Hey there , I get it , don’t know your personal situation,but want to encourage you to hold on tighter than ever . God is real , and the most important relationship you can have . No I won’t use cliches ,or christianese as I call it . I will simply tell you to read John 3:16 , 3:17 . From my own experience as a believer in Jesus , I can tell you that I’ve been through my ups and downs also ,through it all I’ve discoverd that God remains faithful . The truth is , He is the one who is actually leading me through , but everyday it’s a decision I have to make ,whether to trust Him or not , and it’s not easy , our walk is not a cakewalk , but the Bible doesn’t tell us it would be ... It does tell us that He would never leave us , or forsake us . I encourage you to fight , fight hard , don’t give up . You will and you can through Christ . God keep you always ...
I lost faith for three years, was a hardcore militant atheist right up until this last Christmas Eve. God is sovereign, and His grace can always catch you, often by surprise. Praying for you.
My story is that I was raised in a Buddhist home and went to a Roman catholic school when i was a kid. Years later I went to high school I've been completely lost. I ended up becoming a Skeptic, Agnostic and started believing in Relativism and even THAT didn't made sense to me. Years later I went on vacation to China and I had to use vpn to watch RU-vid and suddenly out of nowhere there was a video about Job and out of boredom I watched it. I watched it a lot of times because I never knew that God was also Just. Ever since than I've been a follower of Jesus and the Bible made me understand the world it truly is...... It's now 4 years since I've been a Christian and looking back at my old self I was completely in darkness and Jesus saved me.
Same thing happened to me. I went from Christian to atheist to believing in God again. The only difference today is that I don't go to church anymore because they have politicized it and they have created a hostile environment. But when I find a church that is not telling you who to vote for, I may attend again.
Give the Orthodox Church a go. I can't speak for anyone but in my experience the priest has always avoided any form of political discussion in our community, and it's overall a lively and friendly community.
I would encourage you to keep looking for a church. There’s something about being with fellow believers each week worshiping and glorifying God. In addition maybe God wants to use you as a blessing to some local church. Pray for discernment. I can say that in our church we never hear from the pulpit whom to vote for so churches like that do exist. God bless.
My brother just told me he was an atheist yesterday. We grew up in a Christian household, was active in church, and we prayed daily. After telling me he lost his faith, I asked him why, and I started doubting, too. Please help pray for me and my brother that we may not stray from God and instead find our faith again and this time stronger. God bless you all
As a fellow Atheist.. all i can tell you is to do intellectually honest research. If what you believe in is true, that will strenghten your faith. If it's wrong, the sooner you get rid of it, the better, right? Keep in mind that there is over 5000 actively practices modern religions today. Most people arbitrarily get born into one of them, and then are completely convinced (ie indoctrinated) that this very specific denomination / religion must be true. They cant all be true tho, right? On the other hand, they can all be wrong. There have been tens of thousands of religions in the past, which we now call myths. Many of which existed before any of the modern religions ever saw the light of day. If you care about truth and believing as many true things as possible and as few false things as possible.. just check your beliefs. Dig into them. Look at what history and science *actually* have to say about the relevant topics, and dont just let popular creationists / preachers tell you what to think. Im afraid you will find that there is no good reason to believe many of the things you do. However, even so, there is nothing wrong with staying religious either. I personally think that, either way, should you become an atheist or remain a theist, it's a net-positive thing to know what you believe on what basis. Wish you the best!
@chhamsiraji648, I just saw this video today and saw your comment. I pray that you and your brother find your way to a steadfast faith in Christ and in God. I also went through a period of questioning, but I found that there is strong evidence and reason to believe that God does exist, and that the Bible is the truest form of His special revelation to us. Take a look at Cross Examined, anything by William Lane Craig, or "Defending Your Faith" by RC Sproul.
@@adammitchell55 Cross Examined and channels like Answers in Genesis, or people like Kent Hovind are horrible sources. They are highly biased, and malform their arguments to deliver the slightest sliver of "not impossibe" to their audience, while misrepresenting science to underline their statements. They base their entire argument on the idea that people wont fact-check any of it, since it will break apart that quickly. I dont care what conclusion you reach after doing unbiased research, but those sources certainly are everything but that. They feed your confirmation bias and nothing else.
*Prays for hamsiraji that he will become atheist* Join the atheist club! Christianity isnt worth it. Ur parents bought u to be controlled by GOD. Theres no such thing as GOD. I would hate my parents if i were you.
Atheist here, and a quote from Thomas Jefferson has helped me throughout the years, “Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded dear.” If you believe god gave you both a heart and a mind and wants you to use both then why would this being be angry with you if you honestly follow your reason in a way that leads you away from faith? If this being is just then you will be fine.
This is my story. I left the faith in Bible College. I was selected by my professor to help him write apologetics against the new atheism (at the time). I stop my theology study and began to study Sagan, Dawkins, and Harris. I began to lose my faith and so did a few highly distinguished students. Word got out on campus and people began to debate us daily. We schooled them and they fell away. This only increased our new beliefs. I remember one night when I said to the night sky that God was not real and I felt liberated. I then believed it my goal to destroy the faiths of Christians since I knew the system too well. This lasted for about 6 years. In 2013 I began to forget all the theology I learned in school. Reformed, dispensational, all of it. Piper, Spurgeon...everyone and began to search the scriptures myself. I read papers from scholars, something many Christians are afraid to do. I also read through the Bible 3x that year. Yahweh had me relearn EVERYTHING! See what I already knew, ie traditions, denominational doctrine couldn’t save me again since it failed the first time. Something new had to renew my faith. Now I am a Christian. It was an incredible ride and I teach and encourage as many Christians as I can to not give and to really understand theology. And in the end know the Father through our Lord Jesus.
Thank you for sharing, that's a fascinating testimony. What was it that drew you back in, what doubts did you have about your atheism? In retrospect, can you define your motives throughout your journey?
TehFlyingGerman I'm sad that more people like yourself don't take Tecumseh's advice to heart and live it. "Trouble no man on his religion, and let no man trouble you on yours." You want to be an atheist or an agnostic, or a Christian, or hold any other religious belief great, don't let anyone tell you that you are wrong to do so. And likewise don't tell anyone that they are wrong for not holding the same beliefs as you.
I have been "teaching the Bible" for over 60 years. For the first 30 years, I taught it like my "peers" taught me to teach it. Thirty years in, I discovered what you discovered: The Bible is not about me, it's about God's character, His hatred of sin, HIs love of His creation and His plan for its redemption. When I discovered that, I had to re-learn everything about teaching the Bible I had ever known. Now I know it is one cohesive story of how God has worked in HIs creation to rescue it from the curse of its fall...through Christ.
Now Behold they have found where the Israelites crossed over the Red Sea, where they set up the alter, etc. You need to do more research and check your sources.
Stopped going to church and became an agnostic for a few years too. Funnily enough, I learned more about God from channels on RU-vid like this than I did in church. I really do think God made me go through that phase so that I could come to understand Him more. Weaker foundations must be torn down to establish stronger ones.
I feel the same. I feel like whether i go or don't go to a church, who cares? The only argument i would have is that i encourage a few people when i go, but then i feel like even more look at me like i'm the freak of the family.
@Skot Nealey Community with fellow believers is an important part of living out ones faith. Learning how to deal with conflict and the complexities of human relationships is an important part of a mature faith. It can be a challenge to find a church that is doctrinally sound but a church family that loves God and loves you is an incredible blessing and great way to grow in your faith.
@@SkotNealey I hope this helps you to believe it. Hebrews 10:23-25 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
This is very meaningful, because sometimes God will let our faith fall apart in order to put it back correctly. If your at that point, don’t give up, pray lots and surely God will help you up!
I am sad and lost without my old faith. We live in an insane world with no answers. People should stop studying the Bible and just stick to the feels good stuff like kindness, love, worship, prayer and relationships. The Bible proves itself wrong so blatantly and obviously qnd now I am stuck praying to a God that doesn't exist and mourning my hopes and dreams of raising my daughter with the love of Jesus. That butterfly kisses song I grew up listening to and imagining the day I could do bedtime prayer with my daughter some day... gone forever. I am very very certain it was all a lie and I continue to study more and learn so much about how untrue the Bible is. With all seriousness I hope you all stop genuinely studying and just stick with the easy stuff. If you feel you have to study, just fill all your time with listening to apologetics and don't listen to any opposing viewpoints if possible. Get a little Bible from church and Bible study, and keep yourself in qn echo chamber
@@Terran-Lord That's really unfortunate and, honestly, I feel you. I struggle with the knowledge of certain contradictions and discrepancies as well but, somehow, my experiences affirm very clearly that there most certainly is a God who loves us. The Bible, as I've come to know it, is the mystery above all others that most assuredly orientates us toward The Creator. Because of that, it edifies and uniquely equips us to seek Him and deal with our suffering. Another point is that I see The Bible less as a book and more as God's very mouthpiece. I know you're here because you're seeking to regain faith and zeal and I'd like to tell you that God is right there with you and always has been. I hope you learn all you need to so that, once your faith's restored, God can use you to guide those similarly lost in a miasma of despair back towards Him. May God bless you and continue to aid you on your journey, brother 🙂
@@Terran-Lord I became an Atheist ⚛ 24 years ago and never looked back. It was very liberating and I finally felt at peace because I wasn't worried about serving some fictional character from a fantasy novel that never rang true
@@SUGAR_XYLER That's fine, let me guess-communist (in theory not reality), pro lgbqtp, want to teach 5 year olds about sodomy, think patriarchy is real, have some sort of "mental illness" that requires you not to work and take SSRIs, and have an only fans. Oh and you support Ukraine (not Ukrainians) and you hate jk Rowling. Tell me how many I got wrong.
@@Terran-LordJesus studied those very scriptures- the Holy Bible is THE WORD and Jesus IS the Word, literally. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” If you read the Bible without help of the Holy Spirit, you will NOT understand and instead be confused and suspect contradictions/lies but the Bible is true 100% and has no contradictions. The problem is carnal minds cannot comprehend the Bible- God made it this way intentionally to prevent the enemy from understanding so he won’t use it as a weapon against God’s own people and the lost. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding and to open your spiritual eyes and ears. You’re welcome. ❤don’t give up and let satan win that’s what he wants. He definitely doesn’t want your daughter being saved either.
