I'm not a Christian because I was raised to be, tho they did drag me off to church sometimes. The first coupla times I was excited, five years old, going to the place where God goes, and expecting to see or feel SOMETHING other than what being alive felt like. Expecting to see people who were somehow tangibly different, but ,,  phhhht, worse than disappointing. It was deathly boring, near funereal, I was almost starting to hunt for the coffin. Surely there had been a death. And the people who insisted I go? I saw no change in their lives. I saw no blessings.
I saw no heartfelt joy. So, I rebelled against the ritual of getting up, getting dressed up and going to a place where everyone was pretending that by being there, they were somehow made better. God's name wasn't used in my family very much. When it was, it was followed by darn, and no, I didn't type darn..
I'm a Christian NOT because I was taught to be, actually, only one grandma was a good representative and I was only around her during Summer visits to the farm, and she had little direct contact and about zero influence. I was a hellian, hyperactive, imaginative and dangerous boy. Dangerous only to myself.
So, WHY am I a Christian? Something happened to me when I was very young, and I had forgotten about it, but , after much soul searching, I remembered, and the event was not something that I would explain to anyone in such a formal as this. But, if there is anything I'm certain of, it's that Jesus hung on a cross.
I can't say what parts of the Bible are literal, what is actually meant to be there, what's been omitted for political purposes, nothing. I can say some of it Really speaks to me. Some, I just don't get. But, here's the deal about the necessity of the Bible.


You're shipwrecked. You are the only survivor. You get to an island and find sufficient food, water and shelter for survival.
You're not a Christian. Now, alone, your mind starts to consider the possibility. Your heart starts to see. All of your past comes into view. You start to grasp a deeper understanding of WHY certain things are wrong, and you develop a relationship with God, in prayer.
No Bible. Just a contrite heart. And understanding and salvation is free. Knowing every Bible verse will not save your soul.

I don't go to church. I've been in a bunch of them. Not looking for one. I can say that I've had no truly traumatic experiences or seen the things you've seen in church. Those events don't make God a non entity. If you have decided based on those events, well, I'm surprised.

Interesting choice you offered for Christian. I find it telling you would separate it as such, I think you are selling your own awareness, of believing, or not, short.
For faith to be real, it has to be absolute, not kinda pregnant.
Man inherently is not capable of its requirements, as he is fallen.
Yet, salvation is still possible.

Faith is not having to jump through hoops, or having a government sanction it with a pledge, or scripting verse on its currency, yet, that is what many "want"........    

Believing is an extremely personal relationship, and needs no further exterior, or ulterior support, for it to sustain.

Maybe I am reading too much into your reason to separate the question, but from my POV, it shows to me you understand something about "believing" others, that profess to, don't.

On a personal note, my relationship with God was superfluous, for what  I was lacking, until I came to him honestly. How that translate in my own life was this.....
I believed I had to pretend I was happy. I would praise him when I didn't feel it, or mean it.
Not until I accepted my anger at him, and the unjust things that I saw and experienced in my life, and gave him both barrels of buckshot I had been harboring for ALL my life, did it change.

I feel this was really all he was waiting for, me being honest in ALL things.
I can not grasp repair, if I don't acknowledge what is broke.
I kid you not, I had one of those awakenings that was instantaneous....
What use to baffle me, did no more.
I had knowledge of things that I had no clue, I even knew about such things  
In short, his spirit filled me as promised, for I am way too stupid to acquire this understanding on my own  

And this "knowledge" is why I think your reasoning to separate the question thus, suggest to me you have a deeper understanding of faith, than a lot of confessor portend.

You may breath now  

Yeah, the Name it and Claim It bunch.

Proclaim that
I am well, my health is restored.
All day, until I believe it. Then I will have proven my faith.

Phhhhht,,,

My kid walks up to Me, hands me a toy busted into ten pieces and says

My toy is whole.

I'm gonna be a bit confused.


If he wants me to fix it, he should tell me it's Busted.

Whatever Enoch did, I wish I could do.

Serowbot wrote on 02/07/16 at 08:27:40:


Or is it the "Agnostic / Iffy"  part that people are claiming ???? There is a difference.

How many of you believe in some kind of after life?  

Best regards,

raydawg wrote on 02/07/16 at 16:27:21: