i was just wondering where every one stands spiritualy.i have never identified as any one thing.i wasnt raised religius,was never baptised and have never been made to go to church.my parents are basicaly agnostic,my mother practesed white witchcraft for many years up untill around the time i was born,my father was driven away from christanity at the age of 11 when his aunt passed away(he loved her dearly)and he was told"that she was such a good person god wanted her at his right hand".to this he said "well then god must be one selfish b@$t@%d"he left the church and never went back.since he has allways said if he were to become relgious again he would be a druid.over the past 7 or so years i have studied many "alternitive paths"and have formed my own ever changing beliefs.as of now i identifie simply as pagan and belive that there is truth in every faith and down every path.

huntress,

Spiritually speaking, I identify with non-denominational Christianity.

When reading the bible, it is good to start with the New Testament since Jesus came into the world at that time and changed everything. It is less confusing to some to start there. Christianity is based on the New Testament promises of God which is the gospel (meaning good news!) of Christ. Click here for what the gospel is and what it means in Christianity...
http://www.gospelcom.net/guidance/gospel/gospel.shtml

Do you know who Jesus is? check this out to see how christians view Jesus..
http://www.whoisjesus-really.com/index.htm

I believe with all my heart that if you are seeking God with all your heart and mind that you will find Him. ( Jeremiah 29:11-13)

I wish you well in your journey!!

sorry it took me so long to get back to this one !
thank you SMears for your reply.im so mixed up right now!and feling like im chaseing my tail!anyway thak you for the sugestion im thinking hat is what i will do as the first time i started at "IN THE BEGINING" and sort of got distracted anyway thanks again,
lindsey

I was raised Catholic. That being said, even after communion and confirmation and CCD classes and Mass 'till I was an adult, I bailed on it as soon as I was old enough.

Now I've gone through more than ten years of life, just floating. I've looked at paganism and other alternate religions.

After all this time, and after the onset of anxiety, I realize I need God in my life. And so, as of very recently, I'm starting to explore my roots again. I doubt I can go back to pure Catholicism. They're rather grass roots and are very clear on their policies towards certain things. I'd rather find a denomination I'm comfortable with, then belong to one and disagree with them on a number of points.

My Faith is still pretty week. Every day its a struggle whether I feel it in my heart or I feel emptiness and doubt.

quote:

Originally posted by huntress:
[qb]i was just wondering where every one stands spiritualy.i have never identified as any one thing.i wasnt raised religius,was never baptised and have never been made to go to church.my parents are basicaly agnostic,they belive in a higher power but do not fallow a creed.my father has allways said if he were to become relgious he would be a druid.over the past 7 or so years i have studied many "alternitive paths"and have formed my own ever changing beliefs.i am right now reading the bible for the first time in my ongoing surch for inlightenment.[/qb]

gordon,thank you very much fo your reply,it is good to hear you are seeking faith in something.just remember that allthough your faith may be weak that somethings faith in you is strong.

Huntress,

This is a song by a Christian singer named Steven Curtis Chapman. It is a beautiful song regarding man and God. Here are the words but it does more justice to hear it with music.

In the palace in the land mercy a King looked out from his throne.

He saw the sick and the hopeless and hungry and saw them lost and with hope.

And moved with compassion he sent out his only Son with the invitation to come.

This is your invitation.
Come just the way you are.
Come find what your soul has been longing for.
Come find your peace.
Come join the feast.
Come in this is your invitation.

So I stood outside gates and trembled in my rags of unworthiness.
Afraid to even stand at a distance in the presence of holiness.
And just as I turned to go the gates swung open wide and the King and his only Son invited me inside.

This is your invitation.
Come just the way you are.
Come find what your soul has been longing for.
Come find your peace.
Come join the feast.
Come in
This your invitation.

Christ accepts us just the way we are. No matter what we have or haven't done. Christ did it all on the cross. When you become a child of God he is your protector.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:17

I would say read John in the New Testament. It is a great book on Jesus and his ministry. I don't know a lot but I will be happy to help with what I can if you have any questions.

Here is my story by the way. I grew up with an alcoholic father and a Christian mother. I was very certain of my faith until I started to have anxiety. I couldn't understand why this was happening to me so on and so forth. Then I started to wonder if Christ were real. I had all sorts of doubts and really struggled for years. I was afraid of dying because of I was uncertain as to where I would go. Then one day I realized that all other religions base your salvation/or whatever on good works. I thought how do we know what God's idea of good is. What if his idea of good is helping 8,000 people during your lifetime. How are we supposed to know that. What happens if we die and we get to heaven and he says-"Sorry, you only helped 7,999 people-see ya later." I realized that I could do nothing or everything and not know what would happen in the end. It was then that I understood the importance of Christ dying on the cross. He did it all so I didn't have to! All we have to do is believe him as our Lord-that's it. Everything else will follow. What an amazing thing!

thank you very much for your reply.and maybe i was opening mayself up to this but i feel a bit like people are trying to convert me.im sure your intent is just to anser my question as best you can.for any reasons i dont really want to get into i am very uncomfortable with orgonized religion of all kinds.they just seem like publicly excepted cults.no ofense intended.i do however,belive jesus existed.i just feel as though so much has been over analized exadurated and had more importance then it deserved put on it.eatherway thank you very much for your imput,i am allways open to learn.
love light and blessed be,
lindsey
p.s.sorry for the horrific typos im quite sick and cant think

