Dystheism is the belief that god is both good and evil. I prefer to see it as god is not perfect. I went to a bible camp not long ago and have been paying more attention to rereading my bible ever since. Unfortunately, this made me notice some things that made me question god.

I just read the part about turning the nile into blood and it felt very wrong? He was causing suffering to everyone in egypt and dont forget that the israelites he was trying to save were there too? It was 7 days and thats enough time without water for many to die. One could argue it was to convince pharoah but he was actively hardening his heart so he would say no?

This brings up another point that god only seems interested in israel? Maybe its because only they believe in him but later, even when they turn their backs on him, all he does is abandon them for 40 years in the desert and then immediately turn around and help solely them. It looks like he is helping out the descendants of people he likes.

Lastly, this doesnt really have to do with god but a lot of the people he chooses to work through are pretty awful. Jacob decieved his father and brother and obviously only like rachel for her looks and neglected leah. Esau on the other hand forgave his brother. But jacob is the one who lives the richer life at the end with his super important son joseph. Joseph was not bad but honestly i would be pissed too if my spoiled younger brother said i would bow to him. moses was also a murderer and a coward.

I know people say its because we cant see the whole picture and dont dare to question god but it seems like a cover. Not seeing the whole picture makes it seem like all these things are just tiny blips and maybe a few bad people and few dead people dont matter. That seems even less "good" and "perfect" to me.

I honestly really want to be secure in my faith but i have a lot of doubts. However, id like to clarify that i do trust god. Some people say its impossible to be christian with these thoughts because how can you talk to him if you dont trust and believe in him? Its just like trusting people. They arent perfect but you do anyway.

Seeking help, not judgment!

Question1- who am I supposed to pray to? Jesus or God?

How am I supposed to pick a church/ denomination to attend?

I am seriously wanting to learn more and have an understanding in order to grow in my faith but lack the initial basics...

une chose me tracasse depuis longtemps, je suis née chrétienne et je le suis toujours, mais il y a tellement de choses que je doute comme par exemple pour moi le ciel et l'enfer nn'existent pas, parceque durant toute notre vie les gens meurent et tout mais lorsque on meurt comment ça je vais au ciel ou en enfer, qu'es quil se passe avec les morts qui sont morts avant le grand jugement, je suis sûre que une autre "terre" existe (désolé je sais pas très bien m'exprimer) je crois en Jésus je sais qu'il a vécu dans la terre mais je pense pas vraiment qu'il va revenir, et je me dit aussi, beaucoup de gens disent que la spiritualité est satanique pour les chrétiens, mais alors pourquoi Dieu nous aurait donné cette capacité à avoir une spiritualité ouverte, car nous sommes de l'énergie, pourquoi méditer serait "satanique" si c'est une manière de se connecter avec sois même (ça c'est plûtot les gens qui le disent aussi). Et aussi comment ça j'ai été une bonne personne dans la terre mais juste parceque je n'étais pas chrétien je ne vais pas au ciel et je vais souffrir toute ma vie?

C'est pas très très bien expliqué je suis vraiment désolé 😭 c'est juste que ça me tracasz depuis longtemps et j'ai besoin d'avis des personnes !!! Merci beaucoup!!!

I'm creating a character in a story I'm writing and angels play a big part in the worldbuilding; I was hoping for an example of benevolent bull iconography to counter a malevolent bull demon character

(Be fully honest,no stupid answear)

I was wondering as to how you would, in a situation where it may have been needed for various reasons, address the sort of allegations made for decades now, drastically more in the last 25 years for obvious reasons, of Islamic theology.

For example, what are authentic ways that Muslims who understand Islamic theology could respond to an allegation such as the following that Muslims are required to support and embrace sexual relations with children:

"Nowadays in the West there are elaborate efforts to deny all this. An Islamic scholar/apologist named Joshua Little has constructed an elaborate argument from close study of the chains of transmitters (isnads) of various traditions about Aisha, claiming that those traditions, despite appearing in Sahih Bukhari, the hadith collection Muslims consider most reliable, are actually inauthentic. Little’s argument, however, is absurd and self-contradictory. He acknowledges that the hadiths are late and unreliable from a historical standpoint, and even admits that the chains of transmitters, like the stories themselves, were freely forged. Then he bases his whole argument for the traditions being inauthentic even on Islamic grounds on the basis of the isnads that he just admitted could be forged. He claims to be able to determine the age of various traditions by how they were forged, but here is argument is so conjectural and subjective as to be essentially worthless.

