My Struggle with Christianity

[rivalarrival]

I personally believe that we don't find ourselves and our believes until we challenge them, or someone does it for us. Let me state right off the bat that it doesn't matter to me what you choose. Let me also state that I fully believe you won't adopt my own philosophy, and that this doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm only commenting to offer a challenge, offer a different perspective on the issues you raised. Perhaps in addressing this challenge, you'll find a new path toward the answers you seek. Perhaps not - only you can tell.

You've said a couple things that I find interesting. In another situation, I'd feel compelled to argue them, but you haven't asked for an argument on them, but asked for advice on a dilemma.

Originally Posted by Sarahdactyl

I just read through all these threads and it got me thinking. I have been thinking and searching a lot myself lately. I know I am not a christian as of yet but from reading the Bible I find that I have Christian values and morals.

What are Christian Values and morals?

I once stopped at a rest stop to wait out a brief but torrential thunderstorm. I had just driven 1500 miles over two days, I was 60 miles from my hometown, exhausted, hungry, and about to meet my 2-month-old son for the first time. Military necessity had kept me away.

The storm passed, and I found two families having mechanical trouble with their cars, and a man preparing to walk down the freeway, gas-can in hand. An hour and a half later, a gallon of gas less in my tank, a couple knuckles bloody from turning wrenches, and the taste of gas in my mouth from the siphon, I was told I was a good Christian for helping other people when I had so many other things important in my life. Is it a Christian value to help others? To use your talents and assets to help those that lack them?

I'm most definitely NOT a Christian - I am actually an Atheist. I told them this, and was given the "OMG, An evil atheist" look. They stumbled all over themselves to find and give me a Chick tract. It had something about an evil non-Christian trying to lead good Christians astray, something about it not mattering what good works I did; my "faith" (or lack thereof) would be the deciding factor in my afterlife. Is THIS a Christian value? (I don't remember the tract itself, but aren't they all variations of that theme?)

What are Christian morals and values?

I would suggest that just because the Bible agrees with a specific idea doesn't mean that idea is exclusive to Christianity. "Love thy neighbor" is a fundamental component of most world religions. (Certainly not all, but most) Is it accurate or appropriate to claim such a value as "Christian"?

But I find myself still struggling trying to believe. My parents tried the best they could to force feed it into me, they still do sometimes. I think that is what drove me away from it when I was younger. Also the fact that my parents held Christianity in high regard yet I struggled to believe they were at that time because my father was abusive (that relationship is healed now, and another story) and my parents eventually divorced. But I was young and didn't understand it then. I was and am very lucky for I have. I do understand now but the past still seems to be imprinted on me. I feel like I am stuck in between right now. I do believe there is something out there though and I am looking. I also find myself hating every church I go to, I guess I don't believe in conformity? Just the pastors usually say something that I just don't get or agree with. Last time I was at church was when some pastor made a comment about that book the golden compass (this started because of the movie). The pastor said the book was something you want to stay away from because it can put poison and doubt in your mind and I saw all these people nodding their heads. In the book they kill their God not OUR God. It's a book, it's fiction. I bet not one of them had read this book, ever. I never went back. I just feel like I don't want to be taught from someone who could have it wrong. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I can't help the way I feel.

Why do you think that sounds ridiculous? You said you couldn't help feeling that way - why do you think you shouldn't? Why do you seem to think that you need to fill the role that other people have created for you?

I feel like I would be brainwashed into believing the wrong thing. Church just doesn't work for me, if it works for someone else that's great. I feel like I can take up the bible myself and take it for what it's worth. But I does it not say that we are supposed to seek out other Christians and spread the word? I rather keep to myself. I find more spiritual presence though inner thought and personal expressions and experiences. Like more within nature and though my individual self. I really don't know any other way to put it. I hope it makes sense.

Am I supposed to be waiting for something? I talk to God, I am searching, but I don't know if I have found that connection yet.