@@BFizzi719 St. Augustine thought that way at first, and so did I when I first became a Christian (and before that) because the writing was so bad (he only had the pre-Vulgate Latin version available at the time). Later his eyes were opened, and he claimed that God hides His saving testimony in humble writing, so that those who are lowly and humble will receive it and the prideful and arrogant would stumble. The Scriptures speak frequently in metaphor and analogy, and in many different genres, and from a different time and culture. I recommend checking out the Bible Project videos, they'll help you see the Bible for what it really is. Peace friend
@@ryanjordan6295 You worded it so well. God is a God of mystery. I think there is something very important and valuable in the seeking process. I think that's why at times Jesus spoke almost in riddles.
The Bible was man made. Maybe it was inspired by God or God gave apostles the ideas he wanted to convey. But physically the Bible is a collection of different books from different origins, some where even oral traditions, that was edited and changed and censored and translated for thousands of years by kings and corrupt priest and rulers and politicians. It’s all metaphors and poetry make the best out of it
@@Ajahming An atheist staunchly claims that there is no God whatsoever, (the word being made up of two root words: "a", meaning without, and "theos" meaning God or gods). An agnostic believes that God or gods exist, but does not know who God is, (the word being made up of "a" meaning without, and "gnosis" meaning knowledge)
Shouldn't god help you with your faith ? It's all fake superstitious beliefs passed on from people of the past that didn't know better. Watch some atheist experience instead of asking for prayers.
@@alienufoweird We'll all thank you to not prey on the vulnerability of a person going through a trial. This kind of comment is exactly the sort of thing most atheists claim to despise when they see a person of faith talking to an unbeliever in a crisis. Walk away.
Try to keep in mind that “the church,” in the sense of a specific denomination, is not Christianity. Christianity is believing in and following Christ-the various trappings and interpretations do not necessarily have anything to do with that. And if a person calls himself a Christian but comports himself in an unchristian manner, it is not Christianity at fault, but that person. That can be a difficult distinction for some to make, and can cause one to stumble and fall. I am praying that your faith comes out stronger on the other end of your struggle.
Hey Kai. I'll pray and I pray for you now. Father I pray in the name of Jesus, I pray for Kai that you may grant to this soul the understanding and revelation of your true love. That you grant this soul to draw into you with a conscious heart. That you would grant the vision in blindness to see you working and pursing her. /him I present to you father this soul that you may sanctify and draw her/him near set this soul free of bondages and let your spirit pour over this soul answering every question and doubt. Only you can reveal the truth because you are the Way and the Truth. So father I ask you in Jesus name to reveal yourself to this soul, grant repentance and change him/her from the inside out. I send your peace that passes understanding to wherever Kai is found. 'Cause I know your love is relentless. There is no shadow you won't light up, no lie no wall you won't break down to have your child back in your arms. So I command every evil spirit to flee away form Kai right now in Jesus name. Be gone you Satan and all bondages you're trying to put Kai in be broken I'm the name of Jesus!!! For the son of Man has revealed himself to destroy the works of Satan and demons!!! I pray your peace and protection to overwhelm Kai and keep her in your grace. Grace that leads the lost home, the prodigals back to their father, becomes strength to the weak, and an answer to doubt. Grant this soul the understanding of you. Tho we know we never fully finish knowing you, but I pray for Kai and all of us to go into this deep sea of understanding that has no borders. As you keep to awe us in your wonder. I pray for Kai to be able to live this life you gave us with the price you paid fully and with understanding. Let the overwhelming peace and love conquer her heart as Kai surrenders to you. In Jesus precious name I pray. Amen God bless you Kai.
To Kai Thompson: I apologize for being late, but I will pray for you. With the number of Christians dwindling every day, I truly believe that we will soon reach the time that the Bible has prophesied. These times are the most crucial for us to stand in our faith when everything else around us is not of God but of this world. I was at the same point as you before. And with the absence of a physical church and more time to spend listening and indulging with the world during quarantine, I had also lost my path with God in the beginning of this pandemic. But please, remember this, Hebrews 11:1 - “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” The Bible did not tell us some secret code that leads us to a cavern that gives us the evidence of God. It is through and by our faith that we are able to feel and believe in what is unseen. No one in this world has scientific evidence of God, but through our experiences, through the spirit, and through our faith we know He is truly there. Take time to open the Bible and re-read the New Testament. Find a Christian community as well, Christian Chat is a good place to start. Let’s all see each other in heaven my friend. :)
Jesus loves you I remember when I was in the same position as you. I wondered, “God, why put me through this phase, why can’t I be like others and never doubt you?” But I thank God that I went through that. I learned that weak foundations must be torn down to build stronger ones. Without that period, I would be the same. There were a lot of holes in my relationship with God, and I was never able to fully analyze these problems until then. I also learned that many Christians also go through the doubt phase, but are able to find their way through. It let’s me know I am not alone. You are not alone. We will get through this world and find ourselves in heaven. I leave you with this: Ephesians 2:8- “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-.” If you don’t have one already, find a Christian community. With the many different dominations and such, it isn’t bad for you to take time and find a Christian community that suits you. Love and Peace be with you always. And of course, I will pray for you :)
Here's the deal. God works on his own timeline, not ours....and He doesn't quit. Even when it appears nothing is happening, rest assured He is faithful to His Word.
I love it when Daddy God gives children cancer, kills babies in the womb, allows rape, and famine and all the other wonderful things your "loving" God puts upon the people of this Earth. If he is real, he is a horrible monster.
TehFlyingGerman God gave us as people the choice to choose between right and wrong. It all goes back to genesis in the garden of eden when Adam and Eve are from the tree of life. Had they not eaten of that forbidden fruit we wouldn’t be creatures of choice. Our lives would be pre determined. Sin has been rampant throughout the entire life span of this world. God loves everyone, no matter what skin colour or what physical stature you are of, God created everyone in his likeness. We as people will never understand why God allows certain things in our lives and why he allows people to go through so much strife and pain, but God has a plan for us that none of us can control and we have the choice to accept what he wants to do in our lives or we have the choice to walk away. The reward at the end is far too great to turn away from though so choose wisely
Marcus Freebody if you choose to believe so that’s your choice. In my perspective God created man in his image to be perfect. But had he wanted man to be robots he would not have planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden. He would’ve instead said this man shall take care of the earth for me and given him no choice. But by planting the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden, that allowed Adam and Eve to have a choice. The serpent tempted Eve and made her believe it wasn’t so bad and so she fell for it and Adam likewise. Which is why we as people are imperfect people today. We have the choice between what’s right and what’s wrong. Satan only wants us to believe that the sin we’re dabbling in is okay but at the end of the earth God will judge us all on the choices we made in life. Hopefully we all can meet in heaven some day 🙏
Amen! You have blessed me with this so much. I've struggled with letting go and letting God for so long. I'm still learning. But I lived my life thinking that if I had any doubt about God or admitted I didn't feel the same way about my faith as I did before that I was lost and I had rejected God. That there was no way back, but that's not true. Pretending things are fine is a problem and a prideful thing to do. I appreciate prayers! Thank you ♥
This does not mean you remain saved if you are faithless; it means that God remains faithful regardless of whether or not you are. This does not equate to salvation for the faithless individual.
Long as you are going to simply quote a Bible passage... Mattthew 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
@@cnault3244 Who in this thread is publicly praying? I DO see those types of comments where someone posts a prayer, and I agree that they're wrong to do. But I don't see it here.
@@--i-am-root The point is that any public prayer in public schools or attempted public prayer in public schools goes against the Bible's teaching. ... as do the prayers done at the start of many city or state functions.
I, myself was an atheist at some point after being an Evangelical protestant. I didn't primarily believe in the church. Then one day I was invited to go to a Eucharist. When I saw the Body and Blood of Christ it hit me. He was there looking for me. I didn't need to be perfect, not even his church had to either. He was there. Fixing what was broken inside. I have been a proud Catholic ever since. That was 17 years ago. Jesus did promise to be with us until the very end of the age. Mathew 28:20 Thank you for sharing your story Matt! God bless you and your family 😊😊😊
English Learning Center That’s beautiful!! I’ve grown up Protestant but the Eucharist is drawing me to the Catholic faith too. I’m in rcia currently 😊. Thanks for sharing & God bless!
People who have a desire to experience the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist might also want to explore Lutheranism. I'm a Lutheran, and for me the high point of Sunday worship occurs when God delivers to us through the sacrament what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross -- giving us His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins.
Hope The Anglican Church (ACNA) also have a wonderful positron regarding Holy Eucharist without the topics of Mary and papal authority that the Protestants aren’t comfortable with. Anglicans are considered Via Media - the middle way between Roman and Protestant Church. Early and Middle Church history is very exciting. Check it out!
I was a Jehovah Witness for 24 years and I left the religion based on the fact that they put more focus on policies and rules than true compasión and love. I have this mindset of finding out more about Christianity (which by JW standards is demonized) and come to a broader understanding of scripture and spirituality. Thanks for this video man, I find myself in the same position you were in.
Happy for you! Was JW for about 35 years (but not born-in) and woke up this year. My husband has ways been a Christian so thankfully the transition hasn't been too rough. Un-learning our indoctrination is difficult but learning about Christ and how we truly fit into everything is joyous. Understanding that my salvation has nothing to do with how much I witness, study, or pray, was such a relief. No more fear, obligation, or guilt!
I grew up a JW also. I left due to questioning doctrine that other biblical scholars didn’t agree with. Learning about logical fallacies and epistemology had me question all of my beliefs. I care about what is actually true. In the whole first century there was not one scribe, scholar, or historian that wrote about Jesus. Tacitus and Josephus wrote a couple sentences many years later and Josephus’s has been deemed a forgery. There should be volumes of books written during his time but there was nothing. Jesus never existed. There’s no evidence any Gods exist. I’ve been an Atheist over a decade now. All the arguments for a God existing are extremely weak.