I am sorry you feel that way. For the record I wasn't trying to convert you. Actually, I believe that only God can change a person. I have found that people really only get uncomfortable with Christianity, though. I wonder why? I guess because we make the exclusive claim that only those who believe in Jesus go to heaven. That is really hard for people to swallow. It's also hard for people to think of themselves as sinners. Anyways, I was just answering your question-so I hope that you were not offended. I am sure you will find what you are looking for with regards to your beliefs.

thank you val very much for your reply.and by no means did you offend me.
i am very greatfull for your input.and its not just christanity that mackes me uncomfortable,in fact i wouldnt even say that just wary.there are many parts of christianity i agree with and appreciate.but as a hole its just not whats in my heart.i allso wish to make it clear that i in no way dislike christions i find it wonderful and beautieful when a person has faith in that which is greater then them.you know how we tend to overreact and i tend to overoverreact and take things the wrong way or see things in them that are not there or not intended.anyway thank you again i really do value you,your oppinion,and your love and faith in that which is beyond flesh and blood.
thank you again with all my heart ,
lindsey

Lindsey,
I never grew up in a family who went to church, read the Bible, or did anything "spiritual". I don't really have a religion, I would say...I try to read the Bible and go to church now. I have only been doing this for just over a year now. God has helped me through my life even though I didn't know He was, until recently. So, anyway, just wanted to say that you can change at any point in your life. ONe of my friends says that you have a calling...some of us are called early in life while others are called later. Just know that no matter what...He still loves you SO much! I used to have much anxiety about God/the Bible, and I have found this to bring me comfort now. Anyway...take care...I hope you find what you are looking for.
Sincerely,
Cindy

i love you all so much.thank you for your replys.i still fear it seems as though i have no faith,that is not so.as i said in a reply to another post,i belive in"god"as an energy,not a who a him or a her.the thought of said energy in the form of this all knowing father figure in the sky that i feel"god is so offten portraied as just gives me the willies.anyway thank you all again!
love and light,
lindsey

Huntress,

I don't think anyone here is trying to convert you. We are simply sharing what we know so you can learn for yourself what you believe in your heart. You cannot do this without doing some reading and research and the advice that was given to you was meant to help you along in finding your own path.

By reading the bible, you will learn and grow in your heart. Let God lead you in the direction you would go. Trust Him that He will lead you into the right path.

You don't have to do anything else but ask God to speak to your heart and lead the way!!

i know you have all had the purest of intenions,i just suffer from what i like to think of as conversion paranoia.im very fearfull of people forcing their dogma on to me.i do however know that is not the intent of anyone here.you are all wonderfull,good,kind people.and i am warmed and impressed by your faith.i,however,find myself incapable of beleveing in "god"in the way you all do.
either way thank you all for your support and input.i love you all!
love and light,
lindsey

huntress,

I understand where you are coming from. There are so many bogus religions out there and the fear of getting caught up into a cult or a religion that is very questionable is common for people who were not brought up with a faith.
Therefore they end up avoiding all of them in fear of making the wrong choice.

For me, I grew up in a Christian home since I was 9 years old. I did go through a hard time during my teen years and I questioned God and did some really rebellious things. It wasn't until my mid 20's when I finally decided to make the CHOICE to believe even with all the questions I had inside.

For me, believing is a CHOICE. It's not a feeling! I have made the choice to believe the way I do. Not because I get "warm fuzzies" or because I have had some amazing miracles happen in my life ( although I have), but mainly because I made the decision to believe in God and the power He had to lead the way for me.

My feelings came much later on.

Faith does not depend on our senses. If we can see, touch, hear, taste....then what is the basis of faith?

Our faith has carried us ( speaking for those who believe and have faith ) because we CHOSE to believe and have faith in something we have not seen. It is a matter of choice.

Hebrews 11:1 says it all. Since you say you are reading the bible, I will leave it up to you to see what it says.

I wish you well and I pray you will find your own way. Faith isn't about any "organized" religion, it's completely different. I do not follow a "religion" but a "FAITH".

I just figured that out very recently. I was talking to a friend one night about Faith and how I wish I had it. And she reminded me that Faith was belief without proof. If we can't step forward and choose to believe, no one is going to slap us with utter and complete proof.

So now I'm chooing to believe. But there are still rough times, fearful moments when I question my fledgling faith and the doubts creep in to my mind. And I have to push those thoughts aside or it quickly leads to sleeplessness and anxiety.

But also there are moments of peace, times when I feel it in my heart. I'm hoping in time, the fear and doubt lessens and the peace grows.

Someone here posted a URL to some Real Audio broadcasts on www.intouch.org. They're pretty fundamentalist, but some of them really provide insight into the nature of the Christian Faith and I've found many to be very comforting.

quote:

Originally posted by SMears:
For me, believing is a CHOICE. It's not a feeling! I have made the choice to believe the way I do. Not because I get "warm fuzzies" or because I have had some amazing miracles happen in my life ( although I have), but mainly because I made the decision to believe in God and the power He had to lead the way for me.

My feelings came much later on.

Faith does not depend on our senses. If we can see, touch, hear, taste....then what is the basis of faith?