Going back to Christianity.

storm2811

I have been an atheist for 7 or 8 years now but recently I have been thinking about why I became and atheist and religion.
I realised that maybe I still have some faith and that it was just the catholic church,not all religion that I was uninterested in.
I've been contemplating joining the local Anglican Church,not straight away but going to a few services and seeing for myself what other branches of Christianity are like.

The thing is,since I became an atheist,I developed strong beliefs in evolution and same sex marriage,etc. things which I think most branches of Christianity do not agree with.
Would I be able to join a church again/be Christian if I still have these beliefs?

This probably all sounds a bit stupid but obviously I don't want to jump into religion again and do some research first.

johnfás

Hi, welcome to the board .

On the issue of evolution - it is something which is accepted by all the mainstream churches - sometimes to the surprise of detractors of religious people!

Opinons on same sex marriage vary as between persons within congregations, let alone between denominations. Your position on the issue should not be a barrier to your attending any church. Any time I have discussed it in my church I have found a plethora of opinions on the subject and don't believe that anyone was more or less a Christian owing to their point of view.

Best of luck in your search for a new spiritual home. There are lots of different churches and denominations, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Independent, take your time looking about as you find what suits you.

Soul Winner

storm2811 wrote: »

I have been an atheist for 7 or 8 years now but recently I have been thinking about why I became and atheist and religion.
I realised that maybe I still have some faith and that it was just the catholic church,not all religion that I was uninterested in.
I've been contemplating joining the local Anglican Church,not straight away but going to a few services and seeing for myself what other branches of Christianity are like.

The thing is,since I became an atheist,I developed strong beliefs in evolution and same sex marriage,etc. things which I think most branches of Christianity do not agree with.
Would I be able to join a church again/be Christian if I still have these beliefs?

This probably all sounds a bit stupid but obviously I don't want to jump into religion again and do some research first.

You don't have to join any church in oder to become a Christian. You're reasons for becoming a Christian should be based on a belief that Jesus Christ was the divine Son of God who died for your sins and rose again and is alive now preparing a place for you in eternity with Him. Whatever else you happen to believe in after that has no baring (nor should it have) on your Christian faith. Start with Jesus and you can't go wrong. If your not sure about Jesus then I'd do some research and come a conclusion one way or the other before proceeding to join any church. Unless your faith is based on Jesus then there's really no point in basing it on anything else. Read some books about the historicity of Jesus and the rational to believe that He rose from the dead as a fact of history. Pray that God will guide your steps as you walk in faith in Him. Being a Christian is being in a relationship with a Person, a Person who is supposed to be more real to you than anything else and more important too. Get these basics right and you will see fit to choose the right church in the end. I can recommend some good books if you like. Good luck.

catbear

Probably sticking your toe in the water of faiths you're curious about is no harm. Some are very "come as you are", and others start on a formal setting which can be off putting if you're just curious.

I found some reformed churches are very uncomplicated and uncluttered having come from an RCC backround. Some communities will advocate certain practices like no sex before marriage or anti abortion but generally they want to be channels for christs message. They may not agree with your views or maybe they might (who knows) but ultimately they just want to share the gospel and if that improves upon your well being then they are fulfilling their christian duty and they improves their general well being etc..........

Have I confused you?

K.Flyer

There are now so many denominations to choose from, all carrying a similar message. As a wise man once said "The Truth Is One, The Paths Are Many" you will know in your heart when you have found the right one.

catbear

I just read Johnfas reply and i agree with him.

The biggest difference for me coming from a RCC upbringing is that in most non RCC communities my opinion is respected as long as I give it respectively. In other words, you're treated like an adult. An equal with the gift of free will to take or leave it as you please.

storm2811

johnfás wrote: »

Hi, welcome to the board .

On the issue of evolution - it is something which is accepted by all the mainstream churches - sometimes to the surprise of detractors of religious people!

Opinons on same sex marriage vary as between persons within congregations, let alone between denominations. Your position on the issue should not be a barrier to your attending any church. Any time I have discussed it in my church I have found a plethora of opinions on the subject and don't believe that anyone was more or less a Christian owing to their point of view.

Best of luck in your search for a new spiritual home. There are lots of different churches and denominations, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Independent, take your time looking about as you find what suits you.

Thank you,yes I didn't want to change my beliefs for anyone if I was joining a church again.
It's good to hear that evolution is accepted though.
I do plan on attending a few services in different churches as I know a few people who are of different Christian denominations.
After doing some research I was actually surprised (and happy) to find that there are many different churches in my area.

