I can empathize with your situation, Chris.

In my own case, my strict Muslim parents have long been convinced that I am (or have been possessed by) The Devil and that I'm going to Hell, and that there is nothing that can be done to save my soul.

On the last occasion I had any contact with them, their fears over my activities (which amount to nothing more than telling people how to think for themselves) had reached such a frenzy that they were involved in (or had undertaken) some religious ritual to distance themselves from me as much as possible in the eyes of God to protect their own souls. This was to ensure they didn't get swept into Hell too when they die, being connected to me through being my parents.

Well, let's hope God has got the message by now otherwise it's going to be rather crowded at the family reunion in Hell. :)

After they made that little revelation, and some equally enlightened related behavior from them (I'm being ironic), I decided it was for the best for all concerned to just break off contact. And it has been a very freeing experience for me and I wouldn't be surprised if they also are sleeping better at night now. :)

In your case, it sounds more complicated but I should really point out something that I'm sure you're getting sick of me pointing out... you need to feel better about this situation first.

You've stated what your desire is..."I want a great relationship with my family"

And you've also stated where your belief about this situation currently lies..."I don't see how it's possible when Christianity is so a part of their lives"

When you can align your belief with your desire, you'll get what you want...the Universe has no choice but to manifest the essence of it somehow. I can't say how it will happen, nor can anyone else, but it must manifest if you are in alignment with it.

So it's really down to molding thoughts again (using Focus Blocks or any other preferred technique) until you feel better.

Yes, some of those in your family may choose not to engage with the manifestation of this improved feeling and you may drift apart - you can't control the behavior of others. But, at least, by making a deliberate effort to feel better about your situation, you'll give yourself the best possible opportunity for a harmonious outcome. i.e. you being true to who you are, while being accepted by those who are being true to who they are.

To those that allow themselves to see it, there is a lot more in common between the essence of mainstream religion and these more modern-day approaches to spirituality.

The language may change, the principles never do.

Chris,
This is a hard one. I believe if your family was not the head of the church, that you could use BOTH in your life. However, you parents and uncles have to lead their flock and there is no room for uncertainty, as the flock is in different stages of their christian faith, which is an element you may be bringing to them.

I do attend an evangelical church every weekend and study the LOA. I see them as complimentary.

I do NOT see it that you are against the church if you are aware of the LOA. Yes, there will be conflicts in many areas of both HOWEVER I focus on the common ground.

I still perceive gaps in the LOA that are filled by Jesus and vice versa!

I think you have two very powerful sources to draw from.

However, since you are more "tightly" wound into the church, I see how this is not acceptable to THEM.

Unfortunately, in the church, it is the all or nothing mentality that messes things up for the church and people like yourself. Do not let this make you walk away from either one.

At the end of the day, we have to take the responsibility for ourselves as far as what we believe.

For example, if Jesus was in person here right now, would he really say that a Buddhist monk who lived a very giving life is going to Hell?

As far as the people having good communication with God telling you things, from an outside perspective it sounds like they may be taking advantage of it to pursue their beliefs and desires for their flock, etc.

EDIT
Another example I thought of is that the LOA almost makes going to college sounds like something we don't really need. I chose to use college and LOA in my life to achieve my goals.

I agree with most of what is written above.

I come from a third generation Christian family. Most of them still involved in evangelical ministries. I felt that they were not preaching ALL the truth and began to listen to Mike Williams on Gospel Logic.

After some study and soul searching i realised that the established churchs despite being well meaning on the most part were not exactly the mouth piece of the Lord to this world.I furthermore ralised that they didnt have the monopoly on spiritual discernment or indeed on the revelaton of Jesus Christ.

When the spectre of a judgemental God with a hell in waiting was removed it gave me the freedom to explore and do what the bible actually says to do. Thats to KEEP knocking ,KEEP asking and KEEP seeking. I had subscribed to someone elses doctrine and stopped all of the previous.

Christianity currently has 30000 differing denominations,most claim to preach THE message from the bible. Most will tell you exactly what the bible means and will provide plenty of verses of scripture to back up their viewpoint. There are also many schools of thought on what exactly IS scripture. Not every denomination subscribes to the 66 books of the standard bible. Many have realised that not only has there been massive differences in the interpritation of the bible but also a lot of speculation as to whats been added or taken away in the 2000 years since revelation was written. There are some who believe the new testement is a commentary on scripture and not scripture itsself.

Now i dont want to get into an theological arguments here but i do want to encourage you to KEEP searching. Your one with God,He loves you and has no intention of feeling or doing anything negative towards you.When the apostle Paul explains what love is he is listing the very attributes he believed God to have. One of them was that love KEEPS NO RECORDS OF WRONGS! Chris,your slates not just been wiped clean...its been thrown away.

Good news Eh

Keep the search up Chris,treat your family with love and respect,in sure you already do this.God will sort out the rest. If you do what you do with the motivation of LOVE your assured all the powers of heaven and earth to flow thru you.

Graham

Hi Chris, I can identify with your situation as I have had the same experience with my family. I refused to baptize my children or have my new house blessed when I moved into it. All these are traditional religious practices within my family and community. I have been called crazy and accused of being an atheist because of my spiritual beliefs. But I have stood my ground. While most do not agree with my beliefs, everyone respects me. They know that I am not a bad person and that I abide by strong values and principles. I said all that to say that it is going to be all right. There will be a transition stage but they will accept eventually when they see that you have actually become a better person.

