So I'm a church leader to some degree in my 20s which requires me to hold a certain standard for myself. I like my faith and I believe in God...that's not the issue. I just literally hate every thing that goes along with it. You basically have to be perfect, everyone judges you other Christians or non-believers, I hate trying to convert other, I hate writing lessons and planning events. I hate that I'll probably marry someone who only likes vanilla missionary sex. I hate that I can't express my interests without offending a Christian prude. I recently went through my facebook and "cleaned it up" but in the process I felt like I was deleting my life. It's sounds so trivial and stupid. Often times I visualize myself dead or killing myself in different ways. I'm so depressed over it. My faith by itself and helping others is the only thing I like about it. I work with Youth teens and it makes me happy to help them. I love them like my own little brothers or sisters. They are the only reason I stick around. It's really cool to see them grow their own faith and it inspires me. I feel fulfilled being a role model for them. Lately though..it just feels like I'm caught up in the politics of church and it makes me depressed. I hate feeling like I have to fit a mold I don't fit into. It's not necessarily my church judging me its other churches and other Christians who do. I'm a very open person and it's hard for me to do all this. I don't feel like myself..but I try to tell myself in the end it's worth it. /:
Anyone have a similar experience?
TL;DR I'm a Christian struggling to step into more leadership.
I'm nondenominational. Denominations divide Christianity in my opinion. If you were to classify me or my church we are on the Pentecostal spectrum without the snake dancing crazy or judgmental negative crap you normally experience with other churches. Which is why I really like mine. We're a "come as you are" kind of place. It's really nice tbh.
Nathan Martinez
Take Satan's hand.
Blake Sanders
Faith is a bad shortcut to life, dawg. Question everything or you'll NEVER experience life at its fullest. Also, there's no way of having your hypothetical perfect faith without the prudes, because if you keep leaving things that belong to reality outside of your circle, you will become one of those prudes. Questions are spirit fuel, man.
Isaac Carter
Sorry, I'm a Bible thumping Jesus butt-buddy.
Aiden Campbell
Ok, first of all, you're asking about religion and spiritual guidance in a horrible place. Secondly, you're always going to be a sinner. There is no avoiding that. Thirdly, there are plenty of congregations/faith communities that essentially abuse the members of their congregation that do not conform to "community standards".
Consider the works of St. Augustine.
Julian Ward
Just quit your leadership and enjoy life like everyone else. That won't make your faith go away.
Your faith grows with life experience, there's no way around it.
Jeremiah Scott
Jesus only has one butt buddy sorry.
Landon Powell
I'm not a sheeple Christian. I do question things but I also read my Bible for myself and don't just go off a pastor's words. It helps answer a lot of my questions. Like I said my faith itself is not what I struggle with. It's doing all the other stupid things.
Why not ask the internets toilet for their opinion? Also it's anonymous and I enjoy responses from Sup Forums to this type of thing. Most of the time I find interesting perspectives and even some other Christians.
Aaron Bell
Lol rip me.
Logan Walker
>Denominations divide Christianity in my opinion
You're a troll that knows nothing about Christianity.
Carter Reyes
Everytime I do life without church and without God it feels wrong. Even though it sucks sometimes, I'd rather go through it with God than without. Being a Christian doesn't make my problems magically go away, but it does really help sort through your emotions. It's comforting really and that aspect makes me happy. It's just the worldly stupid rules sometimes that make me hate it.
Grayson Rodriguez
>You basically have to be perfect, everyone judges you other Christians or non-believers
As somebody with a psychotically Christian mother, as in the most Christian lady you'll ever meet, I've already gotten sick of the church, found drugs, depression, and anxiety, before going back to the church for comfort.
You take for granted this conservative group. It will keep you sane, away from degenerate faggots or niggers. Our entire country is founded on Christian principles, so keep on singing Jesus songs while looking at porn. Being stuck in the prudish church is so much better than being cold, alone and free, as sad as that sounds.
Connor Ramirez
Sorry you feel that way friend. In a way it does divide people by traditions among other technical things. We all serve the same God..so why do labels matter?
Carter Gray
Just becuase he know nothing doesn't mean he's a troll.
Hudson Murphy
who gives a fuck. If you can't stand it then drop it
Noah Wilson
>Being a Christian doesn't make my problems magically go away
Being a publicly professed Christian makes you a target for the beast. Your shit gets x10 harder as you are now a target for strangulation by worldly cares, trampling (because you are on "the path"), scorching by those who demand you bear worldly "heat" before you have roots....
