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What does Christianity bring you?

65 replies

1newname · 18/06/2024 17:27

I'm going through a bit of a hard time and when this happens I start to question what the point of it all is. I always feel like there's some deeper meaning missing from my life. I quite like the idea of being a Christian but can't get past the not believing in God! What does Christianity bring you? Thanks

OP posts:
izimbra · 18/06/2024 22:57

"I have known people cured physically, and that's amazing. Also though I've known people who have still died, but been healed emotionally first - maybe with reconciliation or support and then passed with peace and comfort"

So you think God heals some people but randomly or deliberately allows others to suffer horribly? That god has the power to intervene but generally chooses not to?

Why should we praise or love such a god? For what? Why don't we just love humans, and nature, and the best aspects of humanity? Why do we need to believe in and worship a useless god?

izimbra · 18/06/2024 23:01

"The point of Job is not that bad things happened to Job, it is that despite bad things happening that there is always hope."

The point of Job is that it's a display of dick swinging by God, with Job and his children and family as collateral. The bad things happen to Job because God sanctions Satan to torture him to prove a point.

Cinnabarmotheaten · 18/06/2024 23:23

A deep sense of belonging, joy, connection to others and the natural world and being utterly loved by God for simply being. Hope for eternity through dark times of illness and death. A belief that ‘the light shines in the darkness and the darkness will never put it out’.

Interested in this thread?

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GreenBottles28 · 18/06/2024 23:32

izimbra · 18/06/2024 18:39

Can any Christian here answer the question as to why an all powerful, all seeing, all knowing, all loving God made my son with the genes that have resulted in him having leukaemia at 19?

Because I see Christians thanking God for things that look to me like random good luck, and never blaming god for the hideous things that happen to completely innocent people all the time.

Had a leaflet through my door two weeks ago from a local Evangelical church which explained that illness is the 'result of sin'. Whose sin?

I don't get it.

I'll never get it.

I'm so sorry to hear about what your son's going through and I really hope he's doing as well as he can be.

From a Christian perspective, God created the world and it was perfect. Everything negative - illness, war, death, injustice - stems from humankind's rebellion against God.

(I hope this doesn't sound preachy, it's not the intention at all, but just trying to explain what I think most Christians would say they believe.)

1newname · 19/06/2024 11:17

Thank you for all your responses!

OP posts:
FlaubertSyndrome · 19/06/2024 11:30

AyrshireTryer · 18/06/2024 18:00

Rotas and guilt.

{grin]

I grew up in a devout household in a devout society and honestly, a key aspect of my growing up was just growing out of it all, and recognising religion for what it is, an outmoded model of social control from a time when the rule of law wasn't strong, based on a combination of fear of death and wish-fulfilment.

Look in from outside and what you see is a bunch of people appeasing an invisible deity who is supposedly omniscient, omnipotent and benevolent, but whose lack of intervention in his creation needs remarkable amounts of human ingenuity and intellectual gymnastics to explain.

You make your own meanings.

Coffeesnob11 · 19/06/2024 13:28

Also to add, churches are like therapists, you should absolutely find one that suits you. Even different services in the same churches can be different.
Also you don't have to be fit to go to a gym and you don't have to be a Christian to go to church. Go alone, talk, sing and then decide. If you don't like it no problem.
I go to a very relaxed church, we wear jeans, we sing modern songs, we go to the park for home group. We do have deep discussions about God but equally about film, history, politics etc.
Whether you find religion or not I wish you happiness and peace.

Parker231 · 19/06/2024 15:59

GreenBottles28 · 18/06/2024 23:32

I'm so sorry to hear about what your son's going through and I really hope he's doing as well as he can be.

From a Christian perspective, God created the world and it was perfect. Everything negative - illness, war, death, injustice - stems from humankind's rebellion against God.

(I hope this doesn't sound preachy, it's not the intention at all, but just trying to explain what I think most Christians would say they believe.)

Sounds like he wants to be worshipped but doesn’t accept any of the responsibility or consequences

izimbra · 19/06/2024 16:56

"From a Christian perspective, God created the world and it was perfect. Everything negative - illness, war, death, injustice - stems from humankind's rebellion against God.

(I hope this doesn't sound preachy, it's not the intention at all, but just trying to explain what I think most Christians would say they believe.)"

It wasn't perfect though, was it? He put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in it, and the serpent - and did this knowing that Eve would eat the fruit. He then had a reason to do something God is particularly partial to in the Bible: group punishment, because Eve's 'sin' meant he could curse generations of women and infants to dangerous and painful birth. Lessons learned: women, DO AS YOU'RE BLOODY TOLD! and 'EVERYTHING BAD IN THIS WORLD IS WOMEN'S FAULT!' The lesson which would underpin epic misogyny in the Church for the following two millenia.

So according to your explanation my innocent son's cancer is because of someone else's 'sin' in some sort of supernatural way, because unlike war and conflict which humans have agency over, cancer that's caused by genetic glitches has always been with us. It's part of how we were created.

"Look in from outside and what you see is a bunch of people appeasing an invisible deity who is supposedly omniscient, omnipotent and benevolent, but whose lack of intervention in his creation needs remarkable amounts of human ingenuity and intellectual gymnastics to explain." This, completely @FlaubertSyndrome Christian apologetics is squirm making.

DeanElderberry · 19/06/2024 19:51

People who don't believe in god getting indignant because the god that believers believe in isn't the same as the one they don't believe in will never stop being comic.

amispeakingintongues · 20/06/2024 00:20

DeanElderberry · 19/06/2024 19:51

People who don't believe in god getting indignant because the god that believers believe in isn't the same as the one they don't believe in will never stop being comic.

THIS!!!

FlaubertSyndrome · 20/06/2024 14:48

DeanElderberry · 19/06/2024 19:51

People who don't believe in god getting indignant because the god that believers believe in isn't the same as the one they don't believe in will never stop being comic.

Grin

@izimbra, sorry to hear about your son's illness, and yes, absolutely, apologetics is like watching someone try not to fall over on ice, over and over again.

Gabbsters · 20/06/2024 14:50

OP, I'd recommend https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=fully+alive+elizabeth+oldfield&adgrpid=162655307252&gad_source=1&hvadid=686742341945&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9046003&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9023143410591527822&hvtargid=kwd-2273999366521&hydadcr=18738_2287372&tag=googhydr-21&ref=pd_sl_5y17hzxt7v_e

Very interesting on what the author gets from her faith and how to build some of that into your life whether or not you are a believer.

Parker231 · 20/06/2024 14:57

DeanElderberry · 19/06/2024 19:51

People who don't believe in god getting indignant because the god that believers believe in isn't the same as the one they don't believe in will never stop being comic.

I don’t understand your comment - I don’t believe in any god

ThisGoldCritic · 20/06/2024 15:15

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