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Originally Posted by alltherage
Indeed. I get guilt from just challenging these doctrines... it's about how I was raised, once again. "Thou shalt not challenge the Lord thy God" or something along those lines.
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I can understand that, if it makes it easier just keep in mind that not challenging God necessarily entails knowing what God says in the first place (so you know what not to challenge).
If this was an easy task, there wouldn't be the thousands of different denominations based on the Bible.
So rather than viewing it as challenging God, it's more your challenging one specific groups interpretation of what God wants.
It may help to do some objective research into early church history about the formation of scripture and how widely varied things were in the early years. The RCC has had 1600 years to refine their doctrine and such, but that doesn't mean they necessarily started from the right place.
I think what you are going through is VERY common and characteristic of the younger up-coming generations. Church attendance for the most part is shrinking and getting older, younger generations have access to the Internet and all kinds of information.. there was a time when the church could say a great deal without being challenged because the laity were separated from the clergy. Now though we can look at church doctrines and policies and with the Internet find alternative viewpoints very easily.. or find out about things like how many people the Church's policy on contraceptives kill in Africa. 100 years ago no one would know of such things except a very few.
So today's younger generations are opting for a more personal spirituality rather than big institutionalized churches.