Find some soil and nourish yourself before taking on the world... (including the world of religious politics)
Isaiah Wilson
He's right though. Jesus instructed his followers that a church was simply any group of people who met in God's name. He hated the organized religion of both the Romans and the Jews, seeing it as just another way to trick people into obedience.
Tfw Jesus would be disgusted with modern "churches".
Carter Richardson
I'm sorry you've had a bad experience. Tbh I get more judgment from non believers than actual believers. I guess that comes with territory. Like I said in my original posts..it's not my church that judges me..quite the opposite. I can tell my other co-leaders almost anything. We're all really close. It's other churches and other Christians and nonbelievers.
Connor Roberts
Well it does divide Christianity. I'm Baptist and Mormons are alien worshipping polygamists, Catholics are pedophiles and responsible for enormous amounts of corruption in the Tri State area, and protestants are ultra conservative freaks.
And we aren't allowed to dance because it's too close to Satan worship.
Luke Reyes
You can have that but whitout the bullshit man. You just have to learn about other forms of spirituality. At first you'll feel strange, but then, as you try other things, the belief fixation you are experiencing will fade away.
Chase Diaz
You can be cool without being religious.
Before you leave like I would if I were you, challenge the living shit out of everything about christianity. Just take everything you've ever been told and compare it against common sense and throw it back at the guy that told you then see how they react. If they get mad and throw you out, whatever.
Chase Wright
You're not my friend. We do not serve the same god. My God is not your god.
Denominationless cafeteria christians don't know the tenants and implications of their own professed "faith".
Until you understand this, you will suffer at the hands of people who are "leading you" down a path that looks like, but doesn't feel like, the "right path".
Landon Collins
Jesus Christ was an invention of the romans. It was propaganda.
Tyler Rogers
Exactly. My church doesn't have these boundaries. We actually preach love and hope and peace. It's really helped heal my heart. My mom was a Bible thumper..but despite that, I love the true heart of God. He's done more in my life than I ever deserve. A lot of people construe the Bible out of context to push agendas. It just makes me really sad. I want to change it, but part of that is going through this dumb bullshit now.
Isaiah Ramirez
That is really sad. I'm sorry.
Nathan Cooper
I don't follow the rules too closely. Most people don't.
Landon Brown
"Other forms of spirituality" have never done anything for me the way God has. Nothing fills the voids in my heart the way He has. It's gay sounding I know..but it's true. I feel complete and whole with my faith.
Blake Jenkins
Again my problem isn't with my faith itself. My faith is satisfying and wonderful. Other religions don't quite compare to God's love.
Noah Rodriguez
Have you considered taking your leadership outside the church. Start working with a charity. That way, you still have your faith, you still go to church, you help people, and you don't have to convert people. Faith should be a quiet, personal matter, but a lot of the people in churches these days make it into a bible thumping judgement fest. Don't pigeonhole yourself, and keep doing what you feel is right.
Bentley Green
Other religions love god to.
Christian King
you rebel you
If your church is cool, then why are you saying they're too stuck up? There are a bunch of idiots reading a book and trying to make sense out of it even though it was probably poorly translated (The ancient Jews and Christians weren't speaking English)
The politics side of things is kind of irrelevant when you think of it. Nobody said that a fork in the road can't lead you to two good outcomes.
Aaron Barnes
Eventually I want to start a church like my own. But it's gonna take character building that is uncomfortable. Nobody like this part..religious or otherwise. Being successful requires sacrifice sometimes. In the end it truly is worth it to me, it just sucks going through it.
John Brooks
>I'm nondenominational >Often times I visualize myself dead or killing myself in different ways. I'm so depressed over it. >everyone judges
If you are what goes for a leader in christianity, no wonder it is losing influence fast. In your post I see a lot of wat you like, and wat you want, but that isn't what leadership, religion, nor general live is about.
If you cant take the heat, step down. But I know types like you wont listen, or more precisely, act. Having nice feelings is not the goal of life, serving and acting on the truth and living virtuously is.
Logan Powell
you need to give yourself time to understand the faith you are upholding. people that were leading my church groups were seasoned with the sins of man and knew it. they wanted good lives, and wanted to influence good in people who wanted to hear. not saying you need to go to africa and watch children starve, but i am saying that if life is a test, then you should test for you when you have had time to find the answers, whether you got them through a book, or 40 years of humanity.
there really isnt an earth on your shoulders. so sometimes you dont have to be conscious of yourself and how you live, because that maybe vital to your test
Brandon Moore
religious thinking is an actual mental disorder. leave the church. renounce made up beings. be yourself user.
