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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My teen wants to attend church and join the youth group. I'm agnostic and hadn't been taking the kids to church but we used to go when they were younger, and we attend when visiting grandparents.

I actually like attending church, the mission work they do, and think it's an overall positive place for families. Problem is, I feel like I'm out of place because I'm not a believer.

I told my teen we'd go tomorrow and found a Lutheran church nearby that looks like a good fit. Do others feel this way? What's your advice? Ps, if it matters I'm a single parent...dad lives far away and not very involved.[/quote]

OP, please go. I think you will be surprised at how welcome you feel. The church is nothing more than a group of people who struggle every day with their faith. There is nothing wrong with this -- doubt (or even "disbelief") is not the opposite of faith. It's part of it.

If your teen wants to go, it says to me that s/he is looking for a community. As I'm sure you know, there are far, far worse communities of kids that your child could be involved with. This is a very positive thing and if I were in your shoes, I would fully support.[/quote]

Great response! I couldn't agree more!! Find a welcoming church your son likes.  I would encourage it and its true, we all have doubts!! Even "believers"[/quote]

Not everyone has religious doubts.  Some people who have left supernatural-based religion have no doubts that they did the right thing.  It can get hard trying to believe things that don't make sense and for which there is no evidence.  It can be a great relief to stop trying to believe those things.  Of course, it also means giving up the idea of eternal life or having a special powerful friend who's always looking out for you, but those were imaginary anyway. [/quote]

Oh, here we go. As if on cue, the DCUM Resident Atheist chimes in again, telling us all how superior and enlightened s/he, compared to people with religious faith. For someone who is not a believer, PP, you sure do spend a lot of time in the Religion Form. I can only conclude that just because you claim to have given up on God, clearly the Holy Spirit has not given up on you.[/quote]

There are several atheists here.  Above was a simple explanation of how some people avoid religious doubt by not trying to make themselves believe things that seem unbelievable.  There's nothing superior or enlightened about it.  It's very simple.[/quote]

The apparent need for "several" atheists (not convinced that is true) to constantly participate in discussions on the religion forum, and chime in with basically the same comment over and over, no matter the topic at hand, stems from a feeling of personal superiority. You're right, that is very simple to understand.[/quote]

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