Just lost my faith

You don't need to abandon your faith as a christian, there are plenty of LGBT christians, albeit they're not exactly a majority lol but you shouldn't need to abandon your faith, maybe all you need is a change of churches

 

First off may I ask why?

 

I just hope you have arrived at this decision because you feel conflicted. Often, LGBT people turn away from Christianity because bigoted people within various conservative Churches tell them that their sexuality or gender identity is incompatible with God's plan (or, more often... because The Bible says so!). It's all BS.

 

The Lord said he would never leave you or forsake you. Talk to him and then..... Listen to what he tells you to do... And then do it.

 

yea, the bible says alot of things lol not everyone follows 'em... Plus I am pretty sure Jesus said the old testament was a bunch of whoo-haaa crap anyways... but I'm not sure, wasn't there =p

 

Me again Phoenix... if you remember, I said in one of those other threads that I would travel some distance to worship at a Church where I am accepted and welcomed, rather than a Church in my neighbourhood with conservative views. It might not be the tradition I'm most used to and I might not get there as often, but it would make all the difference when I did. You did seem receptive to that idea at first.

I'm not being challenging or trying to change your position and I truly understand how conflicted you must feel when you hear siren voices on both sides telling you the two don't mix, but you don't need to do this (if you really don't want to). Even without Church, you can maintain a strong inner faith and belief, can't you?

 

The united Church of Christ is one such church that believes that Homosexuality and by extension LGBTQ individuals should not be shunned or treated as "abominations" but as "God's Children" and should be entitled to worship and bask in all that "God" has to offer. there was also another huge Baptist church that felt the same way, however the name slips my mind right now.
I imagine things are far worse off in the bible belt however I am sure the aforementioned church has a chapter in your area ^_^
My mother is a strict Christian and told me once "The Lord made you who you are, you were picked for this Crucible, You're my daughter & I love you, and even if you don't believe in him he loves you too, because you are his creation. You are cherished in his eyes, regardless of what some musty old book says"

 

A wise fellow once told me, that we all have shortcomings and problems in our lives, and if we expected religion to suddenly give us the answers or solutions, then we were ignorant to what faith is.

They went on to say, faith is about keeping a belief, despite what may come, be it internal or external. If everything was lovey-dovey and happy-go-lucky, there wouldn't be much need for faith. So, like others have said, if this is something you want to do, by all means. But if you feel pressured or like an opposing force is pushing you this way, then cling harder to your faith.

A verse I was always referenced to, when the topic of questioning/losing faith appeared, is this:

" And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy.
But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. " -- Luke 8:31.​

I have... a unique relationship with religion, but I'm not above lending a hand, especially to someone who needs a hand.

 

Christianity is a truth claim. You should either reject or accept it based upon evidence.

 

This pretty much sums the point I'd make.

Although I'd be the first to pretty much destroy theistic claims and religions them selves for the unproven nonsense they are, if you are going to change your position on something like that, it should be on the based of an objective evaluation of the claims using evidence. Not because people who share that belief are mean to you. That would be a bad reason for changing your position on am issue.

I'd just also like to slip in that what's mentioned above about Jesus basically nullifying the old testament isn't true. It's written that he said he wasn't there to change one jot or tiddle of the law. Just saying..

Anyway, losing faith isn't a bad thing. Welcome to the world of the real and rationale. I hope everything works out well for you...

Happy days

 

This is all you need to know. And be sure not to mix up His instructions with a church's instructions. They are not always the same.

 

What exactly do you mean by, "lost my faith"? There are two different ways I can interpret your words, and both lead to very different types of advice and support.

First, do you mean that you still BELIEVE in the Christian teachings, but no longer feel you can be apart of the faith - so you're choosing to leave it behind?

-OR-

Second, do you mean that you NO LONGER believe in the Christian teachings, and are struggling as a result because being a Christian was a major part of your identity? Or, alternatively, do you mean you no longer believe, but you still have lingering fears that result from your Christian indoctrination?

I was raised as a Southern Baptist. I was pretty much a straight up fundamentalist growing up. I know what it's like to be torn between your religion and your identity. I ended up losing my faith (accidentally and without intention), and that was incredibly difficult for me. I couldn't even picture a world where Christianity wasn't at the center of it.

There I was struggling with losing my straight identity as I moved to accept that I was gay, and right in the middle of that I lost my Christian identity as well. It was like every aspect of who I thought I was and wanted to be was being torn away from me. My understanding of the world was so centered around Christianity, and particularly fundamentalist Christianity, that I just didn't know what to think, feel, or believe. I panicked and I went religion shopping. I was looking for something to patch up that hole in my identity, and everything else sounded even more ridiculous than Christianity.