@@timterrell8678 well I’m glad you got out of the JW’s and I’m happy to say that I’m free myself. However one can’t deny the effect the story of Christ did on the world. I almost became an atheist myself but I choose to consider myself a Christian still. It’s a personal decision but I respect your opinion and value the conversation. 🙏🏼👍🏼
My journey: Christian > Atheist > Buddhist > Pantheist > Atheist (with some caveats) > "All religions are scratching at the surface of sone fundamental truth and they're all valuable but I'm going to stick mostly with Christianity mostly because I live in American and out whole society is based on the the Judeo-Christian faith" is there a category for that? (actually there is: Unitarian Universalist Christianity)
Amen Me Too I Turned Into Atheist After My Friend Proves That God Does Not Exist But I Know God Wouldn't Do That To Me He Doesn't Let Me Lose Faith To Him
That’s awesome brother when I was born again I thought I was the only person to experience such a radical thing but now I know God is working in many others. God bless 🙏🏽
Christian --> atheist --> agnostic, and still agnostic but heavily in favour of Christianity on a spiritual dimension and a pragmatic dimension(what is best/works for people and society in the long run). But taking that last step towards God, a changed self, and the heavy responsibilities of being a "true" Christian is very daunting and scary to me. It is life changing at the deepest level, and puts life on your shoulders. I wouldn't be able too, with good faith, joke or disregard life and its value anymore if i gave my life to God, and that is a danger to both my ego and comfortable lifestyle.
Grew up in a muslim household, turned atheist, then agnostic, studied taoism, starting seminary in Feb 2021. This channel and how it brings people together to discuss and communicate is 🙌
The God-fearing nature and spiritual discipline of Islam is amazing, which is why I think many are reverting. Nonetheless, welcome brothers and sisters. Remember we are “little ones” made “just a little lower than the angels” To God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our comforter the Holy Spirit! May I recommend Biblehub and 7 Reasons You Can Trust the Bible as good resources for interpretation and application of the Holy Bible?
Raised Lutheran, went my own way for 9 years, fully embraced the world and it's ways, at 27 God told me it was time to come home so I was radically saved, on fire for Jesus till this very day at 51.
I hate saying this, but after the 80's up through present day, "Evangelical" has become somewhat of a curse word for many people. All the fraudulence and money grubbing and promoting of war has just became to much too swallow. I had a trajectory somewhat like this... I was born into a Christian home, but I went hog wild for a while. Thank God I came back to my senses. God wants us to seek truth - it's very important. Some things weren't sitting well with me and I'm so thankful God never gave up on me and the Holy Spirit was there with me the entire time, calling me back home.
@@justchilling704 you have to be kidding me. Go watch any major TV evangelist from the past 40 years (there are rare exceptions, of course). Benny Hinn? Kenneth Copeland? Creflo Dollar? Joel Osteen? Promoting of war? You haven't seen conservative Christians cheer on endless war in the Middle East? These wars have got us NOWHERE. We're invading countries that had NOTHING to do with 9/11, while backing countries, like Saudi Arabia, who were majorly involved. You haven't seen Christians treat Muslims like they're less than nothing, but Judaism, which is more anti-Christ than any religion on earth, is ok? Look at Israel vs. Palestine if you need an example. Many many Christians support Israel, but don't realize that there is a huge Palestinian Christian population, while Jews, for the most part, detest Jesus. Stuff like that. I could go on and on.
Flatheads Rebuked That is a big part of Christianity in the States. Because of this “evangelical” means a lot of different things to different people. If someone asked me if I was evangelical, I would probably say yes, but I would have to ask them fist what they mean by it, especially if they are from the U.S. where evangelical has become associated with a lot of bad press (some of it rightly earned)
@@lukericker8325 well said. If someone asks me I'd probably just say "no, I'm just saved by the blood of Jesus." But you're right... it doesn't have to be a bad thing if it's genuine and not lumped in with popular evangelical culture. Most of that culture wouldn't know Christ if He knocked on their door.
Luke Ricker I agree, how we the proper definition has to do with the Gospel itself, Evangelical = Gospel. I of course still agree with you that it means different things to different people, however the real issue is that the word has been artificially removed from its correct meaning.
Believe in Him through Faith. Repent from your sins. Confess your salvation to others and join up with another body of believers and be baptized. Then grow in Spirit and knowledge by having a daily relationship with Christ, conversing through prayer and studying His Word. God bless you! I pray that you strengthen in your walk with Christ!
you've repented (that means desiring not to sin anymore) and asked forgiveness. I take it you acknowledge Jesus is your savior. This means that he saves you, not yourself. Now be baptized as the Bible commands. You still think you're missing something? No, not according to the Bible. You say you've become interested in Christianity, what are your sources to learn? The most important is the Holy Bible - the word of God. You need to find a good church community that preaches the whole of scripture as the word of God without error. There are many who will give you lists of things you need to do but according to the Bible, the faith you have is a gift from God, you can't earn it and all your good works don't make you better than any of us other sinners. In the book of Acts, we see people believing and being baptized receiving the holy spirit, and we see people believing and receiving the holy spirit and then being baptized. You receive the holy spirit when you believe Jesus died for you, just as he promised. You are saved by grace through faith - Ephesians 2:8-9. Grace, a free gift from God. You didn't earn it and you can't earn it being a good Christian. Faith is believing in what you cannot see, the promises of God. Hebrews 11. So please get and read a Bible. Start with John if you'd like - each of the 4 gospels are written to different audiences and I think John is best for those who don't come from a faith background. Then Romans, written by St. Paul to the pagans of the day.
The moment you truly believe he is the son of God. That he died on the cross for your sins Was buried and rose again 3 day later. The moment you believe that in your heart and trust it you will be saved. If not keep reading and studying a kjv bible or esv bible or looking into it until you have enough knowledge of the truth to believe and put your faith in him.
Natalie Smith As soon as I turn 18 I plan on getting baptised but thank you very much for the recommendations and advice! I truly can’t wait to lead a full life with Jesus from now on, and am already feel that one bit closer to God, even though I still have a long way to go
I ugly cried watching this. I relate so painfully, so vividly. While my faith has been on the mend for a year now, I still haven't had the strength to re-read the Bible. I'll try now. Thank you for your honesty.
Thank you all, I completely forgot this. I have read some. I found Proverbs a helpful start as it's more general. Psalms wasn't too bad as it's all poetry and emotion. More recently I blasted through the minor prophets, which I normally have found a bit difficult, but then stopped again. I think my reading is improving, but sporadic. The Bible Project has helped a great deal. I'm trying to learn more about the original audience each of the parts of the Bible were written to. It's helping me understand what the point was, why these stories are useful.
I slide back from my faith when I was a teenager. After a year, God found me when I was alone away from church or the world.Jesus became my God, my savior and my best friend since then. Thank you for your testimony.
It's a hard thing to keep your faith in a college environment. Everyone from atheists to the mother god cult want to catch you up. Deepen your relationship with our Lord, it helps a lot.
Look at all the apostles God chose to favor for their faith. It could be you next. Js … bottom line: you are in a crossroads: eternity or right now … choose eternity … trust me. It’s a lot easier even though it seems harder right now. It SEEMS easier in the moment to choose wrong, but there are ripple effects in this world, and it effects others. Let His strength fill you, and go to your pastor/priest/parent/grandparents whoever you feel most comfortable and listen to the older generation. Jesus will give you peace. We take it for granted. I admire you for your comment!! Prayers sent 🙏
@micahshively2831 it's hard to keep your faith in college because you're exposed to actual scientific information which is directly incompatible with a lot of old testament claims that basically proves everything from genesis to exodus and outright lie. People are being exposed to actual facts and don't have constant social pressure and support to stay religious and ignore reality.
I lost my faith nearly thirty years ago, but have been occasionally reconnecting with churches and trying engage in the question over the years since. One of the big problems I have found is that many people in the churches, although well meaning, are often ill-equipped to engage in people's questions and doubts - especially when one is in the initial unravelling/deconstruction phase.
Yes! I totally agree. I'm not sure if your questions still need answering but I highly recommend Mike Winger on RU-vid and Lee Strobel's book "The Case For Christ". They're both really intellectual great sources for historical and scientific fact. I hope this isn't a bother just trying to help you out since I've been a strong atheist for most of my life and Lee's book made god too hard to deny for me.
They are ill equipped because they are afraid of doubt because it's too honest and terrifying to them. They think that by spouting bible verses, christian cliches, and pat answers that they can erase all of your doubt in one sentence. There were people who doubted in the bible: Zacharius doubted the angel doubting Thomas John the Baptist when he said, "Are you who we are waiting for or should we look for another?" (This was after he had baptized Jesus and had seen the Holy Spirit descend upon Him!) The man who said, "I believe, help thou my unbelief!" Even the disciples doubted sometimes. Dear person you cannot solve your doubt in your own mind. Bring your doubts before God. God knows who you are in the past, present, and future. He knows you better than you know yourself. He understands why you did things and your thoughts better than you do. Ask Him to give you some of His faith. I am a doubter too. I left Christianity for 25yrs because my "christian" husband started hitting me when he was in bible school. I want the God who created us to be with me. I want the God OF the bible NOT the bible. Some folks worship the bible but not the God of the bible, the Creator of the Universe. Only God can help you with your unravelled faith, not other people. Never go to church for the people because they will let you down. All that matters is your relationship to God and perhaps you have a tiny grain of faith despite all of your doubts. Remember you are loved even though you doubt!
that is true. Though ideally this would not be the case, as scripture says to "study to show theyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth". I think a lot of people want to talk more openly about spiritual things, but weirdly even among christians it can be hard to do so. I think it's just a cultural shift that needs to happen. Someone has to be bold and ask the questions, and it gets people thinking. Even if they aren't prepared to answer in that moment, perhaps it will get them started on studying. some of it is a communication issue/problem in general I would say too. Most people don't like to rock the boat or get into debates, but debates and asking questions isn't inherently bad. Rather, it should be encouraged. If you never ask questions and test your faith, or don't ever understand why you believe what you believe, you're prone to deception. You shouldn't just believe the words of your pastor or random people on the internet, everyone should be doing their own study of the Bible and be praying over it. We all could stand to get better at communicating, and learning how to do so in a peaceful manner. It's ok if we don't agree, we should still be able to share our beliefs and discuss them. Ideally, if we find we are wrong, we should be open to changing. That said, what are some questions you have? I ponder this stuff all the time and have my own thoughts/theories as I ponder the big questions of the world
@@usagination I really wish the "struggling with faith" trope would stop being the default for agnostic/atheists. With how extreme and out there theistic views are...beliefs in any of them should be considered "struggling with grasp of reality".
Why is it that faith-based people inevitably end up where they started? I mean, if you go back to a religion, it's almost always the one you were taught to believe as a baby, isn't it? Certainly, that's the usual pattern worldwide. After all, I've heard the exact same claims from Muslims: Muslim > atheist > Muslim. I'm assuming that you guys really _were_ atheists, rather than just less devout theists. I have no way to know any of that. But if you have *one piece of good evidence* that your god actually exists, or *one piece of good evidence* that _any_ of the magic stories in the Bible actually happened. I'd love to hear it.
