SarahJaneSmith

I can relate. I will probably always have a baseline of anxiety, but I've been blown away how the active, daily, life-altering and inescapable anxiety I felt while I was still attending church has vanished.

Wow, harsh penalty for asking that question!

@Hierophant, Ah, thank you. I misinterpreted your question.

How does a book using real locations prove it’s true? Lots of books mention locations that actually exist. Harry Potter is set in the UK. Neil Gaiman’s American Gods was set in real places all over the US, even using impressively specific real-life details about those places. Both stories are fantasy, even though they’re set in real locations.

Welcome Jenni, I'm Katie. It's good to have you here. The "yes, no, maybe" of answered prayers certainly gets old eventually. I started wondering what the difference was between prayer and superstition. I got tired of praying for, say, a job, or a new apartment and then to have to still go out and do all the legwork! That didn't hit me until I attended a church where the prayer times went on for hours and hours and people would treat me as less than sincere when I needed to leave before it was over because of whatever reason it was that they decided wasn't legitimate. And then, after all those hours spent in prayer, having to still spend tons of time looking for the job or the relationship or the house or whatever it is! I stopped attending prayer sessions because it felt like such a waste of time! That was a mindtrip itself, because I knew how dedicated I was and how firmly I believed in prayer, and yet I felt so guilty about having a "bad attitude" about a 4 or 5 hour prayer session. Aron Ra talks about prayer never seeming to work until the chemo starts flowing. I saw that so clearly when this one pastor talked about his dad being "miraculously" cured of cancer. I was on my way out of that church at the time and was really suspicious so I asked a few questions. Turns out his father was being treated for cancer at one of the top oncology centers in the world! Suddenly the miraculous didn't seem so random any more and it gave more weight to me wondering what the point of praying was.

I’ve been fascinated following along here but also so flipping confused!

I wish you the best.

There’s a Chinese proverb that says: Make sure in fighting the dragon you don’t become the dragon. It sounds like your rage is consuming you. I understand wanting to bring a group down. Be careful you don’t take yourself with it.

This is why I don’t bother arguing with believers. It’s just a waste of time & energy.

Exactly! I listened to a podcast once where a former music minister talked about using music to manipulate people’s emotions. That’s literally all that’s going on!

I’m disappointed it’s not you in your house being instructed in cooking from your animal teachers. Sigh. Back to the topic...The biggest change for me is feeling free to spend my time how I wish guilt free. I no longer feel guilty for not spending every waking moment “in the Word.” I spent so much time studying it but when I was pursuing creative things I wanted to do - even if I was making something for someone else - I felt like I was doing something wrong. I was weighed down with guilt and shame over things like attending a craft event and enjoying it! I enjoy & appreciate life SO much more now!

Ooh, thanks!

I miss the feelings I felt when I listened to the songs. I’m slowly finding secular songs that make me feel the same way. For me, learning how music itself can bring up feelings* has helped me open up to finding new favorites. *vs “the holy spirit’s coming down now!” That’s something I was always skeptical about but couldn’t put it into words.

Absolutely! I would talk about wanting “the peace that passes all understanding” and the irony is it took leaving christianity to find it! I still deal with anxiety but it doesn’t come with the religious baggage it did before. It’s no longer something I need to hide in order to avoid getting completely unhelpful (and usually out of context!) bible verses to either tell me to not be anxious or to tell me I’m sinning or not trusting god enough.

@Citsonga, thanks for posting the video. How do I do that in the future?