I sometimes question if God exists-Archbishop of Canterbury admits he sometimes has moments of doubt

An article in today's Daily Mail concerning the leading Protestant in England tells the world about his doubt of God's existance. Since the article will not paste to ATS you can read it at:

www.dailymail.co.uk...

If someone could paste the article it would be appreciated. For some reason I can not make it work.

So England's leading man of faith has doubts about God? What a blow to the church and people of faith!

Based upon his statements it is clear he has never met God but runs the Church of England. That does not make any sense.

Now I am not from England but I think Christians in the UK should demand this man of no faith to step down and resign from the church.

How can someone lead anyone of faith if he himself does not have any?

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

Ever checked how much pastors/ministers make a year?

that's probably a good place to start if you're looking to know why...

its a job... and it pays "damn" good

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

He sounds incredibly honest and as your post illustrates, being frank will sometimes elicit judgement. I don't know anyone who has not had doubts, who does not question at times.

Oh, as for copying the article, the ATS T&Cs state we can't copy more than 10%, so why not select an excerpt and put it in an outside source bubble? (the cloud icon when you write or edit a post)

Interesting....

Everyone struggles with their faith, even those in the church.
We all have or witness bad things happening to us in our lives and its these times we ask why, where are you, how could you do this.
Did he do it? No.

I find it particularly selfish and egotistIcal when someone of faith says the Lord saved ME. Or these people accepting awards for an Oscar or Grammy, " thank you Jesus, etc" . Oh yes he was right there making sure you won an award. Its soo important. Eff off. You are not more special than anyone else.

I will keep my faith as long as I can hold on to doing so. I hope I don't cave. The world is ridding itself of belief in God. So he may not exist? You die and there's nothing. You're dead and won't know anyways. I would rather believe than die and find out I wished I had, but that's just my personal opinion. Stories like theses do not help. He should keep his mouth shut.

Better you live your life being a good person to others and to yourself. You do not need to go to church or read the bible everyday. You don't need to preach to others. Its not welcomed.

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

I always thought questioning your faith was healthy.
He will work harder to find ways to make his faith stronger.

I'm an atheist, but from what I know if you put 100% faith into God, you can lose your way to being one of Gods children, you CAN make mistakes, you CAN question God, it's the journey in this life that makes the final step all make sense.

originally posted by: aboutface
a reply to: Jesuslives4u

He sounds incredibly honest and as your post illustrates, being frank will sometimes elicit judgement. I don't know anyone who has not had doubts, who does not question at times.

Sure but the leader of the church of the UK is there to reinsure those of little or weak faith to remain strong . How can he do this when his faith is weak?

When any leader shows doubt the followers begin to question if they have the right individual as a leader.

So if Cameron or Obama came out and said, "Well I am not sure if we can defend our nation against foreign attacks because I no longer believe our military is capable of holding the enemy back" .... I wonder what the people would say then?

Exposing weakness as a leader is not a trait people want to see or hear.

I would expect any reasonable person to at least understand that there is absolutely no evidence of a creator to be found when you actually study and understand the world around you. The bible is an amalgam of hindu, egyptian, budhist, and many other culture's writings. The word catholic means universal. They deliberatly joined all religions and created the new testament by choosing stories they liked and systematically burning all the stories and people that they didn't.

Many priests are extremely knowledgable and hold high positions in academia. Everytime human kind discovers a property of the universe that was previously attributed to the gods, we take ground away from the supernatural. These religions can't stand up to the scrutiny that they are recieving day in day out from within their own ranks. When the priests understand modern observations of the bible, and cannot justify and rationalize the barbaric nature of any god, and the paradoxical properties that were plagarized from multiple preceding cultures, then it's obviously time to give up and admit they were totally wrong.

A lot of priests go into astronomy, cosmology, physics, genetics, and such because they truly want to understand the universe. So they see and understand the chemestry of life and they work towards understanding the fabric of our physical universe.

Catholic priests are leaving the church at an exponential rate and there are not enough young men or women who are entering seminary to fill all the real estate they have amassed over the millennia.
They will slowly fade away. Leaving only faint echoes, in obscure forums, on fringe conspiracy sites, from the few straggling believers who just won't let it die.



a reply to: Jesuslives4u

originally posted by: Jesuslives4u

When any leader shows doubt the followers begin to question if they have the right individual as a leader.