I wish someone had an actual good reason to why they think god is real i mean thats great that that works for you but ive been looking for a legitimate reason to believe and have been let down during this quest of mine for years now
@@abc-yr8nf how you will know it is the right evidence when you see it? Aren't you setting yourself up as the final judge of truth then? Why is that the correct way to do it?
I’ve grown up in church since I was a child. I’ve had times where I am completely on fire, and times where I was really close to denouncing my faith entirely. I’m not always in the Word but throughout it all I’ve stayed in church. I’m now 27 years old and I’m still teetering. I try and separate emotions from God and it’s very tough. I do things I know are wrong and don’t do things I know are right. I know He is the God of second chances. He blesses me and comes through for me when I least deserve it time and time again. Yet I still knowingly don’t give Him my whole heart and I don’t know why. I’m stuck in a life of sin and addiction and I’ve tried many times to give it up to him but I come back every time. I don’t know what else to do than to give it to God again. But I’ve become content living in sin. Thinking “why bother quitting again when I know I’ll be right back in a few days or weeks?” I’m sorry. I’m just venting. Please keep me in prayer. My name is Phil. Thank you.
hey, Phil. it seems to me that when you ask God to help you quit addiction and sin, in your heart you still desire to come back to it at anytime. I'm not judging you - this is so common! some time ago I was fighting against a sin and I felt the way you described, because I would do it again, and again, and again. the help was closer than I thought. I took the courage and talked to my mother about my sin. I felt relieved. I then talked to my spiritual leader. man... I felt so free. I finally got out of DARK, and exposed my sins to LIGHT, and believe me, it makes so much difference. please read 1 John 1:6-10: If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. - I didn't want to tell anyone about my sin because I thought I could get out of it with my own strenght, even tho I told myself that that's not what I was trying to do, I was lying to myself. but maybe the other reason I did not want to tell anyone about it was because I did not want to stop the addiction. but I took the courage and asked for help, for real. the people I told my sins helped me, yes, but most important, God helped me, because I choose to get out of dark. it became SO much easier.... I wish you the best, Phil, and please be honest with yourself and God. bless you!
Hi, Phil. I think it's a very good sign that you acknowledge that you haven't given Him your whole heart - it took me decades to figure that out and admit it! I can't give you a magic potion that will "cure" you; but I would offer you this encouragement: our lives are meant to be a journey toward holiness (what we old-timers call "sanctification"), and none of us ever "arrives" this side of eternity. Some people testify of being miraculously set free of one sin or addiction, but recount other issues that required a long process of learning to repent, press in to God, and continue the journey, without being fully free of the temptation, but learning how to resist it. If the struggle is necessary to your development, it will be one day at a time. Remember Paul's "thorn in the flesh". Maybe it was a physical ailment, or perhaps a temptation he couldn't shake. He repeatedly prayed for deliverance, but God told him, "My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness." When we have tried and tried unsuccessfully to "be good", there comes a point where we have to admit that we are helpless to change ourselves. In my case, I had to admit how incredibly selfish and self-centered I was, that I didn't care much for my fellow man, and didn't love or trust God anywhere near enough. What's more, there was a very large part of me that wasn't willing to change. I was helpless (a huge blow to my pride), and all I could do was ask Him that He make me willing to become what He wanted me to be. He has been faithful. I have not arrived, but He has walked with me, forward down the path. I pray you experience the same.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” - 1 Corinthians 10:13
I have a similar story- raised Catholic, lost my faith in my mid 20s because (long story) I was selfish and didn't truly understand. I came back Home in my mid 30s and my faith has never been stronger. Biggest lesson- your faith can only give back to you what you put into it. Love your videos Matt!
First of all, I can relate to this in the sense of looking back at my 16-year-old self and seeing a kid who thought he understood it all. That is definitely not the case now, and while I never dipped into atheism, it's been a bumpy ride (bumpier than most looking at me from the outside might realize). Secondly, can I just say how impressive it was that you did this entire video without cuts or editing? That takes some major public speaking skills.
@@Cambroth Because people don't realize there is no such thing as a fundamental truth. They are scared by that notion and think non-religious people will just be raping, murdering criminals with no moral compass. Also, they are brainwashed into being religious and indoctrinated from a young age to be religious.
This is exactly what lead me out of Christianity. My attempt to steelman my faith and find the best reasons to believe while staying honest and discarding the bad arguments gradually eliminated all the arguments that I found. And while I would say my faith was very strong when I went I to that process, I had never really been entirely convinced of particular Christian claims that maybe would’ve provided some explanation, albeit lacking in persuasiveness (ie prophecy, speaking in tongues, and feeling the “presence of God”)
@@chaseharrison5469 Exactly. I know I espouse my positions pretty abrasively, but I think it's really important. I genuinely believe that religion actively harms people and their thinking process. This is not a game. It's being deluded about facts about the natural world and thinking purely with feeling. I wish that one day I could live in a world without intolerance and I think getting rid of religion is a great way to do that. (Don't think it should be outlawed or banned or anything. I'm not an authoritarian.)
I've studied some Christian thinkers. I've studied some Atheist thinkers. Yeah, I'm still Atheist. But if more religious people had the same attitude towards their faith that this guy has, the world would be a better place.
I agree! My son-in-law recommended The Ten Minute Bible Hour to me (strange name I think...maybe it's tongue in cheek?) and I love his reasonable, humble, accepting way of articulating ideas. Sounds a lot like Jesus I think.
Agreed, thanks for sharing. As Matt & Destin talk about in their podcast No Dumb Questions, which I highly recommend, they're not necessarily trying to convert anyone, they just want people of all faiths and none to treat each other with dignity and respect.
APaleDot You will remain atheist. Your person is not supposed to become religious because you don't have the mind of one who seeks eternity and God. Religion is not about making the world a better place. At all.
I wish I could reach out to this guy to thank him. This video came out as an ad and I watched the whole thing. Not pressing the skip button. It came to my life when it and my faith was in pieces. This video will forever be a part of my steps back towards God. And ultimately bring my life back together. Wish he knew
I'm so glad to hear a testimony like this, since I've also been on a complicated spiritual journey with Christianity, going from Charismatic Christianity, to strict atheist, to magick, and slowly to an orthodox/catholic understanding of Christianity. I remember when I was a teenager the Bible seemed like such a shallow and boring book, since I've already read through it several times and memorized a bunch of passages, I thought I knew what it all meant. Fast forward my Christian journey the past three years, every time I open the Bible and start reading, there's an amazing depth and vastness I was blind to when I was a teenager. I also relate a lot to what you said about how you were still an atheist in a sense that you still don't believe in the god you once believed in, as a lot of my own atheistic arguments against god I still subscribe to, but only to a type of god I thought was real. You channel has been such a blessing to me the past few years, especially during my time of faith reconstruction.
I've been waiting for Matt to do a video like this and share his testimony. He has hinted at it many times. It's is so encouraging to hear how other people deal with a crisis of faith. I had a semi similar situation when I went to college and has to actually decided if I wanted to pursue faith as my own, or just leave it as a part of my upbringing. I landed in a similar "eyes wide open faith" mindset as Matt because the legalism that I saw was hypocritical. This channel has helped me learn to embrace a questioning faith. Thank you for all your hard work Matt!
I love how cohesive your testimony is even though it's not done yet. "Take it all apart and put it back together" and "I don't want to lie to myself" cause it's so easy to do so. :) Let's do this together!!
I love how "Protestant" his testimony is 😅! So basically he reads the Bible *on his own* , got one version wrong. Re-reads all of it a 2nd time, over-intellectuallizes it and this time gets it right. Meanwhile most of us "craddle Catholics" don't ask ourselves half of these questions if not read the entirity of the texts. Thus no life crisis. Because 20 centuries of Tradition can't be wrong. Plus the greatest minds have already figured out everything that needed to be figured out. Case closed. 🙂
@@MattWhitmanTMBH ★Matthew 23:9 And do not call anyone on earth Father, for only one is... - Bible ★John 8:44 You are of your father the devil - Bible.. ★Matthew 10:36 Man's greatest enemy is your own family... ★Matthew 10:21 "Brothers will send brothers to death, and fathers will send sons to death. Children will be enemies of their parents and kill their parents. ★Leviticus 26:29 And you shall eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. … ★Kings 6:29 We cooked my son and ate it.... ★Jeremiah 4:10 Compassionate woman, when my people are destroyed, she cooks her own children for food with her own hands... ★Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, whoever obeys his commands is a wise man... ★【Romans 12-1】Paul said: Therefore, brethren, I beseech you by the mercy of God. Present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God; It is a matter of course. Consecrate Your Life Purpose. A Living Sacrifice That Pleases God The purpose of God's redemption is to be consecrated to please God. It is like an animal tied to the horn of an altar, so that it stands beside the altar and waits to be slaughtered and offered; we don’t consecrate ourselves as servants, but as animals to worship the Lord Jesus. People who consecrate naturally Also ready to die for the Lord at any time...... ★【Romans 6;13.】Do not offer your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness.. and offer our bones and limbs to God (instruments of righteousness). We must offer our lives as living sacrifices. Offer to God .to please God.... Thankful, merciful and loving heavenly Father, Abba, Jehovah... Praise the Lord...👍❤✝ 😇 Hallelujah! Thank you Lord Jesus Christ...❤ ✝ 😇 🙏The Lord should sing praises forever 💕🎵🎶Praise the Lord...All glory be to God✝😇! .Emmanuel...🙏 🙏 🙏. ! Amen.... !
I’ve had to process some of my best friends leaving the faith. It’s hard, it can sometimes feel like the death of a friend. Thanks for sharing your story, it gives me hope that they will come back.
This video had me bawling. I've been a Christian the majority of my life but I hit a low point right before Christmas. Thankfully through an amazing wife and friends I did not make a terrible decision, but it left me with a desire for life and a crippling fear of death. This fear led me to doubt whether or not there is anything after this mortal coil and I'd lay for hours at night anxious with questions and feeling like my faith was slipping through my fingers. I've gone back and forth between peaceful assurance and hollow despair, this probably best exemplified when I decided to reread Job. The part when God speaks and talks about how he knows where the snow is kept and the lighting goes according to His will brought me confidence that my I'm ignorant of my own ignorance and that just because I can't wrap my head around something doesn't make it false. But then God talks about a fire breathing dragon-whale and those doubts come back. Hearing that you struggle to understand what is going on brings me hope, knowing that I'm not alone and other Christians have this struggle is reassuring.
