Why do i instantly distrust people when they mention god in almost every topic they discuss with me?

I am Catholic, but I've seen so many people act the exact opposite of Jesus.

I feel like im a traitor when I cringe at the words "scripture" and I just go blank when I realize someone is quoting scripture because I don't believe the person quoting it.

I believe in god, just not religion... what does that make me anyways?

I don't expect a answer really, just wondering if there are other people like me who believe but dont participate.

I know what you're saying. I don't instantly distrust them, but I DO listen closely to see if there is a sub-topic they're really addressing. If they are using religion to manipulate their listener I am immediately turned off and will promptly let them know. People who use the 'religion card' to manipulate their listeners are disrespectful - not only to the listener they're trying to manipulate, but to other faithful followers as well.

I get it. I have faith, but I don't trust someone just because they say they have faith, or put a fish symbol in their ad, on their sign, etc.

I can quote scripture, but I too don't believe in religion. Religion, such as the different flavors of Christianity are man-made. Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc are mans take on God.

What I try to keep in mind is that the Word of God is that, even when I don't trust the person who is quoting it.

I think even scripture tells us not to put our faith in earthly things, which would include the people here, but put your faith in Godly things.

If I quoted the scripture, would it weird you out?

I just keep in mind that we are all sinners. Even someone who seems as squeaky clean as Billy Graham. So find a place to worship where you can join other sinners in worshiping God.

Remember, worship and faith is about God, not about the folks you worship with. So go worship God with other imperfect people and focus on some attribute of God, not on the knucklehead who can't park in one spot in the church parking lot.

God loves both of you, regardless your respective faults.

Perhaps my advice is unsolicited. But I get where you come from. I really do. I left my former church due to how they (didn't) handle my ex-wife's affair, and how they treated me during the affair and divorce even after it was final.

But I say again, the problem is not with God or His Word, but with people. You'll find the same sort of people on both sides of the church doors.

But I agree, it would be nice to find more folks who appeared to be changed for the better by their faith in God, wouldn't it?

PS, I'm a church member, I teach Sunday School, I go on mission trips, etc.

But I don't have a fish on my car and I've been known to tweek my Baptist brothers and sisters by asking them what was the first miracle of Jesus? Oh right, he turned water into wine.

Now why is it I'm not supposed to have a drink if I'm a Baptist?

It's stuff like that that understandably drives folks away from churches.

Good gravy, the phone rang and I had to take a call, I lost my train of thought. I hope you have an idea of what I was trying to say.

I got a idea of it.

Its just a shame that I'm so cynical of my fellow man.

I miss having a childs view of the way the world works.

You know what's interesting? Since coming to Marriage Builders, I am talking about my religion less and living it more.

Not to discourage talking about faith, religion, and God, but I learned that it's possible to make a lot of noise about faith and not actually be very active in it.

I think Jesus tried to tell me that before, but I probably wasn't listening.

Bravo to you, sir!

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Here's an idea;

It's like people who have to quote scripture are the annoying tattle-tale kid, or like they are Brainy Smurf - "Well, Papa Smurf always says... blah blah blah." Often times, people like this will only listen if you also can present scriptural support.

Other times, they are simply arrogant, and quote scripture because they see it as irrefutable support for their arrogance.

It's called "appeal to authority." Secondly, they lean on those around them whom are also faithful, which is called "bandwagon appeal."

Those tools are employed by people who have no evidence to support a point of view, or no other way to support that view.

I so agree with this, Markos. The ones that talk the most don't seem to live it. I cringe when I see someone using it ALOT as a baseball bat. It makes me think of the Pharisees who stood on the street corners spouting scripture to prove their holiness. Jesus told them to go to a closet because he knew it was all for show.

And I say this as a Bible believing Christian.

I miss your old tag "The higher the hair, the closer to god" ML

I've been trying to avoid appeal to authority for years, actually, HHH. But now it goes further than that.

I'm trying to write a paragraph explaining, and coming up blank.

I still read the Bible. I still believe it. (I'm a fundamentalist!) I still talk about it.

But somehow when it comes to issues of morality and character, I can talk about them in ways that make sense to Christians, non-Christians, and Christians doing a lousy job or putting on a show, all at the same time.

Irony: I'm leading a Bible class tonight on "the Christian atheist." (How Christians fail to actually live their faith.)

The difference: it's not about talking to other people. It's about talking to myself. I'm learning how to not trick myself into thinking I'm living with acceptable Christian character while still continuing to tolerate character and moral failings in myself.

Scripture's still pretty useful in that regard. But if you're committed to continue to justify stealing, or lying, or angry outbursts, or whatever,, you may be shutting out what you need to hear from it.

Dr. Harley says one reason he ended up creating a secular program instead of a Christian one is that Christian pastors in affairs would not listen to him quote Scripture! He sort of comes at it "sideways," persuading them to do the right thing because it turns out the right thing is the only way to get to their (and our) own happiness.

I'm somewhere in the polar opposite of that. Maybe "the atheist Christian."

I have no faith, but try to live by the teachings of Jesus... if that makes any sense.

It felt weird when I first fell into it, until I did some study on Benjamin Franklin.

Benjamin Franklin's 13th virtue was humility, for which he stated "imitate Jesus and Socrates."

The other thing I liked about Franklin, is he didn't have the temperance to deal with the atheists of his day. He felt that their persecution of people of faith was no better than those of faith her persecuted those of other beliefs.

It was then that I finally became comfortable with my own internal conflict; that while I had no faith or belief in divinity, that scriptures contain the thoughts and reflections of greater minds, and in that cannot be cast aside solely on the disbelief in the divine.

In my rationalist mind, it would be akin to tossing aside a thousand years of science simply because the men and women who produced it were faithful. How wasteful.

Actually, this is pretty Biblical.

"Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is hurtful." - Benjamin Franklin

From THIS THREAD

I think my feelings on this subject are encompassed in St. Francis's words as shown in my signature...

Speaking as an agnostic, this eloquently captures how I feel. Well done.

This is an interesting topic .. especially how it is unfolding. My wifes mother is (was) the leader of the worship team in her church .. and guess what .. she JUST had an emotional affair with one of the other music team members and i blew it out of the water and ruined her and her AP's rep by doing so.

I am a christian myself ... however .. I do not attend church very often. A few things that keep my faith alive is how I see god work in my everyday life .. how god brought me to Marriage builders ... how god has blessed me in so many ways. Its people like grandma who put on a great show (like jesus said himself to the religious leaders in his time that they have got it all wrong how they go about it for show and power only). How often did jesus attend church? Most of the time he went into solitude to pray. The bible says .. "where two or more gather in my name there I am also" So that tells me that if I pray with my wife in my living room .. God is right there!

I believe that there is a difference between being christian and being religious. Being religious is about DOING the right things to get to heaven but being christian is about believing in whats already been done that gets us to heaven.

There is SOOOOOO many people out there that are wolves in sheeps clothing ...

MNG

Benjamin Franklin was a major womanizer and cheated on his wife like crazy.

So was Wyatt Earp... just sayin'...

So were MLK, FDR, Thomas Jefferson, and Stephen Hawking.