#answered1

[your-spirit-is-within-me]

So I'm a religious person, and I sometimes doubt that God exists simply because my anxiety will always make me doubt everything for at least a second no matter how small. I believe that science and religion actually go hand in hand. But one thing that still always freaks me out, is I am afraid to die. I'm afraid of what will happen to me. Afraid of what if I'm wrong, even afraid of if I am right. Do you have any advice for not freaking out about this?

Hey, anon, I am so sorry for the late reply. I’ve been busy and haven’t had time to get on my laptop. I’ve been using my phone for tumblr, but I hate answering questions on my phone.

But, to answer your question, I do have some advice. :)

1. It is important to remember that doubt, while not good, is normal. We are imperfect humans, incapable of understanding the entirety of God. Doubt is normal. John the Baptist, Jesus’ own cousin, doubted whether Jesus truly was God’s son.

2. Science and religion totally go hand-in-hand, you’re right! God was actually the first scientist if you really think about it. :)

3. You should not be worried about death. You obviously love God and TRULY believe in Him (even if you doubt His existence sometimes). God isn’t going to condemn you to Hell for doubting Him and His existence. God loves you. God is caring and merciful. He is our Father. Don’t freak out about dying. Death is inevitable. All you can really do is just trust that no matter what, God has got you. He loves you and has only the best intentions for you and your eternal life.  

Hope this helps!

Just remember that God is love, and He cares deeply for you.  Oh, and you should read Psalm 91 and Psalm 116 (they are my favorites and very comforting).

[your-spirit-is-within-me]

How do you still believe in God when children are getting tortured and murdered every day?

Because my God is a loving God. A merciful God. He is an artist, a creator. I believe in Him simply because I know He is real. He is in my heart. He loves me.

It is important to understand that God is not the cause of any bad thing. He is not causing children to be tortured and murdered.

God loved His children enough to give them free will. He did not want His children forced into a relationship with Him. He wanted His children to learn and grow to love Him and trust Him. However, we are sinful humans. We abused and continue to abuse our free will. We are the reason why children are being tortured and murdered.

I ask you this, anon: Why not believe in God? Why not be happy those poor children aren’t just gone, but are going to Heaven to be with their loving God? What do you lose by believing in God? You lose nothing. You only gain comfort and peace in the knowledge that something, someone much bigger than you is out there and He loves you and He has your best interests in mind.

That’s why I believe in God, anon. I know He is there and He gives me peace and comfort daily.

[your-spirit-is-within-me]

What's up naive college student that believes in god despite there being no evidence? Have you achieved your dreams of speech therapy yet?

Hey anon :)

1. I am not naïve. Do I have more to learn? Of course! I am always ready and willing to learn and grow. However, I am not naïve.

2. I believe in God. I believe in God because on numerous occasions He has answered my prayers and proven Himself quite real. I love God. We have a relationship that I cherish. I have been blessed with more than enough evidence to show me that He is real.

3. Thanks for asking, but no, I have decided to go down a different career path. Speech Therapy wasn’t for me :) And to be honest, I am not sure what is right for me career wise, but I’m sure God will lead me to something important.

[your-spirit-is-within-me]

What do you think about on and off couples

Well, I am not entirely sure what I think.

I guess, maybe, it could be unhealthy to be on and off again because the couple isn’t able to build trust and move forward in their relationship.

But every relationship is unique, and I guess it all depends on the specific couple and the specific situation. :)

[your-spirit-is-within-me]

Mary Schweitzer is scientist who found red blood cells in dinosaur bones and she feels "This drives Schweitzer crazy. Geologists have established that the Hell Creek Formation, where B. rex was found, is 68 million years old, and so are the bones buried in it. She’s horrified that some Christians accuse her of hiding the true meaning of her data." You are literally manipulating her data when she herself is a devout Christian.

Well, anon, I am not entirely sure what you’re referring to, but I do know I mentioned red blood cells on my Dinosaur page, so I am going to assume that is to what you’re referring.

Now, that page about dinosaurs and their existence in biblical times is notes I took on a video about Dinosaurs produced by Answers in Genesis. So, I did not manipulate anything. I simply took notes on a video and posted my notes to my blog because it was information I believed to be true at that time.