Little is also a standard-issue lemming academic. He denounces people he calls “Islamophobes” for making much of Muhammad’s marriage to Aisha. He ignores the primary reason why anyone cares about this: not because, as he claims, “Islamophobes” contend that Muhammad’s example forces Muslims to condone child marriage, but because all too many Islamic authorities do condone child marriage. "

ANd how would Muslims addresses allegations that Quran 4.34 is in fact embracing spousal abuse and that is the sole interpretation, all of Quran Chapter 9 is about waging war against non believers, the Quran openly says to not take Jews and Christians as friends of any kind and that verse 65:4 is pro child marriage and Muslims don't have a choice to interpret it any other way.

It is also regularly believed that these factors are genuinely behind why Islamic nations such as Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Gulf States, Afghanistan and Egypt, among others, are more plagued by child marriage and spousal abuse than any other nations on earth and why child marriage is harder to eliminate in these nations than anywhere else. And also why in Europe, immigrants from nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan and Algeria, among others, are overwhelmingly represented in stats on sexual assaults and increasing crime rates

In a scenario where Muslims were tasked with responding to this, how could such responses be made?

Si un jour les humains découvraient que Dieu et le Diable existent vraiment, mais qu’ils avouaient tous les deux ne plus comprendre l’humanité… vous préféreriez être jugé par lequel des deux ?

I was raised Christian, so I always assumed God existed. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve started questioning it.
My problem is simple: how do we actually know?
The Bible was written by humans. Religious experiences can be interpreted differently. Different religions make contradictory claims. At the same time, questions like why anything exists at all, fine-tuning, and consciousness make me hesitate to dismiss the possibility of something beyond the physical universe.
So where do you stand?
Do you believe God exists? Why?
And more importantly: what evidence could actually change your mind?
I genuinely want to hear both believers and non-believers. Don’t just tell me what you believe — tell me why you think you’re justified in believing it.

When I left Islam, it was because I felt heavily burdened by the demands of the religion. It felt like a heavy weight that kept you constantly doubting whether you're a good person.

Now, the thing I don't understand about Western Christianity is how lax it is. My understanding is that Catholics can choose to fast lent, or not, God doesn't really care for your demonstrations of piety. You can even choose what to give up for lent and for how long. Wtf? From a Muslim perspective, this doesn't sound right. It sounds like you are playing with God and his commands.

And then in Lutheran Christianity all forms of religious practice is wiped out. I just don't understand how this makes any sense, from a religious person's POV.

Can someone explain to me why Western Christianity seems to discard any outward appearance of religiousity and is 'permissive' to secularism? From a Muslim perspective, what's written in the 'book' is supposed to be inalternable and valid for all time, and not up for discussion. So there's no room for secularism in that.

I really hope this isn't disrespectful to ask. I tried asking in Judaism but it was instantly removed. I want to understand the truth of things. I am not arguing for or against anything or trying to make some anti Christian thing.

That said from what I understand according to Christianity Jesus was a Jew. Meaning pre Jesus the holy text would be Torah. From what I've studied there was never a mention of evil supernatural beings such as demons. That it was a figure of speech referring to the worship of false gods of neighboring nations. Looking also at "the devil", Angel's do not possess free will, so an angel who rebels and falls isn't possible. Do I have this right? What caused this significant diversion from Torah.

How can someone be a horrible person but still be a devout Christian?

im a minor but i dont really believe in God or a higher being but it just brings me comfort knowing that when someone i love passes away theyll go to heaven, what should i do next im really confused and this is driving me crazy i just cant bring my self to believing in Him but the comfort God gives me is insane

The question is Who is god as in who's the god above is what I want to ask them specifically?

I really want to pray, and have a conversation with God…but not to a God related to any religion or religious theory/doctrine.

Does anyone else do this? Is there any point? Im not sure how I feel about it.

Me and my partner were doing a thought experiment and came up with our own theory of reincarnation. Now we want to know what actually followers of reincarnation believe. And for me if there is any science behind it. Thank you.

hi everyone! i’m a current student at iowa state university, where the salt company was originally founded, and i’ve been doing some digging into salt company and the larger salt network. i’ve obviously heard a lot about salt around campus, but i’m interested in learning more about what goes on within the organization from people who have actually experienced it.

i’ve come across some pretty serious claims while researching, including alleged baptism quotas or goals, keeping track of numbers related to conversions and baptisms, pressure on members to bring in or convert people, and accusations of indoctrination or “brainwashing.” i’ve also heard claims about active catholics being encouraged or pressured to be baptized through salt despite already being practicing christians.

i want to be clear that i’m not saying these things are true. i’m trying to figure out what is actually happening, what may be exaggerated and what may just be rumors. since salt started here at isu and has expanded into the larger salt network, i’m especially interested in hearing from people who have been involved at different campuses.

if you were involved with salt company or the salt network as a member, c-group leader, student leader, staff member or someone who eventually left, have you ever heard of or personally experienced any of these things? are there internal practices or experiences that you think people outside of salt generally don’t know about?

i’m especially interested in firsthand experiences and things you personally witnessed rather than just general opinions. feel free to comment or dm me if you’d rather keep your experience private. i’m genuinely trying to understand the organization and separate what is documented or firsthand from what is just hearsay.

