What Exactly Do I Believe?

[agnosticator]

How can I think for myself when I don't know what to think? How can I know what to think without listening to what everybody else says? How can I lsten to what anyone says and take their word for it when everyone is so divided? How can I look past that division when I don't know who to listen to?

 

I don't know why I'm this depressed. I can't really pinpoint why anymore, all I know is, religion is involved.

 

After reading quite a bit of your posts (but not all), I think you ARE thinking for yourself more than you give yourself credit for:

 

I figured out what I believe.

 

I believe that there's a God out there who hates us. A God who purposely wired us to where we would piss him off. A God who gave us natural desires, yet condemns us for having them. A God who threatens to torch us for just being born. A God who sets us up so we'll fall, just so he can punish us. I believe that life is just a sick joke, where what is good to us is evil to God. I believe in a God who wants to trip us up so he can punish us when we fall. I believe that I'm damned without hope, yet God wants to torture me mentally with obsessive religious thoughts anyway, before he tortures me physically after I die. I don't like what I believe, but god damn it, I believe it.

 

It's the getting through and past your beliefs about God that's the problem. Countering and changing your mind about something that you've been conditioned to believe so deeply is tough to do. But you have begun to do it. The quote above proves you CAN pinpoint the cause of your distress. A true believer would not be able to make this assessment.

 

If you decide to get any more counseling,I think you should share this quote with him or her.

[renoliz]

 

That's not quite how it happened. It wasn't an instant "oh shit this is not real" moment. It was a long drawn out process of obsessive thoughts, getting crazier and crazier. It was fueling my depression. My over analytical obsessive mind figured out what a mindfuck Christianity is, and I wanted out of it. That's pretty much how it happened. It was never a matter of whether or not it's true. A good part of me still believes in Christianity. I see the issues and problems in it, but I still believe it. I believe it, but I'm not a Christian, and don't want to be. I can't shake the worldview of it, no matter how many problems I see in these beliefs. I'm running from it, but I can't escape it. Because to escape it, I would have to escape from my own mind.

 

Sounds a lot like OCD. You may not even need counseling, you might just need medicine to help you help yourself control your racing thoughts.

 

I've been on three, and the shrink I saw just upped my dosage on one that I've already tried. I don't believe meds are the answer. When I was dealing with all this as a Christian, I talked my heart out to different people seeking help and advice, mostly my youth pastor. Everybody I talked to, including a Christian counselor, my family, everybody, thought something was wrong with ME for seeing Christianity the way I do, and that I needed to be on medicine to fix it. The reality is, nothing was wrong with me (other than being a bit obsessive and analytical), it was the religion that was the problem, and they just wouldn't, and still won't, admit it. I refused it a lot at first, thinking, taking this medicine will just kill my faith in God, I need to depend on him to heal me. I did for a long time, but I just kept getting worse and worse. I told them, this medicine won't solve the problem, the problem is rooted in religion, the medicine, at best, will do nothing but mask the real problem. It didn't even mask it. Three different meds later, with no improvement whatsoever, I proved myself right.

Now there is a comment that shows that you are very insightful about your own self. "the problem is rooted in religion, the medicine, at best, will do nothing but mask the real problem." Wow, maybe you could learn to trust your instincts more. Look what else you just said, "The reality is, nothing was wrong with me [other than being a bit obsesseive and analytical] Wow, again very insightful of you. One problem you may be having is that you really have figured out who you are in some ways and to some extent but nobody else wants to except that. They are trying to get you to "buy into" their worldview even though the Christian world view is often fucked up. [No offense to the mentally healthy Christians out there, are there any:) LOL]

 

Since you have figured out that god is invisible and unknowable you can now take the appropriate steps to take care of yourself properly. It is your job, not Guy-in-the-sky's job, to take care of yourself. This is a good thing to learn.

[renoliz]

 

That's not quite how it happened. It wasn't an instant "oh shit this is not real" moment. It was a long drawn out process of obsessive thoughts, getting crazier and crazier. It was fueling my depression. My over analytical obsessive mind figured out what a mindfuck Christianity is, and I wanted out of it. That's pretty much how it happened. It was never a matter of whether or not it's true. A good part of me still believes in Christianity. I see the issues and problems in it, but I still believe it. I believe it, but I'm not a Christian, and don't want to be. I can't shake the worldview of it, no matter how many problems I see in these beliefs. I'm running from it, but I can't escape it. Because to escape it, I would have to escape from my own mind.

 

Sounds a lot like OCD. You may not even need counseling, you might just need medicine to help you help yourself control your racing thoughts.

