I've tried going to church.  I've tried reading the bible.  I've tried speaking to pastors and other christians.  But I just can't get my mind around the whole "faith" thing.  My mind just doesn't work that way.

But, if I'm in a bad mood, or if something bad happens, then I go atheist.  "There is no god!  If there is then he's an asshole!  Plan my ass!"

Kinda weird I know.  

Any suggestions?  I won't be back on for a couple of hours BTW.

And with that I give you:

THE NINE NOBLE VIRTUES OF ASATRU

COURAGE

By facing Iife's struggles with courage, we constantly extend our capabilities. Without courage, nothing else can be done!

TRUTH

Blind faith has no place in Asatru. No pie-in-the-sky; we must act in this world as we see it and as it really is rather than calmly wait for the next

HONOR

We must be true to what we are, and we insist on acting with nobility rather than baseness. Our standards must be banners held high in our hearts.

FIDELITY

We stand true to our faith and our values. Loyalty is the basis for all enduring human activity, and we hold it in the highest esteem.

HOSPITALITY

The isolation and loneliness of modern life is not necessary. The willingness to share what one has with ones' fellows, especially travelers, is a vital part of our way of life.

DISCIPLINE

We hold to the discipline necessary to fulfill our purpose. We stand willing to exercise the self-control and steadfastness necessary in these difficult times.

INDUSTRIOUSNESS

Let us dare to be all that we can be! Let us take risks and taste the richness of life. Passivity is for sheep. We refuse to be mere spectators in life.

SELF-RELIANCE

We depend on our own strength and character to achieve our goals. We seek only the freedom necessary to our quest, whatever it may be.

PERSEVERANCE

We hold to our path until its completion and are not ashamed to be strong. The cult of the anti-hero will find no support in us, and the gods we follow are not for the weak.

Cattle die, kinsmen die,
one day you yourself must die.
I know one thing that never dies:
the dead man's reputation.

Havamal - Sayings of the High One

No "blind faith" is needed.

Doesn't sound like you have any intellectual problems with Christianity (if you do, send mean IM and I can probably help with those), but emotional ones. Emotioal objections to Christianity are more common, and are actually tougher to deal with because they are so subjective. You are by no means alone. When my circumstances take a turn for the worst (like my mom getting cancer) or if the mood just strikes me, I often have some of the same thoughts. However, since I have aknowledged that God exists, I haven't suppressed that since, so I don't "go atheist".  I have, however, much like Job, became very angry with God and have questioned His Sovereignty and His plan.

P.S. I think this lecture entitled: The Evidence for Christianity might be helpful to you.  

Here's a few questions which I can guarantee no one else will ask:

What do you think about life, the universe, and everything? Don't worry about what people have tried to teach you. What do you think?

Go with those answers. In your quietest moments, you'll know what's true and what's not. You'll know what to keep and what to discard. And you won't need faith to do it. You'll just know.

Don't let anyone bully you into one way of thinking. Don't limit yourself that way. Go with what you know.

Quoted: I've tried going to church.  I've tried reading the bible.  I've tried speaking to pastors and other christians.  But I just can't get my mind around the whole "faith" thing.  My mind just doesn't work that way. But, if I'm in a bad mood, or if something bad happens, then I go atheist.  "There is no god!  If there is then he's an asshole!  Plan my ass!" Kinda weird I know.   Any suggestions?  I won't be back on for a couple of hours BTW.

why limit yourself to Christianity?

Quoted: Here's a few questions which I can guarantee no one else will ask: What do you think about life, the universe, and everything? Don't worry about what people have tried to teach you. What do you think?

 I think that's what he's getting at. How you answer the question of whether God exists affects how you look at everything and answeres all of the above questions.  And when you tell him not to worry about what people have tried to teach him, does that include or exclude what YOU are trying to teach him now?

Go with those answers.

Why?  What if he is not satisfied with those answeres? What if he realizes they are not correct and that he does need to learn from the experiences and mistakes of others who have gone through similar trials?

In your quietest moments, you'll know what's true and what's not.

That is really namby pamby, but I halfway agree with it. I think that quiet reflection is valuable insofar as you can evaluate and sometimes acknowledge what you intuitively know; but quiet moments are no substitue for reason a logic when it comes to determining whether things are true or not. They are extrinsically, not intrinsically valuable.

You'll know what to keep and what to discard. And you won't need faith to do it. You'll just know.

That seems to heavily presuppose that what he already knows is sufficient. Chances are, that's not the case. It seems to me that your philosophy is ant-knowledge and ant-learning.

Don't let anyone bully you into one way of thinking. Don't limit yourself that way. Go with what you know.

 What do you mean by "bully"? Are you speaking of people who try to convince him of a certain worldview or a certain way of thinking that may not come natural to him? If that's the case, then isn't that what YOU'RE doing? You may think it's bad to only think one way, but I think the opposite. I think this because there are only two kinds of thinking: logical, and illogical thinking. In my experience, illogical thinking consistently breeds incorrect answeres. So, I think we SHOULD limit our ways of thining. I have heard it said that one can be so open-minded that their brains fall out. I am inclined to think that true.

for me i had to stop just looking and thinking about my own little world.i had to take the
blinders off and look at the big picture of life.why am i here,where did this world come
from,what is truth,what is love,is there hope for something better,is there a purpose for
all this.i think it's true what they say,you have to fall down before you will look up.pride is
a hard pill to swallow.once i realized life aint all about having stuff and started searching for
the truth i found it.all i can suggest is try to honestly prove to yourself there is no God and i
think you will be suprised.it takes more faith to be a atheist than to believe in God.if it is bothering you then you are close to the truth.