Finally, I was forced to face that there is no God, that everything I had been taught to believe was a lie. Everything I understood about the world was a lie. Everything that I been taught to believe about myself was a lie. I had to face up to the fact that the way that I saw the world was wrong.... and it was an ugly and difficult process.

Some people's journey into non-belief are different. For some people it is a gradual realization, and so the transition is more smooth. For me, though, it was sudden. It was the equivalent of taking a kid who couldn't swim and throwing him into the deep end of the pool and wishing him the best of luck. I would describe my use of religion as having a God that was like a safety net. I was a tightrope artist, high in the air, and down below there was my safety net, ready to catch me if I fell. Suddenly, though, I realized that I was high up in the air, all alone, and the safety net was gone.

It was difficult. However, having gone through the process, I can tell you that I am much happier today than I was back then. I had to do a lot of learning and a lot of growing. It was worth it, though, and today I'm glad it happened. Losing my faith was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It was difficult as hell to get through, but once I made it to the other side, I never felt more free and more liberated in my entire life.

Being a Christian fundamentalist was like living in a celestial North Korea, and being in an abusive relationship with the Dear Leader. Oh, he loves you, but when you act in a way that pisses him off he's not afraid to hurt you, either. And it's always your fault. It was like walking around on egg shells, constantly living in fear of pissing the Dear Leader off. Yet, at the same time in a twisted way, you constantly look to the Dear Leader for validation, love, and support. And because you lived in a celestial North Korea the Dear Leader was watching, monitoring, and judging your every thought and action.

If you genuinely want to leave Christianity behind, I can help you grow comfortable in your decision. I can help you kill off whatever lingering doubts that may be in your head about the faith. However, I don't want to do that unless you genuinely don't want to go back. Because once you realize that there is no God, there is no going back.

It's a bit like trying to believe in Santa Clause again, after learning that he isn't real - that he's just your parents. No matter how badly you'd want to convince yourself that Santa is real, there just isn't anything you could do to unlearn the truth.

Alternatively, it's a bit like that scene in the Wizard of Oz's, where Dorthy meets the Wizard. At first, he appears as this giant floating head, "THE GREAT WIZARD OF OZ!!" In reality, he was some feeble old man, behind a curtain which gets revealed by Toto. Once you've seen the old man behind the curtain, you can't go back to being intimidated by the giant floating head.

 

One does not need a physical building to worship a spirit. Man has a soul and all you need to be faithful and spiritual is your own heart and mind.

I for one do not seek the church out due to not only the condemnation of lgbt people but those who commit sins and suffer wrath.

I seek solace at church. Not fire and brimstone. The teachings of Christ appeal to me. Not the old testament and floods and calamity.

Your faith is tried. You will find new faith. Or a different faith and source of spirituality.

Stay strong.

 

This isn't intentional, I assure you, but with all you're going through. You may just come out a better, stronger person. You'll rise from the ashes like a...

... a phoenix, like your username. I really wanted to avoid using that, but alas.

You're shedding off an old skin, and it's one that has been on for quite some time, so it will take a while to fully remove it. In the meantime, you will have to be strong and endure. Maybe something will come of this. Actually, something will come of this. Either an answer wrapped in faith, or a realization wrapped in reality.

 

I feel for so many people in this position who listened to hateful preachers and family members rail against being a lesbian gay or bi using religion as a argument. The truth is that is not what a christian is and that is not what Jesus is.

When you see a minister or a family member preaching hate I think to myself that is not how Jesus would act. Before Jesus died for us on the cross he rather sit with those who sinned than those who were religious. The religious people back in time hated him for that and was one if these reasons they wanted him to die. When a minister is speaking from their perspective they are using tactics such as brainwashing and also getting their logic from a english bible.

The truth behind the bible was not writing in english and has been mistranslated in ways to fit certain people's needs and than used to spread hate or violence. It has been used to defend slavey, control of women, and hating those are gay or lesbian or bi or trans. If you study the bible in its original language it doesn't condemn different kinds of sexualities at all and religion has only corrupted the true word of god.

If you go to a gay friendly church your feelings of isolation and discomfort over religion could be totally different. But my point is you don't church in order to worship God and I personally believe church does more harm than good and does not get at what the truth is at all. Have faith that God loves you for you and that you have a place in his heart because you do.

 

U can have faith and be whoever u want to be u can pray anywhere and god will hear you . He is omniscient,u can pray at home and If u don't mind me saying so the bible has been re written as a Muslim I believe in the true bible and true Torah b4 corrupt people ruined it . The Quran is for everyone and is an excellent source in telling u the lgbt community isn't wrong . Please don't lose faith I lost faith untill I prayed today and god answered my prayers,I felt so much peace today I can't even tell u just pray and listen closely