Note Apostasy and Sermon link

[Silvertusk]

I live in the UK too (whereabouts are you, btw, Silver?) and I absolutely agree. Numbers in our churches are diminishing, people are turning away from God. Religion is seen as folly. God? People scoff at God, the thought that there is a Creator, see it as the arrogance of man not wanting to accept that this is all just a cosmic accident.

We face different challenges here. To state a belief in God and admit to being a Christian is to invite ridicule and scorn. How can your God allow such evil? Why does He not come down and prove His existence? Do you still believe in Santa Claus?

As for doubts, I don`t see them as necessarily a bad thing. They can strengthen faith. Questions are good. I don`t think believers who have doubts should be ridiculed or be accused of having a weaker faith, or falling away. The Bible says there were those who doubted and they were the ones who perhaps ended up having the strongest faith. People who have doubts, myself included, should be encouraged and any doubts explored not looked down upon by others who seem more secure in their faith.

It is easy to hurt someone, to shake their faith with careless words. It`s easy to sit there, secure in your faith and dismiss those whose strength may not be as strong as yours. The real love and compassion comes in by reaching out to those and pulling them up not by being scornful.

I have plenty of doubts still. I am new to Scripture, I am still finding my way but I have faith in God and in Christ as my salvation. Does that make less of a Christian who is well versed in Scripture?

I may be wrong but I think the important thing here is to show love, respect, compassion and understanding. Not belittle someone who may be having a rough time and is looking for reassurance.

Thank you Storyteller for your kind words. I am from Cheltenham - South West England.

[Storyteller]

You`re welcome, my friend

I would rather doubt and ask questions than take it all for granted and accept everything without question. Did Jesus accuse Thomas of losing faith when he doubted it was Him? No, He offered proof not ridicule.

I`m from Sussex, so we`rw practically neighbours

[PaulSacramento]

I live in the UK too (whereabouts are you, btw, Silver?) and I absolutely agree. Numbers in our churches are diminishing, people are turning away from God. Religion is seen as folly. God? People scoff at God, the thought that there is a Creator, see it as the arrogance of man not wanting to accept that this is all just a cosmic accident.

We face different challenges here. To state a belief in God and admit to being a Christian is to invite ridicule and scorn. How can your God allow such evil? Why does He not come down and prove His existence? Do you still believe in Santa Claus?

As for doubts, I don`t see them as necessarily a bad thing. They can strengthen faith. Questions are good. I don`t think believers who have doubts should be ridiculed or be accused of having a weaker faith, or falling away. The Bible says there were those who doubted and they were the ones who perhaps ended up having the strongest faith. People who have doubts, myself included, should be encouraged and any doubts explored not looked down upon by others who seem more secure in their faith.

It is easy to hurt someone, to shake their faith with careless words. It`s easy to sit there, secure in your faith and dismiss those whose strength may not be as strong as yours. The real love and compassion comes in by reaching out to those and pulling them up not by being scornful.

I have plenty of doubts still. I am new to Scripture, I am still finding my way but I have faith in God and in Christ as my salvation. Does that make less of a Christian who is well versed in Scripture?

I may be wrong but I think the important thing here is to show love, respect, compassion and understanding. Not belittle someone who may be having a rough time and is looking for reassurance.

Thank you Storyteller for your kind words. I am from Cheltenham - South West England.

Visited Cheltenham a couple of years ago for work ( I am Production Manager for Spirax Sarco Canada).
Loved it and so did my family.

[Silvertusk]

Small world - my brother in law worked for Spirax Sarco

[PaulSacramento]

Small world indeed

[1over137]

Not to the topic but to one post in this thread.

Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.