I think the bigger issue and the fear comes from the "followers" questioning what their "Leader" has been leading them to. You can always replace a "Leader" with another one but once people start questioning where they've been being lead, that is when those doing the "Leading" become afraid of their followers.

Exposing weakness as a leader is not a trait people want to see or hear.

Maybe it's not about Weakness. Maybe he's just being honest. People don't like to hear the truth either.

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

When any leader shows doubt the followers begin to question if they have the right individual as a leader.

Leaders lead followers in many causes. In war the leader whose resolve collapses in front of his men risks their lives as much as his own, and yet it is a consequence of the human condition to submit to emotional and mental fatigue eventually. On the job, leaders or managers who show doubt also risk bad morale but only at the cost of failed production or business performance which in very particular cases could result in harm or loss of life. At the very least workers depend on their bosses in the process of earning their salaries.

Religious leaders; I wonder what precisely becomes at risk when they show doubt in their belief to their various flocks? Lack of faith in this day and age will not get you killed--at least nowhere I am aware of in the christian world. The problem then as I see it is deification of men. Go ahead and assign your omnipotent qualities to an unfathomable, impalpable construct if you must but please realize no living man is a god and thus all men are subject to the same corporeal imperfections.


Speaking to the topic, and although a non-believer myself, I admire the archbishop both for his candor and nod to rectitude--a quality severely unrealized at large in this day and age. While I have never seen the divine, I'd like to think I would recognize it if I did. That said, and with utmost respect, searching for it in the faces of men anointed by a title is something I have no trouble leaving to the religious.

originally posted by: AphoticJoe
a reply to: Jesuslives4u

When any leader shows doubt the followers begin to question if they have the right individual as a leader.

Leaders lead followers in many causes. In war the leader whose resolve collapses in front of his men risks their lives as much as his own, and yet it is a consequence of the human condition to submit to emotional and mental fatigue eventually. On the job, leaders or managers who show doubt also risk bad morale but only at the cost of failed production or business performance which in very particular cases could result in harm or loss of life. At the very least workers depend on their bosses in the process of earning their salaries.

Religious leaders; I wonder what precisely becomes at risk when they show doubt in their belief to their various flocks? Lack of faith in this day and age will not get you killed--at least nowhere I am aware of in the christian world. The problem then as I see it is deification of men. Go ahead and assign your omnipotent qualities to an unfathomable, impalpable construct if you must but please realize no living man is a god and thus all men are subject to the same corporeal imperfections.


Speaking to the topic, and although a non-believer myself, I admire the archbishop both for his candor and nod to rectitude--a quality severely unrealized at large in this day and age. While I have never seen the divine, I'd like to think I would recognize it if I did. That said, and with utmost respect, searching for it in the faces of men anointed by a title is something I have no trouble leaving to the religious.

Matthew 18:6 - "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Any person of faith/religion who says otherwise is either lying or crazy.
If any rational human being doesn't question existence and/ or the creator, then they are not fully functioning and not very bright.

originally posted by: Jesuslives4u


So England's leading man of faith has doubts about God? What a blow to the church and people of faith!

Based upon his statements it is clear he has never met God but runs the Church of England. That does not make any sense.

Its sad that some people put these men on pedestals, they are just men after all.

I think the key word here is faith, the faith of a mustard seed.

So he has times of doubts and he honestly states he has doubts.

Christianity is not dogmatic, God does not deny a seeker or a questioner.

I fail to see where in the bible that God, Christ state that being a Christian is easy, that we are to believe with out question.
Faith by its very nature is not feelings or proof.

Why would the gospels teach us to rely on faith if we were so sure of the promise.

I think he is acting very Christian

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

"my God my God, why have you forsaken me?" or "where are you?"

Jesus had a doubt.

This guy is honest, and not acting falsely, by trying to be a good idol for his followers to adhere to. He is not harming anyones faith. His "flock" often live in fear when they have doubts, don't want to go to hell after all. For him to show that he is just a man, and not their mediator, or high priest is very honorable.

originally posted by: Jesuslives4u

originally posted by: AphoticJoe
a reply to: Jesuslives4u

When any leader shows doubt the followers begin to question if they have the right individual as a leader.