Dear Chris, it is possible to be close to your family and be true to your beliefs for they are separate. Here is how I do it. My husband insists we are a catholic family. I am not allowed to interfere with the children religious upbringing, and do attend church whenever I am required to. I do this because I love my family and respect the fact they are not ready yet. My thoughts and prayers are personal and no one can take them away from me. Now if the children come and ask a specific question I tell them, otherwise I bite my tongue and keep quite.

My dear, you are being tested here for self-control. It is painful. Just remember we're all learning and trying our best, so is your family. So respect them, love them, don't argue with them or try to prove them wrong. Privately be true to yourself. For the relationship between you and the Creator is intimate. Share your beliefs only when directly asked and phrase it in a way that would be understood and appreciated by family and friends without offending anyone. For it is better to be kind than to be right.

Good luck dear one

Well I was not born a Christian and have never been to a church before, but from your post and my friends around me I can infer that most Christians go to church on one of the weekends to listen to the church pastor preach and also treat that as a session to reflect on their doings, be it sins or good.

If that is the case, I do not think you need to avoid going to church completely just because you feel 'disaligned' with what you are hearing from the words of others. You must bear in mind that the words you are hearing from the pastor are just words that are coming out from a human, just like the words coming out of Esther are also from a human, and you ultimately have the right to choose which words or thoughts to accept(preferably those that reasonate most withnin yourself). If you feel pain or super uncomfortable going to church, then that's another thing.

And you don't have to worry so much about not knowing what the truth is anymore. I bet more than half of us here do not know what the truth is, which is the reason why we're here :) - to find out the ultimate truth... but I don't think it can ever really be found or proven unless we die. That's probably the only way to find out whether what we have learnt about remerging into the non physical and stuff like that is true a not.

It's just like a lot of people who started out on LOA teachings(like what Back2Basics has said)-- some may find that it is not neccessary to pursue a further education in college (hell you pay a few thousand grand to someone to judge how good or smart you are?!) or some may feel like quitting his current job immediately if he feels that he doesn't like it--- but they don't or should do it all immediately at one go. They still continue to go to college, and also continue to keep their current job, while at the same time continue learning about the LOA and practising it. After all, if the LOA really works, there will be some way or another around it eventually without you having to worrying about your current situation, right?

Hi Chris, it sounds as though you are wrestling with the fact that your mind is opening to new possibilities and your old way of being is struggling for survival.

I think you can embrace any new beliefs you want and still accept your family for who they are and where they are at on their journey.

Seems like Christianity is working for them at the moment -."Christianity is simply a lifestyle for my family and it has truely transformed their lives in a positive way." The easiest way through this is to respect their beliefs and be happy that those beliefs are working in a positive way for them. Don't feel that you have to preach your new beliefs or save them in some way - their own Truth is obviously working for them at the moment.

Being brought up Catholic, I get where you're coming from and what worked for me was realizing that some of what I had been taught actually worked in conjunction with the LOA and what didn't I discarded over time. However, I don't feel the need to push this on anyone else unless they are asking.

I'd suggest reading a little book called Jesus Taught it Too which you can find at the PsiTek website - it will help reconcile a lot of your Christian beliefs with the LOA

One thing does not have anything to with the other. So, you now have a different interest that contradicts with your former, and your present family values. Although your circumstances may be different, your situation is by far not unique. Family is important, and the relationship between you and your family should be sustained regardless. So you should focus on working towards preserving your family relationship, as one of your number one priority, if this is something you want to do.

Apparently, you now have a new perspective in life, call a family meeting, and discuss the issue with your family. Who knows, maybe your family would disagree with your decision to make this 365 turn around, but maybe your family will be able to separate their personal differences, and support you nonetheless. It will be well worth your effort to get your family support, especially since you are such a close family. It would be very hard for you, if your family rejected you totally, so you will have to be able to put your priority in order, and do what is right for you.

There are many people on this site that are Christians, and are also interested in the New Age Thoughts, and LOA, but they did not stop being a Christian, because they found something else that they like. Personally, I like a lot of different things in life, and I have participated in other denomination, but that does not mean that I have to reform to their way. I am my own person, and I make the decision that is right for me, but that does not mean, I cannot try other things along the way! I am a Christian, and I will remain a Christian, but I am not prejudiced against non-Christians. I respect all people in general, and I expect respect back from them. We can all learn from each other, because everyone is seeking to know the truth. We are intelligent humans, so let us use our resources to make this world a better place for one, and all!

Here's what you should do:

Find a Christian that knows the Bible really well, and is a thoughtful keeper of the faith (not just someone who follows the teachings of the church, but who reads and attempts to understand the Bible on its own merits).

Explain to him that you are committed to the fundamental principles of Christianity (love your fellow man, love your enemies, and all that) but that you believe the true church lies with the Body of Christ, and not within any building or religious practice that man has created. Ask him to find passages in the Bible that support this point of view. I promise you, they are there.

Once you have the passages, point them out to your parents as proof of your sincerity, and tell them that God has other plans for you besides building up the local church. You don't have to explain to them what the Law of Attraction means; if they press for that kind of information, refer them to Proverbs; it's all there.

Remember, Jesus was the one who turned over the tables of the money changers and the dove sellers in the temple (Matthew 21:12-13).

It says in the Bible that you cannot go to heaven except through Christ. Do you understand that this may mean through his Love and Teachings. That the bible is symbolic. You can get to heaven through a conscionsness of Christ. We are not learning anything different here. Jesus said the Kingdom is within. We learn to manifest money. As long a money is not your God you are not doing anything against the church or Christ. In the broader view we are seeking Christ the Christ Within. As far a Entities being Devils, they are personalities just like us. Maybe more evolved but still personallities. The true Chris is withing or Higher Self. Entities can tell more about realities we can't see but love you enemy will never go out of style.