First, I'd be careful giving out personal information on the net - like your age. "You must be kidding!" you are probably thinking. And I'm not. I shouldn't even admit I'm a schizophrenic gnome (speak for yourself!).
The Christian religion is based on faith. There is no proof of God. The only remotely decent "reason" proposed for this is that if we absolutly knew there was a God - and all we had to do was what He told us - there'd be no "meaning" to life due to, among other things, lack of true freedom of choice ("meaning" is meant in the loose and "commonly meant" way - please don't debate this here - that dead horse is being flogged into atoms currently over on OOT).
Most religions are ancient and began before systems of logic and critical analysis were widely known and adopted. Syllogistic logic was, if I remember correctly, invented/discovered by Aristotle (340 B.C. or so? And he was one of many who moved logic along; Socrates and Plato only used an intuitive logic and had very little understanding of formal logic - yet they were still great thinkers). Anyway, empiricism and critical analysis, while they had their births in Ancient Greece before Christ was born, were harding "universally accepted." In fact, look at the world today - how many people really "get" and use these concepts.
Anyway, in school you are taught empiricism and critical analysis. And most religion will seem to fall apart when studied under these systems.
So, what chance does Christianity have against logic and reason? What the heck does it offer, anyway? A bunch of stupid, outdated rules - and preachers who trick you into donating money to them - which they blow on coke and hookers (and air conditioned dog houses) - if you believe Christianity's many detractors (Jim and Tammy Bakker, of the PTL or Praise the Lord Club, did have just that, and A/C'd dog house for their pet pooch). There are messed up preachers - lots of them - but imo way too much has been made of these people.
If you find a decent, honest church (and most are), you will likely find that the preacher, priest or minister there is a decent person (usually they live on quite low salaries and are very decent, good, trustworthy and caring people). And then you start learning - and you to reach out to God through prayer.
A lot of churches say the "spirit can move you" - that you can somehow feel God's presence - that you can have meaningful experiences through prayer with God. A cynic will say you're only hypnotizing yourself - that nothing meaningful happens in prayer. And I can't proove the cynic is wrong. I can only say that if you are interested you should try it yourself - and see what happens. It may take a while, but I find prayer very worthwhile.
I find a great reservoir of ... I don't know how to describe it. Strength and clarity - that's not all it is - but when I pray with a "right heart" - I am helped - I feel strength - there is clarity - and I do feel something there. It helps me immensely. My worse instincts are calmed, my fears are reduced, and I have a much easier time seeing what is right and wrong - what I should and should not do.
I can't proove it's anything real - that a real God is somehow connecting with or communicating with me when I pray. I wish I did, but there is no proof at all. But I think something happens, and it's very worthwhile to me. So, even though the part of me that's cynical and, in theory, logical (capable of critical analysis and empiricism) can spell out exactly why it's absurd for me to continue believing, I still maintain my faith. I'm hardly what you'd call a "good" Christian (I post here, and sometimes I'm awful - sorry), and I wish I had more enthusiasm to convey to you (part of me does - so don't think I'm being too two-sided).
Jesus was probably the most influential person ever born. His teachings were amazing because they are so simple yet so vastly deep and far reaching. It's hard, however, for modern people to believe in the miracles, the virgin birth, and so on. I say this not to discourage you but ... to be honest with you. It gives me trouble, too. But I like my religion and trust it. I grew up in a very liberal and tolerant church (Methodist) - they tolerated my questions and never treated me badly - never ridiculed me for thinking or challenging things - so instead of attacking it, I look for the best in it.
Religion deals with a different kind of thinking. It's generally more subjective and "right-brained," so to speak, than logic, critical analysis and empiricism (many systems related to these reject ALL subjective phenomena as irrelevant at best). Religion is ancient yet, for me, not irrelevant. But you have to give it a chance to see if it means anything to you. I can't do it for you here in the Asylum.
Also, please watch out for people who equate Christianity with nuts and con artists - and say therefore it's all bad. Many churches are good, understanding havens - most are, actually. I prefer mainstream Protestantism - Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran - churches like that. They aren't the only good ones - but they tend to be very tolerant.
Most of the above churches are not hell, fire and brimstone churches - they don't seek to scare you into believing (they base faith on positive things, like love). Personally, I don't think a faith built on fear is resting on a very stable foundation, anyway. Nevertheless, I have had some good experiences in Southern Baptist churches - believe it or not. They are incredibly sincere and take it very seriously - and they are moving away from the Calvinistic fire and brimstone (at least some are).
There are so many traps to fall into - is the Bible accurate? If it isn't all accurate, then does this flaw mean there is no God ... it goes on and on - just like good old fashioned Asylum arguments. Typically to "get" religion you have to come to it in ... the right frame of mind, with an open heart - ready to give it a chance - not merely to pounce on it. I know, that makes you vulnerable and doesn't track with what you've been taught. I don't think it will hurt you to try.
If it turns out part of the Bible is a mistake, it's not going to bother me. But this is because ... just start with a personal relationship with God. Forget the rules, the myriad details - forget the whacky TV preachers - the distractions. The heart of the religion is you and Jesus and God. Jesus was sent to save us, to give us the good word. Listen to it - give it a chance. If it speaks to you, if you feel something - keep trying. Faith is a life-long endeavor. And it's worth trying, in my humble opinion - in the right church led by decent, good people (not hard to find, by the way). I used to ask the same question when I was a kid - "what happened to the souls of people born before Christ?" I had a kind old Sunday school teacher who told me, "I honestly don't know. But I believe God is good, and I can't imagine anything bad happened to them." And she suggested I not let it bother me, that I have faith and trust God. This sounds weak to some, but ... I see it as the greatest strength there is.
I wish you peace and all the best in your search.
Edited, Jun 9th 2006 at 11:49pm EST by EvilGnomes