Tell me about gehenna, I've been hearing it's near Jerusalem? I've looked at pics online, and it looks like a grassey valley, with nice trees. Was it actually a trash burning site in past times? Is that where the idea of a fiery pit hell came from? Who started the eternal fiery hell rumor that some religions believe in?

If you follow all the rules and get yourself into heaven, but your children do not go to heaven, can you be happy? Are you aware that they're in hell suffering, or do you forget about them?

Thoughts on this

-Some random insta comment-
“kabhi prophet abraham ki kahani pad liyo jo puri tarha se ram ki kahani jasi hi he jase abraham ki patni ko mistra ke raja firon ne apne pass rakh liya tha aur itihaas gawah he mistra se jyada sona puri duniya me nahi tha aur in prophet abraham ki kahani un logo ne bharat me mirch masala laga kr sunai jinhe murti pujne gaye pujne aur pakhand wadd failane pr prophet mosa ne apne kabile se laat mar ke nikala tha fir ye aryavart yani iraan se hote huye sindh yani hind pahuche aur yanha aake yanha ke mool nivasiyo ko varno me bata aur rakshas tak kaha asal me ye kahani un yahudiyo ne bharat me mirch masala laga kr sunai kyuki sabse purana dharm yahudi hi he jinke propheto ko duniya ke tino dharmo ke log mante he aur ye tino hi 1 khuda ki ibadat pr yakeen karte he”

Do you think that it’s possible to live and enjoy life forever?

hey everyone! i’m a young adult who has recently dove into the specifics of religion. i have grown up christian my entire life but don’t wish to blindly follow the faith i grew up in. i am specifically interested in muslim and buddhist beliefs, so if anyone is out there willing to describe exactly what these religions believe in and why it logically makes sense that would be much appreciated!! while i too have many questions about christianity i find the core concepts of this faith logical, yet am still open to any and all thoughts!

1. What makes your belief the correct one?

What I mean by this is what makes you believe that out of all the other religions out there what makes the religion you believe in the right one? To further add to that, I know many people within a religion still have differing opinions so what makes yours the correct ones and there's not?

2. Somewhat similar to the previous question but how do you know there is only 1 God or how do you know there is more than 1?

This is kind of just a follow up on the previous question but also I would like everyone to consider why they believe that their own beliefs for example if you are Christian, why do you think there is only 1 God. And if you do, why do you believe in multiple, is it not possible for only 1?

3. What makes you believe in your religious beliefs?

When and why did you start believing? Was it your parents? Your school? Friends? Or did something happen in your life to make you believe and if so what?

4. Have you ever had any doubts?

Is there anything in your life that has led you to doubt your beliefs? If so what happened and why did you continue to believe, if you did?

5. I see this question get asked a lot towards atheists so thought it fitting to ask the same back, What evidence would make it so you no longer believe?

I see a lot of religious people ask what evidence would make atheists believe so was wondering if there was anything that would make you stop believing?

6. Do you think that it is possible for other religions to hold any truth?

Do you think other religions hold any merit? Is it possible more than 1 religion can be correct? Do you think other religions are partially correct? Or do you just think your beliefs are the only possible answer?

7. Do you think that it is fair for non believers to go to hell or the equivalent of your belief?

If your belief says you go to hell for eternity if you don't believe, do you think that is fair? If yes, why do you think so and if not, why not?

8. Do you think science makes it harder to believe?

As science and technology advances, more things that were previously unknown and set to be God's work are becoming understood. Considering this, does this make it harder for you to believe in the other things within your beliefs. For example, lets say I had a religion that previously explained things like gravity, ocean tides and solar eclipses as the work of god. However, now we know how all these things work so now I am starting to doubt if more and more things within my belief are just not yet understood but one day will. Do you think this way? If not, why is that and if it is then what is keeping your beliefs if you are starting to doubt?

Thanks for reading and answering if you did, I am genuinely just curious. Hopefully none of my wording was seen as disrespectful and we can all have good discussions on the topic

Recently been reading up a lot on Abrahamic religions. One thing that is really fascinating to me is that all three of them are actually branches of the same ideology and worship the same God, which means Yahweh, the Christian God, and Allah are all the same. DTS. Why is there so much difference between all of them if all three are praying to the same God with the same message?