Clarification, lel. Did you really turn away from the pursuit of knowledge because you saw that said knowledge would contradict your preferred belief system? :eek:
It took me a while to realize it, Qadgop, but it looks like I have done so. Even learning the most basic methods of critical thinking have caused me to doubt the veracity of my former beliefs. I thought I was attempting to harmonize the two, but in reality, I have been attempting to suppress my instincts to investigate biblical scholarship in the fear that faith will not win and I will become an unbeliever.
Not that I have anything against those who do not believe in Christianity, but my instincts say that my duty is to believe in that which I have been raised (namely, conservative Protestant Christianigh) and that I must do whatever it takes to do so. In reality, I have almost no faith, so I try to suppress my curiosity in order to preserve what little faith I have.
So then, lel, your choices are Christianity due to willful ignorance or (as far as you can tell) less/lack thereof due to information?
Damn, sister. Is there anything we can do to help? I know how it can be to feel like you’re losing something that was once as natural as life itself:(
Pray that I might not lose the faith? 
d&r
Actually, I’ve been doing this for years now. When I first had doubts, I redoubled my efforts to believe and it seemed to work for a few years. Then I came to believe that I didn’t have the right opinions and I tried to investigate other religious beliefs. When none of those seemed quite right, I came to strengthen my former beliefs. Ever since then, I have been trying to do what it takes to preserve what little faith remains in my former beliefs.
If it takes ignoring evidence to believe in something that one on another level believes to be true, that may be what I will do.
My own church emphasizes that each one of us must find our own personal faith, and that science and reason are legitimate tools for doing so. And this is the church my wife and I chose, not the faith we grew up in.
But if you will not risk the religion you were raised in, I don’t know how anything I can say will help. Other than to say I have found more peace and serenity (calm amidst the storm) with my outlook than I ever knew in the faith of my fathers and grandfathers.
lel, I don’t know if this will help, but I’ve done a bit of looking the other way to bolster my faith at times. I’m sure if I looked hard enough, I could uncover the chain of events which led to my priest coming to me when I was in the hospital 10 years ago. On the other hand, part of what I regard as the miracle that happened then is suddenly hearing that she was on her way, then her arriving.
I’ll also share with you some of my childhood thoughts on reconciling science and religion. I remember thinking, “OK, 2 hydrogen molecules and 1 oxygen molecule make water. But who said it should be 2 hydrogen and 1 oxygen instead of 2 iron and 1 lead?” It’s childish, and putting that out as a Great Debate would open up a big can of worms, but it worked.
The Episcopal tradition is based on “the three-legged stool of Scripture, Reason, and Tradition”, which are in order by importance. That’s one of the reasons I am Episcopalian. I also acknowledge that there are things in the universe which our current science cannot measure, explain, or allow for.
Anyway, I hope this helps, and I wish you luck in your journey.
CJ
lel, it sounds to me like we should pray that you DO lose faith, so that you can begin anew and build a true faith based on intellect, fact and reason (which are not incompatible with real Christianity) as opposed to the shallow daydream of a religion you cling to now despite your realization that it is false.
Before this hijack goes to another planet and back, a few words.
Qadgop, you have a wonderful point. I tend to be stubborn that way – suggest to me that I change my faith and I’ll suggest that I just need to ignore more evidence. Sometimes I wonder if a time will come where I will be able to choose my faith or if I will ignore yet more evidence. Knowing myself, I place my bets strongly on the second, especially if I ever have children.
cjhoworth, it’s all quite helpful. I love hearing stories of faith and belief. I kind of like the Episcopal approach to faith as Scripture, Reason and Tradition.
I think I’ll get a nice cold glass of Fe[sub]2[/sub]Pb now 
Sdrawkcab, that might not be a bad idea at all.
This just gets sadder and sadder. Object lessons in samsara.
Simple unaware ignorance causes enough suffering to rise up. I doubt you’ll have much luck finding any sort of peace by deliberately choosing it.
The more tightly you try to hold some things, the faster you strangle them. And yourself.
“The tighter you squeeze your grip, the more systems that slip through your fingers.” Leia to Tarken, Episode IV: A New Hope
“Bring in Mister Thingy.” Darth Vader, to call for the floating interrogation gizmo. (Not in any official cut.)
Drastic, if you thought that thing was scary, you should see the Dentist Droids. Laser drills. Ouch. Laser drills.
Please tell me what this is?
2 iron and 1 lead. Of course, I am not really getting a glass of that.
Dentists with frickin’ LASERS on their heads!
Crikey. Who needs fire and brimstone with that?
I think that was a waste of time, cjhoworth. I asked H4E about that passage in another thread and she didn’t bother to respond there, either.
Eh, I’ve got a habit of taking on lost causes. Everyone’s got to have a hobby.
Ah-HAH! CJ, I figured out your middle name!
The love chapter of the Bible doesn’t negate the rest of the Scripture. There has to be a balance between that and exhorting, reproving, and correcting. These things should be done out of love, but they should still be done. Believers to believers, that is. Our first duty to the lost is to try to win them to Christ, then after they’ve come to him, correction and exhorting in love should be done if necessary.
Why won’t this topic just die?
Argh.