Hi, Eric. Sorry to hear about your pain... but I think the old saying "no pain, no gain" is true. We all experience pain, doubt and fear in a multitude of ways. But, if God created all this impossibly complex Universe, He must know and must have a purpose for it, like the birth pains... We would have no clue and no chance of knowing such a great and amazing Being, as the One who was capable of inventing and creating this world and the incredibly complicated human beings, this infinite God, if He would not have revealed Himself to us. But He did reveal Himself and His character to us in the Bible (especially in Jesus Christ). But understanding the Bible is not always easy, especially with all the cultural baggage we carry. Try to read the Bible afresh, from a new perspective, try a different translation, maybe even a new language, so that you can avoid the old cliches and cultural traps and be able to deal with it in new ways, think it through, debate it in your mind, ask honest questions, without blaming God or others, just seek honest answers and be ready to admit your own faults. I can talk from experience, although this process of coming back happened much earlier for me, but I can tell you that it's a continuous processes of growth. But, oh yes!, he picked me up and rescued me and I am so blessed and so immensely full of joy walking this amazing adventure with Jesus. You are incredibly loved. Let Him tell you that.
We all have low points , but Yashua had the lowest point of all times, but I do understand how you feel, please pray press in. That mean read Bible , pray and ask questions and be ready for answer. He know what you are going through . Trust me !!
I think it’s part of the process to have questions and as you put it “take it all apart on the workbench and put it back together again”. I think this is what was meant in Philippians when Paul says “Everyone must work out their own salvation with fear and trembling”. It represents the urgency to carefully work through all of your questions and doubt and in the process build up your faith in Christ.
Yeah happy to share…I’ll try and keep it brief. But I spent years in Christian culture, church, all of it. I really started to struggle with doubt around 2019, i just grew so tired of judgemental Christians.,the whole Trump ideology, I started reading Dawkins, Hitchens, people that had left the ranks so to speak and the seed of doubt took hold…during this time my marriage fell apart, I fell into addiction and I was angry. At the church, Christians and that I had bought into a “myth…” I tried new age, atheism, etc. it worked until it didn’t. Long story short God brought me back, through people mostly, he also clearly spoke to me. It was only a couple times but it was clear what he wanted me to hear. I now know my Christianity is very different than what it was. I love people differently, i can’t really put it into words. I understand spiritual principles on a deeper level. The Kingdom of God is upside down, I try to remember that and practice it everyday. You will find your way back if you keep seeking.
So I was born into a non-religious family. My family never raised me into any faith tradition, so for a while I had no religious identity of any kind. Around my teens I ended up falling into that New Atheist crowd. The really toxic ones, not just chill people who don't believe in God. I was an edgy, angry atheist for several years, and thinking back, I didn't really have any reason to be such an angry atheist. I was never hurt by the church, I didn't even grow up in a church. So around 17 as I was working through all this I started going to my town's Unitarian Universalist (a spiritually pluralistic religion) church. At that point I had no idea what I believed, but my church was at least helping me work stuff out. I'm 21 now, and I'm not sure I have much firmer of a stance at this point besides "I *think* there's a God? Maybe. I'm not sure, but I'd certainly like there to be." At this point I'm beginning to dive into Christian scripture, looking to take it in with open eyes and an open mind. I'm not sure if I'll land where you've landed, but I'm hoping I'll land closer to God, and continue to take stuff apart and put it back together. At heart I've always been a free thinker, and I think I'm doing that in a healthier way now.
Hi, I hope to suggest that you stop by a church and speak to a pastor, or priest, about Bible study or RCIA, depending on which route you go as to how you want to further yourself. If you're feeling bold, go for RCIA. If they've got a good RCIA class, they'll give you a rundown on the history of the christian faith from the very beginning, how it came to be, and where we are as Christians today. I think you'd like it. Note that this is the Roman Catholic Church I'm speaking of, but, that's why I said it's a bold move because yeah Catholicism.
@@joshualeboeuf2926 I currently have both a church community and minister who have been very helpful for me. I was just talking to my minister the other day about feeling drawn to Christ, and we'll be setting up an appointment to talk soon (I'm currently a little under the weather, so I'm waiting for that to clear up before I schedule that meeting).
@@Phazon8058MS that's awesome!! I'll pray that whatever ailment is troubling you be settled and gone. Been under the weather a bit lately myself. I think it's the weather changing honestly, from cold to hot and back to cold, and then hot, etc. But yeah, I came from the Pentecostal/charismatic movement of the Christian faith to the Catholic Church and it is hands down the best decision I've ever made. May the Lord bless you and keep you on your journey with Him. I hope your meeting with the minister goes well 😁 God bless
Wow, you just told my EXACT story, except that I've been a fully committed Christian for several years now. But all the same until I was baptized at 23. So cool!!
Everything about this video is fantastic, Matt. The backdrop is great, your story is beautiful and very relate-able, and I too had many deconstructions of faith in my time. I started young, too, but not with Christianity. I found myself looking for something that felt right, while trying to stay away from the taboo of organized religion out of fear what people would think, or that I'd catch myself faking the faith to fit in, and eventually after many years and many, many books, I found myself a Christian, in a beautiful Church I never thought I'd walk into, and getting baptized less than 5 months ago. I love hearing your side of things, and even more so, the honesty that your videos comes with. You never try and hide behind a facade, you never let us think one thing and mean another. You're always up front about your thoughts and intentions, and it's truly a breath of fresh air to watch these. I can't wait for the next one! God Bless, Matt.
Former atheist here. Grew up in an atheist family who were open to religion and let me explore that as a kid. Tried to become Christian but never really understood it all and turned to atheism for many years. Decided to face Christianity head on and eventually converted as all my questions were answered and assumptions were corrected. Thanks to people like you. I am a much happier, more open minded person. Or I hope I am.
That's impressive. Changing your mind is rarely easy. You say that all of your questions were answered. Well, as an atheist myself, I'd be very interested in just *one piece of good evidence* that the Christian god actually exists (or, alternately, just *one piece of good evidence* that _any_ of the magical/supernatural stories in the Bible actually happened). I suspect that it would take awhile to answer _all_ of my questions - heh, heh - but it would be a nice start if I had just *one* good reason to believe Christian claims. Apparently, _you_ didn't just cling to the religion you'd been taught to believe as a baby, so I assume you have good evidence that it's actually true? Thanks.
@@Bill_Garthright I didn't say it was easy. That was a very condensed version to keep the comment short. I was an atheist for many, many years, who loved science and philosophy and didn't believe in free will and all that. It took many years to actually convert away from that. When I say all my questions were answered, I more meant all the things I didn't understand about religion. Also, so many views I held I slowly realised had no ground to stand on. Every person around me except for two people were atheists. The two people were 1 of my good friends and my philosophy teacher from college. I debated both of them separately for more hours than I've wasted on video games (which is a lot). I just couldn't understand why someone so smart (both of these people were extremely rational thinkers and intelligent people) could believe in some mystical God. They were never trying to convert me too, it was me trying to convert them ultimately. I didn't realise at the time, but I kept going to them to poke holes in their world view, never the other way around. And over time it was my world view that collapsed. I'm not going to debate you on the arguments for God in some yt comments, there's a time and a place. If you want to you are more than welcome to shoot me a private message. I just am clarifying and expanding on what I wrote above.
Bill Garthright For me personally miracle healings are the number one. I know personally people who have been healed in Jesus's name from serious problems. One got a new kidney in place of one that was missing. Other 75 year old gentleman got "new" 25 year old mans heart in place of his own that was supposed to fail any time. I was prayed for and my damage finger got a new gristle in place of the previous one surgeon had to throw away. All these cases are documented and confirmed. These are not cases that can be explained by internal healing abilities (which is a thing). Humans do not regenerate new organs or vein structures. It is impossible to absorb material from environment or body at that speed and respawn new tissue let alone organs in an orderly fashion. Anyone who has studied biology in university understands it is impossible. I am forced to conclude that at that moment our energy field(our visible universe) came in contact with another energy field which is supernatural which was activated by name of Jesus. In the Bible Jesus states that miracles follow those who believe. This kind of miracles are nothing special in many evangelical churches.
@@baxterclagmoar9333 _I didn't say it was easy._ I know. I was _agreeing_ with that. _I'm not going to debate you on the arguments for God in some yt comments, there's a time and a place._ Fine. Send me an email, then. My address is *billg* AT *inebraska* DOT *com* I don't want to waste your time, so I'm looking for just *one* piece of good evidence that your religious beliefs are actually true. Thanks.
Thanks for your honesty Matt, your testimony will reach those who are in the same place as you were. I was raised a Christian fell away to "spiritualism" and came running back to Christ 5 years ago. We can see things with fresh eyes as adults and my faith is renewed all the time!
Thanks for your testimony Matt. I was a Christian when I went to youth groups, prayer meets etc, but struggled with popularity, and falsely dropped my following of Christ for selfish reasons. I’m 47 now and have hit a wall, I’ve been to rock bottom this week like never before and know Jesus wants me to come back. I’ve asked him for this, to come to me and give me the strength and guidance I need, to restore my heart and faith in His name. I wasn’t expecting a supernatural event, but I’m not feeling it yet, I still feel so desperate, isolated and distraught and that no strength is coming to me to help. Testimony like yours really helps, my vehicle isn’t deconstructed, it has crashed into a thousand pieces and I really need the help of the great mechanic to put it back together. I welcome suggestions for my next steps in getting to Christ, and finding my peace with Him.
@Kira Lou I did Kira, I really did. I asked and begged and committed myself to it. Nothing. Ask and it’s yours, is all I’ve ever heard, and now I will hear “ahh well he must have like a really good reason for not answering you and accepting you”. Honestly, I have moved on, and far from the childish trolling comment above (how poor must ones self worth he to consider oneself an ant??) to opening my mind to truth beyond the interference and interpretation of a flawed flock. Since I have started exploring my own natural spiritual path, ridding myself of a Christian guilt, I have recovered dramatically. I meditate, I show love and gratitude, I connect in ways I never imagined, and it is nourishing me. Thank you for your answer, but it is that Kira.. your answer. I believe I have found mine. 🙂
I’ve had this almost exact experience. I felt as if I was praying empty prayers and I felt so alone. The way I’d felt about God before wasn’t there after returning to Christ. I was lost to say the least. As I kept praying and seeking, things started happening. I was getting confirmation about things from God that had me dumbfounded. I found that it wasn’t God that I doubted, but his power. I hope you’re doing well now. I’m still learning things day by day, but he’s definitely revealed himself to me in ways I can’t even comprehend. God bless you ❤️.
