My dad used to always say that he was a backslider. Over the years I have heard some preachers say that if a person is really a Christian, then they can't backslid, unless they were not really a Christian in the first place. I'd like ot hear anybodies thoughts on this subject.

What is your definition of backsliding?

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Would be not doing what God wanted you to do. Love Him and love others as yourself. Which in that case I coudn't backslide. Because I could never hate Him, or not like Him, nore could I really hate others, not like them and be agngry at them yeah, but hate just doesn't stick with me for anyone.

Christianity is a religion, and like all religions you will have different people at various levels of dedication and development. Your dad may have had reason to be angry with and feel hate toward God, but currently doesn't. You probably should go to your dad for that answer.

In my opinion, you practice a religion or belief and sometimes you are happy with it and sometimes not. Equating you dedication or belief to emotions is inaccurate to me.

I really hope that made some sense to you.

Its just how I got into doing. I never really had no certain, religious denomination to call my own or to practice their certain religious practic.

My dad died in 2005, and I still ain't got over his death, he was the only other adult whom I had to talk about God with and share my feelings with. My husband has no use for religion.

My parents weren't Christian's. My dad was a Christian believer, raised in a Lutheran family, but he said he prefered Church of God. My mom, who never showed love and was abusive, I don't really know--I don't think she believes really--though her parents where practicing Christian's. Her parents are the ones who took me and my brothers and sisters to church whenever our mom took us over there and left us.

I tought/teach my three daughters about God, and Jesus, and we go to Church sometimes, we've never found any place where we really fit in. See we're kinda an outcast kinda people, because we live in a trailer park here in a small town. So when we go to church we are made to feel welcome and everything, but just not made to feel like we can get too close to anyone.

I didn't have a great life. I'm not trying to get you to feel sorry for me, I am just trying to explain to you how things happened to turn out the way they did in my situation with God. I was told about Jesus when I was a child and tought by baptist about God. So that could be considered my home religion, at least its my main one. I go to a United Methodist these days, though.

Well, I ran away from home a lot, between the ages of 11 and 12, and always got into so many bad situation, that I believe if not for God I never woulda gotten out of alive. When I was 3 months from being 13, I fell off of a cliff. I shoulda died, it was about a 200 foot cliff. God has always been around to protect me and I have always felt Him. At times when I thought I would go insane He gave me peace. God still gives me His peace when I need it now. I don't know any other way to worship God, without religion, than the way He has let me in the past. However, I am going to church and learning the correct way I need to worship Him, as I have been doing for years now. I just haven't never had a place to feel at home in. I just go for God, to feel His prescense with other christians and be able to praise him with other christians as well.

I am sorry for your loss, it is very hard to work through the death of a loved one.

Honestly, I don't know the answers and don't think anyone else does either. I can only give you the opinion that I don't think that God would have turned your dad away eventhough he struggled with his beliefs. It is difficult to hold on to faith when there is a lot in this world that will try and pull it away from you. The struggles your dad went through are similar to people all over the world, and I don' t think that God denies us what we need, especially when we are trying to do the right thing. And from your brief description, I think your dad tried to do the right thing, in the face of great adversity.

everybody is human-- that's how we're supposed to be.
the dilemma re: backsliding is whether or not we realize & acknowledge our mistakes and then make a point to do differently the next time

It sounds like you answered your own question. I don't think there's anything that we could do that would change God love's for us. Just think about your children and how you would love them no matter what they do, even though sometimes they're not easy to live with sometimes! God's love must be so much greater that we can't really imagine how much He values us. I think the reason people aren't able to give or receive love is because they don't love themselves and can't accept that God or anyone else loves them either. So, if you're aware of God's presence and love for you (especially when you feel guilty about something), that's the main thing.

I agree with you.