Expert: Austin Cline - 2/21/2004

Question
I have been raised in a fairly religious family who belongs to an Evangelical Lutheran Church. I, however, have recently begin to doubt the Bible and its teachings. While I do not question the existance of God, I am very skeptic of the life of Jesus Christ and other Biblical events. I do not find myself fitting into any religious denomination and would prefer simply to interact with God in private. How can I explain these ideas to my parents, who continue to force my participation in church? Is there any type of church, where Christ is not central to belief, that I could take part in?

Answer
Although aimed primarily at atheists, the questions I have answered here might help you a lot:

http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/ath/blathq_family.htm

"Is there any type of church, where Christ is not central to belief, that I could take part in?"

You stand a good chance of finding what you want at a Quaker or Unitarian Univeralist church. Do note that not all of those churches are the same - these are very de-centralized denominations so one can vary a great deal from the next. Some UU churches are relatively humanistic (where even God isn't mentioned a lot) while others are strongly pagan/wiccan in orientation. Some Quaker congregations are very conservative while others are rather liberal. So, if you try one and aren't satisfied, take the time to find another and look at it.

Good luck!