Talking to Someone About Religion

Omega · Post by **Omega** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:39 pm

I was raised a Presbyterian but by the time I was about 14 I became an agnostic and later an atheist. I started studying the whole science/theology debate a few years ago and particularly Intelligent Design. It's pretty much shaken up what I believed for the past 15 years and has led me to think that I have probably been wrong about assuming I live in a meaningless universe.

Although I would currently consider myself an agnostic who leans toward belief in something...either deism or theism, I have become interested in Christianity and the possibility that it might be truth. And for awhile now I've wanted to ask someone about it and how you go about considering it and finding out if you believe it or not.

I don't know anyone who is a Christian other than family and as a rule I don't discuss religious issues with them. I have often thought about going to a church and talking to a priest or someone about my dilemma and asking for advice about theological things, but I never have because I felt awkward about doing it.

I suppose I'm just wanting to find out how to explore Christianity further and determine if it's something I believe in or not. Should I find someone like a priest/preacher and ask them about things?

Judah · Post by **Judah** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 9:24 pm

Omega, as a Christian who was once an agnostic, I can thoroughly recommend finding yourself a copy of the books by Lee Strobel, in particular the following titles:
The Case for a Creator
The Case for Faith
The Case for Christ

I have linked to where they are presented on Amazon.com and there you will find the editorials and reviews to tell you more about them.

Lee Strobel was an investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune, and a staunch agnostic. His wife Leslie became a Christian and that set the wheels in motion whereby Lee was faced with new questions to answer. In these books he reports his interviews with many Christian scholars and theologians to get solid answers to his nuts-and-bolts questions, looking to make a solid case for God and for Christ. These books are very readable Christian apologia, a good place to start for picking up the arguments this way and that. They provide some good food for thought.

Another very worthwhile read is C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

Well, that is just background to any conversation that your post stimulates here. I hope others will come along shortly to ask you more and offer their gems of wisdom and other thoughts.

Gman · Post by **Gman** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 10:29 pm

Hi Omega,

Welcome to the board! I too was raised a Presbyterian, then became an agnostic at about 17.. I was heavily into evolution without God. It wasn't till the age of about 25 that I went back to Christianity. So you are not alone..

When I came back to it I was shocked to find that everything I knew as loving was attributed to God in the Bible. Like God is love, God is no respecter of person's, etc.. Everything has such meaning now in my life, like someone breathed spiritual air back into me. I'm in my 40's now and I'm still learning many things..

I think you picked a great place to ask questions and dialog with others. We even have a former pastor here called Canuckster1127 (or Bart) that has much knowledge on many scriptural topics.. He is also a moderator of this board.

You will be in good hands,

Take care,

G -

FFC · Post by **FFC** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 12:20 am

Hi Omega,
Welcome! Seems like God is already working in your life by bringing you here. I concur with Judah. check out the Lee Strobel books. I've been a christian for about 28 years and I just finished "A case for faith" and am now reading "A case for Christ". They are so cool and easy to read and packed full of such powerful evidence to back up the truths of the bible.

Of course reading the bible is the best place to start. I'd recommend reading the gospel of John. Pray for God to open your eyes and heart as you read. Jesus gets down to the nitty gritty in chaptor 3 when talking to a religious leader named nicodemus.

God bless you in your search for truth!

FFC

Canuckster1127 · Post by **Canuckster1127** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 5:56 am

Omega wrote:I was raised a Presbyterian but by the time I was about 14 I became an agnostic and later an atheist. I started studying the whole science/theology debate a few years ago and particularly Intelligent Design. It's pretty much shaken up what I believed for the past 15 years and has led me to think that I have probably been wrong about assuming I live in a meaningless universe.

Although I would currently consider myself an agnostic who leans toward belief in something...either deism or theism, I have become interested in Christianity and the possibility that it might be truth. And for awhile now I've wanted to ask someone about it and how you go about considering it and finding out if you believe it or not.

I don't know anyone who is a Christian other than family and as a rule I don't discuss religious issues with them. I have often thought about going to a church and talking to a priest or someone about my dilemma and asking for advice about theological things, but I never have because I felt awkward about doing it.

I suppose I'm just wanting to find out how to explore Christianity further and determine if it's something I believe in or not. Should I find someone like a priest/preacher and ask them about things?

Welcome Omega,

Thanks for your introduction and the honesty of letting us know where you are and what you are moving through in your life. I think you are at the right place for these type of questions as many of us on this board have been where you are.

You've received some good input in the answers being given already.

