Challenge of faith

while hanging with my classmates during break time, i dunno how it started, but suddenly they started talking about religion. i was the only chrisitan at the table, the rest being free thinkers and 2 catholics. it first came to the rituals and practices of some religions, especially catholics. and so this catholic guy, who obviously wasnt very loyal to his faith, started telling of catholic beliefs/practices in a rather ridiculing manner, and from there it flowed into christianity, since they have lots similar.

So he said, "according to the bible, God had to send his son Jesus, who is also himself (which makes it very complicated alr), to die. and somehow, He had to do this in order that humanity be saved." his point was more about why God couldnt just take away the sins without the birth and death of Jesus which all seems like just a ritual, since in the end Jesus is back to the same position. its been sth ive been having doubts about too. i could have said sth about the atoning sacrifice, in place of those animals which had to be used before Christ. but i replied with something else instead.

i said "people are not just saved automatically by Jesus' death. there still needs to be faith and relationship on their part."


then a freethinker girl, having chrisitan exposure from st margs, told me (not in exact words, but giving that impression) "see thats the thing about relationship with God. when i ask my christian friends, on what basis do you believe that God is real and that your actually praying to an existing, living god? they always cant prove it, except just by faith. its just like an 'i think therefore i am' kinda thing... when you pray to God, your actually just talking to yourself, to give yourself a self assurance and to sync out your thoughts and beliefs. and so this strengthens your resolve to think and act in a certain way, and when you actually do get the results, you say its God's work when actually its just all your own doing... "

"the powerful thing about religion is that its based completely on faith. so it is able to influence people into believeing almost anyhting. its like 'i believe pigs can fly, because my mommy told me so. why is this so? because i just believe it is'. "
referring to some religion that believes you have to do a sort of yoga to get rid of some alien spirits in you that are causing all the negative emotions and behaviours like anger, anxiety,etc (of which the whole thing was inspired by a creative storybook..) he said, "for all you know the bible could have been just another storybook written by other imaginative writers too (and youre led into believeing it)"
"its written by many authors over many centuries, and all harmonised together.." i said
"many story writers over many centuries, then" was his reply. =.=

and this is the defence, or offense, whichever the case, that can be used against whatever proof i could give to why God and the spirit is real and active. just one word - Coincidence. Truly, there is no solid undeniable proof of the existence of God. there is no way you can prove someone wrong who thinks that everyhing that seems like God's work are just coincidences and freak accidents. i could tell of whatever God has done for me. no matter how much i believe God's hand was in it, i know ill wont be able to convince them so.

when i think about the theory of coincidences, combined with what the girl said about praying to yourself, i just cant help but feel uneasy about it. it is the unease on the fact that they still stand unrefuted. of course i still sincerely believe in God and His plans all these time, but i can feel my faith significantly shaken by these; the stength of my belief has weakened. This kind of things are what Satan would want us christians to hear and take consideration of...

I pray that the Lord would guard our hearts and minds, for me and anyone else who may be swayed by such doubts.