For all Christians out there, what are the hardest questions that you struggle with

[Anonymous]

The Protestant doctrine on tithing
All based on one verse in the old testament, where it talks about giving it to a levite priest
Also the general hypocrisy, judging and narrow mindedness

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why people quote the Old Testament. Jesus clearly came to get rid of the hateful teachings of the old testament.

Really? Someone should have told him.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I struggle with people looking away from suffering and denying others health care, a living wage, and engaging in mass incarceration of poor people. How are they Christian like I am? I do not understand how they can care about abortion but not loving and compassionate about poverty and human dignity. It makes no sense.

I do think some Christians focus too much on punishing people for their actions or just for no reason and don’t apply the principles of mercy and compassion into their daily lives. But you have to remember that not everyone who calls themselves Christian is a true Christian. There’s all different types of Christians: good, bad, hypocritical, judgemental. Ultimately how the Bible tells us to treat people is what’s most important. Even if other so-called Christians disregard what Jesus taught, you can still do what you know is right.

And it is hard to see other Christians give Christianity a bad name, but we should take it upon ourselves to educate them to be better. Some people are just lost and needed some guidance to get back on track.

Yeah well most Christians are unbelievably hypocritical, judgmental, and cruel (see for example, basically the entire GOP and anyone who supports Trump) and that’s a big reason I can’t stomach organized religion.

I understand your point. But there are lots of good Christians in organized religion that I know and who’ve helped me and I try not to let a few bad eggs ruin the whole bunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Protestant doctrine on tithing
All based on one verse in the old testament, where it talks about giving it to a levite priest
Also the general hypocrisy, judging and narrow mindedness

We aren’t bound by the OT law anymore, so tithing is not required. But the Bible says we should give to the poor and be generous, so I guess that could be called tithing. Anything else about tithing is made up by the church probably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there’s a God, how do you explain:

Kids suffering and dying of cancer

The tsunami that killed 200k people in Thailand and Indonesia

Does he just not care?

Shit happens. It is a sin cursed world. God isn’t present as he was in the Old Testament. We live in the age of grace. You need to read your bible.

That’s so lame. Shit happens? Are you really going to tell YOUR dying kid that shit happens. I hope you get to test your faith one day soon IRL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Protestant doctrine on tithing
All based on one verse in the old testament, where it talks about giving it to a levite priest
Also the general hypocrisy, judging and narrow mindedness

We aren’t bound by the OT law anymore, so tithing is not required. But the Bible says we should give to the poor and be generous, so I guess that could be called tithing. Anything else about tithing is made up by the church probably.

Yes, it is
I looked into church history. It was introduced into doctrine by US Evangelicals early last century. Not practiced before
Please don't claim that churches do not pressure members into practicing this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there’s a God, how do you explain:

Kids suffering and dying of cancer

The tsunami that killed 200k people in Thailand and Indonesia

Does he just not care?

Oy. This question has been answered many times by theologians. Do your fvcking homework...

No it hasn’t.

No one can provide a satisfactory answer to this. This is why so many Jews left religion after surviving the Holocaust death camps.

Do your f*cking homework.

There is no definitive answer as to why some people suffer and others do not. That’s why it’s called faith.

I am a Christian and I agree with this. It's the honest thing sometimes to say we don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Protestant doctrine on tithing
All based on one verse in the old testament, where it talks about giving it to a levite priest
Also the general hypocrisy, judging and narrow mindedness

We aren’t bound by the OT law anymore, so tithing is not required. But the Bible says we should give to the poor and be generous, so I guess that could be called tithing. Anything else about tithing is made up by the church probably.

Yes, it is
I looked into church history. It was introduced into doctrine by US Evangelicals early last century. Not practiced before
Please don't claim that churches do not pressure members into practicing this

Churches do pressure people to tithe and donate. I have heard bad stories about this. But a lot of churches I’ve been to are struggling to survive, and they need help. So I don’t just ignore their request to tithes as if it’s only motivated by greed, because a lot of times that’s not the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there’s a God, how do you explain:

Kids suffering and dying of cancer

The tsunami that killed 200k people in Thailand and Indonesia

Does he just not care?

So the question of suffering is a common question and one that’s hard to grasp. Bad things happen because of sin, which was caused by the Fall. While God does care for everyone, He’s not going to stop all suffering because there is sin. It may seem cruel that God doesn’t stop bad things from happening to bad people, especially children. But we have to remember that this life is temporary. Christians believe in life after death. In heaven, there will be no suffering for eternity. Bad things happen now, but we must endure it and look to a future in heaven. Some bad things are a trial by God to test those to see how much faith they have in His promise that good will triumph in the end

But if you try hard enough, you can rationalize it, just as pp has attempted above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For me, it is the biblical prohibition on homosexual behavior, as well as Paul's writings on women in the church. I am not someone who just pretends the Bible does not say things that I don't like. Anyone who has known a homosexual person knows that it is not some sort of "choice," and yet the bible is very clear. It just seems to me to go so much against Jesus' loving, inclusive message. I also think that Paul's writing on women specifically set women back for thousands of years. Why did these things happen? Even if we assume that Paul's teachings were based more on his opinion, how do we reconcile the last 2,000 years? It's a really difficult topic for me.

Homosexuality is a sin in gods eyes. As are many of the things we ALL do on a daily basis. The good news is that this is why we have Jesus! Thanks Jesus!!!

