I grew up in a very unhappy home -- lots of conflict, plus verbal and physical abuse. Finally my parents split, but because of all this I have a very hard time trusting people or thinking I can ever love someone (let alone love God). I know you're not a psychiatrist, but how can I overcome this?
Some of my friends talk about having a personal relationship with God, but what do they mean? I believe in God and go to church sometimes, but I can't say that I have some sort of a personal connection with Him. What am I missing?
We prayed for our children even before they were born, asking God not only to keep them from harm, but also to help us raise them so they'd follow Jesus. But it hasn't worked out that way, and now as adults they've both turned their backs on God. What did we do wrong?
Did Jesus come to make people miserable? I ask this because our neighbor is very devout and active in her church and all that, but she doesn't seem like a very happy person. No matter what we talk about, she always looks on the gloomy side.
I've heard that Jesus doesn't like hypocrites, and if so I guess I'm doomed. I really do believe, but I know I don't measure up to what God would want me to be. I hate myself for being such a hypocrite, and God must hate me also.
I don't come from a religious family, so a lot of the
How can I make my faith grow? Most of the time, my faith is kind of like a tiny seed, but it just stays that way. I guess I don't know how to make it sprout and begin growing.
I think it's wrong for people to say that their religion is right and everyone else's religion is wrong. Instead, we ought to respect each other and let people have their own beliefs. Don't you agree?
My boss claims he's an atheist and doesn't believe in God, yet he's one of the most superstitious people I've ever met. How can you be a superstitious atheist? I thought atheists didn't believe in higher spiritual powers.
I've given church a try during the last year, but I'm giving up on it. The ones I've gone to aren't very friendly to outsiders, and anyway, it all seems pretty boring. You'll probably urge me to keep looking, but why should I?
How I choose to live my life isn't anyone's business. You're free to believe what you want to about morals and so forth, but don't try to impose them on me. I'm happy the way I am.
I don't understand myself. Sometimes I feel like I love God very much, but at other times those feelings fade and I end up wondering if He even exists. I don't want it to be like this, but how can I avoid it?