I struggled at first. I went through times of actually hating God.

Pray that God reveals His true self to you. Be prepared for things you may not want to hear or know. Like medicine , sometimes it dont taste good but its needed. Like another person said, dont let anyone bully you, seek the Lord with all you might. Be prepared to be humbled. Be prepared to see God like you never imagined.

I wil pray that God reveal His Sovereign and Holy majesty to you.

... Or another possible version:

Quoted: I struggled at first. I went through times of actually hating God. (prefaced with the fact that I have never hate God) Pray that God reveals His true self to you (Hallelujah!). Be prepared for things you may not want to hear or know. Like medicine , sometimes it dont taste good but its needed. Like another person said, dont let anyone bully you, seek the Lord (Truth) with all your might. Be prepared to be humbled. Be prepared to see God like you never imagined. I wil pray that God will reveal His Sovereign and Holy majesty the truth to you.

Quoted: ... Or another possible version: Quoted: I struggled at first. I went through times of actually hating God. (prefaced with the fact that I have never hate God) Pray that God reveals His true self to you (Hallelujah!). Be prepared for things you may not want to hear or know. Like medicine , sometimes it dont taste good but its needed. Like another person said, dont let anyone bully you, seek the Lord (Truth) with all your might. Be prepared to be humbled. Be prepared to see God like you never imagined. I wil pray that God will reveal His Sovereign and Holy majesty the truth to you.

Why dont you just offer your opinion own in your own words? Are you speaking for me in the yellow type? I am probably reading too much into your correcting of my opinion but it seem exactly to be what you are doing. It was meant to be said the way I said it. Please dont speak for me.

Sorry I just took it as extremely rude.

Quoted: Quoted: ... Or another possible version: ... Quoted: I struggled at first. I went through times of actually hating God. (prefaced with the fact that I have never hate God) Pray that God reveals His true self to you (Hallelujah!). Be prepared for things you may not want to hear or know. Like medicine , sometimes it dont taste good but its needed. Like another person said, dont let anyone bully you, seek the Lord (Truth) with all your might. Be prepared to be humbled. Be prepared to see God like you never imagined. I wil pray that God will reveal His Sovereign and Holy majesty the truth to you. Why dont you just offer your opinion own in your own words? Are you speaking for me in the yellow type? I am probably reading too much into your correcting of my opinion but it seem exactly to be what you are doing. It was meant to be said the way I said it. Please dont speak for me. Sorry I just took it as extremely rude.

... Look again please - not meant to be rude at all, only another vantage point. Would it be better for you if I typed it out again without the quotations?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ... Or another possible version: ... Quoted: I struggled at first. I went through times of actually hating God. (prefaced with the fact that I have never hate God) Pray that God reveals His true self to you (Hallelujah!). Be prepared for things you may not want to hear or know. Like medicine , sometimes it dont taste good but its needed. Like another person said, dont let anyone bully you, seek the Lord (Truth) with all your might. Be prepared to be humbled. Be prepared to see God like you never imagined. I wil pray that God will reveal His Sovereign and Holy majesty the truth to you. Why dont you just offer your opinion own in your own words? Are you speaking for me in the yellow type? I am probably reading too much into your correcting of my opinion but it seem exactly to be what you are doing. It was meant to be said the way I said it. Please dont speak for me. Sorry I just took it as extremely rude. ... Look again please - not meant to be rude at all, only another vantage point. Would it be better for you if I typed it out again without the quotations?

Sorry I got all bent.

It just felt like you were trying to speak for me.

Quoted: ... felt like you were trying to speak for me.

... Not at all bro, just rebounding off your profound observation with a twist of differing viewpoint

Quoted: Quoted: I've tried going to church.  I've tried reading the bible.  I've tried speaking to pastors and other christians.  But I just can't get my mind around the whole "faith" thing.  My mind just doesn't work that way. But, if I'm in a bad mood, or if something bad happens, then I go atheist.  "There is no god!  If there is then he's an asshole!  Plan my ass!" Kinda weird I know.   Any suggestions?  I won't be back on for a couple of hours BTW. why limit yourself to Christianity?

I'm not really limiting myself, I just don't know much about other religions.

I feel the need to believe in something higher, I just don't know what.  Like I said though, my mind is very logical and scientific.  I don't really accept too many things on faith.  I need proof.

I guess it will just take some time.  Either that or I'll find some religion that will just sweep me off my feet and completely change my way of thinking.  Thanks for all the help guys.  

Quoted: Quoted: ... felt like you were trying to speak for me. ... Not at all bro, just rebounding off your profound observation with a twist of differing viewpoint

Thats cool then.

One thing that you need to keep in mind is that the world we live in is not as He made nor planned it.

The world is "fallen", that is, we see the long term effects of disobedience and rebellion against Him.  There are eartquakes, floods, tsunamis, airpanes crashing, murder, rape, kids getting cancer, and on and on.  None of this can be laid on God's shoulders.  It is our collective, human fault that the world is in the state it is.

However, one day He is going to set things right.  You can count on it.

For now, we do the best we can to live in the situation we have, and hopefully, do our part to raise the level of good in the world while we wait.