I truly do not think this is true. There are a lot of thoughtful theologians who think homosexuality is not a sin, the passages generally used to oppose it can be understood in more than one way. I think Jesus would have us read the Bible in terms of how to love greatly and selflessly.

I don't expect to change PP's mind, but want any LGBTQ readers to know there are churches that will welcome and value you as you are.

It’s because we love people that we tell them what things are wrong and will hurt them, even if they don’t see the long term effects. When parents scold children for doing wrong, it is out of love, because we don’t want them to repeat the same mistakes that we all have made. Love isn’t always about telling you that everything you’re doing is okay or acceptable, it’s about caring about people’s well being and their eternal future. I want as many people as possible to go to heaven, that’s why I tell them the truth, even if it hurts. Because I care about them and love them. Like what Jesus preached

It's because we like feeling superior to people that we use religion to help us express our superiority. I feel my religion gives me liberty to be rude to people, in the name of Jesus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
We are all born with a sin nature and suffer because of it, but there’s a reason for it. God uses it as a trial for us. Sin is always a choice, you can give in to your desires or not. Young boys from a REALLY early age may feel like their gay. But young boys also feel the desire to lie, cheat, fight other kids, and do other bad things. I would never blame a boy for feeling like he’s gay. Never. I would simply explain when they are old enough about how we are all tempted. No one’s born gay and doesn’t have a choice, but EVERYONE is born with a sin nature that wants to do bad things. It’s always our choice though. And we should never make fun of or shame or tease people who say they are gay wrong. That’s is very wrong.

I would simply tell him he's wrong about his sexual orientation; that it's against biblical authority and if he engages in homosexual acts, he will burn in hell for eternity. As a Christin, I owe it to him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If there’s a God, how do you explain:

Kids suffering and dying of cancer

The tsunami that killed 200k people in Thailand and Indonesia

Does he just not care?

Oy. This question has been answered many times by theologians. Do your fvcking homework...

No it hasn’t.

No one can provide a satisfactory answer to this. This is why so many Jews left religion after surviving the Holocaust death camps.

Do your f*cking homework.

There is no definitive answer as to why some people suffer and others do not. That’s why it’s called faith.

I am a Christian and I agree with this. It's the honest thing sometimes to say we don't know.

Perhaps the honest thing to say is that suffering is random and has nothing to do with faith. People suffer with and without faith

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For me, it is the biblical prohibition on homosexual behavior, as well as Paul's writings on women in the church. I am not someone who just pretends the Bible does not say things that I don't like. Anyone who has known a homosexual person knows that it is not some sort of "choice," and yet the bible is very clear. It just seems to me to go so much against Jesus' loving, inclusive message. I also think that Paul's writing on women specifically set women back for thousands of years. Why did these things happen? Even if we assume that Paul's teachings were based more on his opinion, how do we reconcile the last 2,000 years? It's a really difficult topic for me.

Homosexuality is a sin in gods eyes. As are many of the things we ALL do on a daily basis. The good news is that this is why we have Jesus! Thanks Jesus!!!

I truly do not think this is true. There are a lot of thoughtful theologians who think homosexuality is not a sin, the passages generally used to oppose it can be understood in more than one way. I think Jesus would have us read the Bible in terms of how to love greatly and selflessly.

I don't expect to change PP's mind, but want any LGBTQ readers to know there are churches that will welcome and value you as you are.

It’s because we love people that we tell them what things are wrong and will hurt them, even if they don’t see the long term effects. When parents scold children for doing wrong, it is out of love, because we don’t want them to repeat the same mistakes that we all have made. Love isn’t always about telling you that everything you’re doing is okay or acceptable, it’s about caring about people’s well being and their eternal future. I want as many people as possible to go to heaven, that’s why I tell them the truth, even if it hurts. Because I care about them and love them. Like what Jesus preached

It's because we like feeling superior to people that we use religion to help us express our superiority. I feel my religion gives me liberty to be rude to people, in the name of Jesus.

You know that’s not what I meant. We don’t force people to do things. Christians get a lot of hate for telling the truth. It’d be easier for us to not try to change people’s minds. It’d be easier for us just to sit back and do nothing. If I really didn’t care, I’d let you live your life however you want, not matter how evil or immoral, if I really didn’t care about the person. The best way to assure a person goes to hell, just tell them “do whatever the heck you want and you’ll be fine”. Or you could tell them the truth, and get a lot of hate for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
We are all born with a sin nature and suffer because of it, but there’s a reason for it. God uses it as a trial for us. Sin is always a choice, you can give in to your desires or not. Young boys from a REALLY early age may feel like their gay. But young boys also feel the desire to lie, cheat, fight other kids, and do other bad things. I would never blame a boy for feeling like he’s gay. Never. I would simply explain when they are old enough about how we are all tempted. No one’s born gay and doesn’t have a choice, but EVERYONE is born with a sin nature that wants to do bad things. It’s always our choice though. And we should never make fun of or shame or tease people who say they are gay wrong. That’s is very wrong.

I would simply tell him he's wrong about his sexual orientation; that it's against biblical authority and if he engages in homosexual acts, he will burn in hell for eternity. As a Christin, I owe it to him.

https://www.crossway.org/articles/what-does-jesus-think-about-homosexuality/

"Never in the Bible does Jesus himself offer an explicit prohibition of homosexuality."

[Anonymous]

Christians like the the quoted one above are pretty hard to relate to