I would ask: Do you have to "be" anything? Do you have to believe anything at all, let alone this particular idea? You've expressed a desire to follow your heart and mind rather than having someone else dictate their ideas of faith to you, expecting you to adopt them blindly and without question. I don't think many people in our society - Christians or non-Christians - would disagree with the idea that you have to find your own reality, your own understanding, your own ideals. Christians will point you at the Bible as a guide post; others will point you elsewhere. In Christian terms, I would say that God gave you a perfectly good brain, it would be a shame to not apply it fully. God gave you a planet to explore, a myriad of places, things, people, and most importantly, ideas. To explore and understand His creation is to better understand Him and His purpose for you.

In my own terms, I would suggest you constantly explore everything. "I don't know" is the greatest phrase we can ever utter. Ignorance isn't a failure. It's a trailhead, the beginning of a path toward discovery.

[Sarahdactyl]

Originally Posted by rivalarrival

What are Christian Values and morals?

I once stopped at a rest stop to wait out a brief but torrential thunderstorm. I had just driven 1500 miles over two days, I was 60 miles from my hometown, exhausted, hungry, and about to meet my 2-month-old son for the first time. Military necessity had kept me away.

The storm passed, and I found two families having mechanical trouble with their cars, and a man preparing to walk down the freeway, gas-can in hand. An hour and a half later, a gallon of gas less in my tank, a couple knuckles bloody from turning wrenches, and the taste of gas in my mouth from the siphon, I was told I was a good Christian for helping other people when I had so many other things important in my life. Is it a Christian value to help others? To use your talents and assets to help those that lack them?

I'm most definitely NOT a Christian - I am actually an Atheist. I told them this, and was given the "OMG, An evil atheist" look. They stumbled all over themselves to find and give me a Chick tract. It had something about an evil non-Christian trying to lead good Christians astray, something about it not mattering what good works I did; my "faith" (or lack thereof) would be the deciding factor in my afterlife. Is THIS a Christian value? (I don't remember the tract itself, but aren't they all variations of that theme?)

What are Christian morals and values?

I would suggest that just because the Bible agrees with a specific idea doesn't mean that idea is exclusive to Christianity. "Love thy neighbor" is a fundamental component of most world religions. (Certainly not all, but most) Is it accurate or appropriate to claim such a value as "Christian"?

That is very true, you don't have to be christian to be a good person. I know good people that would go out of their way to help me or others who don't believe. Sorry if I came across as only Christians can hold morals and values. I know plenty of people I would rather not be around who claim to be Christians (Ultimately why I fight for a different view). I have more friends who are Atheist than Christians. Christians, Atheists and other religions hold some values and morals in common. I can see what you are getting at, I will leave that out my morals and values when it comes to finding religion because I will have it with or without it. Your story made me smile from ear to ear. Not many people who do that.

Why do you think that sounds ridiculous? You said you couldn't help feeling that way - why do you think you shouldn't? Why do you seem to think that you need to fill the role that other people have created for you?


I would ask: Do you have to "be" anything? Do you have to believe anything at all, let alone this particular idea? You've expressed a desire to follow your heart and mind rather than having someone else dictate their ideas of faith to you, expecting you to adopt them blindly and without question.

I thought long and hard about what you have said and what others have said. To "be" something. I am not something you can categorize in religion or society. I really don't believe I am a typical woman. Or I just have been looking in the wrong places.

I'm still a virgin by choice. Does it have anything to do with religion? Nope. Am I making a big deal about it? My friends think so, but I don't care. Do I want it to be with someone I love? Yes. Is it ultimately my choice? Definitely.

I care about people. Anyone. Strangers. Enemies (Don't get me wrong though, I don't like them, can even say I hate but I still care for their well-being). You name it. I once gave $5 dollars to complete strangers because they needed gas. I gave a ride to a girl I couldn't absolutely stand. I do a favor for anyone.

I wear my heart on my sleeve and it really weirds some of my friends/family out. I think about exactly how I feel and try to portray it that way. I'm not to afraid to say "I'm jealous.." or "I'm worried.." or "I'm not sorry.." (when people ask it of me and think they deserve it). I usually let the guy I am interested in know I'm interested.

I don't think make up makes women look any better. I don't wear it except for someone else's special occasion and they ask it as a favor. I don't think it has anything to do with "good hygiene" or "Looking presentable."

