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I don't know why this is such a big deal to you but the first thing the Bible does is explain why we live forever. We live forever because Adam and Eve's Minds were uploaded to a computer. Our whole universe exists inside that computer. A tree like computer.
wow. That one almost had coffee coming out of my nose.
I'm going through a midlife crises right now and don't know who to talk to about this, and it's tearing at my heart and soul lately. So anyone here willing to read/listen to what I have to say, thank you.
Forgive me if I ramble, but right now I'm in a state of despair and don't know who to go to about some of these things.
I was raised Protestant evangelical and never had a problem with Christ - I always believed, or at least never really questioned the truthfulness of the story of Christ. Even through college (where today as many of you know that is where many impressionable young adults lose their Christian faith) my faith held steady and I was not swayed.
But lately...I don't know what it is, but I'm struggling to believe.
I've been through a few things in my life, and more things in the last few years.
Alcoholism - I finally (hopefully) have gotten sober - it will be a full year since my last drink here shortly, for the first time in my adult life I got a year sober. I totally cars, been in several treatments, detox, jail, ruined relationships - the whole nine. But I never really lost my faith, and in some ways I always felt my faith kept me alive through all of the carnage I left behind from it, by the way.
Death - my mother committed suicide not long ago. My father and I found her hanging. She was bipolar but a devout Christian - she led my father to Christ, tried to raise her children in the faith, but went off her meds and my father and I found her deceased not long ago.
Broken relationships - I've had a few girlfriends over the years. relationships that lasted as long as 5 years, but the girl I was with lastly found some unemployed drug dealer and got pregnant with him. That kind of rocked me a little bit.
But I think what's really been tugging at me lately is HELL. I'm having a hard time lining that up with Jesus/Christ/God.
I've always beeb raised to believe that there is Heaven and there is Hell, and many of the things I see today are A LOT of people are going to Hell. Those practicing alternative lifestyles are most likely all going to Hell according to my religion; those not practicing my Faith are going to Hell (that means all the Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, maybe even Catholics are all going to an Eternal Hell).
My mother's passing didn't shake me as much as I thought it would (we didn't have a good relationship) but lately I miss her more. I wanted for us to grow as she and I got older. My girlfriend getting pregnant definitely made me question why I'm here, and then for some reason this thought of Hell is kind of like the final thing that has just got me confused.
You know...I've always felt like Christ answered some of my prayers. Some real biggies, too.
I was so broken and destroyed by my alcholism that I couldn't find a job, and I got a stretch of sobriety a few years back and just prayed and prayed and prayed and one day, I opened a link to a job thinking there was no way, and I went for the interview....and I got that job.
It was like God answered my prayer.
Then, when I needed a car and was doing some serious prayer and daily devotions, I got the best purchase on a car I have ever had in my life. Again, it was like God answered my prayer.
Then, I was out of relationships for years from 2013 to about 2015 and then again, I felt desperate and alone and just prayed, and then God sent me my girlfriend and that felt again like he answered my prayer.
And finally, my sobriety for once in my life feels like it's here to stay, and again I feel like it's a miracle, and possibly because of prayer.
But....I lost that job (due to a relapse a couple years ago), then I lost that girlfriend who I thought cared about me (and she went and got pregnant) and in addition to my thoughts about Hell, I'm just kind of broken right now.
I'm 36 years old, by the way.
Recently, when I feel like there might be no God at all - like all this time I've been believing in...Nothing - my whole world feels like it's dark and cold.
Last night at work (I work alone) it felt so cold and dark. With no God...what is there?
Do we just go dark when we die? That's it? Is there Heaven? Hell? Nothing?
I'm sorry for rambling but I just needed to write this out to someone, somewhere, with some degree of anonymity.
Thank you for reading. God bless.
Let's hope this isn't for creative writing class somewhere...........
