Recently, I’ve been struggling with my faith.  I am eighteen years old.  I was wondering... why does it feel like the entire world is becoming atheist or agnostic?  Whenever I go on the internet, it seems like there's always some argument about why believing in God is stupid.  People bash the Bible all the time at school.  I am afraid to go to college now because I feel like I will lose my faith all together.  I find it really hard to believe.  My brother even told me today that he is "agnostic".  I feel very lost right now.

Sincerely,
Disheartened

Dear Disheartened,

The U.S. is struggling with losing its biblical ties, but it isn’t as bad as we perceive it to be.  Statistically, only about 4% of Americans categorize themselves as atheistic or agnostic.  That means that the vast majority of the United States believes in God.  Sadly, the voices most often heard in media and culture make it sound like only a fool would believe in God.

Ironically, the Bible says the opposite (Ps 53:1).  The responsibility that Christians have is to make the evidence of God’s existence clear in a culture that is opposed to God.  The evidence of God’s existence is staggering.  We recommend you read our articles “Does God Exist?” and “Who Wrote The Bible?” because both of those articles cover some of the evidence that will help you stand firm by your convictions – you might even share some of it with your brother.

Hang in there.  It sounds like you could use a faithful congregation, so you don’t feel so alone.  The Bible says that is one of the purposes of the church (Heb 10:24-25).  Not all churches do this, but we would be happy to help you find a congregation near you that is faithful, gives Bible answers, and will help you to stand strong.  Just e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

     I'm going to be up front with you; I am not a Christian.  I have no desire to be.  My fiancé, on the other hand, is.  I am trying to understand how he believes, so we will have a more harmonious union.  I asked him this question, and he did not know the answer.

My question is: if the Lord is so wonderful, why would He want to see His children suffer?  Why would He take away a life that has not yet even begun?  Why would He hurt the innocent when the evil continue to live?  I don't understand this.

If you could please explain this in simple terms – the preachers in my area get very upset when someone doubts the Lord’s amazing-ness.  Thus, I am turning to you, whoever you are, to give me a straight answer.  Thank you so much.

Sincerely,
Unbelievable

Dear Unbelievable,

Many people don’t believe in God because religious people are unwilling or incapable of giving logical answers to questions like this.  We are so sorry that you’ve never gotten the answers that the Bible offers because the Bible does give an answer to this question.
This world is full of all sorts of disease, pain, violence, and strife – but God didn’t cause those things; sin did.  All bad things are a result of sin.  When God made the world, He placed mankind in the Garden of Eden and gave us a joyously blissful existence in that paradise.  Who caused the pain?  We did.  It is sin that has brought all of the death, disease, decay, pain, suffering, troubles, and heartaches into our world.  We all, in varying degrees, are reaping the benefits of a world with sin in it.  Sickness is a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden.  One of the curses of their sin was that we all must face our own mortality – life is finite.  Sickness, disease, and pain are a part of the human existence.  Sadly, this is true even for our children. When God gave us freewill, He gave us the right to cause problems for ourselves and others, and if He simply removed all the consequences for our actions, He would be removing our freedoms as well.  The flip-side to this is that all children go to heaven, so after a child dies, God immediately comforts them on the other side.

God gives mankind the freedom to make decisions, but He also has the wisdom to know how those choices will affect the future (Job 12:13).  God planned before the foundation of the world to save us by sending His own Son to die (Eph. 1:3-4).  Even though He isn’t responsible for our choices, God sent the perfect cure. This world isn’t fair – if it were, it would be heaven.  Instead, we live in a fallen world where man has been exiled from paradise.  This world is not our home; Christians await a better world (Heb 11:16).

     Are we supposed to go out and preach the Word, or are we supposed to wait until we are asked?  My own experience says that if someone is being called by God, they will reach out (it's what I did before being saved), but there are those who believe it's their duty to go out and preach.  Thank you and God bless you.

Sincerely,
Ready And Waiting

Dear Ready And Waiting,

When Jesus walked this Earth, He sought those who were lost (Lk 19:10), and we should do the same.  Though it is true that some people are already looking for the truth, and God guarantees that those who seek Him will find Him (Matt 7:7), there are others that blindly live in ignorance until we bring the truth to them.  Jesus’ great commission to His apostles was to go and make disciples from every nation (Matt 28:19).  Christians must be searching for opportunities to spread God’s Word – look for those open doors (Col 4:3).  There are two types of converts: those who went actively searching for the pearl of God’s wisdom and found it (Matt 13:45-46) and those who stumbled across the treasured salvation found in Christ (Matt 13:44).  We must be ready for both.

     Is it okay to call people things like a hypocrite, liar, selfish, ignorant, stuck-up, bully, etc. under any circumstances?

Sincerely,
Piping Up

Dear Piping Up,

In almost all circumstances, it is wrong to call people these things because most of the time people use these words to lash out in anger and frustration.  God makes it clear that we shouldn’t do that (Matt 5:21-22).  Though it is okay to be angry, we should never sin in that anger (Eph 4:26).

There are times, though, that Jesus called people liars or hypocrites because they truly were, and they needed to be exposed for the greater good (Matt 23:13).  Jesus was careful to only use that sort of harsh language in the most extreme of circumstances and with only the most hard-hearted of individuals – we should follow His lead (1 Cor 11:1).

I have been invited to go out with a female friend who is involved in a gay relationship with another lady; should I avoid these social interactions, or should I go out with them?

Sincerely,
Keeping Company

Dear Keeping Company,

Jesus used to eat with those who were living immoral lives, and the Pharisees condemned Him for it, but Jesus simply said, “They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mk 2:16-17)  Jesus spent His life trying to save sinners from hell… and the only way to do that is to spend time with them.
Going to dinner with an unbeliever, whatever their sins, isn’t wrong.  If you are living as a good example to them, and standing firm in your own morals, then you can make a difference.  The only time you should be worried is when you find they are changing you more than you are changing them (1 Cor 15:33).  Otherwise, let your light shine (Matt 5:16).