I tear up/smile widely when I hear about someone else's struggle/story whether it be good or bad.

I get along with just about everyone. No matter nationality, creed, age, ect. You name it.

That's just some of the things that I know for sure about myself, others have always told me that I am absolutely different from other people once they get to know me. Whether it be for these reasons or not.

My religious struggle is different from most people but I am finding more people that are in the same boat as me.

I know my mother and father try there absolute best and I do believe they are Christians. I think that is the thing I struggle with. I believe they are Christian so shouldn't I follow their example and try to go to Church? I just can't do it, it's just not my thing, no matter how hard I try. My mom told me in the bible it says that when you are Christian you seek out others or wish to share your God (I am not saying that it is in there). I interpreted that in a whole way. (Now I am not saying this is right) When I seek out others I do not seek out Church I seek out individuals. And when if I were to try and share my God I would do so by example, not forcing it onto others. People I trust tell me "You need to search more, what you believe is off." Should I be searching more? Do I listen to them? Why not listen to myself? How can I listen to myself If I am not saved?

I think I know what my problem is:
I am afraid I will end up believing the wrong thing.

I feel like I am not a Christian and I feel like I am not a Atheist.

I personally believe that we don't find ourselves and our believes until we challenge them, or someone does it for us.

I didn't question always. I used to not care about religion. I would sit in church without listening. But some things got me searching/questioning.

My questions first started when I started having night terrors and dreams. I have reoccurring dreams. Weird dreams. About angels and demons. And not angels and demos what we believe them to look like. Did you ever see the Lord of the Ring's movie? Image the all seeing ye of Mordor and times that by 20 more eyes. That was an angel in my dream. Anyways, you get the picture. As for the night terrors? I wake up screaming, scared out of my wits. I will run out of bed unable to control myself. Now does that have anything do with it religion, nope probably not! But it got me looking.

What got me questioning is when I started my Science major.. to learn about the human body, the earth, the life around us and it is so simply intertwined.

The body is linked ever so perfectly. It would probably take all night for me to describe to you how perfect it was down to very cells that we are! But! The body is also so fragile...

The brain. So chemical yet so emotional. How can we have these feelings? Feelings and thoughts. Thoughts of being. Outlandish feelings. We can be so rational, yet irrational. How can the smell and color of a flower strike emotion in one being? I see the eyes of a dragonfly under a 100x lens and find it beautiful and it strike a string in my heart

The earth and how we are linked to it.

Anyways getting into that will only lead to an all nighter.

There are things I have been through and seen that just get me thinking. Things I feel that just make feel linked to a higher being.

I don't think many people in our society - Christians or non-Christians - would disagree with the idea that you have to find your own reality, your own understanding, your own ideals. Christians will point you at the Bible as a guide post; others will point you elsewhere. In Christian terms, I would say that God gave you a perfectly good brain, it would be a shame to not apply it fully. God gave you a planet to explore, a myriad of places, things, people, and most importantly, ideas. To explore and understand His creation is to better understand Him and His purpose for you.

In my own terms, I would suggest you constantly explore everything. "I don't know" is the greatest phrase we can ever utter. Ignorance isn't a failure. It's a trailhead, the beginning of a path toward discovery.

I will keep that in mind. I do appreciate your response and your outlook.

[rivalarrival]

Originally Posted by Sarahdactyl

That is very true, you don't have to be christian to be a good person. I know good people that would go out of their way to help me or others who don't believe. Sorry if I came across as only Christians can hold morals and values.

I didn't get that impression in the slightest; nothing to apologize for.

I know plenty of people I would rather not be around who claim to be Christians (Ultimately why I fight for a different view). I have more friends who are Atheist than Christians. Christians, Atheists and other religions hold some values and morals in common. I can see what you are getting at, I will leave that out my morals and values when it comes to finding religion because I will have it with or without it. Your story made me smile from ear to ear. Not many people who do that.



I thought long and hard about what you have said and what others have said. To "be" something. I am not something you can categorize in religion or society. I really don't believe I am a typical woman. Or I just have been looking in the wrong places.

