Kuroyukihime

I actually find it a bit sad, how a person, who is already struggling, gets answers like the above, giving him a looong list of does and don'ts. Go to church, rea the bible every day, meet with christians every day etc.pp. I'm not saying these things are wrong, it just feels like a long oppressing list to me. I mean, we all agree, that being christian isn't about some rulebook, right? It's about knowing Jesus. Than why people respond to someone asking for God with a long rulebook of do's and dont's and start this and stop this? Need2besaved, I'd personally just tell you this: Get in contact with God, through the bible, going to a church or talking to Him directly, whichever is easiest for you at this moment. That's all . And don't worry, if you don't understand it all at once, just take it slowly.

Hey, I know what you mean, there are many churches that can make you lose your faith. Churches often like to appeal to the people. There are two ways of doing that: Saying everything is ok, feelgood and making God a powerless joke, for those who don't want to get up and do something. Often these churches (at least in my experience) have a superficial community, no real relationships. And then there's the opposite, churches only preaching what is wrong, full of negativity. You go there and think it's all about being against everything (the internet, movies, anything popcultural, homosexuals, whatever....). For me this is also a way to bend the bible in order to appeal to the people, in this case to appeal to those that like to be negative, that like to hear the bad things and like to fuel their hatred on others, society, whatever. If you can't find a good church and feel unwell there, I'd rather not go than forcing myself into something that does me no good.

Just to get this clear: It is not faith in itself, but "church" that triggers you? What part of church? For example if it was the music, you could find a church with different music. If it's the many people, you could go to a small bible group. In general, I think we can be christians without a church and God doesn't want you to feel bad, so if something always triggers you to feel bad, it's your right to avoid it to stay healthy. And if you find that the best or only way to stay healthy is to stay away from church, than you should do that.