I would suggest, that you spend some time looking around the main board and the discussion threads and you'll likely find a lot of material that addresses some of your question.

Your story above reminds me of a very famous "Atheist" who recently has moved away from militant atheism to what could probably best be described as Deism. Here's a link to our main board and his story. His name is Antony Flew. There are teo linked articles there as well. They are:

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/flew.html

http://www.biola.edu/antonyflew/

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=33940

Now, obviously as you read this board, and these threads, you will find that we believe a great deal more than what Mr Flew has moved to in his journey at this point. But, it does point to what I believe is an important thing to note.

Faith in Christ is not intellectual suicide. It is based in faith. It is not a blind or unreasonable faith, however.

I hope you'll stick around and give us the honor of discussing this further with you. I think this board is a great resource.

If you'd like some help finding someone in your community to talk to one on one as you also note, please feel free to pm me or any or our moderators on the board and we'll do what we can to help you find someone you can do that with, as well.

Blessings,

Bart

Kerux · Post by **Kerux** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 3:42 pm

Omega wrote:I suppose I'm just wanting to find out how to explore Christianity further and determine if it's something I believe in or not. Should I find someone like a priest/preacher and ask them about things?

Why not just read and study God's Word for yourself first, asking God to lead you into His truth?

Going to a 'religious' house and asking a priest/preacher about things without knowing anything about the topic, in this case Christianity, and expecting to get answers that are pure Christianity is like going into a Korea restuarant and ordering pizza and hoping you get Italian. It will be hit and miss, [mostly miss, if you've ever eaten Korean food

]. How will you know if what you're being told is true?

Christianity is about Christ and Christ is shown to us in God's Word.

John 1:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

"If you have seen me, you have seen the Father."

Study the Bible first, my friend, is my suggestion.

Very glad to hear of someone seeking God. Seek and you shall find. God always rewards those who diligently seek Him.

Omega · Post by **Omega** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:24 pm

Thanks for all the feedback on this. The Case for a Creator was actually one of the first books I read that made me rethink my worldview. From there I read alot of other books like Darwin's Black Box, The Hidden Face of God, Icons of Evolution, and various articles on ID. I've heard alot of good things about C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity so I might read that book next.

In some ways I feel more confused about things than when I did as an agnostic/atheist. I guess I can really relate to Antony Flew discovering that the evidence seems to point toward some kind of intelligent design. It's hard to know what to make of it and where to go next. Unlike Flew though, I find it difficult to believe there is some sort of supernatural agency behind the universe and life, yet no real meaning or purpose and no life beyond this one.

I've tried praying but I always have to be honest when doing so and admit that I don't have a firm belief that the God I am praying to exists. It doesn't seem like prayer has really helped me any so far. I always just pray that I'll sort it all out and maybe gain some kind of new revelation or faith from studying things like ID/apologetics.

Thanks again for the help with this.

Friend · Post by **Friend** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 4:16 am

I suggest you also read Evidence that demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell.

According to him, he was as an atheist at college when he decided to prepare a paper that would examine the historical evidence of the Christian faith in order to disprove it. However, he converted to Christianity, after, as he says, he found evidence for it, not against it.

YLTYLT · Post by **YLTYLT** » Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:50 pm

Omega wrote: I've tried praying but I always have to be honest when doing so and admit that I don't have a firm belief that the God I am praying to exists. It doesn't seem like prayer has really helped me any so far. I always just pray that I'll sort it all out and maybe gain some kind of new revelation or faith from studying things like ID/apologetics.

Omega,
You are on the right track HONEST prayer is something would should all practive more of. I started out that way as well - praying and asking God to show me truth.

I did not care what the truth was. - only to know truth and that I could comprehend as much truth as God would allow me to have. And God is still revealing great truths to me through His Word every week. It becomes more and more exciting when each new truth is revealed.

If you do go find a teacher/pastor of some sort to go listen to, make sure he backs up everything he teaches with scripture. And even then, do not take his word for it. Read the scripture for yourself and if you don't understand, ask your teacher why and expect a scriptural answer. If you do not get one, consider it as only his opinion and not necessarily the Word of God.

But also realize that scripture taken out of context can be made to mean anything. And until you have done considerable research into the Word, consider all commentaries on the Bible to be only the opinions of men, regardless how famous they may be.

But if you find a good teacher you will probably know it, because his focus will be primarily on the Gospel and reaching the lost as well as having many thousands of hours of Bible study and great teaching and communication skills.

Evidence for God from Science