A ‘Net friend wrote in message .

> Rowland Croucher wrote:

> > A ‘Net friend wrote in message .

> > > I have never maintained the existence of God categorically. In fact

> > > I don’t hold that position at all. One thing is certain however, my time on ARC

> > > has done more to destroy/dispel any religious beliefs that I may have had,

> > > above any other occurrence during my lifetime. I still believe however that ppl

> > > in general benefit from faith.. although it’s not for everyone I guess.

> > Peter, this is a serious statement:

> Yes it is. I was never sure that I wanted to say it initially, now even more so.

> (why is it every time I think of leaving I get caught up in something?)

> > thanks for your honesty…

> > I’ve lifted it out of the ‘Signs’ thread

> Lucky I saw it then. (Is lucky the right word?)

> > ‘cos it’s probably going to start a

> > new theme…

> Lucky again. 🙁

> > Would you like to elaborate?

> Not really, but to clarify, and since you asked.. Like many ppl of my generation

> in Australia, I received a basic religious education, this being considered the

> ‘right thing’. So I grew up with traditional christian belief(s) that Christ was

> the Son of God and died to reconcile us to God, that the bible is the Word of

> God, and so on, all the while never doubting Gods existence of course. One of

> the characteristics of the internet is its unique ability to transcend barriers

> that normally divide ppl.. these being race, socio-economic class, geography,

> occupation, and so on. When I came onto the internet, I became exposed to the

> thoughts and ideas of ppl who I would not encounter in my daily life, or if I

> did encounter them, I would not likely have become involved with them in

> discussions about matters that are discussed here. The only way I could foresee

> that happening would be over drinks at a party for example. Someone who has made

> a study of religion, or their religious beliefs, or seriously investigated them,

> has a well considered position and a strong foundation for their faith; as

> opposed to someone who never finds reason to question. When ppl assert such

> things as.. Jesus never was a real person, God does not exist, Christianity is

> not ‘true’, and so on, it sows doubt in ones mind about the fundamental aspects

> of ones religion. Without sufficient knowledge to counteract such assertions,

> one relies on the views expressed by those more knowledgeable and better

> informed. However, when one sees that those very ppl who profess faith are

> unable to agree on what to believe, then that only compounds the doubt. I see

> the assault on my faith/religion therefore as two pronged, both from those who

> disbelieve, have animosity, and want to tear down religion, and also from those

> who believe, and who not only cannot agree, but even challenge aspects of

> christian belief themselves.. like the resurrection for example. I never

> realized that there was such diversity of beliefs, and such disharmony within

> the Church, until I saw the confrontation and bickering that takes place here

> among believers, since when one is outside of an institution, one remains

> oblivious to such things. I don’t think that I will ever lose faith completely,

> however like a woman raped, I feel that my religious innocence has been lost.

Pete/Peter,

Thanks for your honesty…

Several responses (if I think of more I’ll add ’em later). And if you don’t mind a few URLs I’ll point to other stuff I’ve written.

1. Doubts are healthy. They are not antithetical to faith but necessary steps on the journey to a living faith. See http://jmm.org.au/articles/973.htm

2. Most of us Christians or Christians-to-be are somewhat cocooned. Exceptions are Christians from the first century onwards whose evangelistic endeavours encounter intelligent skeptics regularly. These are the strongest Christians. And the Internet is a marvelous venue for meeting people of all persuasions/convictions, with or without adequate social/communicative skills…

3. Don’t take too much notice of a stirrer who opines ‘Jesus did not exist’ etc. Believe the experts – in this case historians, Christian or not. They’re unanimous Jesus did exist.

4. Read some books by thinkers who’ve done their homework in the field of apologetics. C S Lewis is a good place to start (Mere Christianity) and Lee Strobbel’s books are easy to read. Put those words into the search facility on our website and you’ll find some comments/reviews…

5. Keep searching – but look in the right places. The unexamined life-of-faith is not worth living, in my view…