Hey Christians.

[Franklin]

Hey folks, question, have any of you lost your faith only to return to Christianity some time later? If so why? Why did you leave in the first place, and what brought you back?

 

[No*s]

I came close, but I found Orthodoxy before I did. It provided me a way to hold to my faith consistently and in a historical manner. Without that, I probably would have lost it.

 

[i believe in tranquility]

i am currently debating what i truely beilve in. Henotheism or Monotheism.

 

[dawny0826]

Since TRULY becoming a Christian...I haven't had the desire to stray.

Growing up, I really rebelled and took the long and bumpty road to Jesus.

But I didn't really have any faith at that time to lose.

 

[No*s]

i am currently debating what i truely beilve in. Henotheism or Monotheism.

Granted you don't yet have a formed religion, but given your quote from Christ, this might be interesting to you. Henotheism is a subset of monotheism. Virtually all monotheists are henotheists. We believe in angels, in demons, in Satan, etc. These, technically, are created spiritual beings, and in the OT are even called "gods." Likewise the traditional Christian view of the pagan gods (that they are demons), is a henotheistic view.

The only way to be outright monotheistic and not be henotheistic is to deny the existance of any spiritual being besides God. I just figured it'd be interesting food for thought .

 

[dawny0826]

I came close, but I found Orthodoxy before I did. It provided me a way to hold to my faith consistently and in a historical manner. Without that, I probably would have lost it.

What exactly is Orthodoxy if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Endless]

We believe in angels, in demons, in Satan, etc. These, technically, are created spiritual beings, and in the OT are even called "gods.

"

I'm sorry? Maybe the people who did not follow the LORD in that time worshipped gods which the Bible describes as actually being demons - but nowhere have i ever come across spiritual beings being classified as actually being gods in the OT. The old testament makes it very clear that there is only one God.

 

[No*s]

What exactly is Orthodoxy if you don't mind me asking?

We in Orthodoxy would call ourselves the Ancient Church, because of our age (like Roman Catholicism we make the claim to be 2000 years old). A thousand years ago, there was basically one Church, but it split over the issue of the Filioque in the Nicene Creed, papal supremacy, and sadly, some secular politics. Orthodoxy is the eastern side, and Roman Catholicism is the western side. It's a little off-topic here, so the Eastern Orthodox forum would probably be a better spot for the subject.

 

[No*s]

"

I'm sorry? Maybe the people who did not follow the LORD in that time worshipped gods which the Bible describes as actually being demons - but nowhere have i ever come across spiritual beings being classified as actually being gods in the OT. The old testament makes it very clear that there is only one God.

I would love to discuss this with you, but it would be too far off-topic for this thread. If you choose to start a thread on it, I think you'll find that henotheism and monotheism are not mutually exclusive, and that it is the only tenable position with several biblical texts. I cannot, however, debate it in this thread; a debate would hijack the thread entirely.

 

[James the Persian]

What exactly is Orthodoxy if you don't mind me asking?

The belief of the the Eastern Orthodox Church, as it's known in the west, which both No*s and I are members of. You can go and have a look at the Eastern Orthodox forum if you're still unsure, or ask us questions.

I did lose my faith. I was brought up Lutheran, fell out with sola scriptura and the western understanding of God and, thinking that that was what Christianity is, rather than one interpretation, I got out. I wenet searching for something else, became a Karma Kagyu Buddhist for a while and eventually returned to Christianity due to my experiences working out inRomania and particularly the example of one wonderful monk in Suceava. Of course, I returned to Christianity in the Orthodox Church. Had I known about Orthodoxy at the time I became dissatisfied with Lutheranism I'd have probably converted rather than turning my back on Christianity as it clears up every aspect of the faith that I had trouble with as a Protestant.

James

 

[Endless]

I'm interested as i am a protestant - what exactly the aspects of your faith that you had trouble with (just in brief as i don't want to take away from this thread).

 

[James the Persian]

I'm interested as i am a protestant - what exactly the aspects of your faith that you had trouble with (just in brief as i don't want to take away from this thread).

Well, the two biggies were sola scriptura and substitutionary atonement, but there were a host of other smaller issues such as the lack of historical continuity with the early Church and the cop-out of the 'Invisible Church' idea.

With respect to sola scriptura, the idea became difficult for me when I saw the unbelievable number of different Protestant interpretations of the same text and untenable when I found out about Luther's wish to expunge James on theological grounds. Substitutionary atonement struck me as mad, bloodthirsty and unloving. That was the main reason I left Christianity. With that being pretty much the sole soteriological model in western Christianity coupled with my ignorance of the quite different soteriology of the east, I didn't feel I had much choice. I simply couldn't worship a God like that.