From seeing your comment it’s only been 4-11 months from when you were struggling to try to find Jesus to just throwing God away and worshiping (by literal definition) the self.
I became a believer at age 7. My parents also became believers at about the same time, so I was raised in a Christian home from the age of 7. My faith was built similarly to yours, Matt, in that, as a teenager, I believed I had all I needed. I wasn't as insulated from the world, as my father only recently became a deacon and I attended public schools. I had a crisis of faith in my first round of college, where I maintained faith in the atonement and everything preceding in biblical history, but I ceased to believe in God's involvement with the world after work of the apostles. God eventually brought me back to a fullness faith, greater than I'd had before. At age 31, I resumed my incomplete college education at a Bible college, pursuing a BA in Theology. My plan is to teach adults and young adults the things that would have prevented my crisis of faith. I should graduate in year to a year-and-a-half. Thank you for doing what you do, your videos have been very helpful!
Yeah man, I grew up in that same environment. I did the mission trips, the youth groups, etc. I got to a point where I had it all figured out. Then I lost interest. I stopped studying, stopped praying, stopped reading the Bible really. Just went through the motions. I kept getting mocked though by non-Christians, and ridiculed, sometimes to my face, sometimes behind my back. I'd have debates, and though sometimes they would make good points I was never thoroughly convinced by their arguments. But I was very susceptable to the ostracism that I would feel. I was an adult who believed in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy according to them. I don't want to be that. That really takes a hit to my pride when people think of me like that. And yet that's how movies and tv and some very loud voices in the world portray Christians for the most part and many people believe that about us. I went through a time where I started doubting, wondering "am I just believing in adult Santa Claus?" but I had seen many people like me who at that point just stopped caring, and without further consideration they would denounce Christianity with a simple "I just don't believe it anymore." But like you, I thought, man this is too big of a decision to not take more serious. I can't simply not believe because I am bored of it, I have to not believe because I'm convinced it's not true. So I'd go back and challenge some of the things that made me doubt head on and ask more questions as to why it makes me doubt and whether that doubt is valid. Then likewise I went to the reasons that I thought were evidence to re-evaluate those. When I do that it helps, it gives me more confidence. But it's an ongoing process, it's time consuming, and if I'm not reminding myself I can end up forgetting and getting distracted by everything going on in life. It's a long journey to the end, and the constant feeling of being attacked and ostracised by some of the loudest voices in society for being Christian makes it feel so much longer. I think as humans we are very fearful of being rejected from the group. We want like minded people, we form groups, we want friends and people to like us and accept us, as kids we mock our friends when they do something "weird" in an attempt to bring them back to being like us. So I gotta remember that, and try to be a sober minded judge when I am weighing out evidence and listening to arguments. Not to be won over by peer pressure or emotions, but by what I believe to be evidence. I have to be rational in what feels like a storm of societal bias against my belief system at times. Though a person can win a lot of converts to their ideology by making someone feel stupid if he doesn't believe what they believe, I just don't think that is the healthiest environment to determine truth. That's why I like your channel, it's just a conversation, not calling people stupid or mocking them or accusing them of being incapable of rational thought. It's just having a discussion.
Yeah man! It’s hard to have a conversation these days. And I have to be watchful myself that the conversation or discussion isn’t just about being right and proofing that to somebody else but actually about truth. We are just too prideful! We need a saviour everyday...
I don’t really care (don’t care as in I don’t mind what they believe, I’ll respect everyone) about other peoples beliefs but atheists are the most self entitled human beings I’ve ever met. I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’ve had a few moments with some of them. Keep closer to people who shares the same faith as you. This is why the Bible says that we should not maintain ourselves next to the faithless. Atheists who likes to debate are not trying to understand you, they are trying to outsmart you. They feel they are superior and that we are illiterate dumb people and just want to feed their ego. Christ said we would be hated just like He was but hey, we’re on the winning team, don’t worry. It’s better for us to keep focused on heaven.
I loved this video. I remember having parts of this conversation with you 12ish years ago. You’re the real deal Matt! In a world full of deconstructionism (pieces on the table) there’s a lack of putting the pieces together. Your approach to this has helped me many times the past 12 years. 🙂. Be blessed.
@@MattWhitmanTMBH How does it feel to be a grifter? Now, I don't necessarily blame you. You were obviously brainwashed. But you are also an immoral person for brainwashing people like this. Especially the children you probably influence through your "work." Shame on you for teaching children to reject logic and evidence.
@@screwyouchris if you think he encourages ignoring logic and evidence you clearly didn't listen properly. Remember when he mentioned being honest with himself and not tricking himself to believe something just because it made him feel good?
@@stick-itproductions.3307 unfortunately why I find that separates most people from god is pride I’ve been there and from personal experience most atheists I’ve met are super egotistical
Religion, definition: "the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods." Alt: "a particular system of faith and worship." Please explain, precisely, how you're not religious.
I went from catholic as a child- Christian science teens and young adult- to Christian, thank you Jesus! I read in comments by a couple of you that you just reread the bible and amen to that! That's what I did....read beginning to end and through it had the revelation/clarity that i needed 🙏
Thank you so much for this video Matt! I am a Christian currently deconstructing. I don't want to view the world through the lens I was programmed to, but that's pretty much what I've done all my life. Now, I am starting afresh, as though I didn't learn anything from anyone - just me seeking the truth for myself, and the worldview with which I can become the best version of myself and bless as many people as possible!
That's great! I started my deconstruction like a year ago, and the first thing I noticed was what Matt here tells us in his video, that there are many things we do and don't have anything to do with the bible. And so I started to deconstruct what I believed firstly about the church, then about my faith, the bible and the Christian theology and finally about God. I hope you find peace in this process!
Don’t think I’ve ever commented on a video before. If I have I can’t recall when. Spoke to my heart though. I was raised Christian, struggled a lot through the years. I’ve recently found myself exploring so much in what God actually wants from me. Don’t know if you’ll see this comment but, keep up with your journey. You have somebody willing to take the journey with you in finding the honest truth of what God’s plan really is and how we can abide by it. Crazy when you said you aren’t the main character, God is. I’ve felt this recently but struggled with it. Keep up the good work, look forward to the next video.
Big fan Matt. Thanks for doing what you do. "People today put more trust in witnesses than in teachers, in experience than in teaching, and in life and actions than in theories"
I’ve had a hard time, I lost my faith and I was scared, scared for my own existence and scared to lose my family. I was an atheist for awhile it was the most miserable time of my life. I think I’ve found god again but I’m still afraid hopefully through Gods infinite wisdom I can solidify my beliefs and be alright with the concept of death and heaven
Thus is so cool and so genuine. We need more testimonials like this. Thank you for being so transparent, and unapologetically real. The world needs that SO much right now. I'm with you!!!
There has been a flavour of openness and gentleness in Matt’s approach to bible study. And I have long thought, “This didn’t happen without some deep struggle/crisis.” Now I have heard the story. I don’t always agree with you, Matt, but I feel like I could have a sit down and talk without being threatened by the disagreement. And that is invaluable.
My journey: Fake Christian to rejecting Jesus Christ to Agnostic to Christian The first part, although I've read the bible I didn't fully understood it until today. Then I had a College crisis that I couldn't understand and I put (as a manner of speaking) Christianity on Trial. Of course since the churches I went to didn't teach sound doctrine in my mind the concept of Christianity and of Jesus Christ lost that trial and I became agnostic (There is a God, not the bible one, but there is one) since in College I learned somethings that only could be possible to do from a Creator's point of view Like you I gave the Bible a second chance and I began to research it throughly and deeply. I don't have doubts of its answers
When I first saw your channel and watched the "What is the Bible?" video, my perspective changed so much. Thanks a lot for this. I've never left Christianity but tbh everytime I read the Bible with the thought that everything was about me/us people, I felt so much anxiety and some things just didn't click. But now they do, they do make sense.
This video was incredibly helpful. Especially the central tenant of the foundation of your, ‘I’m 15, I know it all’ and ‘I’m doing everything right’ portions.
I've definitely in the processing phase. I left Christianity, mostly stayed away for 20 years, and have slowly made my way back. But I'm only barely inside the door of the church and I still have lots of questions and doubts.
Hello, sorenpx. Will you like to talk about your struggles with your faith. I am a college Christian Baptist person. And I do Bible studies and I would like to talk to you about it.
Thank you so much for your honesty. As a parent I’d be really interested to know how your parents processed your journey. What did they do/say that was helpful (or not helpful)? And what advice would you give to parents of kids who have been raised in the church?
Two things stuck out in this. You said you disassemble and reassemble your faith continuously. I was there, it wasn’t until I took off that backpack of guilt and set that burden down, was a forever free. Second, I have never been as happy, and is free, as I am right now, in this moment, as I leave religion behind. I no longer have to reconstruct an ideology, and it probably wasn’t for a couple years until I realized I never needed it anymore. Of course, I would say follow me, everyone has their own journey with the direction I am headed is free and full of peace.
While you’re praying to keep it, read your Bible and try and stay in community with the people of God (Join a Bible believing church and get involved), hope you’re doing well! :)
Don’t be afraid to question things tho. You don’t want to have a fake faith. Only believe what you genuinely believe, and don’t let others influence you, it’s your decision.
I have some recommendations if you want! If you don't want them of course just disregard this it's fine haha. For short stuff: You can watch Mike Winger or Lee Strobel explain the proof for the resurrection of Jesus on RU-vid (since that's the crux of christianity) and then for long stuff: You can read "The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel. This book is what personally made me (an ex militant atheist and christian hater) become christian. At some point the proof becomes so overwhelming that it takes more faith to stay atheist, honestly. Good luck, man. I'll pray for ya
These videos have helped me see things from a different point of view, and it makes me think more openly. Because a lot of the times I feel like it's not God that pushes people out of Christianity, people push people out because it all has to line up to ether you are all the way left all the way right and I see people attacking others for not believing and I see people who don't believe attacking Christians. What it boils down to for me at least is God/Yahweh And Jesus/Yeshua has always been there for me even when I wasn't 100%. This is what I stick my flag at, they always gave me what I needed. While I don't know everything I can say that when I asked for forgiveness and said I hated myself and wanted love in my heart. Jesus answered my prayer and since that day I have had nothing but more questions it's a growing relationship that never stops growing! these talks/videos have helped me learn a lot though so thank you! have a blessed day!!