I'm still a virgin by choice. Does it have anything to do with religion? Nope. Am I making a big deal about it? My friends think so, but I don't care. Do I want it to be with someone I love? Yes. Is it ultimately my choice? Definitely.

I care about people. Anyone. Strangers. Enemies (Don't get me wrong though, I don't like them, can even say I hate but I still care for their well-being). You name it. I once gave $5 dollars to complete strangers because they needed gas. I gave a ride to a girl I couldn't absolutely stand. I do a favor for anyone.

I wear my heart on my sleeve and it really weirds some of my friends/family out. I think about exactly how I feel and try to portray it that way. I'm not to afraid to say "I'm jealous.." or "I'm worried.." or "I'm not sorry.." (when people ask it of me and think they deserve it). I usually let the guy I am interested in know I'm interested.

I don't think make up makes women look any better. I don't wear it except for someone else's special occasion and they ask it as a favor. I don't think it has anything to do with "good hygiene" or "Looking presentable."

I tear up/smile widely when I hear about someone else's struggle/story whether it be good or bad.

I get along with just about everyone. No matter nationality, creed, age, ect. You name it.

That's just some of the things that I know for sure about myself, others have always told me that I am absolutely different from other people once they get to know me. Whether it be for these reasons or not.

My religious struggle is different from most people but I am finding more people that are in the same boat as me.

I know my mother and father try there absolute best and I do believe they are Christians. I think that is the thing I struggle with. I believe they are Christian so shouldn't I follow their example and try to go to Church?

Perhaps. I mean, if you feel it would be disrespectful to your parents not to attend, of course you should. On the other hand, you can't be anything but true to yourself. If you can't do that within an established church, and you want to follow your parents example, well, you've got yourself a bit of a dilemma. But somehow, I think you already knew that.

I just can't do it, it's just not my thing, no matter how hard I try. My mom told me in the bible it says that when you are Christian you seek out others or wish to share your God (I am not saying that it is in there). I interpreted that in a whole way. (Now I am not saying this is right) When I seek out others I do not seek out Church I seek out individuals. And when if I were to try and share my God I would do so by example, not forcing it onto others. People I trust tell me "You need to search more, what you believe is off." Should I be searching more? Do I listen to them? Why not listen to myself? How can I listen to myself If I am not saved?

How can you trust anything if you can't trust yourself?

Of course you should search more. Do you know everything?
One of my favorite quotes on the value of skepticism:

Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because if there be one he must approve of the homage of reason more than that of blindfolded fear.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Peter Carr, August 10, 1787

On the matter of trusted people... My aunt is a doctor. I trust her implicitly to give me good medical advice. But, she's also a follower of Ray Comfort. I know a fair bit about Ray Comfort's arguments; I feel they don't stand up to even casual scrutiny, yet my aunt believes them. So, while I would trust her to sew up my hand after I run a boxcutter through it, I don't see myself taking any sort of religious or spiritual advice from her anytime soon.

Nor would I trust Thomas Jefferson's position on slavery.

There's a Russian phrase, attributed to Ronald Regan - "Trust, but verify"

I think I know what my problem is:
I am afraid I will end up believing the wrong thing.

There's nothing wrong with having believed the wrong thing. People used to believe the earth was flat, went their whole lives believing it. People used to believe that if man was meant to fly, we would have been born with wings. People used to believe that the sound barrier was impenetrable. People used to believe that what goes up must come down - until space flight demonstrated otherwise.

The trick is to question everything, and abandon any belief that can't be sufficiently demonstrated to be valid.

I feel like I am not a Christian and I feel like I am not a Atheist.




I didn't question always. I used to not care about religion. I would sit in church without listening. But some things got me searching/questioning.

My questions first started when I started having night terrors and dreams. I have reoccurring dreams. Weird dreams. About angels and demons. And not angels and demos what we believe them to look like. Did you ever see the Lord of the Ring's movie? Image the all seeing ye of Mordor and times that by 20 more eyes. That was an angel in my dream. Anyways, you get the picture. As for the night terrors? I wake up screaming, scared out of my wits. I will run out of bed unable to control myself. Now does that have anything do with it religion, nope probably not! But it got me looking.

What got me questioning is when I started my Science major.. to learn about the human body, the earth, the life around us and it is so simply intertwined.

