Christianity is hard!

Kernel

Hi comrades... ever think that being a Christian or at least having some belief in God or indeed anything is getting harder these days. I mean, it's just not trendy to believe in anything... Nihilistic I'm not.



How do you deal with it?

bounty

Christianity is failing in Ireland, less and less people are going to mass or joining the priesthood anymore

Deal with it, by jumping off the sinking ship.

Phil_321

Yeah, I don't think it's to do with being trendy. I think people are finally starting to cop on to what a load of crap religion is.
The scenes from the Vatican over the last few weeks had me feeling dismayed and angry, how can so many people still blindly follow such an absurd system. I've been thinking lately that the word 'absurd' is the one that best somes up the whole religion area.

Glipmac

there is never gonna be a religon thats cool or easy to follow that is part of life, don't let your religon run your life please it is not WHO you are it is only a PART of you, let it work with you. at the end of the day you are doing somthing you belive in why should it affect anybody else unless your trying to force your belifes on them...

But at the end of the day we are all the same wheather we choose to belive in "god" "krisha" "genesh" (excuse spelling) remember to be your self.

Glip :cool:

Excelsior

bounty wrote:

Christianity is failing in Ireland, less and less people are going to mass or joining the priesthood anymore

The Methodist and Presbyterian Churches are at this point in time experiencing the fastest growth of any church at any time in the history of the state. The CofI, Baptists and the independent evangelical and charismatic churches are all growing at a rate that if it were to continue, would be phenomenal. Catholicism is not the whole of Christianity.

bounty wrote:

Deal with it, by jumping off the sinking ship.

Great advice. That is exactly what he was looking for!

Phil_321 wrote:

I've been thinking lately that the word 'absurd' is the one that best somes up the whole religion area.

You are going to have to back that up under the terms of the charter. You can't really come into a board populated with informed and engaging Christians and just declare that as fact.

But to finally get back to the original poster, Kernel. In the wide scope of history, it is easier to be a Christian now than ever before. There has rarely been a time or place when it was safer to declare that God became man as a Palestinian carpenter. Oftentimes and in some places today still, that kind of claim can lead to imprisonment and death.

But it still isn't easy if you have no one to support you or to talk with about it. Even here you have asked to discuss it and the answers you get back are nihilistic. If you are a university student, I would advise you to join your campus' CU. Otherwise, try and track someone down at the church you attend who knows their stuff and has a sense of humour and that you can get on with and then try and meet up with them.

Manach

For the initial poster, I would say that as a Christian he has received a gift of being in the presence of God's love. This, would be best expressed by being part of community that shares the awaken soul. But also try not to forget the rest of the world. That there is evil present, and not just seek solitude within your beliefs, but be a progressive part in shaping modern society.

As for the CU, back when I was young and naive :rolleyes: I joined lunch-time study with them - to progress my bible study, mostly. I did bring my own bible, New Jerusalem copy and I remember them giving me odd looks whenever I made jokes about Ian Paisley.

iceman_2001_ie

>> As for the CU, back when I was young and naive I joined lunch-time
>> study with them - to progress my bible study, mostly. I did bring my own
>> bible, New Jerusalem copy and I remember them giving me odd looks
>> whenever I made jokes about Ian Paisley.

I don't get it.
What's wrong with the New Jerusalem Bible?
What's wrong with mocking Paisley?

In UCC, the C.U. were always a little bit too evangelical for my liking. I found the chaplaincy, Iona, and the Honan Chapel, to be a much more relaxed place.

Kernel, I find the hardest thing about believing in God these days is other believers - I think the word is fundamentalist, but that may be too extreme a description. I've had experience with one Christian who told a former student priest he was a heratic. Another experience was with a Muslim who, to my face, told me I would burn in Hell for the way I was living my life.

Unpossible

well I have given up my religion (I was catholic), but I dont understand your problem here. As far as I can remember, being christian simply means believing in christ.

Assuming you are catholic, all you have to do is go to mass & confession every week & try to lead a good life. I dont understand the need to join a christian group/bible study group, as was said before religion should only be a part of who you are.

then again maybe Im missing something

edit*

having some belief in God or indeed anything is getting harder

ah, ok so your having a problem believing in a higher diety (sp?) ? maybe you are just having a problem with blind belief, my advice: dont listen to others, search for your own answers & believe in what seems right to you.

Ania

I mean, it's just not trendy to believe in anything...

Actually religions are very trendy again.
Jesus' figure is the inspiration of dozens of artists, fashionists, musicians, youth organisations and the like.
Every fashionable person wears a cross around her or his neck.
Going to church is perhaps not very trendy anymore, but praying to God and having Jesus as the man of admiration will never be out.