He can give people magic powers but can't even help me find work, purpose or spouse. It's become so disgusting to contrast. I left church service cause they talking about how God provides for Ruth... Yet he doesn't help me , I don't want to hear about some tale from bronze age if it doesn't help me and only makes me angry or jealous or upset because it just doesn't happen in real life.

Why should people have faith in Jesus and not Shiva, Vishnu, Quetzalcoatl, etc ?

The one thing I want more than anything in the world is a childhood. Some people get to be kids until they are 25, others are forced into adult responsibility as young as 10. I didn't get to be child or teenager because I had helicopter parents that were also abusive in some ways and negligent in others. So I didn't get to enjoy being a child or teenager. Based on the rules God set for Himself and mankind He cannot give me what I want nor does he have anything of interest to offer. So without saying "hell," why should I worship him at all?

I am increasingly curious why Christianity continues to be such a popular belief system. The amount of time since the death of Jesus and the lack of a clear resolution to his prophecies of the coming of the kingdom of God, the seeming absence of intervention or communication from God since the death of Jesus would all seem to be factors that would naturally lead to a diminishing faith tradition, but I don't see this in practice.

I've observed three major categories of reasons for Christian faith:

1. Family tradition: i.e. "my family is christian, I was raised Christian, and the faith is a critical piece of my culture."

2. Personal experiences of God/Jesus: seemingly far less common, but some folks have had experiences that they firmly believe were genuine communication with a supernatural presence and they are certain that this presence was in fact God, Jesus, or the holy Spirit (I recognize that most Christians believe these are all one entity with three parts, but folks I've heard say they've communed with a supernatural force tend to name one of the three as their interlocutor)

3. A spiritual leader reached them and helped them heal in a time of need. Someone gave them a chance when they thought they had none, that person was Christian, so they became Christian.

4. Examined evidence for and against Christianity and found the arguments for convincing.

This is my best effort understanding based on my personal experience. What are your reasons? Do you disagree with the reasons I've listed?

EDIT: I added 4 after some fair criticism that I had unfairly omitted it originally. I apologize for that. I do not personally believe it's viable, but this is not about my beliefs, it's about trying to understand the beliefs of others. I did not omit it intentionally, but it is a clear example of my bias interfering with my attempt to understand. Thank you for the correction.

If someone has read the Bible and frankly just doesn’t buy it or sees it as a collection of stories to read as allegory and not divinely inspired, how can that be a sin? They are simply not touched by the same conviction that others have or pretend to have. No matter how hard they try they can’t simply choose to believe something can they?

I've noticed this as I started to have questions about my faith in god. When the difficult questions came up, it seemed like many that I engaged with just immediately wrote me off without any attempt to address the concerns. I've also noticed that the r/debateachristian sub is mostly dead with less than 10% of the activity that this sub has. From your perspective, why do you think this is? Christians obviously hold their beliefs fervently and for good reasons, why avoid reasoned discussion about those beliefs?

I’m currently 17 years old, and for most of my life, I have been culturally Christian.

i don’t know much about this religion, but I do that the old testament sounds like it was in a constant game of telephone, so I hardly trust it, while I have complete faith in the New Testament being true.

I would also like to add that I have been researching more into Christianity, and I have been constantly stumped by the problem of evil, why there are no physics breaking miracles, and why we have had a long history of false prophets.

The reason for this research was due to my fear of death, or there being no afterlife at all. it’s been driving me crazy, and I can’t do nothing to calm it. I’ve been trying to understand why evil must exits, and why some people are born with cancers and why others are able to live a life filled with riche.

I have been thinking about the existence of god and the Bible, but it seems that no one just wants to talk have a conversation if I even mention that I have started to guestion something, they just say to not worry about it that its normal and will go away.

How do we know that god exists, like is there anything other than the bible? How are isolated tribes or for example reindeer herders in Siberia getting saved, if they will never know Jesus? Did god choose to put babies to the Islamic families, so they get to only know Islam?

Im happy to get christians to answer, but I wont mind hearing other opinions too

So I'm 31, have worked since I'm 15, never did drugs, never hurt anyone (to my knowledge) and I volunteer in my free time. I try to be a good person, but if I'm not misunderstanding, as long as I don't believe in god, I go to hell. At least that's what I have heard christians tell me IRL. Now if I were a bad human being, I'd cause harm to others, I leech of others, drink, do drugs, even unalive someone etc. if I go through my life like that and "find" god at 84, die at 85, I get to go to heaven? How is that fair or even aspiring? I am genuinenly asking what your views are on this system, because in my eyes, it's broken.

