Loosing Battle

It is good to hear from someone in the situation we are discussing (even though I don't understand all of it - a person still being a school pupil at 24, or what "The Truth Project" and BFF are, for example).

Please don't take this the wrong way - it is not intended as a criticism, just an attempt to understand your situation better - but do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour? I ask, because I have probably misunderstood your post, but you seemed to be saying that you are not a member of a church, and no longer attend church services or youth meetings. And (please correct me if I am wrong, as I probably am! :laugh: ) your reasons are that: 1) it is not fun as it used to be, 2) your peers did not think for themselves, and 3) the "Truth Project" discussions were not meaty. Does this mean that you don't believe that the bible teaches Christians to gather together in local churches for worship, evangelism, and so on?

 

Well, that's a very simplistic summary of the situation; but yes, mostly that is correct.

By "stuck in high-school", I meant that they acted in the same cliquish, and immature ways that they did when they were enrolled in high-school. Not that they were held back 6 years.

The "Truth Project" is a collaboration of pastors' (including Ravi Zacharias, whom I very much respect) works and ideas, all with the inherent and obvious truth of Christianity as its epicenter,

BFF means "Best Friends Forever"; I use it sardonically, even though he is a good friend.

I did, for a very long time, follow and trust in Jesus; and, if things are as "onced saved, always saved" as some people believe, then I'm all good.
Other than that being the case, I find it very hard to imagine, much less believe the things I did, growing up.

No, I do not attend any church, at the moment.

I wouldn't say so much that it wasn't as fun as it used to be (I've always been the student who will pick a textual study over a game of dodgeball), but more that many things were coming unglued--my questions would go unanswered, my arguments would be refuted with "it's a matter of faith", and, when all else failed them, the legitimacy of my conversion would be questioned.

Your "2)" is very true; I couldn't stomach their conformity for conformity's sake.
I would have been fine, if they could tell me why something was "obvious" or "just how things are", but I couldn't respect people who should have known ten times about our religion than they did.

No single study-project turned my thinking one way or another; rather, some had a more noticeable effect on the silliness of my peers, which did have an effect on how I saw things.

I think the internet substitutes nicely: the population of my forums are much more diverse in experience than any church I've ever physically attended; there is no single man or woman whose opinion has more leeway than another's, simply because they're in charge; people are generally more sincere; and I just like it more.

 

Thanks for taking time to explain things that probably seen so obvious to you and other Americans.

I personally don't see how the internet can possibly be a substitute for church membership. At the time of the New Testament, there was no e-mail, no computers, no internet. But people could and did write letters. Yet nowhere in the bible do we find the suggestion that contact with other Christians by letter could be a valid alternative to local church membership.

Anyway, thanks again for your explanations.