Connor Jackson
If you believe the people in your congregation are right in their judgements, try harder to adjust your life and live by your values. If not, stand up for what you believe and live your according to your interpretation of the faith and what it means to live the Christian life. Judgement is the lords, and you are only accountable to him. The world may judge you, but try not to be concerned about that and focus on your relationship with Christ. Also, there are many churches out there. You may find that there are other communities where you can be a leader in the body of Christ without having to be around the small minded and judgemental so-called Christians in your congregation. You might even look into different denominations. I've found a spiritual home with a Quaker congregation, but there are tons of choices out there including different non-denominational congregations with very different interpretations of Christianity. You'll find that most Christians don't really live in a Christian way, as is the case with the followers of most religions not really living in accord with the teachings of their prophets and holy books. Be open to change, and true to your self.
Jackson Mitchell
Their God didn't come down humble himself and die for me. Other gods and philosophy haven't fulfilled me like God has. I pray to the Father and I receive good things love joy peace restoration of my heart comfort confidence in myself fulfillment onto of physical blessings such as finances a psudo-family where my blood relatives lack good health great job wonderful support system. Every part of my life is overflow without lacking. Why would I want anything else?
Josiah Jenkins
Teacher here. Just be who you want to be at home. Trolling helps quite a bit. And no, don't end up with some religious freak. Get yourself a nice young girl and fuck your followers' opinions. I mean it's not like you couldn't do anything else as a job if they start hating you.
Nathaniel Peterson
This is literally the worst place to be asking advice.
The very foundation of Christianity rests on Jesus. If not for him you'd be a Jew or nothing at all.
Everyone is a sinner. Don't listen to the Catholics, Mary sinned too.
Don't get caught up in the religion. The only way to heaven is through Christ. Doesn't matter if you drink coffee or not.
Ironically there was a cross on a hill in my Captcha
Samuel Wilson
Your problem is that any church that forces members to hide their sins instead of confessing them to each other isn't Christian, but then, that's almost every Christian church. The body of Christ are the actual followers not the paper institutions of judgmental hypocrites.
Gabriel Phillips
*sigh* I keep repeating myself. It's not my church that is judging me. It's other churches and non believers. For example, I like Pokemon. My church doesn't give a shit if I like it. Actually a lot of my co-leaders do like it. But sometimes other churches think it's demonic or something crazy. Lol I don't want to be discredited for an interests. It's literally stupid but this is how some churches operate.
Jack Reed
I think he's trolling. Worrying about a girl that only likes missionary? I waited till marriage before I lost my virginity. (although there was a lot of fapping before that... this site is part of an old habit) Girls do a good job of acting innocent but if you meet the right girl they will be down for anything as long as its not too crazy.
Nathan King
Do you worry about Jews judging you for eating pork?
Blake Harris
It seems to me you are measunring all of this by how you feel about it. There's other things besides your feelings you know? I was telling you to LEARN about other forms of spirituality, not changing faiths like diapers, c'mon. Up your game dude, don't be a fucking zealot. LEARN. Look at the voids in your heart, what are those? Do you really know? I'm pretty positive those holes are there, unfilled, while you take your feel nothing faith pills. You have to understand that you can FEEL anyway you want, without having to be guilted into submission by your own toughts.
Brody Evans
True. That's essentially what I've been struggling with. The "put up or shut up" mentality. It's just very exhausting sometimes trying to do this whole thing for others when I just want to enjoy my own faith I guess.
Camden Bennett
LOL. This may not be what any intelligent student or reputable academic of history believes, but this is actually what fedora atheists believe.
Jace Gutierrez
Lol
Kayden Morris
It's simple. Abandon your faith and renew it in satan. Satan does not judge. He cares not what good or bad you have done. He will make you suffer endlessly whether or not you're a piece of shit.
Brayden Wood
I'm not sure how to respond to that. I guess I just want to be myself. And for the most part I am..it's just constricting at times. I have to watch everything I post on social media, how I talk in person, how I talk to parents of the teens. It is so hard finding the fine line sometimes. Everything has to come out super nice or people get offended.
Hudson Sanders
Lol there plenty of Bible scholar's who this. Not saying it's because Idgf.
Tyler Price
video games ARE demonic. So is this place... literally anything that distracts and tunes you out to the "real" (spiritual) struggle is of the beast. This is how I know nearly all of you are religiously ignorant bastards. It's like watching a pit full of blind and deaf retards hacking at each other with safety razors. Really entertaining... but ultimately distracting from the fruits of the Spirit, the Cross, and Christ.
Jackson Turner
Again..my church isn't judgemental. Maybe I worded it the wrong way in my op. Thank you for your encouraging words. It's nice to meet someone else who is a Christian on here. Haha
Aiden Nelson
>Good girl
You mean husband? Lol
Lincoln Long
This is a place of the lost. God did say go into all the world, not just churches. Lol
Sebastian Turner
Again my church isn't judgemental. I'm very open with my sins and my struggles with my co-leaders and sometimes with the teens themselves to help them through certain things.
