Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: stevem@solbourne.com (Stephen Matson) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Is there a God? Message-ID: Date: 6 Mar 91 05:29:52 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Solbourne Computer, Inc., Longmont, CO Lines: 55 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Lately I've been having disturbing doubts about the existence of God. First a little history; I was raised in a household that never went to church and had a Bible simply for the sake of having one. My parents always said their was a God and I know they really did believe in his and Christs existence. However I would not call them Christians in the sense I've come to know what a Christian is. Anyway, Shortly before getting married my future wife and I started to attend the church we planned on getting married at. In short order I grasped the gospel became a Christian and was immersed. I could not get enough of Gods word and I consider that the time of my life I felt best about everything. My wife and I moved out of state and stopped going to church, stopped reading the bible and entered a pro-longed period of backsliding. Nineteen months ago my daughter was born and soon after my wife felt the need to practice our faith again. About ten months ago we started to attend a local church and soon became members. Now my problem; I just don't feel the comfort I had before. When I first became a Christian I never questioned the existence of God. I just took it for fact that there was a God, that Christ was his son and that the Bible was solid truth. Now I find inconsistences in the Bible, can't seem to make it fit my life and our times. It feels more like legend to me now then the word of God. I find that I believe more in the scientific account of how the universe and earth were formed and I believe in some form of evolution. I can't believe that earth is the only place with life and I now realize that the 'demons' of old are the mental diseases of today. I learned that their is no historical evidence of Jesus's existence and if there was I would still wonder if he was just a charismatic nut or a super-natural being. I've learned that it was a group of men who made decisions about what would and would not go into the compilation of books called the 'Bible' and I wonder if I can trust them. I mean I would not trust someone in todays day and age who came to me and said " Hey, look here, we put together a bunch of these old writings in to this book and, you know what, its the holy word of God". So how can I believe these long dead folks? That is not even addressing the people who wrote the books in the bible. Is it divine inspiration that caused the creation of the books of the bible? Or is it the fanciful stories of people who did not understand the way the natural world around them worked. I wonder if the Bible is not a compilation of wishful thinking, exaggerations or pure story telling. This is just skimming the surface of the doubts that creep into my mind. What about the Neanderthal man, dinosaurs, super-novas and galaxies. Why are there no outright miracles anymore? No earth standing still, no seas parting, no visions and no thundering voices from heaven. Why no non-biblical record of Christ? Why no demon possessions anymore? Why is my religion correct but the thousands of others wrong? I don't mean to sound anti-Christian, I just seriously have these doubts. I don't know what to do. I want to believe in God, Christ and life after death. I just can't keep from wondering if its all a pipe dream. Then again I look around and I know this didn't all 'just happen'. -- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<*LIVE FREE OR DIE*>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Steve Matson ***COLORADO***