Quote from OP.....(I've always beeb raised to believe that there is Heaven and there is Hell, and many of the things I see today are A LOT of people are going to Hell. Those practicing alternative lifestyles are most likely all going to Hell according to my religion; those not practicing my Faith are going to Hell (that means all the Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, maybe even Catholics are all going to an Eternal Hell).
Your observation is the downside of the believer, and Jesus spoke more about hell than anybody. The road is wide that leads there and the heart breaks over this. It is real and the torment is eternal (we don't fade to
black) and I think we all wrestle with this one. Our job is to tell the world that they don't have to go there, and we serve a God of love who wants the world to be with Him. We shout it loud but the masses of people aren't interested in the message even when Jesus was here in person.
If you are a real believer......and should you want to re-affirm that let me post the gospel of grace that saves today......not many know it.......
1Cor 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being SAVED, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
Believe and trust in Jesus according to that and you are as saved as can be and GOD WILL HOLD YOU IN HIS HAND FOR ALL ETERNITY.
We all will have the same troubles as anyone else, but Jesus will be going through it with us........
First Sorry to hear about all your troubles. but it's one thing that stick out in all that you have said, God have always been there with you. Kavalier at 36 you been through a lot. but as I was told, in my 30's going through some, not all of the things you're are going through, just look around someone have it even worst. but take hope you're still alive and now set to make a Change in not only your life but someone else life. the keywords here are LIFE and LOVE. remember you said God answered your prayers, "Some real biggies, too". it is the LOVE of God toward you. and was he not with you in time of need? as you said got the Job. just remember what you said about God.
now I might not answer all of your question, but the Lord can. I would like to speak to you on "LIFE" and the "LOVE OF GOD". for the Love one whom you lost, but NOT Jesus, here is a scripture to consider, Romans 14:8 & 9 "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. 9 "For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living". these scriptures gave me GREAT hope while I'm living and if/when I die I have the same comfort. for all Soul are his. and the Lord Jesus is a LOVING God. his Grace and mercy is everlasting. for he looses no one. David say let thy GRACE/LIFE and MERCY/LOVE follow me all the days of my life.
now as for Satan he's a deceiver only. he have no power, he can only deceive us. as said if one think that their life is the only one in a mess, just look abound.
Hell is only a place, and not made for any to stay. the Lord Jesus is in control of it. as well as heaven is his too.
I have spoke unto you on Life...death...God...Satan...Heaven...Hell as you asked. now here is the the GOOD NEWS for you. you have made it, you have overcome. YOU NOW CAN BE A WITNESS TO SOMEONE ELSE. you have been through the fire you have been tested. now you can make a different in someone else, "LIFE". because you have a "TESTIMONY".
what greater tool one can one have. yes, silver and Gold you might not have now, but what you do have is more better than silver and Gold, a "TESTIMONY".
Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me".
I leave you with this, Read the book of Job.
PCY
Do you believe in hell?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vf6cruiser
Let's hope this isn't for creative writing class somewhere...........
What do you mean? My writing is poor? I'm sorry but I was just hammering away at the computer just trying to let some of this out.
Hi Kavalier. We all go through rough times at various points in our lives, and you've had your share. I'm sorry you had to go through the experience of your mother committing suicide recently.
Right now you have doubts about whether God exists and whether there is life after physical death. I tend to think that every believer has doubts to some degree or other from time to time about these things. But the Christian faith is a historical faith based on things that have happened in actual history. The most important thing concerning whether what the Bible says is true also has the best historically attested evidence. And that is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ was truly resurrected then we can be confident that He is who He claimed to be and that God exists and that there is life after death. With that in mind I want to point you to some presentations of that historical evidence for you to examine for yourself and decide if the evidence makes sense to you and if you find it valid. And I hope that you will take the time to actually examine the evidence that is presented. This is after all for your own peace of mind.
First, the following video is by Gary Habermas, distinguished professor and chair of the department of philosophy and theology at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and a recognized authority on the resurrection of Jesus.