The body is linked ever so perfectly. It would probably take all night for me to describe to you how perfect it was down to very cells that we are! But! The body is also so fragile...

The brain. So chemical yet so emotional. How can we have these feelings? Feelings and thoughts. Thoughts of being. Outlandish feelings. We can be so rational, yet irrational. How can the smell and color of a flower strike emotion in one being? I see the eyes of a dragonfly under a 100x lens and find it beautiful and it strike a string in my heart

The earth and how we are linked to it.

Anyways getting into that will only lead to an all nighter.

There are things I have been through and seen that just get me thinking. Things I feel that just make feel linked to a higher being.



I will keep that in mind. I do appreciate your response and your outlook.

I hope you find answers. I did read your whole response, I apologize for not touching on everything, I'm just not feeling too hot tonight. Like I said, I have no desire to convert you, I'm just offering a different perspectives. Good luck!

[krutj]

Sarah, after reading through this thread, it seems to me that you just need to get/build confidence in yourself.

I'm constantly "searching" because of my confidence. Knowing that I'm not satisfied with what I'm seeing, hearing or being told.

You may very well already have that confidence and simply don't recognize it, as such. Have faith in yourself first. This is only my very humble opinion.

I think that sometimes we can be very "hard" on ourselves when we don't conform.(it must be me syndrome)

You are you, if you like you, that's good. Don't feel that you need to be like everyone around you or think like them to have value or to validate your beliefs.

I think that there are many of us who question, and that is a very good thing!!

Good luck, young Lady...........

[Deepskyy]

I really need a glass of Chimay and a comfortable chair for this, but since I am at work I'll wing it.

A few things come to mind with your whole struggle Sarah.
The first of which is: how are you defining "Christian?" Do you mean practicing Christian or just a person who has accepted salvation?

I'm going to need to meditate on some of this for a while before I can chime in for everything.

[Sarahdactyl]

Originally Posted by rivalarrival

I didn't get that impression in the slightest; nothing to apologize for.


Perhaps. I mean, if you feel it would be disrespectful to your parents not to attend, of course you should. On the other hand, you can't be anything but true to yourself. If you can't do that within an established church, and you want to follow your parents example, well, you've got yourself a bit of a dilemma. But somehow, I think you already knew that.

How can you trust anything if you can't trust yourself?

Of course you should search more. Do you know everything?
One of my favorite quotes on the value of skepticism:

On the matter of trusted people... My aunt is a doctor. I trust her implicitly to give me good medical advice. But, she's also a follower of Ray Comfort. I know a fair bit about Ray Comfort's arguments; I feel they don't stand up to even casual scrutiny, yet my aunt believes them. So, while I would trust her to sew up my hand after I run a boxcutter through it, I don't see myself taking any sort of religious or spiritual advice from her anytime soon.

Nor would I trust Thomas Jefferson's position on slavery.

There's a Russian phrase, attributed to Ronald Regan - "Trust, but verify"


There's nothing wrong with having believed the wrong thing. People used to believe the earth was flat, went their whole lives believing it. People used to believe that if man was meant to fly, we would have been born with wings. People used to believe that the sound barrier was impenetrable. People used to believe that what goes up must come down - until space flight demonstrated otherwise.

The trick is to question everything, and abandon any belief that can't be sufficiently demonstrated to be valid.


I hope you find answers. I did read your whole response, I apologize for not touching on everything, I'm just not feeling too hot tonight. Like I said, I have no desire to convert you, I'm just offering a different perspectives. Good luck!

No need to apologize, I hope you get to feeling better. I really appreciate your perspective. It's refreshing to talk to people who have don't throw a book at me.

I think I am ready to sit down with my bible again with a pen and highlighter and not let anyone interfere. I have a bad habit of stopping and getting stuck in anything I do if someone criticizes me. I am sure that the Bible holds more truth to Christianity than the people who have (or claimed to have) read it. I will probably search through the entirety of my life. But hopefully my questions will soon lead me so I can find the answer to my ultimate question.

Thanks, I will try to look at questions as a positive outlook rather than a negative one.

