Avandris

Great to see another counselling student on here (I'm currently Diploma in Counselling at the University of Edinburgh, with plans to go on to do the Masters) and wonderful to see someone doing research into the deconversion process! I'm hoping to do some research in that area myself when dissertation time rolls around (I have another year at least). I'd be willing to be interviewed if you don't mind a Scot being thrown into the mix. Shoot me a message if you are interested and we can sort a time!

I am going through a restless period that has lasted the better part of a few months now. There are so many things that I want to be doing with my time and yet more often than not I find myself staring idly at a computer screen, occupying my time with pointless videos or video games that feel like little more than busy work. Another day passes, I go to bed and tell myself that I'm going to do better tomorrow, but the same things happens and the weeks pass. To be fair, I have started a new job. It's part time, I work from home and my hours are flexible, but I suppose it has taken a good portion of my focus and energy. Still I feel that I am wasting time, allowing days and weeks and months to slip by when I could be doing more, achieving more. I have so many books on Christianity and Atheism that are sitting waiting for me to read, and I want to read them. I want to devour that knowledge, to take notes, to build a foundation for what I accept to be true and equip myself with evidence should I need to defend my position. And I expect that I will have to defend my position when I finally come to a decision as to how to break it to my family and friends that I am no longer a believer. Every morning I catch my reflection in the mirror and I despair at the amount of weight that I've allowed myself to gain. I stare back at a face with dark circles under the eyes and complexion that could be a great deal clearer and wonder why I take such little care of myself. At the beginning of every month I promise myself that I'm going to get into a routine, I'm going to exercise regularly and eat better, I'm going to work on being healthier. Yet halfway through the week I find myself gorging on chocolate and drinking soda, my exercise streak petering off after four or five days. I have reading I want to do in preparation for my Masters that I start in September. I've wanted to learn sign language for years now, to teach myself to draw, to expand my social circle. There is so much I want to do and achieve, yet I have achieved none of these things. I'm reminded of a Bible verse: 'I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.' - Romans 7:15 Strange that it would be a Bible verse that comes to me right now, or perhaps it is not so strange. However, the honest truth is that there is no god to save me from this 'body that is subject to death', I'm going to have to haul myself out of this trench myself. One way or another.

Shouldn't this be in the atheist one?

This little gem appeared on my facebook feed today. I'm tempted to make a separate topic and have the more informed members have at it, but that's probably not necessary. http://gods411.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/how-jesus-dies-for-you.html?m=1 Note the mention of the Shroud of Turin, which as far as I'm aware was proven to be fake.

So a video of a recent Bethel song appeared on my timeline. I honestly really liked Jesus Culture/Bethel until I started looking behind the words. Anyway, there is a quoted lyric beneath the video that is really, very telling in my opinion. "I stand, with so many questions. But You know, all of the answers. And whether, this side of Heaven, I know that You are the Healer." Yeah, so don't bother asking any questions,god has all the answers anyway and he's probably not going to tell you them. Ha! Here's the video if you wish to listen, I didn't bother. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=951041818259609&fref=nf

This appeared on my timeline: Fox and Friends They are saying it was the 'voice of an angel' that helped rescuers save 18-month old Lily, 14 hours after a deadly car crash. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=821425164611748&fref=nf Of course the comments are full of 'praise God' etc etc. Never mind that the child is now motherless, and this so called 'voice of an angel' was only heard after the car was already discovered while the rescuers waded through ice cold water and so forth. I'm not convinced. Thoughts?

He hands you lungs? What a strange way of putting things.

This makes me so sad, a post that appeared on my Facebook timeline: THIS makes me happy.........found this statement on a Christian school's website......I REALLY like the 3rd sentence. "Bible is recognized as the most important subject, and is required. It augments the study of English, mathematics, history, geography, and science. Without knowledge of Biblical truth, a student cannot be considered educated. The Bible gives direction for this life, and is the only hope for the life to come. No other book can so enrich the minds and hearts of men as ―the Book of books, Knowledge of the Bible is one of the greatest educational assets any person can have, in addition to acquiring moral and spiritual values as a result of its study. Character development is the most important work of a school. No other course offered in the school affords such great opportunities for laying the foundation of Christian character."

This just appeared in my newsfeed with calls to 'stand together' and repost. I'm surprised at how few wounds Jesus appears to be sporting.

Ah Square, I never noticed that before. Good old Jammy Dodgers!