halufian wrote:
I tried so hard to be a christian, for a few years. But I failed, they failed me, and frankly I don't see how it's possible for an Aspie to be a christian.
It's black and white for me - either the bible etc is correct, or it isn't. And if it is correct, then boy I need to change my life. If it isn't, why waste time at church?
But almost every christian I've met has been somewhere in the middle. They may say they believe it, but their actions betray that they don't.
I can see that there are many Christians here, and I don't mean to upset anyone. It's just that I got terribly badly treated by my church, who took advantage of my tendency to take things literally. I'd really hate anyone else to go through that.
Just be careful. There are some incredibly caring, down to earth christians out there. But there are some very manipulative ones too.
It's a shame this happened to you. I have always preferred it if people form their conclusions about Christianity from the Holy Scriptures, rather than the behaviour of people pretending to be Christian.
The subject of total biblical inerrancy is not something I really want to discuss because I simply don't have enough understanding about it to give a useful answer that will put my faith in a good light. However, we all need to change our lives quickly.
I would certainly say that there are many parts of the Bible which would yield silly situations if interpreted literally. For instance, Jesus said to remove our eyes if they cause us to sin, but I know of no Christian who has taken this literally. Instead, a more sensible interpretation is that this passage is a general warning to us to make sacrifices to avoid sinning where necessary. If I searched, I could find many more parts that would be silly to interpret literally.
I'm sorry to hear about what happened in your church. I am hopeful that there is another reasonably accessible church in your local area where you feel comfortable and with whom you have a reasonable amount of agreement doctrinally.
I have Asperger's syndrome and I have been a regular churchgoer since the age of 18 (I am now 25), so it is possible to stick with one's faith. I have been to some churches I wouldn't go back to, for instance St. George's Anglican Church in Berlin, as it is simply a very worldly church. It has little enthusiasm about proclaiming the Gospel and is more concerned about its "inclusiveness" and whether its views are considered P.C. or not. This was shown in the priest who got annoyed by politically incorrect things being said, but simply wasn't bothered about if something ungodly was said or done. There was lots of politics in the church (although it didn't involve me personally) and they started doing gay marriages after I returned to the UK.