Hi Veeky Forums, I want to make this thread because it is something I have been dealing with for a while now, and it is Sunday again and I don't know if I should go to Church. About 2 years ago I reverted to Catholicism(was an atheist). I loved Church history, loved the traditions, the architecture, essentially I reverted for all the wrong reasons. As time went on, I read the gospels, some of the epistles, and looked back on the Pentateuch a bit(I read the Pentateuch up to Leviticus in Catholic School when I was kiddo as well), and got more into theology. I eventually saw that a lot of Catholicism didn't seem biblical, and I got into reformed theology and biblical Christianity. I still had many doubts about Christianity, and couldn't force myself to believe a lot of it, especially creation. I tried to repent, I tried to give myself to Jesus, but I always fell back into sin, I always fell back into doubt. I started smoking weed and drinking again, I fapped more, I even looked into the occult and /fringe/ stuff for a short week. I didn't get fulfillment from these things either, and after a few months stopped the smoking and drinking(still working on the fapping though). I got into more philosophy, I read more, and tried hard to find solid meaning, but ultimately I went back into nihilism, and apathy. Now I am doing better, and have been trying read more of the greeks, specifically Plato, but yesterday I got into a theological argument with a lukewarm "Christian"(she is essentially a universalist) and found myself getting really into my old ways. I was quoting scripture, explaining why I have faith, talking about CS Lewis, etc. I felt like my faith was reignited last night, albeit for a short while, but I even read the bible once again for the first time in a while(I used to read it every night before bed). Now, I woke up today and was thinking about going to my local baptist Church, and I turned on the TV to watch a sermon on a Christian Channel.
I cant believe in Christianity anymore
Stop being a baby Christianity is about a personal relationship not rituals.
cont.
I was quickly reminded of the reasons I grew away from Christianity in the first place. The sermon was about why the end times are near, and the pastor kept talking about Israel and why Russia's future is foretold in Ezekiel, shit like that. This reminded me about creationism, and how basically every good protestant denomination, especially Baptists, are creationists. I have looked into creation "science" with a pretty open mind, but it is bullshit, true bullshit. Then I thought about all the virtuous pagans, people like Socrates, Plato, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Aristotle, where do they all fit in? Marcus Aurelius was definitely aware of Christianity and did not accept it, that must mean he is in hell. An extremely good man by most accounts would be in hell. This example works for many other Latin philosophers and writers. So, I guess my question is Veeky Forums, Is Christianity true, and if it is how? How can it possibly be true? Which denomination is true? If I pick wrong I could end up in hell, it is like russian fucking roulette. Why can't I just focus on living a moral life here on Earth?
I'm currently on your situation right now, But I was born catholic but Am now a christian, and now a backslider... I'm so deep with my sins and addiction that I don't know what to do now, I left out my church(Baptist) and here I am reading on /b/ and /gif/ fapping forevermore.
and then I remembered the parables that jesus taught to the people of galilea, about the seed that is thrown on the thorn, it grows but it doesn't end well. or maybe that house built upon a sand, and when the waves crashes down, it falls. just like me... and I'm thinking maybe God doesn't wanted me anymore, that's why he can't hear me
Jesus specifically started the 7 Sacraments for a reason.
Maybe do some research before posting next time?
call me corny or gay but, I really want to go back to God, But I feel in me, that there something that is preventing me to do it.
I've asked God to help me to change and overcome it. but I don't get answers....
This thread sums up exactly why Veeky Forums is the single most cringeworthy board on here
It may be true but Jesus never intended to be some sort of ritual like pagans do in their days, that's why catholicism is verdy different in so many levels because, every doctrines they uphold, the Word denies it.
Example of that would be, Only God himself shall be the Saviour, and yet in the catholics, We have another mediatrix.
i could go on and on about this shit, the rabbit hole is too deep to make it into a comment,
I don't much care so much about your god's existence as about the relationship it's believers think they have with it. Does your god talk to you? What would you do if your god asked you do do somethink you thought was morally wrong?
Veeky Forums is not made for you kid, if you hate it, then just suck dick cookies and watch yo mom be fucked by 10 black nigs, you fucking twat fucker,
>I don't much care so much about your god's existence
>Replied on this thread
>Hypocrite atheist still scared of her decisions
>her
you fucking atheist, no one cares about you either, you die we're happy, Veeky Forums hates you and your mom doesn't love you either, so Just get out and go back to tumblr, you motherfuckersemendrinkingfag
Why not pick a religion/philosophy that is better suited to explaining the world/the self? Picking something to rally behind will always be a process of trail and error, and nothing can be forced onto you, which is what a lot of fundies don't get.
So take a look around, buy a book on the history of religion, and search for yourself
>Veeky Forums hates you
what a shocking and heartbreaking revelation, how will he ever recover?
I had a similar experience, though kinda the reverse. Was raised Baptist, but fell into nihilism during high school and college. It took a while, but I realized that I found those out looks ultimately unfulfilling. So I tried a bunch of different churches. Catholic for a while, orthodox, even Quaker.