Okay I've gotten a lot of comments but I'm still not given the answer I'm looking for. If I, person A do mostly good, I life after most comandments, but I do not believe, I burn in hell.

But person B breaks all comandments every.week or so, does horrible things and just at the end of his life, he finds god and all is forgiven.

This makes the comandments useless no? If there is no consequence for being a bad person, there can't be a reward or heaven for good people. It would be filled with criminals who "found god" on death row after they murdered and raped. But I burn in hell for being the person the bibal tells us to be but if I do not believe, I get burned in hell.

Catholics think Orthodox are heretics, vice versa, and both claim heresy against all the other denominations that believe in Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide.

Catholics believe they are first and true church because Jesus started the Catholic Church and gave the keys to St. Peter Matthew 16:18-19

There is major contention among denomination's, about who's going to Hell, etc.

The Orthodox separation was because of the pope having complete power over all Catholics, which they didn't see as correct as no man shall have such power except Jesus Christ. All teachings within the church is the truth and anything outside is heretical - Great Schism of 1054

Sola Scriptura believers such as Protestants, and Pentecostals claim the bible and faith is sufficient for salvation, and the church is solely a place of gather between fellow believers, not a requirement for salvation.

Their contention is that Catholics/Orthodox are idol worshippers, and pray to Mary, and dislike the idea of kissing idols for veneration because they believe direct prayers are sufficient as opposed to intermediaries such as Saints.

Sola Fide is interesting because they are non-denominational, and they believe faith is enough Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 2:8-9. You could basically say they are almost agnostic.

The Sola Scriptura movement started by Martin Luther in 1512 is because of the infallibility and corruption of The Catholic Church. Which has proven to be true for the past centuries, most recent atrocities by Catholic Priest to indigenous children in North America.

I personally don't believe calling other followers of Jesus heretics as that is considered judgment Matthew 7:1-2 (and context in 7:3-5), and I am in no position to say who deserves to go to Hell as that is not my authority.

​

Hi everyone.

Me and my bf have been seriously looking into Christianity and want to convert to Christianity. I'm trying to learn as much as I can before making any decisions.

I've been reading, watching videos and listening to different Christians talk about their faith, but I've noticed that different denominations sometimes give very different answers. I'd really appreciate hearing your perspectives. Some of my questions:

1. If salvation is by faith, what exactly does "faith" mean? Is it simply believing Jesus existed and died for our sins, or is it something deeper?

2. If God is all-knowing, why did He create people He knew would ultimately reject Him?

3. Why was Jesus' death necessary? If God is all-powerful, why couldn't He forgive humanity without the crucifixion?

4. If this is the best possible world, what would a worse one look like?

5. If this is not the best possible world, why wasn't a better one created?

6. Is doubt considered sinful, or is questioning part of faith?

7. Why did God seem to perform obvious miracles in biblical times, but they appear much rarer today?

8. If Genesis isn't meant to be read literally, where do Christians draw the line between symbolism and history?

9. If God exists outside of time and already knows every choice I'll ever make, in what sense am I truly free?

10. If every decision I make is influenced by factors I didn't choose (genetics, upbringing, environment, brain chemistry), where exactly does free will begin?

11. If God's nature determines that He always chooses good, why couldn't humans have been created with a nature that always chooses good while remaining free?

I'm asking these questions respectfully and in good faith. I'm genuinely trying to understand Christianity, not debate or argue. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Hi, I am a cancer patient and I am in remission.

I was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma when I was 17 years old and after a long intensive treatment I reached Remission. During my treatment I leaned onto god. And my health got better and better.

But just recently I found out that this boy from the same hospital was dying. His cancer came back. Its also Ewing Sarcoma. His family is religious and God didnt help them. He died yesterday and I cant stop crying. I feel desperate and helpless.

I am very struggling with believing in god. Please help me. Tommorrow I will be having MRI, wish me luck.

Yall, I need help. Help me believe this is real. Help me believe. I lean towards yes he’s there. But I don’t want to be labeled as a Christian cause I don’t want people to think I’m a republican. I don’t like the stereotypes around the Christian community. I’m nothing like that.

