Redeeming a summer trip experience?

[Awesomename]

Hey,

I'm going on a summer trip with my Christian friends and I agreed to do it when I was a pretty strict Christian believing literal interpretations of the scripture, young earth creationism, Jesus is only way to heaven, and other limiting standard Christian beliefs. Now I have a much more open mind but I don't want to back out of the trip (mainly because of the difficult explanations I'll have to give my friends and more importantly my parents). Essentially my beliefs I have now are "heresy" but I still want/have to go on the trip.

So my question is what advice can you give me for redeeming the trip and positively influeincing people and how can I share the gospel in an enlightened way (I assume we will have times where we go out and share the gospel and it would be very difficult for me to tell them that Jesus is the only way to heaven and they are going to hell). Any ideas how I can deal with this with the minimum amount of people getting angry at me and me being able to have a positive effect on others and myself?

Thanks,
Awesomename

[CFPurpose]

You still believe in Christ, right? If so, your belief is enough. I would ask God for guidance on this issue. Ask him to give you the words to share when someone may ask of your faith. Ask God to only allow those who you will be able to possitevely influence to come in contact with you.

I would also take this time as a window of opportunity. You say that the change in your beliefs have arrived from here'say. Why not ask for guidance on what is real and what is not. Why not ask for him to enlighten you on points that you now question.

The main one I still have questions on is whether or not there is really a Hell. Is it a place that one is doomed to forevor or one that souls may go to heal from past wrong doings and then move forward to grow in peace. Is it one that only the major offenders go to or does it exist at all? I'd like to ask for confirmation but at the same time; i'm not quite sure I'd want to see it if it did indeed exist. That would be a bit unearving.

I think that God's creation is deeper and more evolved than even the most enlightened individual on this earth could fathom or understand. Thats why I find it so frustrating when the organized religions teach off of a standard point by point timeline and feel that God's creation is "black and white" and the grey areas just do not exist. Christianity and organized faith are very good for if they did not exist, noone would have base lines to at least start off with. I think that it is a persons personal relationship with God that should be taken with all seriousness and when a teaching is questioned, ask God for proof of what you are questioning and he will answer. He has answered the ones I have asked of him.

Hope this helps you some. Have fun on your trip.

[ethereal]

It takes spiritual discernment, which I believe you have plenty of since you've escaped religion and found spirituality

Some people are ready for higher truth, some people aren't. Suspend your enthusiasm and judgment, and allow your intuition to tell you when and how to act. Be tactful, because when it gets into debate and argument, it often entrenches them even further into their belief systems because they feel threatened and defend themselves.

It really depends though -- if I were you, I'd bite the bullet and back out of the trip. While teaching and spreading the Truth is great, you'd do a greater service to yourself and others by focusing on your own spiritual evolution, and I'm not sure if this trip will serve you better than other possible options. This is based on my own personal opinions, but maybe it might help you recontextualize the situation.

And a helpful tidbit to share:
- There are multiple heavens (even integrous atheists have a heaven to go to, lol!! That knocks my socks off every time I think about it ). That takes care of the exclusivity crap religions give -- each religion has their own heaven that followers gravitate towards, kind of like Law of Attraction and "like attracts like". So it's true that some religion is the only way to heaven -- their heaven

[Simmiah]

Originally Posted by Awesomename

So my question is what advice can you give me for redeeming the trip and positively influeincing people and how can I share the gospel in an enlightened way (I assume we will have times where we go out and share the gospel and it would be very difficult for me to tell them that Jesus is the only way to heaven and they are going to hell). Any ideas how I can deal with this with the minimum amount of people getting angry at me and me being able to have a positive effect on others and myself?

I second others. I would ask for guidance & pray for that. It always seems to work for me.

& I think much of what is written in the Bible is true (minus a few passages hehehehe) so..well.. you can share parts of the gospel & well.. I consider forcing religion on others to be kind of crossing boundaries so I presonaly would just be sort of maybe a little more relaxed on that aspect of the trip.

I don't know but I do know when I was younger I would hang out in bookstores & it was really annoying when a person would come up, assume I wasn't very spiritual (hehehe not true!) & then try to force me to listen to their diatribe on their one way to heaven. I was always kinda like mm hmm.. I already know that.. please leave me alone I'm reading.

So..well that's my perspective from someone who was approached almost constantly one year by evangelical preachers (I used to live in Orange County...) & I know they were trying to be nice but their intention wasn't really particularly kind because it was prideful to think others don't know. But then again, just my personal opinion..

Pray for some answers. You'll get some that fit you just right. My opinion's just from my own life so it fits me but maybe not you.