Verified answer

Faith is not something you can hold on to like a leech if your mind is generally aware and open.... as we accumulate real knowledge and experience in life, our ideas are bound to change, hopefully for the better!

Now, what we must avoid at all costs is our tendency to look for the terminal truth about everything. We have a habit of looking too far ahead and that causes pain and anxiety because anything that far ahead is bound to be extremely dim in view, diffused in content and uncertain in character. We should learn to live and care for just that far ahead that gives us the confidence to think and plan for. Once we adopt this attitude, the whole gamut of death, afterlife etc. would lose significance and in any case it is a misnomer to think of those things as anything relevant to lead our this life properly.

There is a God. Know that first and foremost. And it is not uncommon for believers to have periods of doubt. Even clergymen have at times.

There are different ways to look at things. The Bible does say that the world has been around for thousands of years. Nowhere does it say it hasn't been for millions of years though. You see, both can be true. If I went to the book store and the grocery store and I came in and said, "I just got home from the grocery store," that doesn't mean I didn't go to the book store too.

It's also worth noting that many scientist debunk carbon dating, the method some scientist use to determine that the earth is millions of years old.

With regard to evolution, you must realize that The Theory of Evolution, as put forth by Charles Darwin, is just that--a theory. One that has never been actually proven, and no scientist and truthfully say that it has. There are still several missing pieces, missing steps, or missing species that must be in place to get us from apes to humans. Remember; theories are ideas people put forth that can POSSIBLY explain something. Many scientific theories get debunked everyday.

Also, scientist don't hesitate to bring up the theory of evolution when they talk about how we got here. What they don't mention is that Darwin himself believed in God, which he professes in his book, 'The Origins of Man' that scientist base the theory upon. Even Darwin believed in God.

The Bible says there are things we aren't meant to know--things that we cannot comprehend. But there is a God. You will see your loved ones. You just must do your part and have faith, study the Bible and gain as much knowledge about it as you can, and pray for peace and understanding.

I would recommend talking to a minister or someone who is highly educated in dealing with people having crisises of faith. As far as I'm concerned, it's a good thing to question your faith. As you find out the answers to your question and become better informed you may very well become a much stronger Christian.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that the Bible is accurate. For example, did you know that the much-maligned story about the world being created in six days is a result of mistranslation? The actual Hebrew word for day can be translated as day- or as any length of time. The Bible further clarifies this by saying that (paraphrase): "To God, a million years is but a second." Also, if you read the Bible you will find that it says nowhere that the Earth is only thousands of years old. And the theory of evolution, in it's current form, is not entirely realistic. It fails to take into account how cell-life actually came into being, how separate male and female chromosomes were formed, and how the complex multicellular organisms' genetic codes came to exist.

I truly do hope that you see your crisis of faith as a blessing and as a chance to explore matters of faith more deeply. I would recommend not putting too much faith in people on yahoo answers, or on other websites for that matter. Again, I recommend seeking counseling from a Christian minister who can talk these matters through with you. Good luck and God Bless.