I left Christianity when I was 11 because I was met with a lot of defensiveness when I started asking questions. I came back to the faith after developing a prayer life when I had no where else to turn. I still don’t have all of the answers, but having a prayer life as well as asking many questions has led me home to The Catholic Church. It doesn’t make sense for God to leave us with the Bible for us to have to deconstruct by ourselves and hopefully put it back together in the correct way with the correct interpretation on issues such as salvation. It does make sense, however, that God created a church that first established the Bible, and then declares infallible teaching on how we are to interpret the Bible. I hope this helps someone. God Bless
Hey Brett, just want you to know I'm praying for you. I'm praying that God would become so real to you through his Spirit he left us. I pray that you wouldn't see Him as just some diety who requires we do A, B and C. Remember, when we accept the truth of Jesus Christ, trusting in him as the atonement of our sin, this "diety" becomes our Father. Our FATHER. God loves you man, get to know him and his love for you! He really wants a relationship with you, where you walk out his will in your life, not just follow a list of rules. Have a great day today!
VictoriaWomer SwingToDivine Faith without works is dead. Also, God did teaches and commands certain things of us. Not just intellectually accept him as our Lord and Savior.
Rare to see one so comfortable in his thought process. I'd been studying independently and praying and thinking renewed for all of 2020. As the new year turned, I've been frightened that my view was slipping and I was falling off the path. Listening to you is always so enlightening and encouraging, but this video speaks to me. I'm so glad and relieved the discovery never ceases. This too shall pass. This too shall pass.
@@Fazeshyft LOL I USED to play the long game before I was saved. I learned manipulation by from my mom whos a narcissist, my dad who is a very analytical thinker, and years of therapy. LOL I agree. I also kind of have a short fuse but easily can control it, and pivot my energy in better a way. LOL Our opinions, philosophy, and worldly facts can always be disputed in one way or another. Only the word of God has absolute Truth.
I’m going through this process of unwinding, of confronting old fears and doubts that I used to ignore, and trusting that God will help me through. It’s painful, it surely is, but it’s necessary for me to be fully rooted in Him. He’s rebuilding the foundation of my faith, and he is faithful to finish the good work that he’s started in me!
Oof, yeah those can be rough. If it helps, those are people who likely either had a false conversion or never really grew and started looking to the world for life and answers and found it to be a heckuva lot easier than living according to the bible. The latter one was me, and if God hadn't really started working on my heart, I would have become one of those people. My Pastor says something like this: The Christian life seems awfully difficult when it just becomes a bunch of rules and regulations, but when you're living in God's grace and walking in the spirit, it suddenly becomes the most joyful life there is. (That is very loose paraphrasing) Keep praying, stay encouraged. There are and have been answers to the questions these people have for years, they either didn't hear or didn't deem them worth their time. Like this dude says, stay honest. I think God will help you find answers if you trust Him for them. He really is that faithful
Take it from someone who went Christian > New Atheist > Christian. Those deconversion stories are not showing you the full price tag of atheism: the lack of grounded objective morality, the lack of meaning to life, how your interactions with others become transactional, truth becomes subjective, your world view materialist... these are the broken pieces of atheism. They will gnaw at the deepest parts of your soul. My advice to you is to not despair at the doubts but take them as an opportunity to know the truth through a new lens. You may find as I did that Christianity is far more coherent than any alternative. Also as Matt said it is important to view the Bible as a Theo-drama not an ego-drama. God comes down to our level. We can't ascend to him. God bless you. Do not be afraid. You will be in my prayers today.
Seems like you are still young. I believe we are going to go through this stage in our life's journey. No worries, because when Satan thinks He has won and your faith has gone away He is surely mistaken, because God is good and faithful. All that belongs to Him He will keep no matter what. People will go full circle someday and will have a better, deeper and closer relationship with God through all the trials. Everything no matter how bad, God can and will be used for His glory
Matt, keep on keeping on. Your honesty is refreshing and I wish we could sit down and have a beer together because I like the way you think! I was born and raised Catholic and, up until this year, always thought that’s where I’ve been and will always be. But I don’t think I ever “owned” my thoughts or beliefs. And here I am at 38 years old, taking with me all the things I’ve learned, and for the first time asking myself why I believe these things. God’s guiding me along the way, and I have never felt more humbled.
Sometimes I forget that not everyone has had their hair yanked in anger while singing Christian songs all alone in the car or had things go flying across the room while beginning a fast. Faith was never and will never be a question for me. I admire the strength that it takes to have to process all of that, though. God bless all of you!
Hi ): That's really sad you lost your faith and you wish you still had it. I'll definitely pray for you, friend. In the meantime, I don't know why you lost your faith but maybe I could point you to some sources that helped me (a very logical factual person) come to faith. Basically, it started when I read the book "The Case For Christ" by Lee Strobel. I didn't really want to read it but someone I love urged me to so I did. I actually got really irritated because I hated christians and christianity so every time the book made a great point or argument I got worried like "I don't want this book to make me christian!!" but as I said I'm a logical factual person and the evidence started stacking so high that I could no longer deny that Jesus is the son of god and he really did die and rise again. You could also watch Lee and Mike Winger explain the proof for the resurrection of christ on RU-vid if the book seems too overwhelming. Thanks for reading this if you did I'm just going through all these moments and trying to help anyone who needs it because I really do care. I hope this doesn't bother you. Good luck on your faith journey.
Testimony. That reminds me. I think Heaven is set up like a Court system. It’s where we got the concept from. God is the Judge. Satan is the accuser. He accuses us day and night. That’s why there is a Law. Jesus is our intercessor. He makes intercession for us. When we stand before God, Yeshua will cover us, or He won’t. It will not be about how good we were. My faith is in Him alone. May His Will be done. Amen.
Nice to know that there is someone out there that thinks the same. I think our concept of the court system is from the Bible and or from the inate ability that God has given us. Because I think that is how God operates. Over and over again in the Old and New Testaments I noticed that most of the words in the Bible especially pertaining to sin are legal terms. I really like your comment. God Bless You
I accualy think that it's vice versa: bible uses court words to explain god, because we know court at least little bit, while we have no idea about Heavens Kingdom
Except if you read genesis until at least job, you hear God’s love. I think to get the “real” story, read it from beginning to end on your own. Try it with an open heart and try to forget everything you’ve been taught. What I mean is don’t go off of someone else’s interpretation. Look at it for yourself. While I get the interpretation, I don’t think you can compare Heaven to anything here on Earth. You might want to expand your thinking a little. Just a thought. I could be wrong, but how will you find out of I am?
I don't think Satan is accuser. Theres no accuser, since God knows about everything bad you did. He is "just" who tells you to do bad stuff (sin/crime) But, mainly, we can not describe it goodly. Even Jesus must have used parables to describe it. How could we do it without them then?
Andy Marr why? Tim Mackie doesn’t believe that Day 1 happened before Day 3. He believes Day 1 thru Day 7 is not chronological and can all be interchanged in any order. So what can Tim Mackie add to this conversation? TM will not and cannot defend his position when questioned. So why would we listen to the opinions of someone who refuses to defend or even explain his position when confronted. Could it be bc he values the opinion of evolutionary scientists over that of the testimony of the ancient text?
@@walterrelief2270 I enjoy listening to both of these men. Both seem to have a humility and willingness to learn and I personally would enjoy hearing them bash around some ideas. I wouldn't have thought his views on creation would disqualify him from having an engaging theological discussion with Matt
Andy Marr thank you. I appreciate that. That’s where we differ. If someone can’t differentiate between the most fundamental and basic of concepts, the counting from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in consecutive order, attaching day as the unit to those sequential numbers resulting in chronological sequential consecutive form in the ancient text, then how can one be taken seriously in theological matters? Entertainment and performance value yes. Without a basic mathematical understanding of counting, we must conclude that one is either ignorant at best or evil at worse. Either way, they must forfeit the seriousness of theological concern, for a theatrical one. It seems the difference between you and me is that you would probably value man’s wisdom, and I would just count for myself. Thanks for answering my “Why?”.
The idea that we are going to have to experience persecution and suffering is foreign to many, which is essential to really experience His Resurrection Life on a daily basis as well.
Right on, Brutha. Grew up in a small baptist church in Idaho. Had head knowledge but my Heart was rock solid. Left for 24 years, owned a Biz, had lots of money, hot wife, beautiful daughter.... ANNNND, I was EMPTY!! God, thankfully, put those empty broken pieces back together. AMEN~ It's a never ending journey with Christ, letting HIM do His Works through us, not of ourselves! Holy Spirit shines brightly in you, my friend. So happy for what God had you learning in those dark years. He knows you're a much better Child of God for those experiences! God Bless & take care!
Same! I think my father went through the same thing as well, which might've been what kept me grounded in my faith. It worked for my mother when she needed it the most (hence why they're married), and it's working for me.
Matt, thanks for sharing this part of your story. I’ve walked a similar path and am so grateful for the patience God has with me. A couple of weeks ago I listened to the Ear Biscuits podcast where Rhett talks through his faith crash. Literally since hearing it I’ve been thinking of how I could ask you to share how you returned from your crash. I hope and pray folks like Rhett don’t stop seeking. In my experience there is deeper, more authentic, more real (or as you like to say - realer 😉) relationship and faith to be had if/when we are willing to let God go beyond our reason, logic, and intellect.
