This thread ought to be a doozie.

[Seraphim]

Similar story from me. I grew up non-religious, converted to Orthodox Christianity because I fell in love with a Greek girl, and got married to her. I soon thereafter spurned it as ridiculous nonsense. I'm smart enough not to fall for that obvious hooey. One thing that really ticked me offf was why are they praying to Christ, and not simply to God?

When I would attend Church with my wife begrudgingly, it was pure torture! I'd just as soon have hot flaming bamboo splinters stuck under my fingernails while undergoing "enhanced interogation techniques" personally supervised by Dick Cheney himself as go to Church. Really, I'm not kidding whatsoever!

Well, during a particularly difficult and irrepairable period in my personal life about 6 years ago I agreed to go wife my wife to a Vespers service (maybe a 45 minute torture session....), unfortunately, due to my misunderstanding, it was actualy a Vesperal Liturgy (ARGH! A full 2+ hours of agony, filled with religious fooforall! Someone please shoot me!). So, as I stood there, arms folded, seething, ready to jump out a window, ignite some sort of explosive device or something, I look over at an icon of Jesus, and say to Him in my heart "OK, Big Guy, if you're such hot stuff, why don't you fix such and such that's going on in my life?"

And you know what? He did.

Within days there was a rapid change in a number of things.

Plenty of other experiences in my own personal life have backed up that Christ is truly God incarnate in the flesh. Not simply from what I've read in the Bible, but backed up by real events that have happened to me.

[JimmyHAD]

I was raised by atheists and was one myself into my early thirties. I was in a twelve step program that required a 'higher power' and that led me to search out various religious beliefs. I was alright with Buddhism and Vedanta but hostile to Christianity. I was in the twelve step group for a few years when I heard a tape by one of the founders in which he said that the twelve steps came from the bible. The Sermon on the Mount, the book of James and the 13th chapter of first Corinthians.

This really got my goat but I felt that the program had saved my life so what was I to do ? I decided to read the bible. As a kid I had heard that the bible contradicts itself and I always repeated that never having read it. Now I would see for myself. So I began with the New Testament gospels. When I got to the book of Romans the first chapter I knew somehow that what I was reading was true. I could no longer doubt it. I was 37 years old.

I began to attend church and became an active participant. Got baptized and the whole thing. I studied the bible, read countless sermons by the 'great' preachers and many Christian apologetics. Gradually I began to read about the history of the books of the bible and later exegesis that was more textual than spiritual. Doubts began to intrude on my surety. Pretty soon I didn't know what I believed and that is where I am today.

So whether I built my house on sand and my seeds were cast on stony ground or whether once saved you're always saved remains to be seen. I haven't exactly 'departed from the faith' but I'm not exactly 'there' either. I am not sorry for this. I would not stick my head in the sand and ignore facts so that I could believe what I prefer to believe.

It is either true and true for everybody, as Jonathon Edwards said, or it is not true for anyone. If the Pentateuch was not written by Moses, Second Peter by Peter or Hebrews by Paul doesn't necessarily mean that we have to throw the baby out with the bath water and say that the whole thing is spurious ..... this is what I wrestle with.

[ENUF2]

I
I began to attend church and became an active participant. Got baptized and the whole thing. I studied the bible, read countless sermons by the 'great' preachers and many Christian apologetics. Gradually I began to read about the history of the books of the bible and later exegesis that was more textual than spiritual. Doubts began to intrude on my surety. Pretty soon I didn't know what I believed and that is where I am today.

So whether I built my house on sand and my seeds were cast on stony ground or whether once saved you're always saved remains to be seen. I haven't exactly 'departed from the faith' but I'm not exactly 'there' either. I am not sorry for this. I would not stick my head in the sand and ignore facts so that I could believe what I prefer to believe.

I learned a long time ago there is always some sort of storm brewing usually one that effects faith and purpose one way or another. We are either going into a storm, in the middle of it, or on our way out. When Paul said to run the race with endurance one of the Greek words used is agono where we get our word agony. If we do not question we can not grow. Just because the ground seems stony doesn't mean there isn't good soil underneath. We may just not be there yet.

[JMS]

Alright guys!! Thanks. For those that have already posted your story I do appreciate it immensely and will be spending tonight after dinner perusing the the stories already posted.