christian beliefs...please help

ok, im 14, i have been going to church since i was about 4. i have tried so hard to get saved and so hard to look to god for everything...i dont know why but i just cant do it... at first, i was doing really good praying at least three times a day, reading the bible, doing my devotions...but then as i got older i started to second guess. is there really a god? is the bible right? can he really help me? if everyone has a purpose in life than why cant i figure out what mine is?
all these questions haunt me from day to day. i just cant figuree this out. im so lost...can you please help me

Faith is built on many different things and unique to everyone.

You DON'T have to go to church and pray loads of times a day for God to hear you. If you want him to listen to your thoughts he will, whether you are.

Everyone DOES have a purpose in life but they may not find that until they get a lot older. I am 18 and I'm still not sure what my purpose is yet.

Try talking to your family about your worries, or failing this I'm sure your Vicar will be willing to guide you. Nearly everyone loses or questions their faith at some point in their life, so DON'T feel you are different.

You may decide that god doesn't exisit at all and thats OK if thats what YOU believe.

Take it as easy as you can Laura, though thats easy for me to say. I went through roughly the same thing when i was a little younger than you...and i know it's hard trying to redefine how you fit into the world at such a tender and potentially akward age.

Like it says in the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy...DON'T PANIC!...or is it..NEVER PANIC..anyway...

Don't try to fight anyone...especially in your family or church...let them know that you are searching for God and that you need some time and space and i'm sure they'll let you have it...remind them if you must that the big Jesus Christ spent the first 30 odd years of his life learning about love and faith before he started to really be a man of belief so you can hardly be blamed for having a few doubts at 14 eh?

If you want some quality books to read that i think address the issue of God and faith in a real life way...then i recomend these amazing titles..

Conversations with God~~~by Neale Donald Walsh [ it's kinda cheesy..but some amazing points of view..especially about the Ten Commandments]

ILLusions~~~By Richard Bach [ this book is about the closest thing i've ever come to a bible....i'd force everyone to read it if i thought it would help]...

The Prophet~~~By Kahlil Gibran [ not really about God....more about how to live....and every line is pire poetry]

The reason i'm talking to you about books is that i believe you need to find truth in your own time...and in a personal way...reading is a great way to do this...i'm sure you're local library would have at least one of these books.

Good luck....and remember that there are many paths up the mountain...and we all see the sunrise at the top no matter which road we take.

Good luck...and may the force be with you ; )

Kevin.

I'm personally an agnostic atheist, but look at it this way...why would God have given you the capacity to think and question things and then not want you to use it?
By the way, are you the same Laura who participated in the discussion concerning evolutionary theory in the chat room?

no, im not...i dont think.l0l

I was AlasdairJC, and another Laura about 14 or so was saying "If Humans evolved from apes, why can I still see apes at the zoo"? Does that ring a bell, or am I getting hopelessly mixed up?

mixed up....i wouldnt say something like that. l0l. sorry.

what do you think about the books i recommended to you Laura?

well, i havent had the chance to check them out yet but i just got an account at the library so i think im going to go up there and see if i can find them. ill let you know what i think as soon as i figure it out...

what i have found worked for me when i questioned things...was to not ask if there is a god and how many gods etc etc...but have faith in myself. First and foremost. Then and only then when you really truley understand yourself you will find the answers you are searching for. But do not search for a god for if there is a god through yourself he will apear.

guys, thanks for the advice, i truly appreciate it. i havent checked those books out yet because i havent been back to the library but i have them written down so as soon as i get to go there then i will definetly check them out

Laura I appreciate your forthrightness and desire to know and live for the truth. Going to Church, reading the bible and praying religiously are all needfull to a devoted life as a Christian.

But, suffice to say that, Christianity is a way of life and a personal relationship with the giver of Life, Jesus. This si something people are obnoxious about and hate to talk about.

Age doesnt have anything to do with FAITH and LIFE issues. Young children die dont they? The great question should be, do I know who I worship? Is he anything to me? Does he know me and recon with my worship?
These questions are not to reprimand or intimidate, but to help get you rooted and firmly stand, bcs the day of opposition will come. I must say this, 'your faith/believe MUST be tried/tested to prove what you believe.'
Believe and keep believing. I trust too you will find time to follow the useful direction Kevin gave and the resources.
Take care and God bless. HAND

Not to be a Fallen one here....but i wasn't trying to support Laura's return to faith...if anything the books i recommended encourage everyone to question their faith and the church behind it.

Those are some awesome books Kevin has recommended.

Laura: There are many different kinds of religions and faiths because there is no ONE religion that has been proven to be the correct one. Personally, i am Buddhist, but i have dabbled in many other religions including Christianity to find myself. Though there are a few holes in the Bible, and i really don't agree with what it says about other religions, it has good intent in it's teachings and is good enough for me.

Anyways, maybe you should look into other religions as i have and maybe you'll discover yourself in the process.

Aken Sol

Laura: Im fourteen too and im going through the exact same thing you are.... my family has bee through so much I lost a sister to cancer my dad is very sick and is gettting worst my brother got in a car accident three years ago and we thought we were going to lose him because he had third degree burns on 50% of his body and has a fake leg, he just made it.... my brother is my role model he's been through so much pain and yet he has such a strong faith in God, I just cant see that how come our family had to take in so much pain we had more than our shares of sorrows.... where was gone in all that.. and im still questioning..
~Charity~

Laura I'm 16 and currently going through some of the same things. But I always know that there is a God only because I have had people in my life survive the unsurvivable and only God could do that. Don't compare yourself to other and don't worry about what they say about God he is there and he always will be. For proff just read the creation story (Genesis 1&2) for that to happen there has to be a God If you are still doubting just get into the Word read the story of David and solomon or even the story of Johnna the best would be the book of Exodus they all prove that God is there and he is watching out for his children. When you are done with those Hebrews 13 can help with God never leaving you.
Hope to be of help keep me posted

Ok, my question is how can you be an agnostic athiest? They are two different things. Agnostic is.....One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism. Atheism is....Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.