OBJECTIONS TO A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

There is no such thing as truth. Truth is relative to each person so that each person determines his own truth. Therefore, what I think is true about a relationship with God is true for me and what you think is true about a relationship with God is equally as true for you.

There is such thing as truth. Truth is what corresponds to reality. The statement, “There is no such thing as truth” is a self-refuting statement. To demonstrate this, you only need to ask, “Is the statement, ’There is no such thing as truth’ true itself?” Instead, there is an objective truth that corresponds to reality. Different religions have different contradictory beliefs about God. For example, in Hinduism, there are many different Gods. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, there is only one God. Christians believe that God came to earth in the human form of Jesus as the truth about God, the only way to God, and to offer you eternal life with God (John 14:6). But Hindus, Jews, and Muslims don’t believe Jesus is God. All the religions may be wrong, but they can’t all be right. Its up to you to investigate which religion best corresponds to reality.

Christianity can’t be true because even within Christianity there are many different denominations that don’t agree on the truth about different Christian doctrines.

It is true that there are many different Christian denominations that differ on secondary Christian doctrines, church tradition, and methods of worship, but all Christians agree in the primary essential Christian doctrines. See the website pages on essential Christian doctrine and Christian denominations for more detailed discussion on both.

If God is all-knowing and already knows what I am going to pray for, why should I pray?

God wants to have a relationship with you. Part of that relationship is for you to talk to God through prayer. During prayer, you can confess your sins to God, honor God by focusing on one of God’s attributes, ask God to answer your prayer requests withing God’s will and purpose for your life, and thank God for past answered prayer requests and in advance for your current prayer requests.

I don’t want to have a relationship with God because God has too many commands and rules that take the fun out of life. I am going to live my life the way I want to live my life, not the way God wants me to live.

God does not give you commands and rules to take the fun out of life. God gives you commands and rules to protect you from harming yourself and others. Since God created you, God knows what is best for you. You should be grateful that God has given you guidance on how to live your life.

I can’t regularly read and study the Bible individually and with others because I don’t understand the Bible and don’t have time to read and study the Bible. In addition, the Bible was written thousands of years ago and is irrelevant to my life today.

Once you realize that God’s primary way of speaking to you is through the Bible, you will make time to read and study the Bible individually and with others. The Bible is extremely relevant today. It teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains you as a Christian to be adequately equipped to live life and work for God (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

I won’t join a Christian church because I don’t want the church time commitment to interfere with my other weekend activities. I don’t have time for church.

Once you realize that God wants you to fellowship with other Christians to worship God, learn about God, serve God, and serve others, you will make time for church. It is important that you examine the doctrinal statement of the particular church you are considering and determine whether the church’s doctrine is biblical and whether the church is a healthy and well-balanced church in terms of its stance on non-essential Christian doctrines, the operation of the church, and whether you feel comfortable with the style and manner of the worship services. There is no such thing a perfect church, but you should go to church because Jesus established the church (Matthew 16:18). The church is a place where you can grow in your Christian faith as you and other Christians learn the truth about God and what it means to have a relationship with God, as you encourage, love, teach, and serve each other and the community. The church should also be a place where non-Christians can come to learn about God and how to have a relationship with God by grace through faith in Jesus. (Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 26, 13:4-7; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 10:25). Greg Laurie, New Believer’s Guide to Effective Christian Living: First Steps for New Christians (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale 2002), 73-89; Hank Hanegraaff, The Complete Bible Answer Book Collector’s Edition (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 46-53.

I won’t join a Christian church because all the church wants from me is my money.

Your local church has legitimate financial needs to support the operation of its ministry to its members and the community. Christians disagree over whether Christians should give 10% of their income to their local church. But all Christians agree that God wants each person to give what each decided in each person’s heart, and not reluctantly or under compulsion. Instead, giving should come from a freewilling heart because “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV). You should also give according to your means and not according to what you do not have (2 Corinthians 8:11-12). Based on the above, Christians don’t all agree that God requires you to give 10% of your income. But at the same time, God does not limit you to only giving 10%. If you have been financially blessed by God and you have an income that allows you to freely and cheerfully give more than 10%, then you can give more than 10%. The more you freely and cheerfully give, the more God will bless you spiritually, but not necessarily financially. You should not give out of compulsion or guilt or if you can’t meet your other financial obligations.

I won’t join a Christian church because I had a bad experience in church and or found there are Christian hypocrites in church.

Just because you had a bad experience at your particular church, does not mean you will have a bad experience at all churches. There is no such thing as a perfect church because its human members are not perfect. You should examine the doctrinal statement of the particular church you are considering and determine whether the church’s doctrine is biblical and whether the church is a healthy and well-balanced church in terms of its stance on non-essential Christian doctrines, the operation of the church, and whether you feel comfortable with the style and manner of the worship services. You should go to church because Jesus established the church (Matthew 16:18). The church is a place where you can grow in your Christian faith as you and other Christians learn the truth about God and what it means to have a relationship with God, as you encourage, love, teach, and serve each other and the community. The church should also be a place where non-Christians can come to learn about God and how to have a relationship with God by grace through faith in Jesus. (Acts 2:41-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 26, 13:4-7; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 10:25). Greg Laurie, New Believer’s Guide to Effective Christian Living: First Steps for New Christians (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale 2002), 73-89; Hank Hanegraaff, The Complete Bible Answer Book Collector’s Edition (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2008), 46-53.