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Very happy to hear this, my friend!

As a few others have already stated, reading the Bible with an inquisitive mind is a good start. You may need some advice on translation and what books to check out first, so I've provided my opinion below:

• Regarding translation, there are two types: "word for word" and "thought for thought." The former is more accurate to the original Hebrew/Greek, while the latter is meant to be more comprehensible to a modern audience. If you want "word for word," then I and many others -- including Bible scholars -- enjoy the ESV (English Standard Version). It's a modern translation that's both precise and clear. The NKJV (New King James Version) is also a good "word for word" translation, and it comes on free YouTube audiobook. If instead you want "thought for thought," I'd suggest the NLT (New Living Translation). It's the only "thought for thought" translation I'm familiar with that doesn't seem to regularly distort the text on the finer points. You can access nearly every translation for free on the website Biblegateway.
  
  
• Next, once you have your translation, you need a reading plan. I strongly recommend starting with the Gospels. There are three "synoptic Gospels" (the word synoptic comes from the Greek synoptikos, meaning "able to be seen together"). These three are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The synoptic Gospels each tell the story of Jesus from a relatively similar perspective, but differ in various details (like writing style, emphasis of themes, the recording of Jesus' parables, etc.). Then there is the fourth Gospel, John, which takes a totally different and unique perspective from the synoptics. Therefore, you should start by reading one of the synoptics (Mark is a good choice) and then read John, to familiarize yourself with the heart and soul of Christianity: the story of Jesus Christ.
  
  
• After this, I suggest you read some of the "Epistles," found in the NT after the Gospels. These are letters -- sometimes addressed to a specific person, other times addressed to an entire church or community -- that Jesus' Apostles wrote after His death. They give greater depth, detail, and clarity into the teachings of Christ and Christianity. Most of them are quick reads, but at the same time, packed full of meaning. In no particular order, I suggest you check out, especially, the following Epistles: 1 John (pronounced "First John", different from the Gospel of John but same author); Romans; Ephesians; 2 Corinthians ("Second Corinthians"); 1 Peter ("First Peter"); and James.
  
  
• You can also choose to read Acts, which is the historical account of what the Apostles did after Jesus' death and resurrection (and offers insight into how Christianity went from a tiny community of Jews living in first century Judea, to more than 2 billion believers worldwide).
  
  
• At any time during this process, you can "take a break" from the NT and go to the OT. The OT is further removed from modern-day and thus, naturally, will sometimes be more difficult to decipher -- but it gets easier the more you go at it! In the OT, I would suggest first checking out the Psalms (absolutely beautiful Divine poetry), Genesis (the account of creation, Eden, the fall, the flood, Abraham, etc.), and Proverbs (a collection of short statements of powerful wisdom).
  
  
• When you feel comfortable, consider finding a church nearby to attend, so as to surround yourself with a community who can help you on your path. Also -- again, when comfortable -- consider praying. Prayer need not be complicated; it can be as simple as talking to God about how you're feeling.
  
  This should be enough to keep you occupied for a little while. :)
  
  There is also an excellent YouTube series called "Read Scripture" by the channel The Bible Project. It's a collection of 8-12 minute illustrated summaries of each book of the Bible. I find them incredibly well-done, easy to watch, and insightful. I'd recommend using this as a tool. Here is a link to their NT playlist and here is a link to their OT playlist. (You can also consider purchasing a Study Bible, which has footnotes from Bible scholars helping to clarify the text -- I personally own and enjoy the ESV Study Bible from Crossway.)
  
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  TLDR:
  
  Translation: ESV or NKJV for precision, NLT for clarity.
  
  Reading List: (1) Pick one of Matthew, Mark, or Luke. (2) John. (3) Epistles [I recommend 1 John, Romans, Ephesians, 2 Corinthians, 1 Peter, James, in any order]. (4) Acts. (5) At any time, take a break from the NT and check out the OT book of Psalms, Genesis, and/or Proverbs.
  
  Helpful Study Tools: The Bible Project on YouTube, the ESV Study Bible, and Biblegateway.com
  
  Next Steps: When comfortable, consider finding a church community to become a member of. Also when comfortable, consider simple prayer.
  
