An email I received from a friend

A friend of mine that has gone back and forth between being a Christian and non-Christian for years sent the following message to several of his Christian friends. This addresses a point I've made before, but I thought since it was coming from someone else, we could re-address it with the way he explains it:

"I am trying to fit a circle into a square. No matter how hard I try to ignore some things, there are elements of "being a Christian" that I have never been able to force myself to believe, and I believe other things that go completely against the Christian belief system.

+ I do not believe in creationism

+ I do not believe the earth was created in seven days.

+ I do not believe in the Jonas/Whale story

+ I am completely confused by contradictions in the Old Testament

+ I don't believe that being gay is a choice

+ I don't understand "Speaking in Tongues" and don't believe in it.

+ I feel church is a place that puts money over people.

+ I have never had a prayer answered in a way that it was undeniably God

+ I do not believe that I am going to heaven, no matter what I do.

My low self esteem is ironically, not helped by the Christian faith. So much of it talks about how we are never worthy enough for what Jesus did for us. It is a constant parade of talking each other down and making each other feel completely worthless. "We are worthless sinners without the Blood of Jesus!!" Well, I for one, don't like feeling worthless, don't like being told I am worthless, and don't like the idea that the only reason I am not worthless is because of something else and not because of my own spirit and willpower. I never understood how we are to be filled with the joy of Christ when we are constantly being told what useless pieces of shit we are."

Thoughts? Responses?