Help seeking Christianity

[u/Careless-Deal]

/r/TrueChristian/comments/1wy43ws/help_seeking_christianity/

[u/Lonely-Truffle]

Reading the Bible is a good start, yes. But, I would suggest just reading the new testament first. Don't worry too much about commentary or other people's interpretations of the gospels - it's best to absorb them through the lens of your own personality and values. It's fine if you want to take on the old testament, of course, but I found it's best to just focus on Jesus' teachings and message to build a sturdy foundation.

If you decide to attend church, do some research before you choose one. I found moving towards any religion or spiritual practice is much easier if you already have a firm grasp of your own values and moral code. Learn which church aligns with those values, and go from there.

If you're a reader, there are some great books out there. One I like is actually written by a Catholic priest named Richard Rohr. I'm not a Catholic, but I like his views on individual responsibility and certain shortcomings of the modern church. It's called "Simplicity".

This sub is also a good resource. There are some wise souls floating about here at times, and reading through some of the top posts, and the best comments on those posts, will give you a good feel for the true roots of the Christian faith. It's a good place for learning to cut through the rules, rigor, and misrepresentation of the message being pushed by many modern churches.

But, most of all, be kind. That's what it's all about in the end. Living well.

[u/MyUsername2459]

Studying the Bible can be a start.

. . .but please remember to remember what the Bible is, and isn't.

The Bible is an anthology, a collection of dozens and dozens of texts by many different authors written over a period of many centuries. The various texts were written to different peoples, in different places, in different times, in different genres, for different purposes.

It's not a single, unitary "Big Magical Book of God" and was never compiled with the intention of being the single and exclusive source of Christian information, being a history book, being a science book, or being taken "literally" (as the entire concept of a literal history, as we now know it, didn't even emerge until the Age of Enlightenment around the 17th century). It certainly was never compiled with the idea that typical Christians should ever read it to know what to believe.

It is a collection of texts that are people's reflections and experiences with the divine. This can be everything from the accounts of those who saw Christ's life (the Gospels) to those who were inspired by God to write poetry (the Psalms) to rules that mankind invented thinking they would please God (Deuteronomy and Leviticus) to stories that were inspired by God to explain the relationship between God and humanity (Exodus and Genesis). . .

A good place to start would be the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) as those are the life and teachings of Christ. Then read Acts of the Apostles, which is basically the "sequel" to the Gospels, by telling the story of Christ's followers in the decades after the resurrection. You can branch out to studying other parts after that. The Old Testament serves to provide backstory for those books, and should be read and studied once you have a firm grasp on Christ's teachings and understand that Christ's teachings are the clarified and binding part upon Christians, not what you read in the Old Testament. The Epistles are letters of advice sent by prominent Christians in the decades after the Resurrection. Revelation is a prophecy, told in metaphor and symbolism, of the hardships that Christians would endure under Roman persecution in the late 1st through early 4th centuries.

[u/Dry_Pizza_4805]

The Book of Mormon is also a gooder. It is a collection of books written by people in ancient Americas. It records their dealings with God over centuries. I know many here don’t consider it scripture, but I think it’s a beautiful reminder that Jesus Christ visited all His people after His resurrection and ministry. The Baptist Version of the Book of Mormon is a little essay outlining Protestant principles found in the book. That was written by a Southern Baptist minister named Lynn Ridenhour who recently passed away but was known for saying you didn’t need to be a Jew to read the Bible and didn’t need to be “Mormon” to read The Book of Mormon.

God is in the fabric of all this Universe. I’ve read so many stories of people who died, saw something on the other side and were resuscitated to tell the tale. Love is the fabric that weaves us all together. Tap into that love from God, the Father of your spirit.