Ok so, here is how I currently see it(note I think of the word belief as, not necessarily what is seen as being ultimately true but, how one feels comfortable thinking about the specific issue/topic). I was raised Catholic, Baptized and participated in my First Holy Communion, around this time is when I started to question things, though it wasn't until Jr. High that I fully felt "not parallel" with the teachings of the Bible. Soooo.... I believe that many words and the interpretation of these words are what is wrong with most teachings, for example... the billboard I read the other day in front of a church reading, "What we do in this lifetime will echo in the next". Many people I know would interpret that to mean something along the lines of, do something immoral or bad or maybe something of a great deed in your lifetime you will pay for it or be rewarded in your next, whether it be in reincarnation or your life in Heaven or Hell. I, however, say what is to be taken from it is, if I do something immoral or bad or whatever that my children, or nieces or nephews or any other impressionable person in my life that may pick up behaviors from me, will learn and repeat that same behavior(Right, Wrong, Insightful or Ignorant, who is to say, it's what I believe) As far as whether or not there is a God I believe it may depends on your interpretation of the word "God". Is it a figure that sits in Heaven? Is it a Force or Energy(like magnetism, gravity or the nuclear forces or like light) that flows through the Universe? I will not answer that one because I feel I would be writing a very long post, if this isn't already a long one... But, I absolutely lean towards the latter, if I am even sure there is one at all. Let's move on shall we(hopefully I haven't already lost you or any other reader). As far as life after death, I don't believe in it. When we die, I believe that our brains cease to receive or send any information or direction to the rest of our bodies, we no longer convert matter(food, water or any nourishment of any kind) to energy that allows our bodies to function(which by the way is how I believe one is able to define that which is alive... for instance something that is living coverts matter into energy or energy into matter so, the sun converts Hydrogen and Helium and other elements into solar radiation so, the sun, to me, is alive...). Sorry, back to the topic at hand... I don't believe we will meet up with our loved ones again, albeit a great thought, just not what I believe, and as for those will must inevitably leave behind they will be able to remember us, honor us and continue to love us, so in that way you might say we stay with them. Again, I will shorten my response to this however I felt that this was one of your main concerns or curiosities so I touched on it a little more. I hope that you will listen to all who wish to give you their opinions and you are able to sift through to find what it is that you truly believe. Don't listen to scare tactics, don't follow what others say just because you love them. Just follow your heart and mind and you will find what it is that you are looking for. A closed mind is like a rock it can crush things close to it and crumble if hit hard enough, where an open mind is like a sponge, very observant with the ability to ring out that which is useless. Hope this is of some use to you, and I hope you didn't mind reading it all. Peace, Love and Prosperity for all!

First of all, please understand what it is you believe in and what is the meaning of "God". There is not "a" god since that would mean a separate being living apart from His Creation; there is only GOD, Who is all there is:

Omnipotent = all Power

Omniscient = all Knowledge and Wisdom

Omnipresent = present everywhere, all comes from the One Source, which is "Divine Life", or God.

If you truly understand, you will see God everywhere such as in Nature as well as in every person you meet and greet for it is the God in you that is greeting the God in your fellowman or woman.

In reading the Bible you need to be careful of the meanings. One day of Creation is not just a 24 hour day as it is known in modern times; it can be eons of time, which is millions of years for the Earth to change from a condensed formation of the elements, to solid crust surface of rock with sky above, to vegetation and forms of early life, and so on.

Nothing ever dies, it just changes its form. There is a cycle to Life, just look at how Nature goes through the seasons, spring is new life, summer is more growing, autumn is reaching its peak, and winter is the time for Nature's rest. We are like that too. Our eternal soul comes into this physical world by taking on a physical body and lives, grows, experiences this world, learns lessons, and then it will one day leave the body to carry on living in a finer form known as the astral body, or ethereal body. It will still be YOU.

Your loved ones will be there to greet you one day so we can all look forward to being with our loved ones when the time comes that is right.

I don't think you have anything to be scared about. We feel fear when we do not understand anything, so I suggest you talk to serious grownups who are willing to help you, and if you can read some more books on Spirituality. There are lots of sources for learning. Find out what answers your questions best and learn to live in quiet strength of your faith. Let wisdom and love guide you.

Best to you.

first things first....Breathe, take a breath and close your eyes...calm down a second and listen (technically read lol) for a second. I agree that you should probably talk to a professional preacher or someone who deals with people having faith problems but this is my opinion and i'd really like if you hear me out

You know how God puts things in your path, how he tests you to see how much faith you have. Many of my Christian fellows have discussed this and believe they are their as a test for people, a test of their faith. Now think about the fossils, God can make anything remember that, and just because you find a rock in the ground and someone says it grew from a grain of sand, it doesn't mean it's the truth, it is only just a logical guess because we weren't there to watch the rock grow. Their are still many holes in the evolution idea. Remember the story about the descendants of Abraham and they thought they were so great and a prophet came (i think it was Jesus sorry i can't remember) and he told him "God can make descendants of Abraham from the rocks themselves).

