pattip2000
New Yorker
Hey guys I have a question I’m not exactly sure that its on topic but I still wanted to ask it, I hope that’s ok. I’m pretty new around here, but have read some of the other posts and you all normally answer in a thoughtful way so I wanted to get some input on what I’ve been thinking.
Some quick background, I didn’t grow up in a Christian home but in high school I got involved with a church and did youth group and things like that. At that time I thought I believed in God and was “saved”. Looking back on it now nearly ten years later (I’m 25), I question if any of that was ever real, if I ever really believed or if I just thought I did because I wanted to and it filled a need in my life at the time.
Where I am now is that I know that I want to believe in God but I can’t find a way to. I’m talking about literally believe in god’s existence. I feel like I pretty much know what the bible says and what it means to be a Christian so I don’t need help with that. It doesn’t make sense to me that if I know that I want to believe in God and IF he is real that I would have such a heard time with it.
So my questions is this, is it stupid to say that I’m going to pretend (for lack of a better word) like I believe for a month or so and see if that helps? I was thinking about it tonight and what I needed to do to get over all this questioning, because what I have been doing obviously isn’t working because I’m still frustrated. It sounds a little crazy but I was thinking if I give it a time limit and for that time do all the “right” things, like go to church, read the Bible and pray (as if I believe someone is listening) and not allow myself to continually be thinking about if I think its real and doubting everything that maybe by the end of it if god is real than I might know. I haven’t given this much thought myself because I tend to think things to death (possibly why I’m in the situation I’m in now), but if anyone has any thoughts I would like some feedback. Just so you know I’m not asking for pray, what I need is to know for myself weather this is real or not, and if its not I want to be able to let it go and stop obsessing over it.
I hope this make sense to some else but me.
Some quick background, I didn’t grow up in a Christian home but in high school I got involved with a church and did youth group and things like that. At that time I thought I believed in God and was “saved”. Looking back on it now nearly ten years later (I’m 25), I question if any of that was ever real, if I ever really believed or if I just thought I did because I wanted to and it filled a need in my life at the time.
Where I am now is that I know that I want to believe in God but I can’t find a way to. I’m talking about literally believe in god’s existence. I feel like I pretty much know what the bible says and what it means to be a Christian so I don’t need help with that. It doesn’t make sense to me that if I know that I want to believe in God and IF he is real that I would have such a heard time with it.
So my questions is this, is it stupid to say that I’m going to pretend (for lack of a better word) like I believe for a month or so and see if that helps? I was thinking about it tonight and what I needed to do to get over all this questioning, because what I have been doing obviously isn’t working because I’m still frustrated. It sounds a little crazy but I was thinking if I give it a time limit and for that time do all the “right” things, like go to church, read the Bible and pray (as if I believe someone is listening) and not allow myself to continually be thinking about if I think its real and doubting everything that maybe by the end of it if god is real than I might know. I haven’t given this much thought myself because I tend to think things to death (possibly why I’m in the situation I’m in now), but if anyone has any thoughts I would like some feedback. Just so you know I’m not asking for pray, what I need is to know for myself weather this is real or not, and if its not I want to be able to let it go and stop obsessing over it.
I hope this make sense to some else but me.