Leaders lead followers in many causes. In war the leader whose resolve collapses in front of his men risks their lives as much as his own, and yet it is a consequence of the human condition to submit to emotional and mental fatigue eventually. On the job, leaders or managers who show doubt also risk bad morale but only at the cost of failed production or business performance which in very particular cases could result in harm or loss of life. At the very least workers depend on their bosses in the process of earning their salaries.

Religious leaders; I wonder what precisely becomes at risk when they show doubt in their belief to their various flocks? Lack of faith in this day and age will not get you killed--at least nowhere I am aware of in the christian world. The problem then as I see it is deification of men. Go ahead and assign your omnipotent qualities to an unfathomable, impalpable construct if you must but please realize no living man is a god and thus all men are subject to the same corporeal imperfections.


Speaking to the topic, and although a non-believer myself, I admire the archbishop both for his candor and nod to rectitude--a quality severely unrealized at large in this day and age. While I have never seen the divine, I'd like to think I would recognize it if I did. That said, and with utmost respect, searching for it in the faces of men anointed by a title is something I have no trouble leaving to the religious.

Matthew 18:6 - "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Yea, because thats what ISIS, i mean jesus would do right?
That looks very much like you are saying the bishop should kill himself.

Dbl

i heard it said somewhere that god loves skeptics most because those who question are least likely to be deceived. it says something to me that asking questions is taboo in your book.

originally posted by: Woodcarver

originally posted by: Jesuslives4u

originally posted by: AphoticJoe
a reply to: Jesuslives4u

When any leader shows doubt the followers begin to question if they have the right individual as a leader.

Leaders lead followers in many causes. In war the leader whose resolve collapses in front of his men risks their lives as much as his own, and yet it is a consequence of the human condition to submit to emotional and mental fatigue eventually. On the job, leaders or managers who show doubt also risk bad morale but only at the cost of failed production or business performance which in very particular cases could result in harm or loss of life. At the very least workers depend on their bosses in the process of earning their salaries.

Religious leaders; I wonder what precisely becomes at risk when they show doubt in their belief to their various flocks? Lack of faith in this day and age will not get you killed--at least nowhere I am aware of in the christian world. The problem then as I see it is deification of men. Go ahead and assign your omnipotent qualities to an unfathomable, impalpable construct if you must but please realize no living man is a god and thus all men are subject to the same corporeal imperfections.


Speaking to the topic, and although a non-believer myself, I admire the archbishop both for his candor and nod to rectitude--a quality severely unrealized at large in this day and age. While I have never seen the divine, I'd like to think I would recognize it if I did. That said, and with utmost respect, searching for it in the faces of men anointed by a title is something I have no trouble leaving to the religious.

Matthew 18:6 - "If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Yea, because thats what ISIS, i mean jesus would do right?
That looks very much like you are saying the bishop should kill himself.

in other words, our righteous man of faith is suggesting that a fellow man of faith commit a deadly sin to atone for a lesser sin.

a reply to: Jesuslives4u

So England's leading man of faith has doubts about God? What a blow to the church and people of faith! Based upon his statements it is clear he has never met God but runs the Church of England. That does not make any sense.

This Archbishop of Canterbury (Justin Welby) is also a gay marriage and gay lifestyle advocate. A pretty mixed up guy to say the least (my opinion). There are two Archbishops and the other Archbishop of York is John Sentamu. Sentamu is against same sex marriage and lesbian and homosexual and considers those practices to be sin. No wonder this guy is so screwed up. Yep it's all a game to these people. The Queen also has great influence in the Scottish church.

a reply to: zardust

This guy is honest, and not acting falsely, by trying to be a good idol for his followers to adhere to. He is not harming anyones faith. His "flock" often live in fear when they have doubts, don't want to go to hell after all. For him to show that he is just a man, and not their mediator, or high priest is very honorable.

If this Archbishop is so honorable then he should go by the book that he preaches. His book tells him that sexual perversion is wrong and that women should keep quiet in church. He is as Gay as a three dollar bill and they allow women bishops. Either change the book or get another job. That is honorable?