when you've forgotten your bags for everyone else
(I jest, but all that hellfire and damnation stuff is stupid)

Billions of people don't know God on Earth, they're bimbling along not knowing it could be better

Go to Church if you enjoy it

Hi, this is a great website for answering many many questions https://www.gotquestions.org/

If it’s your thing, you might want to try a Alpha course or Christianity Explored courses. Many churches run them and start round now with the new term. It’s a relaxed and informal, no pressure way, to find out more with others who are also in the same boat.

I’d also recommend you pray and ask God to answer your questions, you’d be surprised who or what He sends your way to help answer them. There’s a verse in the bible that says knock and the door shall be opened unto you, seek and you will find (Matthew7:7-8). All the best.

Why not go and have a chat with your parish priest as a starting point. He or she will probably be very happy to discuss your questions without ramming anything down your throat.

I'm talking about CofE by the way as everyone who lives within a parish has a right to access whatever they have to offer; you don't need to be a believer or a member.Well you can't take communion until you're confirmed but that's down the line and not compulsory so I wouldn't bother about that.

Clergy do vary but most of them are friendly enough and should welcome intelligent conversation!

1)if there is a creator, would she be female? it makes no sense that it would be male

I don't think God is actually gendered in the way that humans are gendered. But I believe that the Bible has been predominantly written by men and had a number of translations over many many many years so I think he is used in place of they especially since its written that we are all made in gods image - male and female.

2. if you join God in heaven when you die, how do all the graves open to raise the souls, when Jesus returns? aren't they already there?

I don't think that time works the same as the way the bible is written would suggest since God is outside of time and has always been. I think some things have been narrowed to make it easier for people to grasp or process but that's why it's important to not take the bible as verbatim.

3. I don't understand the logic of sacrificing Jesus for our sins. how does that help?

God in the old testament was angry, vengeful and frustrated. By sacrificing his only son it was an act of pure grace and love and all of the anger was poured out in that action so it didn't need to be taken out against humans. All that was leftover was grace. Jesus died in penance for our sins so that we could be loved and accepted by God just by grace not because we've done anything to deserve it. It's freely given.

4. I'm not keen that heaven is for believers and non-believers don't make it. there are some abominable people who would get into heaven and some amazing people that wouldn't. I don't even want to go if it's full of douches

I think for me this goes back to the last point from my own personal perspective. Before Jesus died on the cross access to heaven was based on good deeds and being 'deserving' but by Jesus's sacrifice now its through grace. And everyone is deserving of grace.

There are so many different interpretations of the bible and of God etc. Its such a personal thing which is why the faith aspect is so important. I live out my faith in the way that feels right between me and god and sometimes that means disagreeing with the churches approach to certain things. I think it also involves a certain level of acceptance that there will be some things you will never know for sure. Which is why it's called faith rather than proof. I'd recommend talking to clergy or doing an alpha course but different clergy will talk about things based on their own interpretation. Personally I've always found nadia bolz weber fabulous at writing clearly and simply and her theology fits very closely with my own views.

Video explaining Orthodox Christianity, the Church That Christ established on earth. Not to be confused with the Roman Catholic church, although the two did used to be in communion.

Anyone can attend an Orthodox Liturgy. Many of them are in English now as well. Many Orthodox converts express how attending an Orthodox liturgy felt like they were experiencing Christianity for the very first time.

Hi there, I have faith but am always questioning it. Here’s my understanding. 1. God has no sex really, he/she only created a man and a woman so they could reproduce and create variety, God doesn’t need to. I also don’t thing God cares about your sexuality too much. 2. Time is only something that’s on earth, in heaven there is no time as such. So ‘graves opening’ and letting people out who have been patiently waiting is just an image to describe how death doesn’t win out. Relatives who have died aren’t waiting there for centuries for us all to meet together. It’ll be like everyone died and went to eternal life all at once 3. To show how much he loved us that He would take the punishment for everything everyone had ever done but yes it’s a tricky one to understand 4. We aren’t in heaven ‘with’ anyone like a big party, likewise we won’t see or feel bad souls. It’s all just about how far or close from God we are in the end. A CofE curate once explained to me that heaven and hell as an ‘either/or’ can’t work because nobody is all bad or all good it’s more like a sliding scale . I don’t think any of us can truly comprehend but I have had experiences that have given me faith and I’m going to trust and wait. I find it harder to believe there is ‘nothing’ out there and no reason for love, art, music, beauty - all gifts from God. Evolution alone without sone thought behind it would be far messier than the beautiful world we live in! I could say so much more

thank you for this, I will have a look

I'm no expert but as I see it:

1. Galatians 3, v 28, "There is no Jew nor Greek, there is no slave nor free, there is no male and female. For you all are one in Christ Jesus."

2. Ecclesiastes 12 v 7, "and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." and 2 Corinthians 5, v1, "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." Which suggests that our earthly bodies are only temporary and we (our 'souls'?) will not need them when we physically die.

3. The Old Testament often relates God's wrath on his disobedient, sinning people. Romans 6, v23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The wages of sin remain death, but Jesus took on all our sins and God accepts his death on our behalf.

4. The invitation to heaven is extended to all of us, but in order to accept it we need to turn away from our 'douchebagness'. Many Christians believe that 'heaven' is spending eternity under the authority of God, so to be there you would have to accept that authority which shows your sin and makes you earnestly long to turn away from it. I find that interesting philosophically, because whose authority would we be under if not Gods? Or would be be spending eternity under no authority at all and what would that be like, given that no one else would be under any authority either? The idea might appeal to some people, I should think.

"it fills in some of the holes left by science too."
This is known as 'God of the gaps'. There are many scientists who are also Christians and they believe that God does more than fill in gaps. is John Lennox, Professor of Maths at Oxford University, on the subject.

You would do better to talk to a vicar, or attend an Alpha course than relying on my wobbly understanding.

I have just looked online and see that the church that I have been attending is Pentecostal. I don't know what that means or how it relates to CoE /Methodist etc. I mean, I have had a look on Wikipedia but it hasn't made that any clearer

being a scientist and having a bit of a thing for 'logic' I think I need to understand all the different types, how they came to be and how they relate to each other...I 🤔 no this thread is giving me some good; dead of where to start

brilliant, thanks!

as I said elsewhere, because of my character and because I'm a scientist, think I need need to understand all the different types of Christianity, how they all came to be and how they differ from each other. there have been quite a few suggestions for resources on here, do you have anymore recommendations? like a text book?!

god not having a sex is much more comfortable for me

sin though...I don't like that sex is a sin. how were we going to reproduce if we weren't going to have sex? why did god invent sex organs?

and how did dying on the cross, fix Adam and Eve sinning?

Sex is not a sin, it is to glorify God by reproduction in marriage. In Christianity anyway. I teach RE sometimes.

@amicissimma , loads to look up here, thanks so much for taking the time to write that out

the Pastor at the church I have been attending, directs is to the 'Book' he is discussing so we can read it on our phones....I don't even know how to spell those people, to look them up. is that New Testament then? would I have only been familiar with new testament at school??