Anyone else's daughter suddenly a Christian?

[daffodilDiana]

We are a family who are unsure about religious beliefs. My grandparents were Christians, although they didn't strictly follow the Bible. However, my parents are atheists. I feel comfortable calling myself agnostic.

Since she turned 13, my daughter, now 15, has been facing anxiety and body image concerns. To all of our surprise, she has started attending our nearby church, alone and spending a significant amount of time there. Every time I've popped in she's either by herself or with a few elderly people. Despite wearing a cross beneath her blazer, listening to Gregorian chants and engaging in bedtime prayers, she doesn't truly understand what being a Christian entails. While it's brought her increased confidence and happiness, she lacks knowledge about Jesus, the Bible, and Christian principles. She's told me hell isn't real, for example. I asked her about gay marriage and she said people can love who they love and something about Jesus loving all. Though I refrain from questioning her too much as it seems to make her content, I've also noticed her making judgmental comments about other girls' clothing choices, which I've pulled her up on, and i've been informed that Christian tiktok is tasteless and flashy. Isn't everything on tiktok tasteless and flashy?

She has a romanticized view of Christianity, but she's also more confident, working harder at school and generally more serene and polite. So while her newfound interest in Christianity may be just a phase, I'm curious about why it might be having a positive impact on her despite her lack of knowledge about it?

From your latest post it looks like you haven’t really bothered to read the responses. You are still equating religion with the 1950s and Andrew Tate despite large numbers of people sharing their very different experiences. You seem to have a very closed mind.

I am not at all religious myself, I have just looked around me and noticed that Christianity has changed hugely since I went to school in the 60s and 70s. Perhaps you could do the same?

What I find really objectionable is you telling us not to expect much of a response because you are cutting down on phone use. Did you know that this is a chat forum? Chatting involves reciprocity. What you are doing is the equivalent of walking into a room full of people, asking their opinion and then going off to your bedroom saying you are tired/want some space. It’s rude.

Jesus does talk about Lazarus and hell

The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:14-31)

Some of my aged parishioners are scientists. Some of them are professors in scientific subjects. Again, don't get between them and a digestive, because the cut and thrust of the senior common room in our major universities is brutal.

In the US you are far more likely to come across conservative Christians who believe in hell and believe in a literal seven day creation and homeschool their kids to keep the away from the 21st century but not in the UK.

Maybe find out a bit more about what you are objecting to before you object to it?

Fundamentalist Christianity is very much in the minority in the UK so unless your daughter is hanging out with a church based in someone's front room it is very unlikely that she is with those who believe in a literal seven day creation.

(a) That would not constitute "all the time".

(b) That is a parable - a story made up to teach a lesson.

and

(c) No he does not. He couldn't, because the word and concept of "hell" did not exist. In translations of original texts the word used is often "hell" or "Hades". Hell, as I have already explained, is of Anglo-Saxon pagan derivation. Hades is of Greek derivation and means "the dwelling place or abode of the dead". Haides was the Greek God of the Dead. In the Hebrew texts the words are rendered, respectively, as Sheol (Hades) and Gehenna (Hell).

The New Testament is not a contemporaneous record. Luke himself translated earlier texts and sources. It was originally written in Greek. and specifically in Luke 16:14-31 the word used was Hades (in Greek obviously!)

At a similar age I became interested in religion. None seemed to be ‘me’ though , so I devised my own religion but it had its roots in Christianity. Just let her (with guidance and support) investigate things and see how it develops.
I’ve now raised my children according to my own religious beliefs. I don’t often mention it though and put ‘other’ and then don’t elaborate on forms etc as I do feel I’d be judged

The Greek word there is 'Hades,' which would have been a concept familiar to Greek-speaking readers. It's not Hell. Hell doesn't accurately translate any of the various words the Bible uses to refer to a possible afterlife or punishment, because the theology of Hell postdates the Bible. People were still trying to pin down what Hell might or might not be long after the New Testament was written.

