Struggling with faith

[angela1435]

I was raised to believe in god and the bible. Now that i am older i am having a hard time. There are things in the bible that I don't agree with. Mainly being that god doesnt accept gay and lesbians. How can I go to church and support that? And I just don't believe that people will go to hell if they don't believe in this certain god. I don't want to believe in a god that does that. The god that i want to believe in is a loving god that accepts everyone. I just don't know. I know I am rambling. I am just really confused.

[Bluegoat]

Well, perhaps it would be best to start with what you DO believe? That would give you a place to start.

It sounds like you are doubting Biblical authority because of some of the things you think it says. It's a bit of a fine line to walk - things that we don't like or agree with could still be true. On the other hand, if a sourse tells us something that is completely lacking credibility, than it can be a good thing to dismiss it.

I am guessing that you were simply brought up to believe that the Bible is God's perfect word. Period. For Christians exploring their faith though, it is important to understand what that means. How do we know that it is credible? How did we get the Bible? How did it come to be in the form it is? How idid the Christian Church exist before the Bible existed? How am I supposed to understand what the Bible says? These might be good places to start, and consider that not all Christian Churches have the same answers.

And FWIW, not all Chuchs believe the Bible says the the things you were particularly concerned about.

[angela1435]

Thanks for replying. You have given me a lot to think about.

I guess I do believe in "god" . I just am having trouble with the things I mentioned. Since I have had children I have been struggling with this because I want my children to grow up having faith in something. What type of christian church were you referring to?? Maybe I can check into this.

[kangamitroo]

first, i want to wish you the best on your journey of figuring out where your faith lies. as you pray and sense what you do believe in, i'm sure you will find strength,

i am not a christian, but i have seen United Church of Christ churches that are specifically welcoming to gays and lesbians, and i have known a gay man who was a UCC minister. on that issue at least, you should be in the clear. i am not sure about their tenets of faith, if they would resonate with you. if you are wanting to seek in community that might be a place to try.

there might be other suitable denominations that i am unfamiliar with.

another place to explore would be a Unitarian Universalist church. however, not all members are christian, so that might be too loose and open for your needs. congregations i have known have a terrific social justice vision, and if you want a place for your children that might be very suitable.

best of luck. peace be with you.

[hrsmom]

Hi Angela- Some Episcopalian churches are pretty liberal as well, and so are the ELCA Lutheran churches. A book that really explained a lot is The Sins of Scripture, Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love by John Shelby Spong. There are quite a few Christian churches who believe as you do. Thankfully. (And how I would love to find one where I live!!) Every so often we have a "liberal Christians" thread here, you might like to join in!

[Liquesce]

You might also consider the Metropolitan Community Church -- the compatibility of being gay and being Christian is pretty central to their entire denomination.

[umsami]

Hi Angela:

Not all churches shun gays and lesbians. Even among the mainline denominations, there is acceptance and welcoming of gays and lesbians.

There are also many Christians who do not read all of the Bible literally. Some people view the story of Soddom and Gomorrah not to be about condemnation for homosexual acts, but to be condemnation for Lot's giving up his virgin daughters to be raped.

They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them." Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, "No, my friends. Don't do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."

Genesis 19

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT-af..._denominations


Have you tried BeliefNet's Belief-o-Matic? It's a fun quiz which may give you some ideas of which religion(s)/denominations may be a better fit.
http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainme...iefOMatic.aspx

[Bluegoat]

It's hard to suggest a Church without a more specific idea of your beliefs. And if you haven't worked that out yet, it is even harder! Perhaps you might try a little reading? C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity is a good start for many people.

I would be careful of Bishop Spong. Much of his "scholarship" is pretty poor.

[MyLittleWonders]

If you are leary of Bishop Spong's scholarship (with which I have never seen any objection except from conservative scholars/churches), then maybe Marcus Borg would be a better author. He has a Ph.D. from Oxford and is a leading Jesus scholar (see for instance the Jesus Seminar).

OP, I have been in a very similar place. It was what drove me from our previous church (conservative, evangelical) and into a long wandering in the desert. I have not yet settled anywhere, but through the writings of Spong and Borg, I have begun to see that there is another way of seeing the Bible, God, and Jesus - it's not just believe literally everything or nothing. The U.C.C. is a liberal, social-justice oriented church that is open and affirming of all people regardless of sexual orientation. Some Episcopalian churches are also open and affirming (based on my research of those around me, it seems that if they are open and affirming, then the website will probably make it pretty clear). I think for me, it took these last four years since leaving church to get to that point of fear - and a part of me longs to be able to return. But my beliefs no longer align with theirs. I am too liberal in my theology and way too inclusive to be a part of something that does not allow for that.

[hrsmom]

I enjoy that belief-o-matic quiz! (Off topic to the original post, but wanted to say that!)