Someone told me I'm on the way to being an atheist

[Lady Tabula Rasa]

I had a conversation with a friend on another site about my less than orthodox views of Christianity, and she said that it sounded like I was "on the way to atheism".

That shocked and hurt me. As I said, I'm hardly an orthodox Christian, but God has touched me in a way that is hard to describe even to other Christians. He spoke to me in ways that are indescribable to others; words literally fail me when I try to talk about this.

God showed me the beauty of his creation, from the smallest insect to the greatest mountain. He also showed me the beauty of things created by human hands, because of the divine spark within us all.

I feel like that POD song, Alive;

"Now that I know you , I could never turn my back away
Now that I see you, I could never look away
Now that I know you, I could never turn my back away
Now that I see you, I believe no matter what they say!"


That song epitomizes my faith; now that I know him, I can never look away, and I believe no matter what anyone says to me.

And I try so hard to spread that joy, that love, and I get hit with things like that. It's disheartening.  

[Fates Oblivion]

Don't let anyone ever tell you what your belifes are. As long as you belive in Jesus as our savior and God, and the Holy spirit, your fine. =)  

[Saint Crazy The Follower]

Conflict can be tough to deal with... sometimes it really is a better idea just to avoid it altogether. If this person is your friend, then try focusing on what you have in common as Christians. God has done many glorious things; these things have not just happened to you either. Rejoice! Our God has forgiven us! Don't forget that joy that unites you with other Christians.

I realize you must be hurt, but try not to instantly get defensive about it. (When Jesus was hurt, slapped, and even tortured, he never fought back.)
Perhaps this friend has some serious concerns about your faith that you should be asking God about? Or maybe you should be consulting the Bible about?
Try talking to them, go back and say, "You said I might be on my way to atheism. I don't want that to happen. Why do you think that is?"

Hey, maybe they're wrong, but maybe they're right, or maybe just partially. You won't know until you really look into it. Study these things that she is concerned about in Scripture. That way you will not only strengthen your own faith, but also, when you have that supportive conversation about faith with your friend, hers may strengthen also.

And if you two still disagree, well, the best advice I know of is from the apostle Paul. Check out the entire chapter of Romans 14, especially verses 16 and 21. It talks about how despite our differences in faith, we should still support our Christian family, and if what we believe bothers somebody else, we should do our best not to make them stumble in their own faith.  

[Lady Tabula Rasa]

Saint Crazy S Requiem

Conflict can be tough to deal with... sometimes it really is a better idea just to avoid it altogether. If this person is your friend, then try focusing on what you have in common as Christians. God has done many glorious things; these things have not just happened to you either. Rejoice! Our God has forgiven us! Don't forget that joy that unites you with other Christians.

I realize you must be hurt, but try not to instantly get defensive about it. (When Jesus was hurt, slapped, and even tortured, he never fought back.)
Perhaps this friend has some serious concerns about your faith that you should be asking God about? Or maybe you should be consulting the Bible about?
Try talking to them, go back and say, "You said I might be on my way to atheism. I don't want that to happen. Why do you think that is?"

Hey, maybe they're wrong, but maybe they're right, or maybe just partially. You won't know until you really look into it. Study these things that she is concerned about in Scripture. That way you will not only strengthen your own faith, but also, when you have that supportive conversation about faith with your friend, hers may strengthen also.

And if you two still disagree, well, the best advice I know of is from the apostle Paul. Check out the entire chapter of Romans 14, especially verses 16 and 21. It talks about how despite our differences in faith, we should still support our Christian family, and if what we believe bothers somebody else, we should do our best not to make them stumble in their own faith.

This friend isn't a Christian; she's an atheist, and that's why that was said. That's why I got defensive; how could she think that way?

BTW, check out my testimonial in the testimonial thread to see why I'm a Christian, and always will be one.  

[Saint Crazy The Follower]

Oh. Well, in that case, you should be even more supportive so that they can see God's love even more.

Maybe you should show /them/ your testimony. It's not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick.

And I think that the verses I gave can still apply... what they really need to know about is how your faith has shaped you and how much it means to you... your faith isn't about what makes you "less orthodox". It's about how God has helped you, and can help others just as well.

Sorry, I got confused. sweatdrop  

[Lady Tabula Rasa]

I sent her that same testimony, and she got pissed off.

Of course, that may have been because of a remark I made after she said that.

My thing is this; God gave me a vision of how he sees the world, but I'm not able to communicate it. Nothing gives it justice; not spoken words, not written words, not pictures, nothing has done it justice. How am I supposed to show the world what God shows me when I can't even begin to describe it?

I also think that's why I'm misanthropic; I see the wonder of God's creation and I feel his love all the time from what he showed me, and everyone I see craps on it(I actually planned on using something a little more harsh than "crap", but it got edited), and because of what I saw and felt, I can't begin to understand why.  

[Lady Tabula Rasa]

I just Romans 14, and that helped out a lot. The way I understood it was that, so long as my actions don't lead others astray, I can keep doing what I'm doing; living for God and showing the world what he's done for me.

I'm glad I found this forum, Saint Crazy S Requiem. Sometimes, I do need to talk to other believers. And that's very hard to do when the churches are not very accepting of outsiders or outside opinion.  

[Saint Crazy The Follower]

I'm glad you found this place, where you can be welcomed. And I hope eventually you can find a place (IRL) where you can strengthen your faith and be comforted, because it will be a great help to you if you can.

I am sorry to hear, though, that you're feeling disenchanted with the human race right now... I understand where you're coming from though. Sometimes I just want to say "Man, people are stupid," and walk away... but loving others, even the least of these, is a huge part of loving God. And that means being open to listen and help those who need it.

it's good to take shelter with our Christian brothers and sisters, but real love means going outside the comfort zone, out into the big bad world.
So let that be your ultimate goal. To reach out.
But in the meantime, seek guidance and strength in God.

(Btw, don't think that chapter makes it okay to do anything... xD The other big part of loving God is keeping His commands. But it is a good chapter, especially when being faced with differences of opinion, which are everywhere in this world.)