I don’t know why people are still posting on this thread. The OP is happy for people to post to her but will not be answering herself. She isn’t interested in other people’s opionions

I agree with PP that faith is a very personal thing, it’s about a personal relationship with Christ and seeing him work in your life, rather than getting a list of beliefs and ‘rules’ them off…in fact Christ himself warned against this approach in the Gospels. Faith is a real experience, and can’t really be explained until you have experienced it. Someone once described faith as belief in Christianity dropping from your head to your heart. I know this isn’t useful to the logical agnostics out there! I am actually a very methodical person who prefers evidence and lists of beliefs, so I am probably the most unlikely person on paper to be a Christian - but here we are! Also, no one knows from the outside whether someone has a sin it’s faith in Christ or not…it’s for no one else to judge. I would say that the core of Christianity is ‘do as you would be done by’ so obviously I interpret that as not being against gay marriage, not judging others and preaching fire and brimstone. Also, at my church I have met some lovely, interesting, faith filled ‘old codgers’ , actually grateful to church community for giving me the opportunity to mix with people I wouldn’t normally, and don’t forget we will all be old codgers one day!

Sorry for all the typos! Hope it still makes sense!

I think it's a common age to think about what you believe in and for some that's about finding faith. Me and my friends had a very active period of investigating Christianity in our mid-teens (which was the only religion any of us had exposure to at that age). Some kept their faith, others didn't but was all about finding our own beliefs and defining life values, not just adopting those of your parents.

Posted a question on the internet.
Don't reply as trying to reduce phone usage.
Wow - no wonder the daughter is looking for something outside the family unit.

I'm agnostic using Been
brought up Roman Catholic
There are different denomination, s of Christianity some are much more progressive than others
Its possibly just s phase she going throgh, but if she's getting comfort
And its not harming hee in any way what's the problem?

@SarahAndQuack

Sure but it's still not a very pleasant place and then why does the man in the parable want to warn his relatives about not ending up like him in this place. I think he was the rich man

@Neriah

Yes I have some idea

Why would Jesus bother to teach this story?

Depends what you believe

If you would like a theological debate on the meaning of parables, perhaps you could join the OP's daughter at church? I was addressing your misapprehansion that Jesus talked about Hell, which he did not.

Well that's telling me

How do you know whether I go to church or not 😕

Even if Jesus was nit talking about "hell" he was still talking about g about a place which wasn't great and away from God

It depends on your belief and how you view the bible

Well many Christians would argue that being "away from God" is enough. The point of the death of Jesus is that he was seperated from God - "forsaken" - to redeem humans, so that we do not have to be seperated.

And I never suggested whether you do or don't go to church - I suggested that if you wanted a full blown discussion about the theological depth of parables, that was the place to have it. Or possibly theological college.

Belief and faith are not the same thing, and the Bible is an imperfect rendering of our understanding filtered through the eyes of (almost exclusively) men. We do not have to all believe the same thing, or even call God by the same name. But fundamental to faith is that there is a higher being /purpose, that it is good, and that it wants us to strive to be the best that we can be.

@Nospecialcharactersplease what does "Christian" mean, please? (I ask because every single time I've asked someone who identifies as a Christian this question I've had very different answers.)

@Hoogieflip I’m not Christian personally so I don’t feel best placed to respond, but hopefully some of the other posters on this thread can provide an answer.

@Neriah

I totally agree

Nothing wrong with debating on mumsnet and having different perspectives 😀

The reason you will get different answers is because there isn't a definition that can be explained. Being a Christian is about a personal relationship with "God" (and that term itself fills thousands of books). Think of it like saying, what is is like to be a mum? No matter who you ask, there will be some common ground with others, but each answer will be totally different from the others.

In the broadest sense it means being a follower of Christ
But there are different denomination, s if Christianity and some will be far more open minded and accepting than others

@Hoogieflip

The definition of a Christian is someone who believes in the statements of faith set forward in the Nicene-Constinopolitan creed as formulated in the first and second ecumenical councils of 325 and 381.

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by whom all things were made:
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;
And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father;
And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceeds from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;
And we believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.
We look for the Resurrection of the dead,
And the Life of the age to come. Amen.

“Catholic” here means the universal Church, undivided and unbroken, rather than under the Vatican.

Roman Catholics (and hence protestants) add “and the Son” after “proceeds from the father” about how they conceptualise the holy trinity, but the core belief of three persons in one godhead is common to all Christians.

Making up your own definition and relationship with God or the transcendent might be genuinely “spiritual” and include much of Jesus’ teachings, but it’s New-Agey, not Christian if not following the credo of Nicea.

Christianity is a very very broad spectrum of beliefs, ranging from conservative to extremely progressive. A nice church doesn’t expect people to be experts either. What matters is how well they treat other people.