Soul Winner wrote: »

You don't have to join any church in order to become a Christian. You're reasons for becoming a Christian should be based on a belief that Jesus Christ was the divine Son of God who died for your sins and rose again and is alive now preparing a place for you in eternity with Him. Whatever else you happen to believe in after that has no baring (nor should it have) on your Christian faith. Start with Jesus and you can't go wrong. If your not sure about Jesus then I'd do some research and come a conclusion one way or the other before proceeding to join any church. Unless your faith is based on Jesus then there's really no point in basing it on anything else. Read some books about the historicity of Jesus and the rational to believe that He rose from the dead as a fact of history. Pray that God will guide your steps as you walk in faith in Him. Being a Christian is being in a relationship with a Person, a Person who is supposed to be more real to you than anything else and more important too. Get these basics right and you will see fit to choose the right church in the end. I can recommend some good books if you like. Good luck.

I have always believed that Jesus was real and that his teachings were something that everyone should go by,very peaceful overall I think.
Even when I became an atheist I still believed in these things,though I was unsure about him rising from the dead etc.
I think I'll be fine without the books,thanks,I plan on talking to various priests/ministers/preachers on the subject.
I wanted to join a church to be part of a community that shares the same views as myself and I've always liked having a sense of community.

catbear wrote: »

Probably sticking your toe in the water of faiths you're curious about is no harm. Some are very "come as you are", and others start on a formal setting which can be off putting if you're just curious.

I found some reformed churches are very uncomplicated and uncluttered having come from an RCC backround. Some communities will advocate certain practices like no sex before marriage or anti abortion but generally they want to be channels for christs message. They may not agree with your views or maybe they might (who knows) but ultimately they just want to share the gospel and if that improves upon your well being then they are fulfilling their christian duty and they improves their general well being etc..........

Have I confused you?

Not confused at all!
Yes,it will take a while to find the church but I feel it'll be worth it and would be interesting to see more views and practices other than those of the Catholic church,which I was brought up in.

K.Flyer wrote: »

There are now so many denominations to choose from, all carrying a similar message. As a wise man once said "The Truth Is One, The Paths Are Many" you will know in your heart when you have found the right one.

Thanks for the encouraging words.:)

catbear wrote: »

I just read Johnfas reply and i agree with him.

The biggest difference for me coming from a RCC upbringing is that in most non RCC communities my opinion is respected as long as I give it respectively. In other words, you're treated like an adult. An equal with the gift of free will to take or leave it as you please.

Yes,I'm looking for something different than the views of the RCC,as I never really agreed with them.


Something else playing on my mind though is that I'm a bit scared tbh going to all these different churches,that I won't fit in at first like.
I don't know what services are like in other churches first hand at all,which is why I want to go to a few services first to get the jist of things.

antiskeptic

storm2811 wrote: »

Something else playing on my mind though is that I'm a bit scared tbh going to all these different churches,that I won't fit in at first like.

It might be a good measure of the church to see that they make you feel welcome. It's their 'patch' and it's always difficult for someone walking onto someone's 'patch'. Fair dues if they realise it/act on it.

I don't know what services are like in other churches first hand at all,which is why I want to go to a few services first to get the jist of things.

How would you like church to be? Loose, relaxed and personal? Formal and more distant?

I'm just thinking of the various churchs I've been in since I became a Christian. The one is loose whereas the next (even of the same denomination) is tight as a drum.

storm2811

antiskeptic wrote: »

It might be a good measure of the church to see that they make you feel welcome. It's their 'patch' and it's always difficult for someone walking onto someone's 'patch'. Fair dues if they realise it/act on it.

Hopefully anyway.:)

antiskeptic wrote: »

How would you like church to be? Loose, relaxed and personal? Formal and more distant?

I'm just thinking of the various churchs I've been in since I became a Christian. The one is loose whereas the next (even of the same denomination) is tight as a drum.

Yeah,preferrably a kind of relaxed,friendly church rather than a distant one.

catbear

Well for me it's not about fitting in as much as understanding what's being communicated. As someone said it's a personal message.

If you do find yourself in a situation where you feel you have to conform to something that makes you uncomfortable then maybe it's not the right church for you at that time. Just keep going.

I have huge respect for communities that don't judge but rather try to live the christian message. Christs message should be fresh each day and active communities strive to constantly find relevance for themselves as individuals and as a community.

Fanny Cradock

As mentioned, the conflict between evolution and Christianity just doesn't exist in many denominations or in the minds of individual Christians. Evolution is neither incompatible with Christianity nor essentially atheistic. For a scientist's input you can listen to any of the relevant talks here (Denis Alexander is one name to look out for). Alternatively, at the same link you can listen (or read) to the opinions of someone like Ernest Lucas, a theologian, on how Genesis and evolution are compatible.