[Sarahdactyl]

Originally Posted by krutj

Sarah, after reading through this thread, it seems to me that you just need to get/build confidence in yourself.

I'm constantly "searching" because of my confidence. Knowing that I'm not satisfied with what I'm seeing, hearing or being told.

You may very well already have that confidence and simply don't recognize it, as such. Have faith in yourself first. This is only my very humble opinion.

I think that sometimes we can be very "hard" on ourselves when we don't conform.(it must be me syndrome)

You are you, if you like you, that's good. Don't feel that you need to be like everyone around you or think like them to have value or to validate your beliefs.

I think that there are many of us who question, and that is a very good thing!!

Good luck, young Lady...........

Thank you I feel a lot better knowing that there are others out there who constantly question.
I can be hard on myself because I want to be liked, loved and right as a flawed human being haha. I guess I felt that the religious "me" could not be right.
Maybe I should start being confident in my quest of questioning.

[Sarahdactyl]

Originally Posted by Deepskyy

I really need a glass of Chimay and a comfortable chair for this, but since I am at work I'll wing it.

A few things come to mind with your whole struggle Sarah.
The first of which is: how are you defining "Christian?" Do you mean practicing Christian or just a person who has accepted salvation?

I'm going to need to meditate on some of this for a while before I can chime in for everything.

We've talked . And opened up a whole new can of worms.

[TDmaster]

Originally Posted by Sarahdactyl

I think I am ready to sit down with my bible again with a pen and highlighter and not let anyone interfere. I have a bad habit of stopping and getting stuck in anything I do if someone criticizes me. I am sure that the Bible holds more truth to Christianity than the people who have (or claimed to have) read it. I will probably search through the entirety of my life. But hopefully my questions will soon lead me so I can find the answer to my ultimate question.

Sarah, speaking as a new member to this thread, I feel you bring such a truth and honesty to your yearning to find answers. I think there are many, many people exactly like you! Other posters have touched upon looking at everything in this world with an open mind and I would second that.

I want to first say that I am a Christian, and I know what that means and it has nothing to do with religion - it simply means that I am a Christ Follower, a disciple of Jesus - that I have a personal relationship with God. It is not my intent to preach to or proselytize you in any way...but I do want to add to the thoughts that have been expressed in this thread for you or any other "seekers" that may be reading.

God clearly states He has revealed Himself to mankind so that ALL may come to know Him:
His first revelation is in His very creation. As you have pointed out, you can't imagine the wonder and complexity of the human body, the galaxies, the atom, the earth, the sun. These things reveal God as a designer behind the design. I am a trained scientist, and I believe you can't be a real scientist and not see or experience the hand of God in any area of His creation that we can observe.

Secondly, God has revealed Himself in the written Word, the Bible, so reading His word is the best thing any true seeker could possible do. You seem to know this instinctively already.

Third, God revealed Himself in the Flesh, Jesus the Christ. Through these three Revelations man(woman) is without excuse to not know Him IF they truly want to know Him.

My final thought is to give you something that might help you in your endeavor to read the Bible and search for answers...The Bible is Unique in its Continuity throughout all 66 books (Old and New Testaments). There is one very good contemporary apologist, Josh McDowell, that offers these cogent points about the Bible:
A. HERE IS A BOOK THAT WAS WRITTEN...
1. Over a long period of time
a. About 1600 years
b. A span of 40 generations
2. By approximately 40 authors from every walk of life
a. Moses, political leader trained in the universities of Egypt
b. Peter, fisherman
c. Amos, herdsman
d. Joshua, military general
e. Nehemiah, cup bearer to the king of Persia
f. Daniel, prime minister in the courts of Babylon
g. Luke, physician
h. Solomon, philosopher king
i. Matthew, tax collector
j. Paul, rabbi and tentmaker
3. In different places
a. Moses in the wilderness
b. Jeremiah in a dungeon
c. Daniel on a hillside, and in a palace
d. Paul inside prison walls
e. Luke while traveling
f. John in exile on the isle of Patmos
g. Others in the rigors of a military campaign
4. At different times
a. David in times of war
b. Solomon in times of peace
5. During different moods
a. Some writing from the heights of joy
b. Others from the depths of sorrow and despair
6. On three continents: Asia, Africa, Europe
7. In three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek
8. With subject matter involving hundreds of controversial topics,
such as:
a. The origin of man and the universe
b. The nature of God
c. The nature of man, sin, and man's redemption

B. YET THERE IS HARMONY AND CONTINUITY...
1. For example:
a. "The Paradise Lost of the book of Genesis becomes the
Paradise Regained of Revelation."
b. "Whereas the gate to the Tree of Life is closed in Genesis,
it is opened forevermore in Revelation."