I did eventually find a "home church," one where I liked the pastor and the congregation was friendly. This ended up being an Episcopal church, which you might like as it seems to me to be Catholic ritual and Protestant theology. I've found being part of a community is very helpful in reigniting faith. While it's by no means the most important factor it was huge for me
solid advice
Why do you need to be a Christian? If you're a Protestant you've probably read the synoptic gospels; so you've probably read the times when Jesus called a gentile woman a "dog", told his followers to shun an unrepentant injurer as if they were a "tax-collector or gentile", had to convince his apostles it wasn't worth "raining heavenly fire upon" a village of unlistening Samaritans, agrees to heal the dying daughter of a centurion only after local Rabbis convince him that the Roman is a friend of the Jewish people and that he built their local synagogue, etc.
Of course there're verses of Jesus denouncing the Jews and claiming the church would start among the gentiles throughout the synoptics (and of course in "John"), but Jesus was a man who loved his people. He lived during a time when Palestine was crowded with religious renewal movements; a reaction to the disconnect between the cultural myths of the Jews being the "chosen race" of the one god, and the reality that the previous centuries have been nothing but defeat, humiliation, and occupation by various "gentile dogs".
When reading the scriptures one gets the sense that he held a very human contempt for the foreigners and Jewish heretics infesting the holy land. This will occasionally be intercepted by some verses of super-human revelation of Jesus telling his Jewish disciples that his own unworthy people he's been preaching to almost exclusively won't heed his message, and that'll find fertile ground among the gentiles he so often scorns.
Jesus came to renew Judaism before the imminent arrival of Yahweh's kingdom on earth. Whether or not he actually preached Godhood or whether it was added into the script later should be secondary to the fact that he came for the Jews, and not the Gentiles.
You don't need to be a Christian. Not only would Yeshua not've cared about you (assuming you're not Jewish), he also wouldn't have expected the world to still be existing at this point in time.
>Veeky Forums is not made for you kid, if you hate it, then just suck dick cookies and watch yo mom be fucked by 10 black nigs, you fucking twat fucker,
Hi OP.
Christianity is about what Christ teaches. That is the only denomination. As for churches, it is okay to associate with one, but always be careful because their ideas about the Bible come from outside the Bible and have been repeated for hundreds of years, so their "traditions" are for some reason blindly accepted by many Christians as truth, when in reality, they are just repeated ideas over time.
God isn't waiting up in heaven saying "Oh where are all the Pentecostals? Cool it turns out you guys were the right version of Christianity I'm sorry the rest of creation but your going to hell" THAT IS FALSE. Whatever Christian teacher you have that is saying "Only we are saved" is lying to you.
I could literally go on all day with you user, trying to tell you what Jesus teaches is how to focus morality on Earth, and that Christianity has been "bastardized" into making people believe it is something entirely different.
You'll hear often "repent and believe in the Gospel and if not your are damned" but this is often said by Christians who affiliate WITH ONE DENOMINATIONS DOGMA; and, they execute judgment. They use God's name to persecute others. So when they say ancient philosophers went to hell because they didn't believe in the Gospel, it is wise to not listen to them
Jesus came for everyone, not just the Jews. I don't know where it said "Jesus only cares for Jews" because that isn't anywhere implied in the Gospel. Even the OT God starts talking about salvation for Gentiles.
Jesus taught people the path to understanding God and basic laws that function the reality we live in, Jesus does the will of the Father and doesn't deviate from it, and what Jesus teaches about universal phenomena is hidden in parables
OP, please read.
You must give up entirely all the teachings of the Church and look only to this; Tolstoyan Christianity.
Read 'A Confession', 'The Gospel in Brief', 'What I Believe' and 'The Kingdom of God is Within you'
Trust me, these are wonderful works and they remove all the crap taught in Church and only retain humanity.
Please read them in that order.
That relationship is not outside of you. When we consciously choose to be separate from God, it happens. When we consciously choose to learn about God, it happens. I don't know why some forms of Christianity told everyone God was separate from them, and that He is in the sky, when Jesus clearly says "the Kingdom of God is within you", we can see that the Kingdom is within us, we now know that we have to take steps to reach it
Who and what you learn from is very important from here on out, because the wrong person and the wrong church and the wrong book, they will make stereotypes you have seem even more true. Many Christian YouTube channels, many are great, others are very deceptive.
It is important to look within.
>Why can't I just focus on living a moral life here on Earth?
ask them that and if they don't have a satisfying answer they're not what you're looking for.
You need to be more christlike, friend.
Or you could go to Ankara and join our Cocklickphate.
>especially creation
Is this bait?
The Catholic Church doesn't consider the Old Testament literal, especially not Genesis.
You think too much. Read the kind replies you're getting from local Christians and just follow them, i.e. just twist the Christiam bullshit until you can believe it.
You don't have to believe in god to be a Christian, google "christian atheism".
>Reformed theology
really nigger? You became a fatalist all because you foolishly read the bible and become ignorant of it?
What a fucking joke you are. A loser. If you really understand the Bible you wouldn't even touch Reformed theology at all or even consider being a shitty Baptist. It's truth. And all you are is just a pathetic moron.
>triggered cause I ask someone to be more pious to renew their faith
You also need to be more christlike, friend.
>I have looked into creation "science" with a pretty open mind, but it is bullshit, true bullshit.
Old world creationism is basically "The Big Bang and Evolution ft. Yahweh" so it's hardly bullshit
Marcus Aurelius was such an immensely good guy. My favorite historical figure.