As for same sex marriages, you might be interested in the opinions expressed in this thread.

In terms of a general (re)introduction to Christianity, I would encourage you to read this book by Bishop Tom Wright. He is the current Bishop of Durham and he has a wonderful ability to write accessible and engaging books that deal with pertinent theological matters.

storm2811

catbear wrote: »

Well for me it's not about fitting in as much as understanding what's being communicated. As someone said it's a personal message.

If you do find yourself in a situation where you feel you have to conform to something that makes you uncomfortable then maybe it's not the right church for you at that time. Just keep going.

I have huge respect for communities that don't judge but rather try to live the christian message. Christs message should be fresh each day and active communities strive to constantly find relevance for themselves as individuals and as a community.

Yes,well I plan on going to a few services and talking to the priest/minister etc etc before I do anything to make sure we're on the level.

I agree,even as an atheist I though Christ's message was important and should be listened to/thought about.

catbear

antiskeptic wrote: »

I'm just thinking of the various churchs I've been in since I became a Christian. The one is loose whereas the next (even of the same denomination) is tight as a drum.

I visited one about ten years ago and it was really hell fire and brimstone. The same church is now completely opposite!

JimiTime

storm2811 wrote: »

I have been an atheist for 7 or 8 years now but recently I have been thinking about why I became and atheist and religion.
I realised that maybe I still have some faith and that it was just the catholic church,not all religion that I was uninterested in.
I've been contemplating joining the local Anglican Church,not straight away but going to a few services and seeing for myself what other branches of Christianity are like.

The thing is,since I became an atheist,I developed strong beliefs in evolution and same sex marriage,etc. things which I think most branches of Christianity do not agree with.
Would I be able to join a church again/be Christian if I still have these beliefs?

This probably all sounds a bit stupid but obviously I don't want to jump into religion again and do some research first.

I'd pretty much mirror what SoulWinner said. Christ is what Christianity is about. Religion is mans stamp on it, some of it can be good, other bits bad. What you need to do, is discover who Christ is, and want HE wants. We all enter the realm of Christainity with certain 'baggage'. For some its coming from certain cultures or religions, and for others its merely being part of the world around them. Rather than looking for a group that conforms to your opinions, I would advise looking to Christ to first inform your opinions. (Be prepared, as I was/am, to have some of your opinions trampled upon:))

storm2811

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

As mentioned, the conflict between evolution and Christianity just doesn't exist in many denominations or in the minds of individual Christians. Evolution is neither incompatible with Christianity nor essentially atheistic. For a scientist's input you can listen to any of the relevant talks here (Denis Alexander is one name to look out for). Alternatively, at the same link you can listen (or read) to the opinions of someone like Ernest Lucas, a theologian, on how Genesis and evolution are compatible.

As for same sex marriages, you might be interested in the opinions expressed in this thread.

In terms of a general (re)introduction to Christianity, I would encourage you to read this book by Bishop Tom Wright. He is the current Bishop of Durham and he has a wonderful ability to write accessible and engaging books that deal with pertinent theological matters.

Thanks for that,I'll give those links a look and maybe look for that book too.:)

Fanny Cradock

storm2811 wrote: »

Yeah,preferrably a kind of relaxed,friendly church rather than a distant one.

If you're in Dublin you might want to check out Trinity church

johnfás

storm2811 wrote: »

Something else playing on my mind though is that I'm a bit scared tbh going to all these different churches,that I won't fit in at first like.
I don't know what services are like in other churches first hand at all,which is why I want to go to a few services first to get the jist of things.

I think doing anything, or going anywhere, for the first time can be very intimidating. There is no doubt about that. However, in most cases a church is a fellowship of believers who meet to share in their faith and friendship. You are right to test the waters, with no commitment required at all, and test for as long as you need before hopefully finding a home.

catbear

In one respect I don't feel I must join one church or one community, the world is my community if you get what I mean.

It's just good when you find people on the same path that you can relate with, discuss the message and the words etc..

Best of luck, in a way you are already there.

storm2811

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

If you're in Dublin you might want to check out Trinity church

Thanks,but I'm rarely in Dublin.

johnfás wrote: »

I think doing anything, or going anywhere, for the first time can be very intimidating. There is no doubt about that. However, in most cases a church is a fellowship of believers who meet to share in their faith and friendship. You are right to test the waters, with no commitment required at all, and test for as long as you need before hopefully finding a home.

Yes,hopefully things will go well!

catbear wrote: »

In one respect I don't feel I must join one church or one community, the world is my community if you get what I mean.

It's just good when you find people on the same path that you can relate with, discuss the message and the words etc..

Best of luck, in a way you are already there.

Thank you.:)