The Resurrection Argument That Changed a Generation of Scholars - Gary Habermas at UCSB
Second, I want to recommend the following book by J. Warner Wallace. The book is called 'Cold Case Christianity.' Wallace is a retired cold case homicide detective who as an atheist put his detective skills to work in examining the claims of the Gospels and as a result of finding the evidence valid, came to believe in Jesus.
It will take a bit of time on your part to listen to the videos and read the book, but you owe it to yourself to examine the evidence for yourself. Hopefully you will find the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus to be valid and that it will give you confidence in the truthfulness of the Christian faith.
meaning the GRAVE, yes. for we all return to the dust. but the resurrection is coming. and my Hope is that I be CHANGED. put your hope in Christ Jesus.
PCJ
Last edited by mensaguy; 01-09-2018 at 04:19 PM..
Reason: Added closing quote tag
I'm going through a midlife crises right now and don't know who to talk to about this, and it's tearing at my heart and soul lately. So anyone here willing to read/listen to what I have to say, thank you.
Forgive me if I ramble, but right now I'm in a state of despair and don't know who to go to about some of these things.
I was raised Protestant evangelical and never had a problem with Christ - I always believed, or at least never really questioned the truthfulness of the story of Christ. Even through college (where today as many of you know that is where many impressionable young adults lose their Christian faith) my faith held steady and I was not swayed.
But lately...I don't know what it is, but I'm struggling to believe.
I've been through a few things in my life, and more things in the last few years.
Alcoholism - I finally (hopefully) have gotten sober - it will be a full year since my last drink here shortly, for the first time in my adult life I got a year sober. I totally cars, been in several treatments, detox, jail, ruined relationships - the whole nine. But I never really lost my faith, and in some ways I always felt my faith kept me alive through all of the carnage I left behind from it, by the way.
Death - my mother committed suicide not long ago. My father and I found her hanging. She was bipolar but a devout Christian - she led my father to Christ, tried to raise her children in the faith, but went off her meds and my father and I found her deceased not long ago.
Broken relationships - I've had a few girlfriends over the years. relationships that lasted as long as 5 years, but the girl I was with lastly found some unemployed drug dealer and got pregnant with him. That kind of rocked me a little bit.
But I think what's really been tugging at me lately is HELL. I'm having a hard time lining that up with Jesus/Christ/God.
I've always beeb raised to believe that there is Heaven and there is Hell, and many of the things I see today are A LOT of people are going to Hell. Those practicing alternative lifestyles are most likely all going to Hell according to my religion; those not practicing my Faith are going to Hell (that means all the Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, maybe even Catholics are all going to an Eternal Hell).
My mother's passing didn't shake me as much as I thought it would (we didn't have a good relationship) but lately I miss her more. I wanted for us to grow as she and I got older. My girlfriend getting pregnant definitely made me question why I'm here, and then for some reason this thought of Hell is kind of like the final thing that has just got me confused.
You know...I've always felt like Christ answered some of my prayers. Some real biggies, too.
I was so broken and destroyed by my alcholism that I couldn't find a job, and I got a stretch of sobriety a few years back and just prayed and prayed and prayed and one day, I opened a link to a job thinking there was no way, and I went for the interview....and I got that job.
It was like God answered my prayer.
Then, when I needed a car and was doing some serious prayer and daily devotions, I got the best purchase on a car I have ever had in my life. Again, it was like God answered my prayer.
Then, I was out of relationships for years from 2013 to about 2015 and then again, I felt desperate and alone and just prayed, and then God sent me my girlfriend and that felt again like he answered my prayer.
And finally, my sobriety for once in my life feels like it's here to stay, and again I feel like it's a miracle, and possibly because of prayer.
But....I lost that job (due to a relapse a couple years ago), then I lost that girlfriend who I thought cared about me (and she went and got pregnant) and in addition to my thoughts about Hell, I'm just kind of broken right now.
I'm 36 years old, by the way.
Recently, when I feel like there might be no God at all - like all this time I've been believing in...Nothing - my whole world feels like it's dark and cold.
