BUMP

Woe to the "doubting Thomas's" of this world who must see evidence before they will have faith in Jesus Christ.

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John 20:24-29 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Appears to Thomas

24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

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I hope they accept Him as their savior before it's too late!

it's funny how people have doubt about every religion/deity but their own.

unimboti nkum said:

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it's funny how people have doubt about every religion/deity but their own.

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Not necessarily true.

There are Christians who backslide.

Paul wasn't too confident in Christ. (Rooster Crowing)

Many are raised around the church when young and then live for themselves once they become adults. They fall away from the faith. Some Come back (ie. CS Lewis) some don't.

You have some that convert to something else.

I think in Christianity, the first commandment of the 10 commandments is "You shall have no other Gods before me" and the second, You shall not worship idols.

Now tell me this, if one were to be confident in their faith from the beginning till death, why would they need to be told those two above commands to begin with. One who is shaky in faith forsakes their original god for Idols and other gods. (Assuming monotheism.) It happens.

I believe of all faiths/religions, the one of Love is supreme to all others. Absolute, agape love is hard to fake. It's strong. It's undeniable. It has substance and it's true. It holds it's own weight. Those seeking the true faith know it when they see/experience it.

I believe when Jews and Catholics take a step back and look on all the laws and rules they have to keep, eventually, they must come to the conclusion that, it wasn't the Lords original intention that man live under all these laws.

In the beginning, there was only one law, and that one law concerned the forbidden tree. That was it! Too easy!

schmendeler said:

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dds08 said:

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Could some forms or degrees of doubt be considered a sin on faith and faithfulness?

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be wary of things that tell you not to listen to your voice of reason, and instead to just "trust".

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+1

I've followed this thread with interest.
Lifelong "believer" here; raised in the church by fundamentalist parents. Always blindly accepted as truth the Bible and all precepts of Christianity.
However, I began questioning my faith a couple of years ago; likely prompted by tragic loss of a family member and the failure of fervent and constant prayer to save a prescious life.
What do I believe and why do i believe it?
Actually, starting with "why do I believe it" I found that, absent what had been grilled into me by my parents and the multitude of believers I was surrounded by, I really don't think I would have been a believer in the first place.
I came to believe that the "fairytale" aspects of Christianity were just that, fairytales.
Reason and logic began to prevail over the blind faith which is fundamental to Christianity.
I still believe the teachings of Christ are great guidelines for life and I try to live by them.
However, that's where my Christianity ends.
I'd love to return to full faith in the existence of God and all the supernatural aspects of Christianity. I can't do it and likely never will.
Agnostic at best but trending toward atheism.
An atheist following Christ's teachings. Hmmm.

Quote:

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I came to believe that the "fairytale" aspects of Christianity were just that, fairytales.
Reason and logic began to prevail over the blind faith which is fundamental to Christianity.
I still believe the teachings of Christ are great guidelines for life and I try to live by them.
However, that's where my Christianity ends.

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Like I've said before in other threads, contrary to what some believe, I hope there is something to do, or somewhere to go, or somewhere to be, or exist at all once this life on earth is over.

I hope Christ comes back.

IMO, when Christ comes back, those who don't believe who are allowed to continue to exist in any way shape form or fashion is, in a way, a merciful alternative to nonexistence. Just my personal opinion. It's a tough one though because there are many who would rather be nonexistent than endure an eternity of punishment.

Belief to me revolves around the resurrection. If this isn't true, then Orthodox Judaism is still right.

But for me, frequent doubts about the resurrection have been quashed by the fact that those who witnessed it (in the hundreds) went out, to their detriment and death, to spread that word, and it spread like wildfire. That testimony is rock-solid to me.

So, no matter what hard sayings or truths I have trouble swallowing regarding Christian faith, I go back to the resurrection. This man was God. His life, death, and resurrection were anticipated and foretold. The realization and acceptance of this truth is life-changing. It is hard, but what else can you do when confronted with truth?