Levi Perez
>It's nice to meet someone else who is a Christian on here.
What is this? Some variation on the one true scottsman argument? Until you recognize that you are a retarded idiot, you will never be anything but a retarded idiot. Only the awareness of your retardation and idiocy will lead to "not retard" and "not idiot".
You are suffering in your "faith" because you don't understand what your professed religion is about.
Parker Smith
Read this response. I'm not a zealot, I just know what has changed my life.
Henry Nguyen
I'm sorry you feel that way about me.
Elijah Hall
to Americans god is Yahweh, to Indians he is Vishnu, to Arabs he is allah. The truth does not act this way, in America 2+2=4, in India, and in the Arab world 2+2 is also 4. Why cant gods possible existence, be as clear as a simple math problem. If gods existence,and which idea of god is correct matters, why wouldn't god expose the truth to all of us, in a clear and infallible way?
You see the funny thing about the truth is that it will remain true, even if you weren't raised to believe it. The truth does not require indoctrination, communities, traditions, institutions, governments, apologetics, stigmatization, tribalism, incentives, or punishments. Yet without these things religion would utterly disappear, never to resurface. The truth however will remain true and available to be discovered even if nobody spreads it. Whether it be by the edge of a sword, the point of a gun, the explosion of a bomb, or from a parent to a child.
maybe one day, religious people will ask themselves why religion requires so many dirty tricks to be believed.
Look OP, your god doesnt exist and im sorry about that, but being gods little bitch wont lead to happiness, perhaps your god isnt right. Perhaps your better suited to ENJOY the life you were given however you want to.
Jordan Baker
OK, i'm going to stop responding right now. That was horrible. "I'm not a zealot" *proceeds to make me read his psychotic zealoty ramble* Remember that if you ask and listen you'll always find new aspects of reality you weren't taking into consideration, but you have to know how to listen. ONE mouth, TWO ears.
Colton Gutierrez
I hate "converting people" because I hate trying to debate an atheist. People say Christians are judgemental but I've never felt so judged and hated for something than when I talk with an atheist sharing my point of view. They will literally tell me I'm stupid sometimes. No matter how nice I am. I just dread talking to atheists for how I've been treated in the past even tho I try to respect their beliefs. It's like talking to a stubborn brick wall that will never question their own beliefs yet I'm constantly told to question mine? Idk
Isaac Barnes
This statement is proof that you are unable, on your own, to rise above the blindness that has caused your existential suffering. My words are wasted... I cannot help you.
Leo Phillips
Why would I change something if it makes me happy? lol I just don't understand.
Ian Barnes
im a theist as well, but if you think that being nice equates to intelligence, you are fucking stupid.
Juan Carter
If your help i includes insulting me, thanks but no thanks.
Thomas Jones
I can't even get a word out before I get insulted. Lol it's just annoying. I don't insult them..why insult me?
Noah Perez
...
Xavier Lewis
Because your on Sup Forums you stupid fuck try and have a reasonable discussion somewhere else.
Owen Watson
...
Justin Allen
> The true path of a christian is revolutionary socialism
> Jesus was a proto-socialist but the church establishment fucked it up for their own political gains.
Henry Kelly
well he didnt insult you, and you ignored him, so i say again your stupid.
Hunter Reyes
Lol there are people this dumb
Elijah Anderson
Then why come here to complain?
Mason Cook
IRL you don't speak with every kind of people. For all it matters THIS is reality. You are just getting called on your shit man. That's how it shows that you are a sheltered little faggot.
Anthony Reed
not even getting response on the pun i made. sad.
Grayson Jackson
I wonder how many Christians know that there God is also the Jewish God and Allah from Islam.
Ryder Edwards
God is a lie and your whole life is based around that lie.
Zachary Nguyen
>internets toilet We're the ones that shit on the rest of the internet.
Jose Morgan
>its bad to lurk this site
>lurks this site anyway
your becoming one of us user
Juan Garcia
The guy gets to make a decent living lying to morons who're putty in his hands. Sounds like a great gig to me.
Michael Sanchez
he makes his living by perpetuating a delusion that distracts people from more important things, not to mention is harmful to education, science and knowledge in general. But I guess at least he's not a muslim.
Liam Jackson
All too true.
Ayden Brooks
As if it matters. The people have spoken, user. Trump is in. Willful ignorance always wins. So you either find a way to profit and live comfortably or you whine about it and be miserable.