Last night at work (I work alone) it felt so cold and dark. With no God...what is there?
Do we just go dark when we die? That's it? Is there Heaven? Hell? Nothing?
I'm sorry for rambling but I just needed to write this out to someone, somewhere, with some degree of anonymity.
Thank you for reading. God bless.
You've been through a lot. It's hard not to allow our circumstances to drag us down sometimes and I've been there, so I get it. The most important thing I ever learned is that we are able to choose what we focus on, and to find those thoughts which lift us up rather than send us into a cold, dark place. If you need help learning how to do that, then by all means, get help. It's vital to your peace of mind.
If a belief in hell is a stumbling block to you trusting God, then dump that belief. There are plenty of Christians who do not believe in hell, and can walk you through why they believe the bible teaches no such thing. If you're interested, I'll post links for you to read. But, if reading/studying that subject is not your cup of tea, trust your instincts in this when you say hell doesn't fit with what you know of God/Christ. And, lastly, you don't need to believe in hell to believe in God. So, don't let that one thing be the breaking point for you.
You've been through a lot. It's hard not to allow our circumstances to drag us down sometimes and I've been there, so I get it. The most important thing I ever learned is that we are able to choose what we focus on, and to find those thoughts which lift us up rather than send us into a cold, dark place. If you need help learning how to do that, then by all means, get help. It's vital to your peace of mind.
If a belief in hell is a stumbling block to you trusting God, then dump that belief. There are plenty of Christians who do not believe in hell, and can walk you through why they believe the bible teaches no such thing. If you're interested, I'll post links for you to read. But, if reading/studying that subject is not your cup of tea, trust your instincts in this when you say hell doesn't fit with what you know of God/Christ. And, lastly, you don't need to believe in hell to believe in God. So, don't let that one thing be the breaking point for you.
If there is no Hell, then why should I believe anything? Why should the Faith I was raised in (Protestant evangelical Christianity) be anything but a fraud since day one, and therefore my "Faith" a fraud as well?
I think this is the conundrum I'm colliding with right now. And it makes my stomach turn...and it makes my world dark to think all these years my "faith" was a fraud.
Then indeed there is no God - Christmas and Easter and Islam and homosexuality and transgenderism (I know that's not a word) and various other things I was raised to believe were wrong and hell bound...then none of it means anything.
Basically at that point - when I arrive at that point - my life - our life - none of any of this means anything anymore.
Why shouldn't I just give up and go on the street and drink myself to death when I come to that conclusion? Of what consequence is any of this life anymore if we just "fade to black" (like someone else here said and like the Metallica song)?
If there is no Hell, then why should I believe anything? Why should the Faith I was raised in (Protestant evangelical Christianity) be anything but a fraud since day one, and therefore my "Faith" a fraud as well?
I think this is the conundrum I'm colliding with right now. And it makes my stomach turn...and it makes my world dark to think all these years my "faith" was a fraud.
Because the institution that taught you had been perverted from the message of Christ through the desire of its leadership to control its followers rather than actually lead in the Way Jesus taught?
His message is not wrong. how it was transmitted to you is.
If there is no Hell, then why should I believe anything? Why should the Faith I was raised in (Protestant evangelical Christianity) be anything but a fraud since day one, and therefore my "Faith" a fraud as well?
I think this is the conundrum I'm colliding with right now. And it makes my stomach turn...and it makes my world dark to think all these years my "faith" was a fraud.
Then indeed there is no God - Christmas and Easter and Islam and homosexuality and transgenderism (I know that's not a word) and various other things I was raised to believe were wrong and hell bound...then none of it means anything.
Basically at that point - when I arrive at that point - my life - our life - none of any of this means anything anymore.
Why shouldn't I just give up and go on the street and drink myself to death when I come to that conclusion? Of what consequence is any of this life anymore if we just "fade to black" (like someone else here said and like the Metallica song)?
As I said before, I have no idea why you think this is such a big deal. What's right is still right. What's wrong is still wrong.
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