Struggling With Faith.., Christian Blog, Christian Blogs, ChristianBlog.Com

Struggling With Faith..

This blog post is going to be sort of a 'Introduction'/'Advice Seeking' post. So let me do the introduction first!

My name is Jacob! I'm 15 years old, and have grown up within the church. Both of my parents are pretty conservative, whereas I am more Centrist. I have two siblings (A younger brother and older sister). My first blog post was my little brother

...So if, by chance, you spot it, then please note that it wasn't me who posted it. Some of my hobbies include reading, tennis, the arts, friends, learning, and debate. I'm constantly in pursuit of knowledge and feel that, aside from my christian beliefs, it's the most important thing. I love helping others in need and am very empathetic towards others. I love a good argument and enjoy learning about other people's perspective on different topics. Foreign language is a major hobby as well. I currently know intermediate spanish and hope to also learn french and german. I love practicing with native speakers! At times, I can be an introvert. I love being around people, but cherish my alone time as well. That's pretty much me, in a nutshell!

Now, about this whole 'Advice Seeking' part. Lately, I have been struggling with having faith in the existence of God. I believe this is due in part to some of my atheist friends who have had some influence on me. I sometimes feel like there are more logical answers existing for 'Why we are here', or 'Why things happen the way they do' that don't require blind faith. I have studied the bible, and feel like there are many contradictions. I suppose this is to be expected when a document is written over the course of centuries by different people. Furthermore, I sometimes feel like many 'miraculous phenomenon' (in both the bible and our modern day world) are all placebo. My struggles seem to have a direct correlation with my tendencies to question everything. I feel as though all things need an answer, and it seems that this is lacking within the Christian Faith. Why build beliefs upon blind faith, when you have physical proof?

It's all very confusing. Surely some of you have gone through similar problems? How did you overcome them?

Thanks a bunch

posted: 06/30/2009 02:34pm by jsewell94 View: Backlinks, Permalink Total Views: 336 ShortURL: http://christianblog.com/f331 Category: Apologetics & Theology	Print This Blog Entry
Blog Tags: christian, faith, friends, learning, love, seeking,
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Author Details:

Author: jsewell94
Location: Springfield Missouri USA
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Blog Entries: 2 (archive)
Blog Comments: 2

My Biography:

I'm Jacob!...

My Testimony:

Hello! My name is Jacob! I am fairly new to this website. What are your names?...

My Recent Blogs:

I Felt The Spirit...

dear jsewell94,

i have often asked my husband "why doesn't God just provide some evidence of His existence, so those who question will know the truth?" his answer "because God wants us to believe and have faith... if you provide the proof, there is no need for faith".

i think asking questions and searching for answers is a good thing, but there are just some things you can't provide an answer for. ask one of your siblings to close their eyes, then take their hand and lightly run your finger over their palm. ask him/her what you just did and how they knew what you were doing. they should answer "because i feel it".

it's the same with faith... you feel it in your heart, you know it's real but no amount of explaining will ever do it justice.

hope this helps ! take care!

Posted 06/30/2009 03:16pm
Author: barbarajean

Interesting analogy! Another good one is 'We can't see, or touch love. We can only feel it.' I guess it's probably the same thing with Jesus. You can't necessarily see it, because it's not something tangible. But you can definitely feel it within your heart and mind!

Thanks for the response!

Posted 06/30/2009 03:21pm
Author: jsewell94

Hi Jacob. I am amazed that you are only fifteen. So much of what you say shows that you are a student, a thinker and very much what "religion" needs. I am going into my eightieth year and I still do not believe in blind acceptance. I would still debate if only to sharpen my argument, if not to cause another to re-examine theirs. One statement has resonated with me, however, and allowed me to relax on this whole matter: " reason is not the means by which we come to know God" Many times we set reason aside to experience something in our life. Perhaps it those unreasonable experiences good or bad that shape us and allow us experience things that could never have been experienced otherwise. You might read my testimony as it reflects something of this.

Posted 06/30/2009 03:49pm
Author: hiswitness

I'm really curious about what you specifically question. I have can identify with similar struggles though I have been a believer for 9 years and am 33 years of age. I also pursue logic and reason in my quest for greater faith and understanding of God. Having done a lot of Hermeneutical studies over the years (which involves doing word studies of the original Hebrew and Greek from the English translation as well as researching the historical context of passages) I have had a lot of questions resolved. Maybe I can help you with easily misunderstood passages. Is there anything you would you like me to attempt at answering for you? I don't know if I'll be answer them but I would certainly like a shot at it.

Posted 07/05/2009 10:49am
Author: gypsygirl

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