The fuck does Trump have to do with it? If you supported Clinton then willful ignorance is your middle name.
Elijah Morris
1. Religion sux
2. With that out of the way - This is the kind of sacrifice you make when you adopt a leadership position. Politics is an inevitable side effect of doing so.
While I've never been a -church- leader per se, I have taken leadership and training roles in my career, and through the advancement within an external organization, you end up making a lot of truly bullshit sacrifices for it - Time, self-expression, even to the point of who you can be friends with in public. Teachers and school administrators experience similar drudgery.
But here's the thing - it's a game. You have to decide whether or not you enjoy this game if you want to move forward with it.
Luke Stewart
Didn't support that she-bitch either. But look at who the nominees were. They were the perfect avatars of the American people.
Angel Thomas
Same could be said about trump. Both were absolute shit
Noah Ross
Even if there is a being that created this universe it isn't the GOD mentioned in the bible.
It is written that eventually there will be heaven on earth. God and Jesus will descend and we will live there on earth in immortal paradise forever.
But here's the problem with that. Why would god only choose to make his eternal paradise on just the earth? We have estimated that there are hundreds of trillions of planets in our universe. There has to be sentient life out there with their own civilizations. Why would GOD choose to not include possibly hundreds of thousands of advanced civilizations on his paradise on earth? And if you say we're not sure if there's life on other planets then why would GOD make trillions of planets with no life on them? That seems like a pointless waste.
Because that GOD doesn't exist.
Furthermore any stories i've ever heard about the afterlife can be explained away as something else. Mainly a state of mind similar to having a very strong dream because your brain is going into overdrive to keep itself from dying and once that stops you're actually dead. What you see is just a hallucination from your brain trying to stay alive.
Supernatural sightings can be explained away by sleep paralysis, or a false awakening where they think they've woken up but they're still dreaming and only in a dream version of their room. And in that dream room they see a super natural entity. Or mental illness.
The sad truth is that when we die this life will be like a dream we will never remember having. And we will lose consciousness forever.
Therefore one of the most important things that matters in this day and age is immortality research. And GOD said he would keep humans from ever discovering immortality. It was forbidden knowledge on his tree in the garden of eden.
But we have proof that we will inevitably discover immortality. If GOD was real he would prevent that discovery from happening.
Joseph Russell
You've been super brainwashed by your religion to be guilt ridden whenever you aren't serving your imaginary God. How can you say you are not a sheep like the others?
Even mother Teresa had her faith tested and died ultimately questioning the existence of God. She did lots of great things for humanity but she could have done it in the name of humanity and not in the name of God.
Good people will do good things. Bad people will do bad things. If you want good people to do bad things just add religion.
Nicholas Brooks
Yea I wasn't over the moon about Trump but he's the only person not terrified to admit that we have a problem with Islam and immigration, and those are pretty much the only things I cared about. Not to mention he put those pussy PC feminist progressive shitlibs in their place.
Blake Wright
And being a "russian sympathizer" is a lot better than "warhawk", especially when outcasts only to get people who invested in her their ROI
Jace Foster
>and those are pretty much the only things I cared about.
So you're not at all concerned about his lack of a plan to pay for military expansion, massive tax cuts, and tariffs on imports that are sure to start trade wars that will lead to actual wars once rapid inflation sets in?
Sounds about right.
Isaac Thomas
The Earth wasn't made before the stars in the sky. Don't follow the false book. Those who wheep and mourn aren't blessed. Do refrain from beating your children, violence isn't love. Don't lay with a man as with a women means you can lay with a man as long as you're the woman, you can't suck a womens dick or get sodomized by a woman, but you can by a man, this is probably why priests suck boys dicks. It doesn't have laws against rape and paedophilia, because they obviously dig that stuff. God was a dick who murdered Jobs family just to test his loyalty. He trolled Abraham into killing his son. Jesus tells us that being poor is good, that we should sell our shit AND that we should work unconditionally. Africans didn't came from the grandson of Noah.
“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” R. Dawkins
Your god is false, it is what's making you doubt, not because it's a test, but because our brain isn't wired to believe in bullshit. We are better than believing in stories made by imperialistic and genocidal Jews, who never hid that they were genocidal, they just claimed that they had divine reasoning for it.
You're not helping people by letting them believe in bullshit, why aren't you helping them with homework instead of faith in the flying teapot? You know that that's what they need. You're just pushing some moronic idea unto them they would generally do better without in society, rather than this small little village you're in. Broaden their horizon, don't limit it. I doubt that any of them will follow an education in biochemistry, physics or astronomy or that they won't love it simply because it contradicts this ridiculous faith they have. Do everybody a favor and become a anti theistic hometutor.
