forum A Little Help Please...

Started September 12, 2018 by @RedTheLoveless

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I'm having a major crisis of faith and I don't know how to deal with it please help

I want to help but i just cant… im having a faith falling away too…. ;-;

I can help. Wanna talk about it?

It's not falling though. It's growing which is a problem cuz I don't know what to do with it.

I used to identify as agnostic, as I'm more into science and logical thinking. But ever since last year I started going to Youth Group. I even had a friend call me up to be a Counselor for a Vacation Bible School for over the summer. I'm planning on going back to Youth Group today but I don't know how to handle this.

Like how can I rely on something I don't even know exists or not. I can barely rely on myself, nonetheless place my trust in others.

Not to mention the fact that I am part of the LGBTQIA+/SAGA community.

I'm afraid to read any biblical for the fear of I may read it more like a fictional story than an actual event.

And yet a part of me still wants to try and I don't know why.

Some things in the bible are just stories. But stories have a lot of truth in them. I too am part of the LGBTQIA+/SAGA community (I'm bisexual) so I feel you. I like logic and reasoning just as much as I like knowing that there is someone out there who cares and even if we don't strictly believe in them will always be there for us, with unconditional love. Really, the world as we know it is hella confusing, It's nice to know that there's someone looking out for us, thinking about the smallest details and caring for us. I've always seen God as a being that's more maternal than paternal, so I might refer to God as She sometimes for further reference, and that's not the point of that statement, but here goes: God is real, in my opinion. I don't expect you to believe or want to believe or really expect anything of you. God is loving and wants you to grow and learn and succeed and all that jazz, and as long as you aren't hurting yourself or others in your quest to flourish in life, I think She'll be okay with that. Being part of the LGBTQIA+/SAGA community is fine by Her, just make sure that you aren't beating yourself up over it. And if you're curious about the bible, I say read it! It's brilliant, and if you look closely you can really learn a lot from it. Just saying, people claim that there's a verse in the bible that says "No Homosexuality, Gay Is Bad", but actually it was initially a Greek proverb saying "Man Shall Not Lay With Boy" that was basically speaking out against pediophilia, I'm saying this because in case you might get worried, don't be. Sorry, bit busy so I'll chat later, I'm just on and off lol so replies might be a little late.

Thank you. I'll try my best to take what you said to heart as I explore this new part of myself. I'll see if maybe I can ask my mom to borrow her bible to read it.

Life is all about change, and change is scary. Take everything slowly, and I promise that it'll be fantastic. You don't need to worry, I'm here for you Red!

So I'm not sure if you're still looking for input, but (as someone who is a Christian) I will say that faith is a lot more logical than people give it credit for. Obviously it's not possible to 100% prove or disprove the existence of God, but there is quite a bit of research and stuff out there.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that becoming a Christian doesn't have to be this blind thing where you can't check your source or ask questions or look at evidence if you need it. You don't just put on the tinted Jesus goggles and then ignore everything that doesn't fit with your new worldview.
I've had times in my life where I felt that I needed to understand why I believe what I believe and understand the discourse surrounding faith a bit better, so if you need any (book) recommendations (other than the Bible, that's obviously the only one that really matters) about discussing the reliability of the Bible, the existence of God, or the resurrection of Jesus just say the word!
(If you don't mind me saying this, I think that turning towards God is the best thing that anyone could ever do I'm super excited that you're even considering it!)
So yeah
I don't mean to be that awkward person on the internet
But just know that I'm here and I can try and point you in the right direction if you decide that you want me to.
(But I will also back off and let you and God figure this one out if that's what you want)
It's up to you

Thank you so much. And yes, I would love those book recommendations. I'm more into the relaxed version of practicing religion instead of a die-hard very religious.

All right!
Mere Christianity is good if you're getting into the very basics. It's by CS Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia), a printed compilation of a series of radio talks he gave during/after WW2 - which is why I've linked the audiobook version on Youtube. It's really nice to listen to. It gives an introduction into both the reasoning and philosophy behind Christianity and why it makes sense from a reasoning point of view as well as the more practical tenets and such of Christianity (it's been a while since I've listened to it though). CS Lewis also has other books that pertain to more specific issues if you're interested - The Problem of Pain, The Four Loves, and The Abolition of Man are pretty good from what I've read. Though I'd warn you that they get pretty theoretical and abstract, so maybe hold off on those if that's not your thing.
Lee Strobel is an investigative journalist who set out to disprove the Christian faith after his wife converted to Christianity (this is just a link to his Wikipedia page). I recommend his books "The Case for Christ", "The Case for Faith", "The Case for Easter", and that general series when it comes to hard-line evidence for why the Bible is a reliable source and why it makes logical/scientific sense to believe in God.
I've never actually read most books by this author, but Josh McDowell is a really Big Name when it comes to Christian apologetics. His books "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" and "More than a Carpenter" would probably be helpful.
"Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus" by Nabeel Qureshi (absolute genius - studied medicine, was into forensics and just all around brilliant) is a really great look at it coming from a Muslim perspective - I found that this book helps especially with questions like "is the Bible accurate?", "was Jesus really resurrected?" and "did Jesus claim to be God?"
So that's a whole bunch of recommendations. I hope there's something in there that's helpful!

(and)
(Though I'm really no expert)
(one thing I'd say right off the bat that this isn't really about "practicing a religion" in the sense of doing things in order to earn your salvation. It's about having a relationship. Which isn't to say that that's somehow "easy" or that one can just lah-dee-dah one's way around life the same way as before, except now there's a cosmic Santa Claus on your side. That's not it at all. Following Christ is probably the biggest commitment of one's life, but it's more comparable to the commitment you make to a partner in a marriage than the commitment you make in a business transaction, if you know what I mean. )

Yeah like the others said, God is all about love for EVERYONE, no matter who they are, what the have done, or any of that jazzy stuff. I don't know if you watch Netflix but if you so watch Queer Eye. (a show about 5 gay guys)It's a great show, and one of the episods is about the guys learn that God is for everyone and doesn't care who you love romanticly, as long as you love him that's all that matters. I send my best wishes that this will help you!

P.S. this might help a little:

Thank you guys so much for the support and the advice; it's helped me a lot to clear my mind and my misconceptions. I feel like I'm more prepared to have a relationship with Him just by talking with you guys. I really can't thank you guys enough for your understanding and patience with me. I've never gone to church before and I've never read the bible. I've never attended a proper service or mass. This is mostly because my parents didn't force or convince me to go; they wanted me to choose religion for myself and allow me a journey of self-discovery.

Hey that's a good thing in most situations. It is proven that you are more likely to come closer and feel better about your decision if your not pressured to go. And I would love to help anytime. I am just coming out of a faith crisis myself. Not all the way there, but I'm making it! Good luck!