I Left Religion to Find Bible-Based Answers

TRANSCRIPT

Michael Soares: I had a lot of questions, but I just didn’t know who to ask. Because it was solely being told what the Catholic faith was all about, that’s what I took to be as the truth. I never questioned.

Cynthia Guevara:  As you become a teenager and all that, other things in my life happened that I kind of felt kind of apart from the church. So I just wasn’t interested anymore.

Voiceover: Maybe you’ve been there. You left. You drifted. And maybe you thought that was it– religion just wasn’t for you. But lately, something’s been nagging at you. A question you never got answered. A hole you’re not sure how to fill. And the idea of trying again? It’s terrifying.   Because what if you end up in the same place? What if it’s more of the same half-truths you’ve heard your whole life?

Cynthia Guevara: It came to a point in my life–and my kids were growing up–I felt that at the time they didn’t know anything about God. And I started feeling a little bit guilty that I didn’t bring them up in the church. I need to go back to church, go back to my roots, and show my kids who is God.

Sam Acosta: When I started to really dig deeper, want to know things about God, about the Bible, the Trinity was actually a big sticking point for me. It was just basically answered by saying, you just got accepted by faith. So those were questions that really weren’t answered, or I didn’t have a satisfactory explanation.

Voiceover: It’s all right that you come in skeptical. You should be. You should ask the hard questions. You should take your time. And you’re absolutely allowed to walk away again if it doesn’t feel right. All we ask is that you come in and give it a chance.

Kevin Johnson: Every Bible study that I [attended], I [ended] up learning so much. I [ended] up learning so much. And I had so many questions as well, too. Because the minister said, “If you have any questions, ask, and it will be [answered].”

Cynthia Guevara: You walk up to the door, they greet you. As soon as you walk in, your experience is like, “Wow.” The thing that dawned on me was that it was straight from the Bible. Straight–no opinion, no testimony, just straight on Bible–question and answer.

Voiceover: You see, this place does exist: a place where questions about the Bible are answered, well, by the Bible.

Sam Acosta: Everything that he said was right on. It was actually answering questions relating to us using scriptures from the Bible. So I thought that was pretty interesting. It’s a little bit different.

Kevin Johnson: The minister refers straight from the Bible, and Jesus Christ said these words. He lift up his eyes to heaven and said that, “Father, they may only know you, the only true God.” And I’m like, it’s clear as day. The Bible says Jesus Christ said it.

Voiceover: You don’t have to commit today. You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to be willing to listen. To explore. To ask. Because yes, there is a Church that teaches directly from the Bible. A church that doesn’t just say they’re true or Bible-based, but proves it to you over and over again.

Kevin Johnson: My turning point is when I heard that lesson that the prophecy of this Church and where it came from, in the Far East and the history of it. The Bible says it and foretold it. And that’s when it hit me like, I want to be saved and I want to join the Church.

Voiceover: They did it. They accepted an invitation and gave it a chance.

Michael Soares: When I walked into the lobby, I was still curious. I was still interested. I saw a lot of people greeting me, and that made me feel nice. I’m being welcomed into this whole new family.

Cynthia Guevara: This feeling is like you’re hungry, you want more, and then it’s done and it’s over with. But then it’s like, can I listen some more? You just want to listen to the truth. Because after a while, your eyes  just start opening up.

Sam Acosta: I enlisted as a Bible student at that time and all of a sudden, I couldn’t get enough. In fact, I told them at that time, I want to be a part of this Church. The questions I’ve had from way back, I wanted to see if they can answer it.

Cynthia Guevara: But the amazing part of that is you can have millions of questions, and the minister will not preach based on his testimony or his opinion. He gets the Bible and it’s answered.

Kevin Johnson: The biggest impact the Church had on my life is me as a person–I’m not my old self [anymore]. I don’t curse. I don’t do what the world does. And just become a better me, a better person.

Voiceover: So here’s the permission you’ve been waiting for: It’s okay to explore. It’s okay to be a little nervous. It’s okay to take your time. And when you’re ready–even if that’s just for one Bible study, one conversation with a minister–we’ll be here. No judgment, no pressure. Just answers.