Agnostic interested in Christianity - AIBU?

[Tailypo]

I was reading this article recently and it got me thinking. Originally, it made me think about possibly getting baptised, but I think that I'd definitely prefer to take things slowly first and really reflect before making any decisions like getting baptised.

I was brought up in a non-religious family, so wasn't christened or anything. Although I went to church services with school and sang hymns in assemblies, I never went to church regularly outside of this.

My Dad was brought up in a religious family and was very involved in the church when he was a boy (Sunday school, weekly church service, choirboy etc.), but then felt when he was a teenager that he didn't believe in God anymore and has been an atheist ever since.

Although my Mum's now a British citizen, she was brought up in a different country under Communism, so she wasn't taught about religion at school or brought up in a religious family.

I was always allowed by my parents to make up my own mind, and they've always encouraged me to decide for myself whether I wanted to be religious or not.

I've thought seriously over the years whether I'm interested in following different religions or whether I'm an agnostic or atheist. As a teenager, I would have described myself as an atheist, although over the last few years, I've leant much more towards being agnostic. At university, I took part in a few chapel services, and took a lot of comfort from this involvement. Since then, I have taken comfort from various ideas attached to Christianity, and this has been a huge source of support. I went with friends to services at churches for different Christian denominations during this time as well. I'm also really open to finding out more about Christianity, as I never really learned much about it. I've also just returned from holiday in Italy, where I saw quite a few religious buildings and religious art. At the moment, I can't think of a better way of describing it other than to say that it had a huge effect on me, as when I visited Paris a few years ago and saw some churches there.

I'm very interested in the idea of going along to different churches for services to see which ones might suit me best. I'm based in London at the moment. Would anyone have any ideas of churches where I could go perhaps? I'm particularly interested in Anglican churches, as so far this has resonated with me most from the services that I've been to so far, although others may also be of interest.

AIBU to be interested in Christianity as an agnostic?

Thanks :)

I found this book particularly good, as well as books by Rowan Williams.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B009YLZ93Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1504466383&sr=1-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&tag=mumsnetforum-21

Personally I'm wary of alpha as I think it can teach quite a "blinkered" view of Christianity. The courses I've experienced have been very conservative in their outlook.

If your looking for specific church recommendations, I know the rector at St Michael's Camden Town. He is young and "cool", very intelligent and very much into the majesty and the mystery.

It depends where you are. I used to be a member at Emmanuel Church in Northwood, before I got married. DH and I got married there.

There's also St Andrew's, Chorleywood. It's just outside London but it's easy to get to on the tube.

Most Anglican churches run Alpha courses, as has been said, but so do other denominations now. I can definitely recommend one; you can ask as many difficult questions as you need to.

Yanbu at all and it's a very good thing to explore this whole area.

I wouldn't be too sure about the alpha course that a number of pp have mentioned. It has been known to present a fairly narrow version of Christianity as "what Christians believe" whereas in fact there are a spectrum of understandings within Christianity. Other similar courses are run by more liberal churches which are less likely to funnel you down a specific path.

I have always really liked Christian art, architecture, music and culture. But these are very far removed from the theology and the spiritual elements of Christianity. I have also always had a strong respect for the teachings of Jesus as for us the gospels but these too can be quite far removed (depend on the denomination). Ultimately however, I could never get over the whole original sin thing (what kind of god punishes you for the sins of your forefathers?) and the element of Hunan sacrifice (I didn't ask Jesus to give his life for my sins, I would much rather take responsibility for my own wrong doings than have a man's life on my conscience). It seems like you are more interested in christianity as a culture than a faith.

I've found alpha to be very wide in outlook, but I guess it depends on the church leading it, it will necessarily reflect that. The course itself presents the core of Christian beliefs, ones accepted across all traditions but welcomes questions and discussion, seeing the whole thing as more journeying together than telling folk what to believe. I'm sorry your experience has been more narrow. I led one recently and the participants said how they loved how open we were and how we didn't just spout the 'answers' at them but rather listened to them. This is how I'd hope it would always be. I've experienced other courses too - Christianity explored, start, Emmaus - all great.

ttbb I quite liked the two questions you raised in your post.
I'm a Christian, and two points did make me stop and think how I would understand these points.
For me my faith is hinged upon the verse in John 3:16. This is a quote from Jesus explaining why God sent him into the world to die. He explains that God loves the people in the world so much that he sent Jesus to tell us about him. Through Jesus's death we have access to eternal life and a relationship with God himself. We are not perfect but God and Jesus are perfect and Jesus died on our behalf.
I'm not sure if I'm making any sense to you or not but that is my understanding of my faith in God. I guess I can say that when I became a Christian a whole spiritual dimension of my life opened up for me and I do feel the presence of God in my life, particularly at the moment in a difficult time.
Faith is a very personal thing. I hope you don't mind me sharing how I understand the two questions you raised and thanks for making me think about my own faith.

I would really recommend signing up for an AlphaCourse.. they are run in most areas across the UK. It's an 8 week course indroducing Christianity through discovering Jesus. The format is a meal followed by a talk ending with breaking into smaller discussion groups.
Do look into it. There is no pressure but it's a great place to ask questions and to find
Some answers.