I want to become religious but I just can't believe in God...

I want to become religious but I just can't believe in God. I've studied both catholicism and orthodoxy and I find both religions to be absolutely fantastic, specially when you leave the confines of the official liturgy and rituals and enter the realm of folk catholicism, for example. I've found such a rich, poignant tradition and yet I feel I'll never be a real part of it because I can't believe in God. How did you come to believe in God, Veeky Forums? Are there any authors who helped you to finally believe again? I've read a lot of Dostoyevsky but didn't find his approach satisfactory. What fiction writers deal with folk religion?

Unironically C.S. Lewis
Also it sounds like you have the wrong reasons for approaching religion.

you already do believe in god

I like the part at the end of Anna Karenina when Levin suddenly realizes that god is the answer, and nothing comes of it.

>wanting to believe in god so you can join the church choir
i want to fucking die

It's not about that. But do you understand how strong a feeling it must be to believe in God so immensely that you would walk the streets carrying an image of dead Christ on your shoulders? Can you imagine the power of believing so strongly in saints that their images and icons are a fundamental part of your life?

First of all, Dostoevsky is vastly overrated as a "Christian writer." Read the fucking Bible and pray, you cunt. Religion is something you do, not "study."

Second of all, you don't need a profound reason to love God. Do you think everyone sitting in the pews is a theological genius? Just go to Church. If you don't feel compelled to worship Christ, then you're just a tourist.

Personally I don't go to Church because I feel as if I am persona non grata at my local parish. But someday, maybe somewhere far away, I hope to join one again.

did you consider that i might be deeply religious before asking this?

Idk for fiction but I read Kierkegaard, Shestov and benjamin Fondane

You can only ever come to God on your own terms.

I was raised Catholic, but for years I only followed the faith because it was what I was taught to do. It was only later, when I grew up, that I came to truly worship and love God.

What helped was reading theology when I was in college. In grade school I was a "smart kid," and I liked that self-image. So when I was exposed to Augustine, Basil the Great, Aquinas, Anselm, and so on, and realized for the first time how strong the Church's intellectual tradition was, I became vastly more interested in my own religion.

That's only where it began, though.

You've done enough reading. Now it's time to pray. Faith is a gift from God. It may seem like you cannot pray without believing in God, and it's true that you cannot pray perfectly; but you can "pray" in the way a man might shout in the dark for help. The important thing is that God sees in you humility of heart, so that he will give you the precious gift of faith. Pray the Our Father.

Just google image those edgy fedora atheists, you will start to believe in god out of self respect. Also consider Shia Islam

Ask yourself what good has religion done overall for humankind. Nothing. Religion killed probably more people than it saved.

I suggest you read Darwin or others who were able to see that and exposed these religions as what they really are: lies

Or as Trump would call it: fake news

>I want to become religious but I just can't believe in God
Then why do you want to become religious? Does it seem like something cool you could call yourself?

Congratulations, you're an adult and you face the same uncertainty we all do. Don't slow us down any further with sky papa.

this

>"i cant believe in God"
is such a sad self-delusion

To understand our civilisation, one must appreciate that the extended order resulted not from human design or intention but spontaneously: it arose from unintentionally conforming to certain traditional and largely moral practices, many of which men tend to dislike, whose significance they usually fail to understand, whose validity they cannot prove, and which have nonetheless fairly rapidly spread by means of an evolutionary selection — the comparative increase of population and wealth — of those groups that happened to follow them. The unwitting, reluctant, even painful adoption of these practices kept these groups together, increased their access to valuable information of all sorts, and enabled them to be ‘fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it’ (Genesis 1:28). This process is perhaps the least appreciated facet of human evolution.

>I don't go to Church because I feel as if I am persona non grata at my local parish

lol elaborate

this

Read Kierkegaard and make the leap to faith

>Cant believe in God
>Looks to polytheistic and idolatrous religion that worships a man as God and wonders why.

>I want moralistic therapeutic deism but with larping
Kys

4+4 chan has a very active /christian/ board, join us there

>telling OP to read juvenile pseudo-philosophers in order to "get into" Christianity
just stop, this is embarrassing

>7+1chan /christian/
>active
lmao

I share a similar feeling since i started reading flannery o'connor right after reading tolstoy. But, i am also thinking that i am probably enamoured by the idea of worshipping a higher power, instead of the actual worship. I am also of the belief that religious people have a more complete life as they find purpose in every day, instead of i who is depressed and feeling like i am missing something. I just want to be happy, Veeky Forums. Is religion the answer?

This is really pathetic. Got your undies in a bunch over some memes about the Crusades

>Kierkegaard
>juvenile pseudo-philosopher

small != dead, user
also I want to marry christ-tan

It got us eternal life, which is pretty neat.

>eternal life
>after you die
wow, bait and switch much?

>I've studied both catholicism and orthodoxy

Figures.

Well that's when you need it, after all.

>my autistic version of christianity and scientism are exactly the same
>think about why that is
gee you got me

The stereotypical autistic method is divergent form-based analysis, my argument is convergent and purpose-based.

Thank you. I will really try to do this.

thirding this

>reading rational-historic apologetic texts and believing numinosity is an emergent property of phenomena