What will it say about my character if I change my belief system?

No. We all question everything. I used to be an atheist among other things. Maybe when you start to look into Christianity it still won’t make sense and you will revert back to your old ways or maybe it will make more sense than you thought it ever would. It worked like that for me. It just started making sense.

But I personally do not think it’s a flaw, if it is a flaw then we are all flawed and IMHO I do not think it is something that can easily be fixed. Can you be logical and rational about it?

Everyone has the right to change his or her mind any time. We grow. We learn, We learn more. Our opinions may change with experience. It is NOT a flaw in your character at all. If we couldn’t change as we grew, that might be a flaw in ones character.

I think it’s a flaw in your character to not question your religion.

All of our experiences combine to create our view of reality. We must change as we experience new things, it is inevitable.

I agree with @GoldieAV16, but what has changed in the 16 intervening years to reconcile the contradictions that originally caused you to leave Christianity? Just deciding to ignore the elephant in the room leaves me wondering if you have some emotional need that requires something mystical and supernatural to fill. Abandoning reason and critical thinking in favor of woo-woo might be thought of as a character flaw, although it’s one shared by a large sector of humanity.

@KaY_Jelly I have always wondered if there is anything logical about religion?
@Sunny2 it’s true that we have the right to change our minds, somehow practicing a belief system for twenty years may have been a habit.
@ETpro I think that can’t be further from the truth, perhaps it is due to some form of emotional need, perhaps I should just wait a bit longer before I start making any drastic decisions.
Well said @YARNLADY.

Good night and thanks for the truly great answers!

Question everything and whatever you feel the most comfortable with and that makes sense to you, is what you should do.

I converted at age 17 against my family’s wishes, I went through a period where I believed nothing (was a bad person), I went thorough a period of studying many religions, and went back to loving God and not attending church.

Life is long if you’re lucky and change is good. Just never stop questioning and thinking and feeling.

Nothing about your character.

Like you, I was also faced with the problem of contradictions in the Bible as well as contradictions of SOME Christians with common sense (the whole eternal burning in hell thing supposedly created by a loving God) was a biggie for me).

I spent a lot of time researching (and this was pre-Internet times. Now its a lot easier) and familiarized myself with the original languages of the Bible rather than faulty translations into the English language.

As a result, I managed to avoid throwing the baby out with the bath water and retain belief in a compassionate creator and drop a lot of the baggage imposed by every Christian denomination around.

I think it speaks to your strength of character that you are willing to be guided by your heart as well as your mind. I’m sure that there are enough of the resident Fluther Atheists who will vehemently disagree with me :) but that matters little.

What’s important is that you find a belief system that works for you. If there are parts of Christianity that you find untenable then do the research necessary to find out whether this is in the spirit of what Jesus lived and taught or whether its just a doctrine created by one or another group grappling for control.

If you are going to start reading the Bible again you might want to consider getting a red letter edition. This is a printing which places the words of Jesus in red for easier searching. And there are actually people who prefer to call themselves Red Letter Christians. They aren’t a denomination or anything. Just people who are interested in social justice rather than judgementalism or control and try to live by the standards which Jesus taught. (Obviously we all fail at that but its not such a bad example to look to).

Skip the Old Testament and concentrate upon the things emphasized by Jesus. Isn’t that what Christianity SHOULD be all about ?

If you want to spend some time researching some of the contradictions which have bothered you in the past, here’s a link to a site with a lot of in-depth Bible scholarship focused upon more precise and accurate translation criteria. But there are many others as well. Don’t be afraid to seek out your own truth regardless of who does or doesn’t like it.
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www.tentmaker.org

Religion fills many important needs . As you age you evolve as a person. Your religion may not evolve in the same direction. Then you have to make a choice: follow the dictates of your religion or your heart.

No, it is just your ongoing spiritual involvement.

Changing a belief system takes courage, and hopefully, you are doing so while exploring the alternatives with all intellectual clarity you have.

It says very good things about your character….

Everyone questions their religion at some point in their life. I have, as have many people I know. It’s normal and anyone who tells you otherwise probably hasn’t questioned it themselves.

You are a spiritual seeker, investigating what you can. The details are part of your search, but it is the search you should be known for.

What does it say? That you are willing to look at different Religions to suit your circumstances throughout the many changes that you experience.

@Inspired_2write that is a very interesting view point. I never thought of it like that.
Thank you @KNOWITALL that is very good advise.
@Buttonstc thank you for that link that website is a wealth of information.

It’s a jump for sure. Maybe you should try out a mid point experience like Unitarian Universalism and see how that feels. Those contractions? They are still there and now you’re supposed to take every page literally and that can be an ugly. You come to wonder what you are embracing.

The fear of Divine punishment confines many to following dogmatic religious beliefs, and the fear of questioning these. I don’t find anything wrong with your questioning of different beliefs.

Ironically it was my old religious beliefs that turned me into a nontheist, and my scepticism of religion along with doing my own secular research that turned me theist again. I’ve learnt that I didn’t need a religion to accept there is/or may be a higher power or a god. To each their own.

Well said @Paradox25.

For once, I go along with @Paradox25 . You must start by looking into your own soul and follow where that leads. What seemed right at one time may not feel right now. If no religion is suitable then don’t feel that you need one in order to have faith. As an atheist, I would ask you to at least consider the possibility of taking your skepticism to what I would consider its logical conclusion.

Many people are like sheep and follow religion blindly. Others reject religion altogether when their questions are unresolved.
Others are constantly questioning their faith and are comfortable with unanswered questions, and feel the questions the selves make them grow and stretch their faith.
I think it says you have integrity if you continue to question and modify as new information is revealed to you.