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  The Bible is the best-selling book (technically, library of books) in the history of the world, and for good reason. If you subscribe to the Christian religion, as I do, then it represents nothing less than the all-powerful God of the universe's personal revelation to mankind. "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16). God loves you without limit, in your best of times and worst of times, and desires deeply to have a relationship with you through Christ. "[Jesus said,] 'Abide in Me, and I in you. . . . As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.'" (John 15:4,9). This relationship of love can utterly transform your life, as it has my own.
  
  And frankly, even if you're not a Christian, the Bible is still packed with wisdom, value, comfort, and even entertainment (I would love the stories regardless of whether I was a Christian).
  
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  That's all I can think to say for now. Please feel free to reach out to me by PM if you ever have any questions (even if you need to 'save' this comment for future reference just in case)!
  
  "[Jesus said,] 'Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.'" (Matthew 7:7)
  
  Thanks for reading and God bless you.

Awesome story, /u/Brensgirl11. It's super crazy because this almost perfectly matches my own story of how my wife and I became married, except in this case I was the lost one, and my wife was the godly woman that was sent to intervene in my life.

I grew up in a Christian home where faith, sadly, was not taken/taught seriously enough. I had proposed to a high school girlfriend of about 4 years, and about 4 months into our engagement, she broke it off. Less than 6 months later, I met my future wife at the most unlikely of places: a temp job. I'd known her brother for a couple years, but I never knew he had siblings. It was a pretty wild ride for me because I was not strong in my faith, and they weren't willing to let her be in a relationship like that with some "Christian" guy who didn't really share their beliefs, but it's how I really came to know Christ. Less than a year and a half after we met, we were engaged though. 3 months after that we were married.

We're about a month away from our 3-year anniversary, and it's been an amazing marriage so far! It's definitely not without its struggles, but the way God has been working in our lives is truly wonderful.

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If you're interested though, a few resources that really helped us during our courtship/preparation for marriage were 3 books, the first of which I believe is still free:

• 1001 Questions for Christian Couples
  
  I simply recommend walking through this book together and answering openly and honestly. It's full of great/deep questions that will help you come to know and understand each other better, as well as understand what your expectations are for each other both now and in the future. It can be awkward at first, but it's so worth it as an avenue for opening up communication in the future.
  
  
• The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman
  
• Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs
  
  These two books, respectively, opened our eyes to what kinds of love needs both of us had, and gave examples of how to give them. The latter also showed us men need and are really good at giving respect, whereas women need and are really good at giving love, and why it's important to understand the difference.

Blessings to you. Have you tried reading “the case for Christ” and “letters from a skeptic”
Those two books have helped me in the past when I struggled with the same questions you have. They’re a bit older books, but I hope you find them helpful as you search for answers.

I know God is TOTALLY OK with you having those questions and wants to answer them and to develop a relationship with you where you ask Him and He answers back.

So you can just talk to Him like you’re talking to us.

Or telling Him exactly what you told us. That you want to believe in Him but have so many wuestions about His goodness and don’t understand the bad in the world.

Also, remember that one of the first questions in the garden was to question the goodness of God. It’s an ancient lie that God isn’t good or that He isn’t good to us. It’s the oldest lie in the book.

So please, take your doubts and concerns to Him as only He can give you the answers you’re seeking. He won’t turn you away as you come to Him with an open heart and open mind to know Him.

Praying you find Him in ways bigger and better than you’re expecting, because He loves you and wants to show himself real to you.

Big hug!

Edit : pls excuse typos, on phone typing quickly. And your English is great!!