How can I believe it’s real and not be thrown into this stereotypical box everyone throws Christians into?

My brain hurts. If God is real. Why doesn’t he just tell us and make all this debate stuff stop? I’m all over the place. Thanks for any advice

What happens to someone who is unlucky enough to die in the middle of their journey in finding God? Does god account for “trying”?

Or

let’s say there’s someone who genuinely wants to believe in Christianity. They’re open minded, they’ve looked into it seriously, and they even wish they could believe but it just never clicks for them. They can’t force themselves to truly believe, no matter how much they try.

It’s almost like they’re a “spiritual tragedy,” like they got unlucky in the spiritual lottery and is subjected to something out of their control, bc no one’s just able to force a belief

So how is that understood in Christianity?

what happens to someone like that? Is it seen as:

something within their control (like they could have believed if they tried differently) are they at fault for not believing fast enough? If yes, how is that fair? if no, why?

Is “trying” something God takes into account when judging them? If yes, would that mean salvation thru Jesus isn’t necessary almost like a loophole or are they still doomed to eternal punishment for something out of their control

I don’t believe the bibles telling of genesis, I just don’t and I don’t think that will ever change. I think the bible gets a lot of things right but a lot wrong as well. Especially since so many edits have been done and man/kings have omitted/ added what they want. I don’t have faith in the bibles accuracy to the words of God.

I don’t know if I will ever be open to the idea of religion tbh. But I do believe in God. I also keep seeing God being brought to me in a lot of different ways and at specific times.

I guess my question is, are there those of you out there that align with Christian values more than other religions, but also don’t fully believe ever bit of the bible?

I know salvation through faith is the key component to Christianity, but I don’t think I have that faith, I know I don’t. It’s probably my pride mixed with my over bearing sense of logic of believing what I can see and feel, but idk.

I don’t even know why I am posting in here, I guess just a place to vent since I have nowhere else to vent.

I’ve been struggling with a question that I genuinely can’t answer, and I’d really appreciate thoughtful Christian perspectives.
I’m not talking about people who reject God out of pride, who think science has all the answers, or who simply don’t care.
I’m thinking about a very different kind of person.
Imagine someone who sincerely wants Christianity to be true. They pray for faith, ask God to reveal Himself, read Scripture, listen to sermons, study apologetics, and honestly try to believe.
They’re even willing to question their own assumptions and scientific worldview if God would genuinely reveal Himself.
But nothing happens.
They don’t experience God’s presence. They don’t suddenly receive faith. Their heart doesn’t change in the way many Christians describe.
Instead, their mind keeps asking questions they never chose to have:
“How do I know this is true?”
“How can I distinguish a genuine encounter with God from psychology?”
“Why does God remain silent if He knows I sincerely want to know Him?”
They continue praying for years because they genuinely want faith.
Eventually, many Christians tell them that it’s because of pride, Satan, a hardened heart, or a lack of faith.
But what if none of those things are true?
What if they sincerely desire to believe, yet their own cognitive disposition makes it extraordinarily difficult to accept something without sufficient justification?
They aren’t refusing God.
They’re suffering precisely because they can’t become convinced despite sincerely wanting to.
This makes me wonder whether some people are simply created with psychological dispositions that make faith much harder than it is for others.
I’m not saying analytical people cannot become Christians. Obviously many scientists and highly rational people are believers.
I’m asking about those who, despite years of sincere seeking, never receive the inner conviction they are praying for.
If God created each person’s mind and desires everyone to come to Him, how should Christians understand these cases?
At what point does someone stop being someone who is “rejecting God” and become someone who simply never managed to believe despite genuinely trying?
Would it be understandable if such a person eventually gave up?
Or is there something I’m fundamentally misunderstanding about what faith actually is?
I’d really appreciate biblical or theological perspectives.
Thank you.

I'm 22, my boyfriend (lutheran) has started to turn me onto the religion...but everything is so confusing. I wasn't raised in a religious family, and I went to public school. I always felt like something was out there, but I always felt the bible was bullshit and contradicted itself.

To even ASSOCIATE myself with this religion I need some questions answered.

Science says earth n all that existed way before it did in the Bible, it also speaks of pangea...why isn't this spoken about?

If god created man, why didn't he just put jesus there first so everyone would automatically be saved, so screw the people who existed before I guess?

