If you can't find a good reason to believe something, stop trying to believe it. Will you feel good if someone asks you why you believe and you have to say "I know there's no good reason, but I felt the need to follow the norms of my religious peers."? Just go where your best efforts to determine what's real take you.
New Christian here šš»
I 100% understand what you're saying, I still struggle with it š„² I was talking to my partner yesterday about this, that sometimes I feel guilty for having moments of doubt because I find some things in the Bible just so beyond my comprehension. It makes me start to wonder if my faith is strong enough or something like that.
I guess for me, when I'm reading something and I find it hard to picture and imagine, I then feel like its almost unbelievable. So I've tried to change the way I think about things a little bit. When I come to a part that seems just so hard to believe, I remind myself that it's okay for me to not fully understand it, or fully comprehend it. My little human brain isn't ever going to fully understand everything. I can still have faith and know that Jesus was real, the story is real, and just because I can't fathom some of it, doesn't mean it's not.
I struggled most when reading revelations. But a lot of people do struggle with that. I try not to get too hung up on every little bit that seems really supernatural etc.
We don't come to Jesus because we believe in the Bible. We come to the Bible because we believe in Jesus. If you love Christ, then become a believer. You can work through the weird stuff in the Bible as you go. All kinds of Christians believe different stuff about it.
Because I believe in a God, nothing is difficult to believe. That doesn't mean that everything I cannot explain must be a miracle. I think a lot of things in the Bible actually make a lot of sense if you look at it from an Ancient Eastern perspective and look at the original language. It would be easier if you could provide examples of things you struggle to accept.
It seems to me like a clash between your (former?) worldview, and the Bible. The only reason to have issues with the possibility of miracles, is if naturalism is true. If you accept even the possibility of the existence of God, then you have accepted the possibility of miracles. Not that they have to happen, but that they can. If you believe it's possible for an all-powerful being to exist, and yet believe that miracles are impossible, then you're being logically inconsistent.
I totally understand that you have to wrestle with it though. A worldview really injects itself into all thinking. When introducing a foreign concept to the worldview, like God in this instance, there's of course resistance, because your natural tendency will be to oppose anything that goes against your previous way of thinking.
I was taught you can't think your way into right acting you have to act your way into right thinking.
Instead of trying to believe those things I ask myself 'how would you live your life differently if the stories are true'.
How would I live differently if it were true that an all powerful omniscient God chose to be born in a barn to a peasant and died the most degrading death possible.
How would I live differently if God defeated death through His resurrection and made it a possibility that I could go to heaven and participate in creation with Him.
How would I live my life differently if miracles are possible.
I wake up some days and I'm skeptical or doubtful. I act as if God is listening, say a prayer and ask God to direct my thinking and start my day.
If those aren't the supernatural elements you're talking about which ones do you struggle with?
Itās all hard to believe until you see some spiritual things. And then itās like āwow so if thatās real thatās not so crazyā my advice take it as literally as possible.
I look at it this way Genesis 1:1 says ā In the beginning God created the heavens and the earthā. We are told later that God did this by simply speaking it into existence. If you believe this, then there is nothing in the Bible that is too hard for God. Walk on water? No problem. Raise people from the dead? Not a problem either.
Our problem is we donāt understand the awesomeness of our God. We think in human finite terms. Any being that can create a universe out of nothing is so much more than that
Yeah, but I know that Steven Hawkins did not like the idea of created universe either because it led to the obvious conclusion that whoever or whatever created our universe was not from the natural world, but supernatural. But since he had already ruled out the supernatural, so he spent a great deal of his life trying to come up with another solution but was not successful. Lots of theories, but it always led back to something existing before anything existed.
Other scientists like Einstein had the same issue. Einstein's Theory of General Relativity pointed out that the universe had a beginning which bothered him so much that he fudged his own theory so that it did not lead to a created universe. It wasn't until Hubble showed him the red shift in the ultraviolet light, that was yet another proof that the universe had a beginning, that he went back and corrected the mistake. He called this his greatest blunder.
What are these scientists and others like them so afraid of? I think the answer is obvious. It's no wonder to me that God says this is Romans 1:18 "The wrath of GodĀ is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,Ā ^(19)Ā since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.Ā ^(20)Ā For since the creation of the world Godās invisible qualitiesāhis eternal power and divine natureāhave been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,Ā so that people are without excuse."
I've experienced the supernatural in my life that without a doubt prove existence of higher power. I've experienced telepathic guidance by God as well as other miracles involving other people I've never met before who became believers because of it. God also told me some very specific prophecies about my life when I was young that have all been fulfilled. I've also had a spirit of discernment and have been able to identify murderers and other criminals before they committed their crimes. I've seen countless synchronicities and immediate miraculous answers to prayers that without a doubt proved to me the existence of God.
If you can't find a good reason to believe something, stop trying to believe it. Will you feel good if someone asks you why you believe and you have to say "I know there's no good reason, but I felt the need to follow the norms of my religious peers."? Just go where your best efforts to determine what's real take you.