My own story is rather complicated and, honestly, still very much ongoing. I was raised Roman Catholic. I was really into it when I was little, always going to church every sunday, going to Sunday school, doing all the sacraments, etc. I was so into it, I wound up being the one dragging my parents to church on Sundays (they basically never went, couldn't care less). I always went to fish fries at the local Knights of Columbus chapter and did volunteer work with them even before I was old enough to properly join. Then, just as I was about to begin the process to do Confirmation (you start on the education side at 15, and you do Confirmation at 16, assuming you're a cradle Catholic like I was and not RCIA), my faith just completely fell apart. I discovered RU-vid atheism (this was around 2011, before the movement got co-opted by radical feminism and basically died). I started reading atheists like Richard Dawkins and Dan Barker and watching The Amazing Atheist, Seth Andrews, Aron Ra, Thunderfoot, etc. Their arguments made complete sense. It didn't help that my education in my faith wasn't complete and I'd never actually read the Bible before that (even though I personally owned one; it was just too long, and the genealogy lists bored me to tears). For a time, I became one of those edgy militant atheists you hear about sometimes. I cringe thinking back on some of the things I said and did back then. After a while, I got bored with the whole atheism thing and moved on. I started hanging out with a new group of friends at school, got heavily into metal (still a great passion of mine and probably always will be), started drinking, smoking weed, dropping acid, and lost my virginity at 17 to a girl I hardly spoke to. It was a ton of fun, but there was a certain hollowness to all of it that I couldn't shake. On my 18th birthday, I injured my head while on acid and had to go to the hospital and get staples. I haven't touched the stuff since. That was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. In college, I suffered from depression (I've dealt with it off and on since I was 15) and my grades tanked massively. The only thing keeping me going was the friends I made in my school's Secular Student Alliance, with whom I partied, did volunteer work, and got up to all kinds of shenanigans. I wound up partying and smoking a lot and studying almost not at all, and ended up having to withdraw from school at 19 because my GPA was too low. When I came back home, I fell back in with my old friends and smoked even more weed and drank even more than before. I started playing bass in my friend's black metal band, but some things happened and we eventually fell out. The real point that made me start questioning where my life was going was when my friends started doing coke. I did it too, and, honestly, it really wasn't anything to write home about. Even though I didn't actually like it that much, I found myself thinking about it a lot. When I started craving it and begging my friends for a bump, I had to step back and really examine what I was doing. Finally, I decided for my own sake that I needed to stop. Just, altogether. I couldn't keep going down that rabbit hole. When I stepped away from my friends, I found that, aside from music and drugs, I really didn't have that much in common with them. I couldn't really, genuinely say that they were actually my friends. And that was that. I haven't touched an illegal drug in a little over three years, and I only drink on New Years Eve. While all this was going on, even though I was an atheist, I always had a certain itch for spirituality. When I was a teenager, I tried to fill it with Paganism and Satanism (not what you're thinking), but I either couldn't take it seriously or it left me feeling empty. I tried meditation and New Age stuff, and it worked a little, but once again, I found I just couldn't take it seriously. Eventually, in my quest to scratch my spiritual itch, I inevitably turned back to more traditional religion. I read the stories of the various Hindu gods, explored Buddhism and Shinto, but all my exploring led me right back to the god of Abraham. I read vigorously, filling in the holes in my education, and, strangely enough, found my way into Islam. It just made a lot more sense to me than the trinitarian claims of Christianity. But, of course, the more I read, the more the beliefs fell apart and the more I found the people literally ignoring the litany of bad within the Qur'an and Hadith, not to mention within the Prophet himself. Finally, I turned to Christianity, the religion I left. And it was like the Prodigal Son returning home. It was just... a sense of relief. I don't know how else to describe it. The more I learned about the religion as an adult, beyond the simplistic claims of internet atheists, the more I realized that I really hadn't understood anything about the faith growing up. I knew nothing about Patristics, or the Aristotelian and Stoic philosophy of the faith, or the deep theology. I was like an information sponge, and it was basically all brand new to me even though some of it wasn't. Jesus' words made more sense to me, and the realization of what Jesus did for me and all of us actually brought me nearly to tears. As far as the specifics go, I'm still undecided. The obvious answer for me is to return to the Catholic Church, but the more I learn and the more I read, the more I find myself drawn spiritually and intellectually towards Eastern Orthodoxy. My spiritual journey may never truly be over, but I've found a certain enjoyment in the ride that I never thought possible.
As a fellow Catholic Christian I completely understand your journey! I lost my faith (or felt like I had none) when I was a teenager, but thanks to being curious (the holy spirit!) I found my way back to learning about the faith. If I never fell away, I would not be as strong as I am now. If your still going through your journey and have not found your home - do not discount the Eastern Catholic Churches. They carry the beautiful liturgies and traditions of the Orthodox church while still being Catholic. You can join an Eastern parish without any issue. Just something to consider if what draws you to Orthodoxy is the liturgy and traditions. 🙏🙏 Praying for you
I'm with you on this crazy journey, Matt. This is exactly what I want: I want to ask questions and for it to be okay. I want to grow. I want to say for myself "okay this part here is not okay for me" and to learn how to also accept this in others.
@Diana Perez Peace be with you. Go-ahead and test. Jesus said and foretold as COMMANDED by THE ONLY TRUE GOD - THE FATHER: *BY THE FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM* Radical Monotheism exactly like the Jewish Prophets / Jews to believe in a uniquely ONE GOD - without any partners or equals or like a three in one falsehood - the abom1nat10N called the doctrine of the Trinity - plus believing in the Messiah Jesus sent by God, and the essential consistency with his doctrine - the Muslim. The very words that the Father - THE ONLY TRUE GOD - COMMANDED Jesus Christ to say. The doctrine of THE ONLY TRUE GOD that HE COMMANDED Jesus Christ to give. The testimony of Jesus Christ on the Father: - The Only True God (John 17:3) - The Only One Who Knows The Hour (Mark 13:32) - Greater than I (John 14:28) - Greater than all (John 10:29) - My God and Your God (John 20:17) The doctrine of Jesus Christ = The doctrine of a Muslim. (Of course the term Father in the Jewish context. A figure of speech for their times. NOT that God has a literal Son. God has got Son by the Ton in the Bible.) Defenders of the true honor and status of Jesus Christ against lies and abominations which includes the Crucifixion. VERSUS Christianity more like the Greek and Roman doctrines and the pagan doctrines like "God" coming down in human form and human / blood sacrifice that pagans had going hand in hand with Paul's doctrines of easy fake salvation with blood of an innocent, making the Merciful God in to a blood thirsty vampire. The same people making Jesus Christ UNRIGHTEOUS by their position (believing in the fiction called Crucifixion) and making the Father a treacherous back-stabber by their position and doctrine. Christianity actually the followers of Paul. 2000 years ago, the Roman and Greek Empire with its culture and mythological and pagan roots already held the beliefs such as "God coming down in human form". So after witnessing just a single "miracle" from Paul the deceiver they were conforming to their already held beliefs. No wonder when they heard of this guy Jesus with all the stories of his miracles, it was very easy for them to take him as "Son of God" (and this concept later on developed in to taking him as God) as this already went hand in hand with their pagan and mythological belief system. Little wonder that those times and those places and people also had "Triads" and ancient "Trinities" and "God" in threes and stuff. Acts 14:11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "THE GODS HAVE COME DOWN to us IN HUMAN FORM!" *********** Then of course the abomination of the alleged human "sacrifice" of Jesus Christ making the Most Merciful in to some human blood thirsty vampire. Going against the very teachings of the true Prophets and that includes Jesus Christ. ******** Unfortunately, it was the Pauline Christianity and Pauline falsehoods, blended with pagan doctrine and backed up by the powerful Empire that eventually won out over the years and wiped out the Jewish movement of radical monotheism.
@Diana Perez Go-ahead and test this as well. Give it your best shot and try to challenge the following: IF YOU actually kept the sayings of Jesus and upheld his doctrine, YOU can't help being a Muslim. The scriptures are the testament. There is NO Christian on the face of the earth who upholds the doctrine of Jesus as much as the Muslim. There is NO BORN AGAIN, "Spirit" filled Christian on the planet who can hold a candle to a Muslim when it comes to DEFENDING the true honor and status and doctrine of Jesus of YOUR very own scriptures. The scriptures are the testament.
@@jeffsmith1223 Thanks for the reply. I won't blame you for your thoughts. You actually read the Bible and the Bible made you leave Christianity. You couldn't take the absurdity and insanity of the faith called Christianity. IF you had looked deeper for longer with sincerity, you'd have seen the INBUILT system for course correction which God Almighty has left in the previous scriptures. The sincere seekers of truth get that while the deniers have their position and doctrine exposed and destroyed by the scriptures. Jesus said and foretold as COMMANDED by THE ONLY TRUE GOD - THE FATHER: *BY THE FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM* Radical Monotheism exactly like the Jewish Prophets / Jews to believe in a uniquely ONE GOD - without any partners or equals or like a three in one falsehood - the abom1nat10N called the doctrine of the Trinity - plus believing in the Messiah Jesus sent by God, and the essential consistency with his doctrine - the Muslim. The very words that the Father - THE ONLY TRUE GOD - COMMANDED Jesus Christ to say. The doctrine of THE ONLY TRUE GOD that HE COMMANDED Jesus Christ to give. The testimony of Jesus Christ on the Father: - The Only True God (John 17:3) - The Only One Who Knows The Hour (Mark 13:32) - Greater than I (John 14:28) - Greater than all (John 10:29) - My God and Your God (John 20:17) The doctrine of Jesus Christ = The doctrine of a Muslim. (Of course the term Father in the Jewish context. A figure of speech for their times. NOT that God has a literal Son. God has got Son by the Ton in the Bible.) Defenders of the true honor and status of Jesus Christ against lies and abominations which includes the Crucifixion. VERSUS Christianity more like the Greek and Roman doctrines and the pagan doctrines like "God" coming down in human form and human / blood sacrifice that pagans had going hand in hand with Paul's doctrines of easy fake salvation with blood of an innocent, making the Merciful God in to a blood thirsty vampire. The same people making Jesus Christ UNRIGHTEOUS by their position (believing in the fiction called Crucifixion) and making the Father a treacherous back-stabber by their position and doctrine. Christianity actually the followers of Paul. 2000 years ago, the Roman and Greek Empire with its culture and mythological and pagan roots already held the beliefs such as "God coming down in human form". So after witnessing just a single "miracle" from Paul the deceiver they were conforming to their already held beliefs. No wonder when they heard of this guy Jesus with all the stories of his miracles, it was very easy for them to take him as "Son of God" (and this concept later on developed in to taking him as God) as this already went hand in hand with their pagan and mythological belief system. Little wonder that those times and those places and people also had "Triads" and ancient "Trinities" and "God" in threes and stuff. Acts 14:11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "THE GODS HAVE COME DOWN to us IN HUMAN FORM!" *********** Then of course the abomination of the alleged human "sacrifice" of Jesus Christ making the Most Merciful in to some human blood thirsty vampire. Going against the very teachings of the true Prophets and that includes Jesus Christ. ******** Unfortunately, it was the Pauline Christianity and Pauline falsehoods, blended with pagan doctrine and backed up by the powerful Empire that eventually won out over the years and wiped out the Jewish movement of radical monotheism.
Me too I am raised in a Christian home, then I questioned everything then become spirituality-chakra, to stoicism and then end up to God with better faith and understanding.
