My story isn’t exactly what you were asking for but…
I used to be “uneducated about God”. What I mean by that is I was never really exposed to God by my parents. My mother believed in God but never really “taught” me about him when I was young. Most of what I heard about God was from other people and I had, at best, a very basic understanding. We had bibles around our house but they were KJV and that isn’t something a young child is going to read and understand.
Over the years I heard more and more about God and Jesus, but I never really thought they were much more than characters in a “feel good” story and that the bible was just an unread book that most people and hotels had lying around to make them “look good”.
Most of the Christians I had been exposed to thought that just believing in God and having Jesus as their savior was good enough to save them. Some even thought “well I can raise hell Monday thru Saturday and then repent on Sunday and everything will be fine”.
I had been asked by Christians if I believed in God and I said I don’t know. “What?!! We have got to get you saved brother!!”. Saved from what? Hell? Hate to tell you this but if I don’t subscribe to God, I don’t subscribe to Hell either. They made it their life’s goal to have me saved. One Christian would say go to my church, it’s the right one. Another Christian would say my church is the best don’t go to theirs they are wrong. They played tug of war with me and tried to get me to swallow their beliefs and attend their churches. It seemed like no matter which church I went to it was wrong in someone’s eyes.
They didn’t try to educate me, they were too busy trying to save me. I kept thinking “Why do they want to save me so bad? Do they get a commission?” They were pushy. Very pushy. Almost like a used car salesman trying to unload a lemon on someone. Finally, I rejected it all. I rejected any possibility of becoming Christian. If being a Christian meant being pushy, egotistical, and talking about others behind their backs then I don’t want any part of it. I rejected God.
I lived the atheist life for a number of years. Happy and carefree. No sin to worry about. You don’t worry about sin when you don’t believe in God. Mind you I wasn’t a lunatic running around with a “get out of jail free card”, but I didn’t worry that I would offend God either. No sin. No God. No problem.
Until…
If you are expecting to read about how Jesus appeared to me in my kitchen and slapped me back to right, you are going to be disappointed. It didn’t happen that way.
Instead, it was one little, simple statement I read, while trying to debunk the bible and Christianity, that changed my thinking. “All creation must have a creator”. Hmmm…that’s true. Now I didn’t jump up and start running around going “Yeehaw!!! I believe in God now!!!”. Nope. It happened slowly. I kept thinking about that statement. Even if we came from a single cell organism, something had to create that organism. It kept eating at me about how there are somethings in this old world that can’t be explained no matter how hard you try. Did I chalk it all up to God? Not yet, but I didn’t count him out either. I began doing research about God online. He doesn’t have his own website btw. There are as many websites saying there isn’t a God as there is saying God does exist. What to do? What to do?
So I did what any person doing serious research would do…I went to Wal-mart. I bought a $10 NIV bible. I needed to read what God had to say. I needed his side of the story. I thought it was cool because I could actually read and understand this thing unlike the KJV. I started reading it. I got hooked. I kept reading daily. It became something I looked forward to doing. The more I read, the more things made sense. I did this for quite a while. God is sneaky. He was in my life now.
Hello God? Long time listener. First time caller…
Ok, now that I am understanding that God does exist, I need to worship this being that gave me life. I need to show God that I love him.
Let’s go shopping…
Time to find a faith. Let’s do some research online. OH MAN!!! Why are there so many??? Which one is right??? What if I choose the wrong one? I don’t have time to read through all of these search results! Oh NO!!! What language is that webpage in?? What if that is the right faith and I can’t follow it because I don’t speak that language?
Pressure makes diamonds but this is ridiculous!
Lucky for me I found a website that can help narrow down the choices. You answer a few questions and it gives you faiths that are in tune with your thinking. Cool!!
Catholic? What? Let’s take this test again. Catholic again. Ok, let’s research Catholicism. Interesting. Interesting. I agree. Yep, I believe that too. Ok. Catholic it is. Called up the local RCC and started RCIA class and that’s where I’m at now. Glad I did it
) but i won’t leave those 2 things and a few others…
Even if true, you might as well say, “The Sky-Bunny died for our sins”: the two statements are equally relevant in practice. And how has anything died for the “sins” of anyone, if people still have to go to confession