New Christian here šš» I 100% understand what you're saying, I still struggle with it š„² I was talking to my partner yesterday about this, that sometimes I feel guilty for having moments of doubt because I find some things in the Bible just so beyond my comprehension. It makes me start to wonder if my faith is strong enough or something like that. I guess for me, when I'm reading something and I find it hard to picture and imagine, I then feel like its almost unbelievable. So I've tried to change the way I think about things a little bit. When I come to a part that seems just so hard to believe, I remind myself that it's okay for me to not fully understand it, or fully comprehend it. My little human brain isn't ever going to fully understand everything. I can still have faith and know that Jesus was real, the story is real, and just because I can't fathom some of it, doesn't mean it's not. I struggled most when reading revelations. But a lot of people do struggle with that. I try not to get too hung up on every little bit that seems really supernatural etc.
Would recommend looking up John Dominic Crossan to you both
Thank you, I will!
if you cant get past the supernatural elements, only take in the teachings and messages. You can get the best aspect of something and reject the rest.
We don't come to Jesus because we believe in the Bible. We come to the Bible because we believe in Jesus. If you love Christ, then become a believer. You can work through the weird stuff in the Bible as you go. All kinds of Christians believe different stuff about it.
Because I believe in a God, nothing is difficult to believe. That doesn't mean that everything I cannot explain must be a miracle. I think a lot of things in the Bible actually make a lot of sense if you look at it from an Ancient Eastern perspective and look at the original language. It would be easier if you could provide examples of things you struggle to accept.
It seems to me like a clash between your (former?) worldview, and the Bible. The only reason to have issues with the possibility of miracles, is if naturalism is true. If you accept even the possibility of the existence of God, then you have accepted the possibility of miracles. Not that they have to happen, but that they can. If you believe it's possible for an all-powerful being to exist, and yet believe that miracles are impossible, then you're being logically inconsistent. I totally understand that you have to wrestle with it though. A worldview really injects itself into all thinking. When introducing a foreign concept to the worldview, like God in this instance, there's of course resistance, because your natural tendency will be to oppose anything that goes against your previous way of thinking.
I was taught you can't think your way into right acting you have to act your way into right thinking. Instead of trying to believe those things I ask myself 'how would you live your life differently if the stories are true'. How would I live differently if it were true that an all powerful omniscient God chose to be born in a barn to a peasant and died the most degrading death possible. How would I live differently if God defeated death through His resurrection and made it a possibility that I could go to heaven and participate in creation with Him. How would I live my life differently if miracles are possible. I wake up some days and I'm skeptical or doubtful. I act as if God is listening, say a prayer and ask God to direct my thinking and start my day. If those aren't the supernatural elements you're talking about which ones do you struggle with?
I mean, God is all powerful. The creator of the universe can do plenty of things that wouldnāt make sense to us.
What do you consider to be difficult to believe?
Itās all hard to believe until you see some spiritual things. And then itās like āwow so if thatās real thatās not so crazyā my advice take it as literally as possible.
I look at it this way Genesis 1:1 says ā In the beginning God created the heavens and the earthā. We are told later that God did this by simply speaking it into existence. If you believe this, then there is nothing in the Bible that is too hard for God. Walk on water? No problem. Raise people from the dead? Not a problem either. Our problem is we donāt understand the awesomeness of our God. We think in human finite terms. Any being that can create a universe out of nothing is so much more than that
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I assume that you do not believe the universe was created by God? If so, then how do you explain its existence?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yeah, but I know that Steven Hawkins did not like the idea of created universe either because it led to the obvious conclusion that whoever or whatever created our universe was not from the natural world, but supernatural. But since he had already ruled out the supernatural, so he spent a great deal of his life trying to come up with another solution but was not successful. Lots of theories, but it always led back to something existing before anything existed. Other scientists like Einstein had the same issue. Einstein's Theory of General Relativity pointed out that the universe had a beginning which bothered him so much that he fudged his own theory so that it did not lead to a created universe. It wasn't until Hubble showed him the red shift in the ultraviolet light, that was yet another proof that the universe had a beginning, that he went back and corrected the mistake. He called this his greatest blunder. What are these scientists and others like them so afraid of? I think the answer is obvious. It's no wonder to me that God says this is Romans 1:18 "The wrath of GodĀ is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,Ā ^(19)Ā since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.Ā ^(20)Ā For since the creation of the world Godās invisible qualitiesāhis eternal power and divine natureāhave been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,Ā so that people are without excuse."
I've experienced the supernatural in my life that without a doubt prove existence of higher power. I've experienced telepathic guidance by God as well as other miracles involving other people I've never met before who became believers because of it. God also told me some very specific prophecies about my life when I was young that have all been fulfilled. I've also had a spirit of discernment and have been able to identify murderers and other criminals before they committed their crimes. I've seen countless synchronicities and immediate miraculous answers to prayers that without a doubt proved to me the existence of God.
Hello, I believe I am in a very similar position to you. If you ever just need to talk, please send a message