Now think of Primates, how the scientists believe we evolved from them, but the primates we have now , their not evolving into humans. Trust me evolution happens everyday but that's not how he originated. God understood we (as in living things) would have to adapt to the changing world. scientists, yes, are smart but they don't know everything, most are logical guesses that they all voted on to put in the textbooks because remember, they can't watch lighting form, they can't watch rocks form, they were not there when they believe dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Plus going back to the primates, do you ever see them feel regret, or pride in themselves for doing a good thing. Have you seen a monkey do something that is morally right? How does that emerge from a primate, that feeling of regret, and happiness is Jesus talking through you, he's your conscious, he's never left your side and i feel he lead me here to talk to you tonight because just today we (Christian club) were talking about faith and how people think you lose it but you don't, you can be lead astray but you can never lose your faith.

Please don't be afraid, trust in God and pray to him tonight and not a short normal prayer but confide in him and tell him your fears and thoughts, and i'll pray with you tonight.

Your not alone and you will see your loved ones again, Trust God. Good Night and may God bless you.

Don't panic. I used to be Christian, and now I am agnostic. At about 13 or so, I realized that 80% of Christianity is BS. However, the important part is the other 20%. Plenty of good Christians believe in evolution, an old earth, etc. Just because science disproves the stupider parts of right-wing Christianity doesn't mean you need to become atheist.

Instead, I advise prayer, thought, meditation, talking to people you love, and just about everything else. Try to find reason for faith or lack thereof. If you really find no God in your life, then feel free to be atheist. If you in the end believe there is a God, don't give up on faith just because your original faith had flaws.

One point: it is logically incorrect to claim to know God is not. That is claiming to prove a universal negative.

Also, the question of origin of energy is beyond scientific ability to discern.

A good-faith (no pun intended) position is open-minded agnosticism: you occasionally look for God in the Universe, within, and remain open to same, whether finding evidence of Presence or not.

Also, the Bible accurately notes that focusing on materialism reduces awareness of God, Good. So, in a good-faith agnosticism, some purification of motive, senses, etc. is valid, as most religion claims God is perceived by the pure, the meek, and so on.

Another point: kicking God out is seductive, as you become your own god, with idols of drugs, money, sex, etc. God Obedience is a virtue and is worth learning and practicing--the essence of Pascal's wager.

Read Philosophy for Dummies, Tom Morris, for a good awareness of the main ideas of philosophy.

Understanding Yourself, Mark Prophet, is good, and calling the licensed counselors 24/7 at 1-800-525-LOVE is good for spiritual counseling and discussion.

You might appreciate http://www.soulsurvivor-book.com/

http://www.nderf.org/

http://www.iands.org/

Man, Master of His Destiny, Omraam Aivanhov

Nihilism, Eugene Rose

The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis

Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell

Book reviews at http://www.amazon.com/

Faith comes by hearing . . . the word of God. That's in the Bible somewhere. Spend more time reading the Bible, especially the New Testament. Find a Bible-believing church to attend, like Baptist. Pray. Talk to God about whatever is on your mind, but humbly and respectfully. Ask Him for wisdom and guidance.

"Truth is not a knowledge."

Noah's ark. Isn't it fun?

In my opinion, Noah's ark was dinosaur. Not a ship.

Ark of Noah is a medium through which data of the gene is transferred.

Genesis 6:19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.

Evolution of species doesn't have a linear time till mankind open eyes.

Genesis 9:13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Pitch / Bitumen / Crude oil / Where could we find them, today? It's fun, too.

Genesis 6:14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Today's annual rhythms begins "From Genesis 9:13". (This is my assumption.)

Today's light speed begins from Genesis 9:13, too. (I mean, distance.) <-- id ?, look at here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq98MskQ6rc

So, they have breathed CO2 like trees. - "reason of extinction" - Today's record of CO2 is 0.3%.

"Can you see why some dinosaur need a wing?"

"Can you see the meaning of featherd bird?" - Genesis 8:12

"Can you see why bats live in cave?" - Genesis 8:7

Anyway...

People can make an answer but there is no a reason. (This is your so-called free will.)

God can make a reason but there is no an answer. (This is your so-called destiny & chance.)