However, since then, I have been thinking a lot about the gap theory, and I am no longer sure how old I believe the earth is or how many years ago I believe dinosaurs walked the earth. I am actually very torn by this because there is so much evidence on both sides for thousands of years and billions of years. As I stated on my Dinosaur page, I tend to focus on my relationship with God now, and not so much the history of the Bible. So I really do need to research the gap theory more and decide what I believe on this topic.

God bless!

[your-spirit-is-within-me]

Could u explain why Christians believe masterbating is a sin?

Honestly, anon, I have gone back and forth on this topic a lot. There is no specific mentions of masturbation in the bible, and therefore masturbation is never declared a sin. However, other scripture allows us to infer God’s thoughts on masturbation.

For a long time I believed masturbation was a sin just because the majority of the Christian community did; I never really researched it for myself until a few years ago.

Here is my conclusion…

God invented sex. God gave us sexual feelings/urges on purpose; He wants us to have a good sex life. He wants us to have awesome sex with our husband/wife. Sex is an awesome thing that creates intimacy, trust, and happiness in a marriage.

In biblical times, people got married very young, usually around the ages of  13-16, which is why I believe we develop sexual urges around that age. However, in society today, people usually get married in their 20’s. The problem: marriage has changed, but our sexuality has not.

However, God still wants us to save our sexuality for our husband/wife. He wants us to remain pure. If masturbation involves lust (pornography & fantasizing) then it is sinful, and masturbation does almost always involve lust. Matthew 5:27 tells us lust is a sin.

1 Corinthians 10:31 tells us that everything we do should be for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us our body is a temple, and is not our own because we were bought as a price, so we should glorify God is our body.  

I believe masturbation is a sin. Masturbating is not glorifying God. However, our sexual desire is NOT a sin.

So, ultimately, pray about it. Ask God what He thinks. Don't take anyone's word for it. You research it and pray about it and develop your own opinion about it.

Just a tip though, and this goes for just about everything… if you are questioning whether it is wrong or sinful then it is probably wrong and sinful.

[your-spirit-is-within-me]

I've been feeling so tired and exhausted with everything. Been feeling quite alone too. Tired with school. On the brink of giving up on friends. Depleting interest to maintain relationship. Just been constantly feeling sad. Fearful. Worthless.

I can relate, anon. School is relentless, and my grades aren’t too hot. I am tired all the time. I have no friends at my college. And yeah, all this stuff sucks. It really does. But sometimes life sucks. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut. But that’s okay, because God is in control.

When you are feeling sad and tired and fearful and worthless, talk to God. He is always right there, willing to listen and comfort you. Life might not be the best right now, but God has some wonderful plans for our lives… we just have to make it through the storms to see brighter days.

When life sucks, find the small things that make you happy and thrive on them. Spend time with God. Listen to good music. Watch your favorite movie. Eat your favorite meal. Get on tumblr. Anything that makes you happy.

Also, being alone isn’t a bad thing. It is so, so important to be able to be comfortable and content by yourself. But don’t give up on your friends, you need some sort of companionship. Alone time is important, but at the end of the day we all need someone to hang out with on the weekends and let loose every once in a while.

Just remember that God has your back. You are a child of the One True King! You are loved. Things will get better, anon <3

[your-spirit-is-within-me]

You do know tattoos are a sin right? God won't love you now.

Hey anon, firstly God loves us regardless of our sins… that’s kind of His thing.

Secondly, getting tattoos isn’t sinning. The verse is Leviticus (which I am assuming is what you’re referring to) that deals with “cutting and marking your bodies” is under the Old Testament Covenant. I also want to remind you that there are many, many other laws under the OTC that Christians do not practice today, and this is why: When Jesus came and died for His children’s sins, the Old Testament Covenant along with all its laws was fulfilled, and a new covenant was put in place (Hebrews 8:9-12). We are now under the New Testament Covenant, and there is no mention of tattoos in the NT. The main verse I focus on in the NT when thinking about tattoos is Romans 14:23 ”But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” My tattoo is from faith. I am not doing anything God says not to do. I am just expressing my love for God through art on my body. :)