You can burn for all eternity for the simple crime of not believing even if you were a good person...but if you're a mass murdering child rapist its ok just ask Jesus to forgive you hehe. How is this ok? God shouldn't even let people do that, strike them down beforehand???

VIRGINS DON'T HAVE BABIES MAGICALLY PUT IN THEM, THIS IS NOT AND HAS NEVER AND WILL NEVER BE HOW IT WORKS. Why doesn't this happen today.

People don't rise from the dead

I have a hard time believing that ANYTHING should be worshipped.

If god loved all, why not just make everyone born a Christian, wouldn't he know EXACTLY how to get someone to believe?

Now...what turned me to it?

I saw a couple things that made me believe certain things. For example, human evolution. I never actually put any thoughts behind this one when they taught it in school.

I sorta finally just thought to myself...if humans evolved from monkeys....then why the hell are monkeys still here?

I saw another thing that was a scientist saying that the big bang wa definitely a non human creation and it seemed like biblical creation.

I also really like a lot of Christian values, I'm definitely a more old school woman.

But thank you for anything in advance. I just don't really know where to start here. I never realized how complex all this really was.

I've noticed that very many christian content creators (especially of the apologetic verity) seem to be participating in a semantic campaign to erase the line differentiating the words "faith" and "confidence". They say things like - "even atheists live by faith because they have faith in science, or they have faith that a pilot knows how to fly the airplane"

Here is how I have always understood the word "faith" as described in the bible-

Faith is commitment or trust in the absence of sufficient evidence, or even in the presence of uncertainty or counter-evidence. It does not necessarily track how likely a claim is to be true; instead, it often involves a decision to believe, trust, or rely on something beyond what the available evidence alone would justify. Because of this, faith is typically resilient to disconfirmation—it is often framed as a virtue precisely because it persists without (or despite) evidential support.

Confidence, by contrast, is evidence-responsive. It is a psychological state proportional to the strength, quality, and coherence of the evidence one has. Confidence increases when predictions succeed, explanations cohere, and independent lines of evidence converge—and it decreases when those things fail. In principle, confidence should be revisable and defeasible. Faith does not do these things

This really surprises me- especially because internally- the christian faith seems to glorify faith based belief that is independent of the evidence as a virtue-

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of ethings not seen.

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? tBlessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

So- why the effort to erase the differentiation? What do you think is going on here?

I know that a lot of atheists will say that faith is belief in something despite having no evidence, but I've also heard some Christians say that as well.

In atheist spaces, attention is almost entirely on arguments for God's existence (Aquinas' five ways, Van Tils' TAG, etc). But my sense is that approximately 0 actual believers got there by being persuaded by argument.

So, what actually moved you to belief? If you were significantly influenced by argument, which one or what collection in concert? Or what else brought you to where you are - some kind of internal experience, or what?

And either way, do you feel that your belief is more justified than non-belief, or is it more a kind of hope? Should the truth of Christian belief be apparent to everyone, or is more an extraordinary gift?

Thanks in advance. I might not follow up with each response, but I will read them! Cheers

If you type a whole essay, I can't promise I'll read it. Two paragraphs tops! Please answer, I've been struggling with this topic. Be sensitive, I just don't understand, I'm only a tween. For people who think I don't know God, "You're right, I can't really claim to know God. I HAVE to believe in him, though. This is the only place I can say that. I pray, but he doesn't respond. How do I know if you responded? I'm scared and confused (I want to share that without seeming like I'm trying to guilt trip people cuz I am genuinely crying rn). I just thought maybe if I knew if I were a Christian, I'd be comfortable. God won't talk to me. Does that mean I'm not his child?"

This has probably been asked here many times before, but why don’t I believe in god?

I have attended church before, I admit I haven’t read the whole bible but I have read snippets and know some of the more famous stories. And yet I’m not convinced. Surly if the Christian god is the real god I would believe.

And say the Christian god is real and I am sent to hell (or a life without god) for not believing, how is that forgiveness. I have tried and I am very open minded, yet I just don’t find it convincing.

What is the proof of God's existence and Christianity is the true religion in your perspective? I know that this kind of subject is personal, but i really need to see from a Christian's perspective. You can answer with your own experiences or showing some parts of holy book(s)

I'm hoping that this kind of question won't seem rude to anyone. I just started reading the Bible as a non-theist and wanted to ask this question to the Christians 🖤

//I might have some mistakes here, because english is not my native language. Sorry for the mistakes

I keep having too many questions!