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

[stilllivingbythesea14]

I know I phrased that clumsily but I know a few Christians. They are nice people but very devout and pretty much always have been.

They are all white, middle class, privately educated, university graduates, plenty of money, nice jobs, one SAHM.

It must be easier to have faith in God if you've had a nice life?

I'd like to believe but I'm not sure I can.

I'm a christian. Had verry shitty things happen tl me actually. I am probably the oposote of the family in you're op. Christianity helped get me through the bad times.

I haven't read the whole thread, but I would say that on the contrary, many people that have a cushy life and devote themselves to making money turn away from spirituality.
My family went through very hard times, it was our faith that kept us going.

ancient thank you. Yes I find the chaplains helpful as well. There are some lovely ones here, have met the c of e one but dh has met the Catholic one and a Muslim one and thinks they are wonderful. An amazing ministry.

I agree with you to a large extent, though I think it's a particular kind of Christianity that educated, middle/upper class people tend to favour.

I was in the CU at uni (no longer in the faith...) , and it was populated and pretty much ran by privately educated, wealthy undergraduates, most of these young people were brought up in Christian homes. Id say although practising Christians still a minority in the overall uni population,students from wealthier backgrounds definitely made a higher proportion of the Christian population.

The type of Christianity favoured at Oxbridge/Redbrick unis tended to be very biblical based, evangelical, lots of study of bible etc...

Of course, background, or religion, doesn't really have a bearing on who may experience personal illness/family death etc then of course have a pretty hard life.

Saying this, the evangelical Christians did tend to have more success converting the more vulnerable students they preyed on (mental health problems, socially awkward) than the overall student population. There were some brilliant, lovely Christians I met who now have low paid jobs in foo banks, charities etc out of desire to help, but I'm so glad I'm out of it!

in my experience where i live its usually the opposite. im a christian, ive seen so many people convert to christianity and God has totally turned their broken lives around... this is the way it was in the gospels too. christianity is for everyone, no matter what their circumstances... the middle class have their own problems they need God for even if its not financially

I don't post a lot but I wanted to share this. This man had a son murdered, survived an assassination attempt on him and his wife and had to flee his country because of his religion. Instead of losing his faith, he wrote a prayer asking God to forgive his sons murderers. When I think of his life and what he must have gone through, I almost get a tear in my eye.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1918728/The-Rt-Rev-Hassan-Dehqani-Tafti.html

The Archbishop of York is also a refugee (although not specifically because of his religion).

All of the Christians that I know are poor. But perhaps that's because most of the people that I know are. I'm not acquainted with anyone who's "white, middle class, privately educated, university graduates, plenty of money, nice jobs, one SAHM." Maybe it's down to your social circle?

So you post a glib and insulting post, defend your point of view all evening, and come back this morning to tell us that you are suicidal and it's our fault you can't find faith?

Maybe go and talk to a minister?

toad, that was also my experience. Evangelical house-churches and happy-clappy CUs are great if your life is going well. When my life went tits up I found traditional C of E worship much more rewarding and fulfilling.

wha a shitty thing to say subtle

the post above, I mean

Subtleplans, it's your post that I find insulting actually. You insist on making your point when the op has asked a curious question based on her own personal experiences. You listen to her struggle emotionally and respond like that? I stopped going to church because I couldn't bear to worship alongside those who were quick to take offense but never quick to follow the teachings of Jesus.

I know some Christians who are outwardly as you describe but I'm sure they'll have their own problems. The most devout Christians I know grew up in abject poverty and are only marginally better off now (not UK before I get the no poverty here line). Many of them attend a church that I would regard as having a very evangelical way of worshiping.

I think your thread is an interesting one OP but more from the angle of how do we feel about God when bad things happen to us.

I've always been to church but can only take 2 of my 3 DC as DS2 has a disability which means that even in the side room he's too noisy and physical to be there. That makes me wonder what I'm doing at church at all.DC1 also has a disability (different one to his brother) and I have experienced many times of deep grief for both my DC and felt very angry at the world. Sometimes I have raged against God but I think that if he does exist,he would understand and forgive as he would recognise my pain.

Don't be hard on yourself for not feeling able to pray or unsure if you believe.Hope you find the answers your looking for.x

I don't know about most Christians but I have had a pretty rough life, tbh.

I was bullied horrendously all through school. I was sexually abused for many years. I was sexually assaulted multiple times, again at school. I suffered from eating disorders for over 20 years. My first husband was a womaniser and an emotional abuser, my second husband was a violent, emotionally abusive alcoholic drug user. 3 of my kids have ASD. We live in grinding poverty and now I have 2 life long illnesses which leave me in constant pain and completely exhausted amongst other things.

Despite it all, God is a strong presence in my life, helping me to cope with everything. If it wasn't for my faith, I don't think that I would have survived.

Subtle what can I say? I do, genuinely regret that my post has been interpreted in such a way. I wished to contextualise my post last night for those it HAD offended. I don't think I'm particularly unique in being upset I was called thick as pigshit or whatever it was though.

Someone up the thread said about how the white, middle class Christians were successful in 'preying' upon more vulnerable students and maybe that is what I'm clumsily expressing. I was very vulnerable as a young adult, arguably perhaps I still am although my inner resources are pretty strong. But I can remember sitting at a prayer meeting where my fellow students asked God to forgive them for their sins and they were so sincere and earnest and yet I also know they haven't done the things that I've done/did. Partly that was my choice but also they've not been really in a position where they had to if you see what I mean. Like some of the stuff I've had to do for money.

It's certainly no ones fault but mine my life is in a bit of a state and I wish I could be a 'typical' middle class Christian, married with children, but I'm not.

And thank you for the offer of prayer. Yes please :) x

May I ask what is wrong with being "white, middle-class, privately educated, graduate(s) with a good job"?
What do you find so offensive about being christened, confirmed and married within the Church of England or any other European protestant church, for that matter?

I don't think I've said it is offensive or wrong, have I? That certainly wasn't my intention. I wish I was!

I live in a deprived area of London and there are about 20 Pentecostal churches in my vicinity where 100% of the congregation are black and , even in C of E and Catholic Churches, the majority of the congregation are black despite the fact that 60% of the local population are white. Nearly all my African friends are Christian, none of my white friends are.
Statistically, religion is more prevalent in poorer countries and where there are low levels of education.
George Carey recently said that he can see Christianity dying out in this country within 2 generations which I presume he meant among white people.
I don't find your thread offensive but I think you're wrong because you're basing it on a very narrow sample.

OP it sounds like you need support at the moment, I hope you have people around you in rl who are kind and loving to you. It also sounds like you have a few regrets about past events or behaviours, please don't think you're alone-not one person on here is perfect, we all have our faults. Some people are exceptionally good at putting on a face, but we all have times when it's bad. I hope you find the comfort you need right now whether that comes from within the church or outside of it. for you.

I have seen this side of Christianity. I went to bible school and the majority of people there had led very sheltered lives. I had come.to faith as a teenager but my life experiences were so far removed from theirs that I really struggled. In the end I left the church, it was very painful actually but I couldn't match my experience of the world with theirs and found a lot of their responses to people in pain very trite or just totally lacking in compassion.

I have been shocked in the past at responses I had to the question as a teenager - Why if there is a God is there so many people who experience terrible things?

I am the white , middle class , university educated person that the OP is talking about.
I was brought up a catholic and had always had a faith, however, was strengthened when i experienced difficult times. It was my faith that got me through.
I have worked and lived all over the world and have been astounded by the number of people from poverty stricken backgrounds who have such a a strong faith.
So OP, i think that yadbu.