Struggling with my Christian belief

Apologies for deviating from the general nature of postings, but I find that events like the bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday are just irreconcilable with the idea of a loving god - those people were innocent and included many children. How can you all sustain your faith in that context?

This is really interesting. I'm a Radio documentary maker for the BBC, and we would like to interview grandmothers with a faith and their teenage granddaughters who don't have a faith, for a programme. Is anyone here interested to find out more? If you are, please email me on kristine.pommert(at)ctvc.co.uk

I will read more of Bishop Spong and J John so thank you for your recommendations. Just for the record, my grandchildren are all under 9 so I do not know yet what their beliefs will be. I suppose I was making assumptions based on the fact that none of my offspring or their partners currently believe in any God. We do not talk about it - they know where I stand but I never ram it down their throats!

Gabriella

Smileless2012
It's I who thank you for confirming, by way of your comment, that although we do not always like what our children do or how they act, we mothers can love them still but move on for our own peace of mind.
If you hope, somewhere in your heart, for a rapprochement on better terms, that is also my wish for you.
Take care.

Thank you Gabriella for your lovely response to my post.

Smileless2012
Your reply had me dumbstruck for a moment.
How terribly painful and I, who have no faith but as a mother, feel for you.
I salute you and your painful journey of acceptance and thank you for sharing that part of your life story.
I hope very much that you continue to create a happy future for yourself and those who love you.

I find Cannon J John to be a useful source of strength. I like his sense of humour too. Try looking him up on the internet hapgran I am sure that will answer many of your questions.

Just realised my original post spelt practising wrong! Anyway - definitely more questions than answers on this thread. I read a Tearfund prayer today which pointed back to faith, hope and love. Maybe I need to pray for all 3....

I cannot answer your question Gabriella but as a Christian have prayed for a particular outcome that never came about.

When our son estranged himself from us more than 6 years ago and refused us any contact with our GC, I spent months praying, begging and pleading that God would bring him back to us; it didn't happen.

Eventually, without knowing why, I needed to accept that our son was lost to us. My faith and endless prayers did not bring back my boy but did give me the strength to walk away from his abuse and begin a new chapter in my life.

becsuse/thst/tgey
because that they

Just to throw a spanner in the works, can anyone tell me why all the prayers in the world will not prevent a good person dying. Cannot and have not, since time immemorial, stopped wars (AnnieBach's prayer for peace) dissent, anger among communties etc.
Please don't trot out the usual 'It's God's will' or 'He will only save us when we are at the brink of destruction', kind of responses becsuse if that's the case, it's a total waste of time praying.
It might make believers feel thst tgey are doing something but in real terms, regardless of prayers, the same outcome would prevail. It simply reinforces the belief that prayers 'saved' the person(s) or made a bad outcome marginally better.

Thank you Bradfordlass. I have seen a few you tube clips of Bishop Spong. I am also reading a daily blog by Richard Rohr who explores such questions as well. I am still searching but have found many gransnet posts very thought provoking.

God existed long before religion.
Therefore, millions of people never had the chance to be Christians - and why would God play favourites with a handful of 'believers' giving them a privileged place in Heaven?

If He created humans then he loves them all, without exception.

As others have said, the ideas of Heaven and Hell come from a very early 'punishment and reward' system to keep people in line so they would obey liturgical laws. The church fined them if they did not so it was profit-driven too

Surely we no longer believe that the wonderfully altruistic Muslim, Jewish and other non-Christian workers who give their lives in the service of others and their God, are condemned to hell?

Have you read any books by Bishop John Shelby Spong? He struggled with this too and I found his words extremely enlightening and comforting.

Did you know there's a theory that travellers in the ancient world saw the lands of Africa with its unbearable heat, savage beasts and dangerous snakes and insects - and that was the template for what later became 'Hell'.

Likewise, those who went to Norther lands, saw the Aurora Borealis, icebergs reflecting the sun like pearly gates and golden streets and this was the inspiration for Heaven with its blonde angels.

The term 'knew' in days of yore...yes, aeons ago, meant intimacy.
By saying that X 'knew' Y you were saying that they had been intimate ie: had sex.
It's in the Bible.

What older man? !

What makes the OP think that the older man was indeed wise?

I’m so pleased I was raised a devout atheist and humanist, death is final, it’s now that matters nothing else.

For me hell would be the abscence of God

A fascinating and enjoyable post Starbird. What struck me about it was the examples that may prevent some from recognising they are in heaven and/or being enriched by it may have allowed that lack of vision or their outlook on life here, to have made that less meaningful.

I think C.S. Lewis portrayed it brilliantly in 'The Last Battle' when at the end, some went into the barn and saw it beautifully decorated with a sumptuous feast while others simply saw an empty barn.

I agree Trisher and some of His own people regarded him as a rebel and a trouble maker.

For me MesMopTop hell would be a dark and for boding place because of the absence of God, His love and His light; that's how I see hell rather than another 'place' inhabited by demonic forces.

Dear Hapgran,
I'm not a practicing Christian, so I'm not coming from that angle. I have read much of the Christian belief and I think there are a lot of things there that don't really apply. Whst I mean is this. The Bible and words of Jesus really only express love. To us and for us. I cannot see a being that loved his children actually going as far as casting them into everlasting Hell. What snout those that have never heard the Christian word or those born and dead before Christ? I do think humans added bits in here and there in the translation and handing down. I really cannot equate an infinite being of love and light doing something so horrible as sending a soul to Hell. I think we make our own Hell, right here on this earth. What God does is lifts people out of this hell and takes them to s better lace when they die. I would only accept the love and light that Christianity teaches. If it is
Good and pure then it cannot also be cruel and dark. Just my thoughts. If your religion helps you to be a better person then it's doing what it was meant to do. Those that don't believe will get to the nect life by anothe route. ?

It was "the will of the people"

Yes, so I guess the Romans weren't that bothered which one they crucified.

It was the people who made the choice, Christ or .Barabas

Probably. They crucified for fun and entertainment though, as in the crucifixions along the Apian Way which were for no other reason than to make a spectacle. He may have just got caught up in something like that.