I was born and raised in Salt Lake and I've been a believer (a Christian) for about twenty years.

During my marriage to a controlling husband I briefly became LDS. I didn't bother to become temple worthy and never really bought ol' Joe's tale. I officialliy resigned about a year and half ago.

So I'm back to being what I would call a "non-denominational Christian." I occassionally attend church but find I don't agree with it 100%.

I'm starting to question my faith in Christ. I've found that I want to re-examine His message and see how it bears up. Test it, if you will.

Can anyone relate? Did you come out with an intact belief in Christ -- as a savior, worthy of worship, God's Son, etc?

One question on my mind currently: Is there power in the name of Jesus?

It feels refreshing to really delve into such things, but kind of scary / exciting, too!

Enjoy your intellectual freedom to question and delve into it, regardless of where it leads you. :)

The great thing about life outside Mormonism is the unfettered access to information and freedom to examine it shamelessly. Truth is not always our friend, but it should be embraced when we find a bit of it to be reliable. Much information is biased, so that's perhaps the biggest challenge in examining things and determining truth. With that in mind, here's my biased information:

My faith path has wandered a bit over time, but remains in a fairly orthodox Christian version. It has been complicated at times, and gets simpler as I grow older. I believe Jesus is worthy of worship. I'm moved by the fact that something extraordinary occurred in the first century causing the birth of a new movement that claimed Jesus rose from the dead. I'm impressed that his body was never found, and two millennia of critics have not produced a reasonable explanation for this. Most propose elaborate schemes and conspiracies with no supporting evidence.

I cannot account for our existence and the origin of life without seriously considering a special creator who appears to value relationships and morality. I find in Jesus the embodiment of these values.

When I couple historic elements with my personal experience in prayer and scripture, it all seems to knit together cohesively. I don't have all the answers by far, and much of it is still a mystery, but I cannot ignore these elements.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by, "Is there power in the name of Jesus?" I've seen that mean different things to different people depending upon whatever topic may be on their mind (or their pastor's) at a given moment. I believe in the perfection of God, and the true power of Jesus is in the forgiveness I find in him. Maybe others will offer their explanations.

You're likely aware that atheists dominate our community here, so I'm sure you'll hear sufficient contrary opinions to counter your belief. As with all arguments (including mine), examine the evidence and look for supporting historical elements. Take your time, and if so moved, pray along the way.

William Lane Craig is a Christian apologist who has engaged some of the more notable atheists of our time including Christopher Hitchens and Lawrence Krauss. He posts the full texts of his debates with them on his website. It's a good opportunity to see the best minds on opposite sides argue their positions:

http://www.reasonablefaith.org/debate-transcripts

Over the years, I have also found C.S Lewis's writings to be helpful from the Christian viewpoint. The Screwtape Letters and Mere Christianity are good starts.

I wish you the best in your journey.

Tall Man, Short Hair Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm impressed that his
> body was never found, and two millennia of critics
> have not produced a reasonable explanation for
> this.

King Arthur's body was never found, either.
Just sayin'.

One thing to also consider is, "Is there power in rubi123?"

In my search, I determined theology in general eliminates the power of man while elevating the power of god. To the extreme in both cases.

But my observation over 5 decades tells me the opposite is true.
Accepting reality is the most critical and hardest step of the journey.

Good luck on yours!

Does it require exhuming the body or not?

rubi123 Wrote:
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> Can anyone relate? Did you come out with an
> intact belief in Christ -- as a savior, worthy of
> worship, God's Son, etc?

No. I came out as wanting to see which claims in all religions stood up to critical examination, and had evidence to back them up. Taking that approach, I couldn't justify "belief" in any aspect of the "Jesus" story, because none of it had any supporting evidence. Not the magical parts, not the mundane parts, none of it.

> One question on my mind currently: Is there power
> in the name of Jesus?

To cower and control certain groups by overbearing religious leaders, perhaps. Otherwise, none whatsoever.

"Jesus" believers who invoke his name (trying to get the bible promise of "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, ye shall receive" to work) don't get any more "blessings" or miracles or healings or good jobs or anything else more than those who don't believe or invoke his name. Zero power.

Perhaps a Jesus person lived and said of few of things he said. Perhaps not. Whatever. So many lovely people have lived on this planet and done and said wonderful things. I'm more of a Ghandi man myself.

I would expect the supposed Son of God, Redeemer of all Mankind,the all powerful Jehovah, to have a little more hands on approach. All we really know about Jesus is rumor. Technically it is nothing more than hearsay, bordering on gossip, interpreted and reinterpreted by the multitudes to suit themselves. It could not even be entered as evidence in a court of law for that very reason.

I need more from a Redeemer of the World. I need the Son of God to start acting as such.

Good for you for giving serious thought and being open to whatever you find. Your heart will survive either way, and it will still be as good as you want it to be without said Jesus. Goodness and growth come from within.