Edit 2: here’s the link to the books I referenced. I read them in college (I’m in my 30s now) so they’re very easy reads. Hope you find them helpful if you do read them. And find a couple things in them that can help you in your journey.

letters from a skeptic


the case for Christ

First of all, like others have said, ask her!! The topic of sex may make some Christians uncomfortable, but it's really important to be on the same page in relationships, and she'll likely appreciate the opportunity to explain her opinion on the matter. There are actually a lot of different perspectives on sex. Some stay chaste for life. Some think sex is inherently sinful, but needed to reproduce, and we'll be forgiven for it. Some think sex within the union of marriage is not inherently sinful. And some believe that premarital sex is okay too. Most Christian youths I've met believe that they should wait until after marriage to have sex, but I would venture to say that a third of them (or more) have had sexual experiences and will continue to engage in sexual activities before marriage despite holding this belief. So the lines certainly get really blurry.

I hope I don't offend you by saying this, but it's somewhat unusual for a Christian to be dating someone who's not religious because, as someone mentioned, 2 Corinthians 6:14 says that Christians should not be yoked together with unbelievers. I realize it sounds harsh, but for me personally, it rings true because my theology has profoundly impacted my personality, my interactions with others, my personal choices, my political beliefs, etc. This is NOT meant as discouragement! I'm only trying to elaborate on what others have said on the topic. For some couples, different religious beliefs have worked out okay. But it takes a lot of communication and patience. Another reason why I bring this up is that if she is dating an agnostic, she might have a different view on acceptable sexual activities before marriage than what I would consider to be those of mainstream Christianity.

So what is the view of acceptable sexual activity in mainstream Christianity? Generally speaking, many Christians would see vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex, masturbation, mutual masturbation, and so on as unacceptable before marriage. Some may think that masturbation and oral sex are okay before marriage, but not vaginal sex or anal sex.

If you talk to her about these issues, try to avoid leading questions. What I mean by that is don't ask questions like "Do you think sex before marriage is morally wrong?" Ask questions like "What is your view on sex in relationships?" Listen to what she says and respect her decision. If she says she doesn't want to have sex before marriage, then as her partner, you need to help her do what she believes is right. If she says she is down for it, and you guys reach that point in your relationship, then great. Either way, support her.

On a side note, there are many different theologies concerning sex that I believe are valid even if they aren't compatible with my personal beliefs, so I understand what you mean when you say "depending on how Christian you really are," but the truth is, two very deeply religious and involved Christians can come to two totally different and well-informed conclusions on acceptable sexual activity before marriage.

I hope that this relationship has a positive outcome, whatever outcome that may be! I'll be happy to elaborate further on sex and marriage in Christian theology if you have any questions.

Also, here's a cool book on the topic if you're interested:
https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Soul-Updated-Sexuality-Spirituality/dp/0190221283

Hello!

Yes I really do believe there is evidence! There is good evidence and plenty of it, it isn't hard to find.

I've got four things that you can do right now:

1. Pray to God and ask that He would prove/reveal Himself. If God is not real, you have lost 60 seconds of your time. If God is real then this is the best thing in the world that you can do right now. That seems like a very good tradeoff!
   
2. Start reading the Bible. Maybe start at John's historical account of Jesus' life. You can do so here if you don't have a Bible already: https://www.bible.com/bible/111/JHN.1.NIV
   
3. Get properly reading the evidence, don't stay uninformed. This really matters. Three books I'll recommend:
   
   But Is It True? - Michael Ots
   
   The Reason for God - Tim Keller
   
   Reasonable Faith - William Lane Craig
   
   
4. Watch this video as a good start point for looking at the evidence for God. You can go through the bethinking website as much as you want to. It was really helpful for me: https://www.bethinking.org/does-god-exist/case-for-christian-theism
   
   Please do message me if you have any questions or want any other help/ideas. I'd love to chat to you more. I'm convinced there is evidence, please do tell me why you do agree/disagree and what you're thinking :)

That's really sad. But you honestly don't need to worry. As far as I've seen, there very much is a God - and I say that as someone who has heard every atheist argument there is. The thing about atheist arguments, though, is that they rely on belief. You have to believe that the universe is purely made of atoms and that there is no spiritual dimension to anything. It causes them to reject evidence outright and pretend they are being scientific.