I have taken this list from Josh's book, "Evidence that Demands a Verdict"

I would add that the main underlying theme throughout the entire Bible is Gods plan for the redemption of mankind.

I would encourage you to look for this theme and continuity in each and every book of the Bible you read. Here is a general guideline for what you might find or look for as you read, ask questions and explore God's written revelation: Jesus is in Every Book of the Bible

?In Genesis, Jesus Christ is the seed of the woman.
?In Exodus, He is the passover lamb.
?In Leviticus, He is our high priest.
?In Numbers, He is the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.
?In Deuteronomy, He is the prophet like unto Moses.
?In Joshua, He is the captain of our salvation.
?In Judges, He is our judge and lawgiver.
?In Ruth, He is our kinsman redeemer.
?In 1st and 2nd Samuel, He is our trusted prophet.
?In Kings and Chronicles, He is our reigning king.
?In Ezra, He is the rebuilder of the broken down walls of human life.
?In Esther, He is our Mordecai.
?In Job, He is our ever-living redeemer.
?In Psalms, He is our shepherd.
?In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, He is our wisdom.
?In the Song of Solomon, He is the loving bridegroom.
?In Isaiah, He is the prince of peace.
?In Jeremiah, He is the righteous branch.
?In Lamentations, He is our weeping prophet.
?In Ezekiel, He is the wonderful four-faced man.
?In Daniel, He is the forth man in life's "fiery furnace."
?In Hosea, He is the faithful husband, forever married to the backslider.
?In Joel, He is the baptizer with the Holy Ghost and fire.
?In Amos, He is our burden-bearer.
?In Obadiah, He is the mighty to save.
?In Jonah, He is our great foreign missionary.
?In Micah, He is the messenger of beautiful feet.
?In Nahum, He is the avenger of God's elect.
?In Habakkuk, he is God's evangelist, crying, "revive thy work in the midst of the years."
?In Zephaniah, He is our Saviour.
?In Haggai, He is the restorer of God's lost heritage.
?In Zechariah, He is the fountain opened up in the house of David for sin and uncleanness.
?In Malachi, He is the Sun of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings.
?In Matthew, He is King of the Jews.
?In Mark, He is the Servant.
?In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel.
?In John, He is the Son of God.
?In Acts, He is the Savior of the world.
?In Romans, He is the righteousness of God.
?In I Corinthians, He is the Rock that followed Israel.
?In II Corinthians, He is the Triumphant One, giving victory.
?In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free.
?In Ephesians, He is Head of the Church.
?In Philippians, He is your joy.
?In Colossians, He is your completeness.
?In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, He is your hope.
?In I Timothy, He is your faith.
?In II Timothy, He is your stability.
?In Philemon, He is your Benefactor.
?In Titus, He is truth.
?In Hebrews, He is your perfection.
?In James, he is the Power behind your faith.
?In I Peter, He is your example.
?In II Peter, He is your purity.
?In I John, He is your life.
?In II John, He is your pattern.
?In III John, He is your motivation.
?In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith.
?In Revelation, He is your coming King.

So, God Bless you Sarah in the midst of your search for answers and may the Holy Spirt guide you to a real and lasting relationship with God through His Son, Jesus.

[gotmud]

Sarah,
I have read all of this thread and I hope you realize you are not alone in this search for God. Several others have quoted the bible and are much more versed than I but I do know that if you are truely searching for God, you WILL find Him.
Keep reading and studying your bible and keep an open mind and things will begin to make sense to you as God only puts on our shoulders no more than what we can stand and He is always there to catch us should we fall.