I would, however, like to believe that someone actually turned water into wine. That impresses me no end.

rubi123 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm starting to question my faith in Christ. I've
> found that I want to re-examine His message and
> see how it bears up. Test it, if you will.

Jesus's message, the part about treating others well, is doing well in persisting in the face of some rather stiff opposition of a rather cruel world, which ironically is what keeps Jesus' message on kindness so relevant and salient.

The other parts, about Jesus being divine and coming back to set things right in the world is pretty thread bare worn.

>
> Can anyone relate? Did you come out with an
> intact belief in Christ -- as a savior, worthy of
> worship, God's Son, etc?
>
> One question on my mind currently: Is there power
> in the name of Jesus?

There is Lots of power in Jesus' name, mostly from using it to steal from the gullible. LDS inc makes billions of dollars annually off of it. The Roman Empire as the catholic church staged its second coming in the form of representing Jesus. It became one of the most prominent and powerful political regimes ever.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVu6BzJ90Sk

No....
Just read how Jesus is represented in his own words;

http://godisimaginary.com/i39.htm

I accept Jesus as an inspired teacher. I don't think that he was divine in the sense that Christians believe. I think he was what the Buddhists would call an enlightened being, similar to the Buddha. I think that his mind and consciousness were elevated beyond that of most of humanity.

I don't believe in the miracles. Yet I find the Christian story both compelling and moving. I think it speaks to humanity's deepest longings. I love the Christian emphasis on love, charity, tolerance, and especially, forgiveness.

You might try rereading the New Testament, and see if it speaks to you.

Initially I still believed in Jesus but after reading up on

the origins of christianity I discoverd that christ was an

amalgam of earlier gods througout the ages, same stories

different names.

I studied more and ended up not beliving in christ or god.

to each his own .

Once you obtain the detective skills to investigate Mormonism, it is very hard to not continue to use them.

Mormon is just more obvious to see how the mythology developed, and how it works. They are not unique.

Hoffers True Believer is a good book to help understand how mass movements arise.

Thomas Paine's Age of Reason is a short classic about the problems with the Bible.

Demon Haunted World by Sagan provides tips on how to evaluate claims and evidence.

Joseph Campbell's books on mythology provide insight into why humans create mythology.

These were critical books that made me keep questioning. It's a wonderful feeling to be master of your own life instead of following someone else's idea of what a god should be. Enjoy the quest.

Trying to put this in a nutshell, so it isn't tl:dr. I may fail.

My faith crisis was different from most of you, as I was never Mormon. It was also not about God's existence, but his personality.

I took out of it several things

One of them was that it's not good enough that God is God, he has to be good as well. I don't care if the JWs are right, for example, I'd proudly die in their Armageddon rather than worship their God. Similar with Mormonism; give me the Telestial Kingdom rather than have to live the polygamous eternally-pregnant nightmare that is the Celestial, and pal up with the God who dreamed it up. That is not my God.

But the biggest thing, and this becomes stronger and stronger for me as my other convictions become less strongly held: for me, Jesus is everything. He isn't the path up Mount Fuji, he is Mount Fuji.

Why?

It's hard to say it in short. Because he was born poor and died poor. Because he said stuff to religious pooh-bahs that desperately needed saying, and still needs saying. Because he got angry. Because he cried. Because a lot of the stuff he said is weird and incomprehensible and sort of like a fractal, and that's what I think it would be like if God spoke to you, because if God is real, then he's strange and ancient and beyond our comprehension. Because he said "little girl, get up". Because he doodled on the ground when they all wanted to stone the sinner. Because he had dinner with prostitutes and was accused of being a drunkard. Because in the middle of dying, he found someone to take care of his old Mum.

I could go on and on. I have a fair amount of knowledge about the Bible and its history and the ins and outs of evidence for and against, but sometimes I'm like Paul, resolved to know nothing but Christ, because sometimes it's just: there he is. This is my God.

And even if he wasn't real, I'd still follow him.

I'm currently reading a book called: Jesus - First Century Rabbi by Rabbi David Zaslow. It's very interesting to read about Jesus from a Jewish perspective.

Here is the discription from the back cover:
"This is an important book for Christians and Jews alike. This bold, fresh look at the historical Jesus and the Jewish roots of Christianity challenges both Jews and Christians to re-examine their understanding of Jesus's committment to his Jewish faith. Instead of emphasizing the differences between the two religions, Rabbi Zaslow explains how the concepts of vicarious atonement, mediation, incarnation, and Trinity are actually rooted in classical Judaism. Using the cutting edge of scholarly research, he dispels the myths of disparity between the faiths without diluting the unique features of each."

Thank you so much for these responses. It's the first time I've posted and I appreciate each of you. These are some wonderful things to think about!