Can any Christians help? Suddenly curious about God after an entire lifetime of atheism

[BlackcurrantTea]

Hello,

I'm not sure why but after being cynical of all religion since I was a small child (I prayed to God to save my kitten's life after he was hit by a car - the kitten died and I took that as absolute proof of no God/no benevolent God) I'm suddenly questioning my views.

I think it was partly prompted by attending a church baby group and everyone being lovely, and reconnecting with an old friend of mine who is a passionate Christian, but I sort of don't know what to do with this feeling. Can anyone recommend any resources for any adults wanting to explore Christianity a bit? Or any advice?

Thank you so much.

Would you rather a book, a video or podcast? I shall have a think

I have recently become a Christian after being agnostic for a long time. I can recommend the alpha course if you have questions. It helped me a lot!

The Alpha course is aimed at people who are interested in learning more about Christianity. The whole course might be a bit full on for what you're wanting now (I found it a bit full on, and I've been going to church my whole life!) But their website might be a place to start.

@Tiggles - thank you for your reply! Probably a book, please, if you can think of one! (and definitely not a podcast, podcasts have completely passed me by I'm afraid! Wouldn't even know how to access one...)

Thank you @Yogamummy23 and @MissisBee, I think I've seen a sign for an alpha course - I'll start by having a peek at the website and go from there!

I would try Mere Christianity by C.s Lewis as a place to start. It's not without its faults and some of it is of its time but it tackles some of the harder questions well.

Anything by Hitchens, or a Humanist. The Humanist Handbook might help.

Why are you "suddenly questioning your views"?

The Alpha Course is evangelistic, so cannot possibly claim to be independent. Try critical thinking.

There's a really good book called Searching Issues which I found to be more readable than the Cs Lewis one. Nicky Gumbel, the author, founded Alpha and its a really good read and helps you think through some of the big questions

Letters from a Sceptic is a good book. A Christian son and an atheist father exchange a series of letters that robustly grills the big questions of the Christian faith. It's one of my favourite reads.

Why not just enjoy the groups for now. You can enjoy the groups without needing to be a Christian. For me personally I think Christianity is all about the behaviour and ethics of those who believe - so I can find God in the actions of those running the groups - the friendship, community and kindness - far more easily than in a text book or theological writings. And I think that's ok....

Thanks everyone - I actually enjoyed Lewis's Screwtape Letters so would be keen to try Mere Christianity and see what I think. Will try and get a hold of Searching Issues too.

@Doodlebug71 I honestly don't know what's going on - I think I'm very lonely and a bit lost and the church baby group have been so kind to me that it made me wonder if it was God sort of reaching me through them. I know it sounds strange - the cynical me of a month ago would have scoffed. Will see if I can track down the humanist handbook. My grandmother had a humanist funeral which I found very touching after my grandfather's Christian one, where as a non-believer I spent the whole service feeling upset at the minister's focus on us all meeting again one day.

I have to admit that Nicky Gumbel and the Alpha course had more of a deterrent effect of my faith than an encouraging one, but I found Tokens of Trust by Rowan Williams and Christianity:A Beginners Guide by Keith Ward very helpful.
www.amazon.co.uk/Christianity-Beginners-Guide-Guides-ebook/dp/B07ZWQ4P11?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Lovely to be so open minded OP. I think God does reach people through others. I’ve known his love through church people many times before.
I’d say get a copy of the Bible in easy to read English ( a legit one would be the New Living Translation) and maybe start reading Psalms (like poems) or the gospels (John is good). See how God speaks to you through it. You might end up with more questions but you could find a local church to ask someone nice there.

Also there is an alternative course to an alpha course also often run by churches called Christianity explored. It’s 6 sessions I think and gives a good overview of what it means to be a Christian. I’d probably start with chatting with your friend you’ve reconnected with about her faith, am sure she would be really happy to chat and help you with questions. Could you maybe go to church with her?

Another vote for 'Letters from a Sceptic' (Greg Boyd)

As a life long Christian I found the Alpha course too full on.
However I liked some of the "Nooma" course by Rob Bell. Not all I hasten to add, but some.

@BlackcurrantTea I honestly don't know what's going on - I think I'm very lonely and a bit lost and the church baby group have been so kind to me that it made me wonder if it was God sort of reaching me through them. No, that was just you feeling lonely and lost, and someone being kind. It's not a god reaching out to you through someone. Gods can't do that, because they're mythical beings.

I'm atheist, and have helped friends through this sort of thing. If you want to chat, I'll chat. No pressure, just talk about what you're thinking, and ways you can get through/sort out the being lonely thing.

The Little book of humanism: www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Book-Humanism-Universal-lessons/dp/0349425469/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=little+book+of+humanism&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1623407641&sr=8-1

I was going to recommend the Keith Ward book. What I really like is that it shows the range of beliefs in Christianity. That can be a bit hard to get your head around to start with. Dear old C S Lewis is getting a bit dated now but if you can cope with something written by a late Victorian, albeit with a gift of communication in the 20th century, then he is still worth a look. His Screwtape Letters are genius.

Coming from a similar cynical background I’ve also found some of Tim Keller’s books helpful. The alpha books are good too but I didn’t manage to stick with the course. I think lots of churches are still doing online services too which may be helpful to listen in to if you’re not quite ready to go on real life.

Is there any reason why you are limiting your exploration of faith to Christianity in particular?

Bottom line, I'm cynical, I believe in the possibility of a supreme being, but I find issues with the following, if the bible is ment to be God's commands then why have his followers 're written, we translated then decided to do different versions of God's words. To me its like a military set of orders, do a, b c ect to achieve x, not I'll do d, e, f, and hope it achieves x.

There are some lovely people in the church. There are some lovely people not in the church. How many of the people in the church group are actually church goers, and how many are like you, just taking advantage of a local amenity?

There are also some ghastly people outside the church, and some ghastly people in the church.

Just because you've found some nice people doesn't make a "magic sky fairy" more likely. It's still an absolutely ridiculous concept.

Interesting thread. If I could hijack for a second, can I ask what is an incredibly stupid question?

I bought a bible last year to self-educate but it's an American evangelical one and I found it weird and impenetrable. They'd adapted stories I knew from childhood in odd ways. And also, most of it was just so hard to understand.

Is there an 'easy to read' version of the Bible that somebody could recommend? I realise just how ridiculous this question is but honestly, I have no idea. I'd love to read the old testament especially.

I'm atheist, and I struggle most with this question about an omnipotent God: why would God be reaching out to you, lonely with a small baby, via a church toddler group, but be fine with not intervening in the cases of, say, babies dying of malaria? God has a funny sense of priorities, no? Church toddler groups are great, because they tend to be run by nice people. That's all there is to it imo.

@secondcityshark look at this website and you can view all different versions of the Bible to find the wording you prefer.
www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+1&version=GNT

Thanks @Mumdiva99