I'm not honestly sure what you found in other religions, but you should know that the spread of Christianity has had a profound effect on them. Before we turned up in India they would burn you alive on the funeral pyre if your spouse died. You should also know that in other religions, their Gods aren't even really spiritual beings. They're more like our concept of a super hero or super villein - and that is in the places where they don't just worship objects. It's like humans are wired with the concept that there is something more, but they go looking in all the wrong places.

If you would like to really delve into religion and find out more about it I suggest delving into Christianity too. You are not really going to learn about Christianity from atheists or agnostics. They have a very ideological view of it and they tend to twist things to fit their view. The best method of debunking their ideas about the Bible I've ever found is to read the quotes they give in context. Usually you find out they didn't read the line literally just before that one they are quoting! This holds true even for those atheist books - you should always check their quotes because they are hyper selective. They'll tell you the Jews practiced slavery, for example, but they won't tell you that it was a method of paying debts and that you are set free once the debt is paid. (Also, slave-taking the way we understand it was a crime)

If you want to take a closer look at Christianity, the theologian William Lane Craig has a really good free podcast series where he goes through the proofs for God: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/podcasts. But if you prefer books, here are a few. I have more as well:

​

Mere Christianity- and CS Lewis in general. He used to be an atheist, and he talks about it in depth. The Problem of Pain is a great one.

Letters from a Skeptic: A Son Wrestles with His Father's Questions about Christianityis a classic that is formed as a long question and answer between an atheist and his Christian son.

Let There Be Science: Why God loves science, and science needs God Is really good if anyone tells you that Christianity is unscientific. The actual truth is that science flourished under Christianity and there is at least one scientific experiment in the Bible itself.

​

And a couple on myths about Christianity:

Heresy: Ten Lies They Spread about Christianity

Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion this one was actually written by a bunch of different experts - some of them atheists.

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the late response. I don't use this account much!

​

Hi CoffeeCat54!

I think God allows us to go through struggles for our good and learning, and I think that that's not a bad thing per se. If you were serious about understanding this process, you could probably short-track your learning by trying to understand more of his grace.
If you wanted to read a book about the practicalities of this, then I would highly recommend a book called The rest of the Gospel.
https://www.amazon.com/Rest-Gospel-When-Partial-Worn/dp/096751410X
Either way, I highly recommend that you keep reading the Bible! There's an awesome promise in psalm 1 that if you study God's word and delight in it, then you will be like a tree planted by streams of water which bears fruit in its time.
And a fruitful life is the best thing you can ask for...
And pray to God about stuff! I just prayed a prayer for you now.
God bless!

This verse is one I turn to when I'm feeling down in this sense.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2077

Psalm 77
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.

1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

I'd also recommend picking up a daily devotional, personally I'd recommend Streams in the Desert, it's fantastic.

https://www.amazon.com/Streams-Desert-Graduates-Devotional-Readings/dp/0310282764

I realize this was posted several hours ago. If you subscribe to Amazon Prime, there is a great free video series title Tetelestai. This mini-series does an excellent job of bringing the old-testament relevancy to Jesus Christ. It has acting out of scenes and excellent narration making it very enjoyable to watch.


It does a great job orienting people to Christ and the Bible. Highly recommend watching this first and then see the parts you want to read directly later in the Bible.


https://www.amazon.com/The-Promise/dp/B07F9BH1D2/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tetelestai&qid=1564482792&rnid=2941120011&s=movies-tv&sr=1-1

When the great age of the earth was discovered in the 1800s, the discovery did not result in any religious backlash or rejection by the religious communities. Rather, it was received quite positively by virtually all denominations. Here is a great book on the history of geology that discusses how the earth's great age was received.

https://www.amazon.com/Earths-Deep-History-Discovered-Matters/dp/022642197X

I found this to be a good book. I walked through depression a number of years ago and I believe this book would have helped me.

https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Hope-Again-NEIL-ANDERSON-ebook/dp/B008SB3082/

Oftentimes though, what people really need is a shoulder to cry on and someone to come besides them and say, "I understand - we are going to get through this - I am with you." Books can help but simple presence and care can work wonders as well.

Here is the link to pre order on amazon if you want to read it :) it comes out tomorrow

https://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Valiant-Joanna-White/dp/1620209004