Why do Christians have doubts?

I started having doubts when I saw that my church did not behave the way they claimed to believe. Then I realized that was true of almost all Christians I knew. They always had some way of justifying why a scripture did not apply to them.

When I asked questions about odd passages in the Bible, everyone told me to shut up about it. Nobody would even try to answer my questions. That was a big red flag too.

Finally, I sat down and read the Bible. Some of what I read was truly horrendous. Some of it was against established scientific fact. Other parts seemed contradictory.

I considered all this and realized that something was terribly wrong. I studied other religions and discovered that most of them have the same problems. They start out with ideas that they believe are true and try to make the facts fit their faith. That doesn’t seem to me to be a good or honest way to look at the world.

So I decided to start over at Square 1 - atheism. I’ve been there ever since and I do not regret it. If anything, it has helped me understand more about people and their needs for a god.

As for what turned me away from Jesus, he never spoke to me and never answered my prayers. It wasn’t that hard to let him go.

For me, the process was long and painful, but here’s the Reader’s Digest version.

I read the Bible cover to cover and felt disturbed by it rather than enlightened. Figuring I had probably just misunderstood it, I read it again. By then, I was having serious doubts, because it so obviously seemed like a book of propaganda and ancient superstition rather than anything to do with God.

So I started reading junk like “The Case for Christ” hoping to bolster my faith with hard evidence, only to discover there wasn’t any.

By then I was open to listening to what secularists had to say, and began reading books on archaeology and the history of Christianity. Within about a year of that, I had the emotional fortitude to realize I no longer believed at all, and instead began to view my former faith for what it really is…

…cult brainwashing.

The bible tells us not to measure ourselves, by ourselves…

And the same would apply if we measure ourselves against anyone else, in the church or out.

We are to measure ourselves by what God put in his word. That is our guideline, not what everyone else is doing.

If it matters to us.

A Christian that is truely saved cannot turn away because ‘He lives within’ - they have been bought with a price and the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in their heart - not to say there aren’t ups and downs, we’re human but we know the blessed assurance, He never changes…hope this helps !!

Uh, the same thing that makes you change your mind about which type of clothes you want to wear today. Or it could be that some people were never true Christians in the first place. By law, until we are 18, we have to be whatever religion our parents want us to be. I for one, believe in Jesus and even God, but I don’t agree with everything in the bible either.

Hey Friend!! I dont think so! I am christian and I believe in God. Why you feel like that?? I never stop believing in God, He can make many miracles for you and me. Trust me, in HIM you will have a wonderful day everyday… I feel it everyday… If you want to share with me about your problem

God bless you friend!!

I think people further from the church and God is because the some of the churches now a days are hypocrites. People in the church go home and they do what they please but yet they are in church acting all holy.

I think thats what keeps people from actually coming to God.

I stopped believing, when I realized that its just not believable. And most other christians do nothing but reaffirm my realization.

I havent ever stoppped believing. I just couldnt- ever. I cant imagine going through this life no working for something. working to get somewhere better. and living my life in a good way even though I make mistakes. I know sometimes I get farther away from god/jesus/the church- I go through rough times and when I should being drawing closer I get farther apart. but im slowly learning to pray and take it day by day. do my best and repent. I hope this helps you… haha

I have come to the conclusion that, if I was raised like some of you have been, in the kind of churches with the kind of restricted approach to learning and questioning that you experienced, that I might have become an agnostic/atheist, or perhaps a bit New-Agey. Instead, I was given a very broad education and ‘found Jesus’ in my own way, without any suggestion that He was the only way. Now I do believe Him to be the Way, but if it had all been forced down my throat I have to admit I would probably have never developed a relationship with Him.

BTW, He does answer my prayers - it’s nothing to do with me, just Him, and I believe He’s going to answer other people’s too.

Science 1_~ it’s been disproved countless times & people in the religoun are so close minded. Though what really got me to turn was the feeling that there was something more, things that could not be explained by Christianity. It wasn’t too hard for me when I came across the another practice, so I just kinda fell out.

Here’s a question, why do you stay in the religion?

I was raised jewish… Yes people there ARE other religions besides christianity! I started having doubts and questions and received no answers. So I quit attending temple and never looked back. I believe that many turn from their beliefs when their beliefs are proven to be hollow and that many “faith followers” leave when the curtain is lifted and there is just a man back there, working the controls. Like in The Wizard of Oz.