James

 

[Franklin]

So it appears that no one here has lost their faith in Jesus, only to return at a later date? I find that very interesting. I would have thought at least one. I have found the orthodox websites very interesting though, thanks.

 

[Aqualung]

I fall away and come back all the time. Sometimes I"ll be thinking of things, and suddenly get this horrid, almost paralising fear that my religion is wrong, and there is no god. But I hesitated to answer, because I did not think this is what you meant in the OP...

 

[BUDDY]

I actually left the church for a while in order to pursue things that I believed were fun and made me happy. I don't know if I ever fully lost faith, but I do know that I was truly lost a the time, if that makes any sense. I finally came to a realization that happiness is not in the party lifestyle, but in being a responsible adult and doing what is right. Eventually this led me back to the church.

 

[James the Persian]

So it appears that no one here has lost their faith in Jesus, only to return at a later date? I find that very interesting. I would have thought at least one. I have found the orthodox websites very interesting though, thanks.

Did you read my posts? I was Lutheran, which is a kind of Christian, then I was an agnostic, then a Buddhist and then I returned to Christianity via the Orthodox Church. Exactly how does that mean that I didn't lose my faith in Christ and return at a later date? Are you trying to say that Lutherans aren't Christians, that we Orthodox aren't Christians, or merely admiting to not having read what I clearly wrote?

James

 

[Franklin]

Did you read my posts? I was Lutheran, which is a kind of Christian, then I was an agnostic, then a Buddhist and then I returned to Christianity via the Orthodox Church. Exactly how does that mean that I didn't lose my faith in Christ and return at a later date? Are you trying to say that Lutherans aren't Christians, that we Orthodox aren't Christians, or merely admiting to not having read what I clearly wrote?

James

Nope didn't get that far down, it appeared the thread was heading in a different direction, and reasked my question. I hit the reply button before I got to you post, poor newsgroup etiquette to be sure. I sincerly apologize for not reading your post earlier.

Moving on, I seem to be following your above path myself, but I started out Mormon, went Lutheran, Christian, agnostic, atheist, Buddhist, and back to agnostic. What a ride. I have been reading about the Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican. I can see the draw to both of these churches. Thank you.

 

[James the Persian]

Nope didn't get that far down, it appeared the thread was heading in a different direction, and reasked my question. I hit the reply button before I got to you post, poor newsgroup etiquette to be sure. I sincerly apologize for not reading your post earlier.

Moving on, I seem to be following your above path myself, but I started out Mormon, went Lutheran, Christian, agnostic, atheist, Buddhist, and back to agnostic. What a ride. I have been reading about the Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican. I can see the draw to both of these churches. Thank you.

Fair enough. I was wondering if you were having a dig at Orthodoxy for not being Christian (wouldn't be the first time someone's done that). If you appreciate the Orthodox Church, though, I can see I was allowing myself to get a little carried away. Sorry.

Whilst I was Lutheran, being in England I mostly had to attend Anglican churches as a child. Personally, I don't see the attraction there, though I do know some wonderful people who are Anglicans - each to their own. What I can't imagine is being drawn to both Anglicanism and Orthodoxy as they are so different. There are some Anglicans (C.S. Lewis springs to mind) who are very close to us, but they seem few and far between and a lot less common now than they were back in Lewis's day.

James

 

[Franklin]

I fall away and come back all the time. Sometimes I"ll be thinking of things, and suddenly get this horrid, almost paralising fear that my religion is wrong, and there is no god. But I hesitated to answer, because I did not think this is what you meant in the OP...

What causes the fear? For me the fear is that I am wrong, and God exists. My concern is that I do not fully believe. When I have believed, I still have that doubt in the back of my mind, bu I still find myself praying on occasion. Weird I know but it is nice to know I am not the only one.

 

[michel]

Hey folks, question, have any of you lost your faith only to return to Christianity some time later? If so why? Why did you leave in the first place, and what brought you back?

Maybe not so much lost as 'put on a back burner' (which in my way of looking at it is much the same)

To me, to be a Christian is to behave like one, to be proactively reflecting Jesus in the way you try to deal with whatever comes up. Just because I still believed in Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for us, IMO didn't make me a Christian, if that was my only interaction with my Faith. I need to feel that I am eating, breathing Christ all the time.