 

 

I've been on three, and the shrink I saw just upped my dosage on one that I've already tried. I don't believe meds are the answer. When I was dealing with all this as a Christian, I talked my heart out to different people seeking help and advice, mostly my youth pastor. Everybody I talked to, including a Christian counselor, my family, everybody, thought something was wrong with ME for seeing Christianity the way I do, and that I needed to be on medicine to fix it. The reality is, nothing was wrong with me (other than being a bit obsessive and analytical), it was the religion that was the problem, and they just wouldn't, and still won't, admit it. I refused it a lot at first, thinking, taking this medicine will just kill my faith in God, I need to depend on him to heal me. I did for a long time, but I just kept getting worse and worse. I told them, this medicine won't solve the problem, the problem is rooted in religion, the medicine, at best, will do nothing but mask the real problem. It didn't even mask it. Three different meds later, with no improvement whatsoever, I proved myself right.

[renoliz]

What brand of Christianity have you been involved in? The racing mind and thoughts could be OCD but on the other hand it could be part of the brainwashing you have recieved.

 

That's not an easy question to answer. The type of Christianity I was brought up in doesn't have much at all to do with my brainwashing. I was brought up Southern Baptist, and I said the sinner's prayer as a kid, "got saved", baptized later, and all that jazz. I believed it, but I was just a kid, so I didn't take religion as seriously as I did when I got older. I had trouble off and on for many years with doubting my salvation, I can't tell you how many times I tried to "get saved". Some confessions were public, some were private, but regardless, I never got that assurance. When I got older, in my early/mid teens, I decided I was going to nail it down and fully dedicate my life to God. When I say that, I'm not implying that I lived as a perfect Christian, far from it. I probably had more failures than I did accomplishments. But, regardless of my insecurities and failures, I mean it when I say I decided to really get serious about the things of God. I didn't want to be some lukewarm half-assed failure of a Christian, I wanted to be the real thing. I prayed a lot, I read the Bible, I went to church, I tried to do everything I knew to do. I started reading a lot online about religious things. I started out with a fundy anti-everything website, with Independent Fundamental Baptist type beliefs. I read page after page after page from that website, for a long time. It started making me depressed, but I still kept doing it. I started really analyzing my life and everything I did, and I started giving stuff up. I don't remember the order or way it happened, but it started with things like whether or not I should be reading modern Bible translations (in other words, anything except the KJV), whether or not certain styles of music were "of the devil" (in other words, anything other than old church hymns), and typical things like that. The way the pattern worked was, I would come across one thing, really analyze it, obsess over "is _____ a sin?", then realize that the fact that I was even questioning it meant it was a sin for me (Romans 14), then I would fight it in my head for a long time, feeling like it was conviction from God, (when now that I look back I see it was probably OCD related) praying for an answer, never coming to one, looking over all the arguments, both from people who say _____ is a sin and people who say _____ is not a sin, both sides giving good arguments, confusing me further, then I would eventually just give _____ up for God, and afterwards very briefly feeling a bit relief from not having to worry about it anymore..... Then, immediately afterwards, I would come across some other thing, and the pattern would start all over. That kept on and on and on for a long time, and I was starting to get crazier with the things I was questioning. I started questioning stupid things like, is it a sin to wear modern/casual (modest) clothing, is it a sin to own a dog of a mixed breed (based on a verse from the Old Testament), is it a sin to own a truck or do anything masculine, is it a sin to want to be with a physically attractive woman, is it a sin for women to even be attractive, etc. It kept getting more and more insane. To an extent I leaned towards IFB beliefs, based on a lot of what I read, but then I started watching videos on YouTube.... of one guy in particular. This guy's videos messed me up, bad. Even now, when I even think about going on his channel, I almost panic. This guy's teachings were almost cult-like.... yet, the scary thing is, they were, and still are, some of the most biblical (New Testament wise, anyway) teachings I had ever heard. I already had all the anxiety about giving things up and all that, and watching these videos made that even worse.... and on top of that, now I had to stress and worry about there being no such thing as eternal security. This is a long, complicated story, I can't even begin to explain it in detail. Besides that, I also read and watched a lot of things that had to do with the illuminati and the occult.... and how owning certain things gave demons rights into your life, how this all ties in with music, and everything else.... Some of this info came from convincing testimonies, some of it came from other things. I remember watching a long documentary on how demons are all over rock music. I just... I don't know, I'll just say, I've heard and seen too much just to explain it away. I have a strong belief in the supernatural, in a very bad way, and I don't think that phobia can be shaken. That's just a short version of how things went down, trying fit in all the details just makes my head hurt. The moral of the story: I put the "mental" in "fundementalist".

 

You may think that hell, demons, satan are real. I thought that hell was a myth by the time I left but I was afraid anyway when I left the fundy church. So, I didn't believe in hell like Pastor Butthead preached and yet I was afraid. My logical side was was doing battle with my emotional side. It was a rough time period for me. I had panic attacks and nightmares. I am fine now.

 

That's a rough thing to go through.

 

 

Many peaople do not have an Oh Shit moment but have a gradually emerging sense that the Christianity they have been involved is a total mindfuck as you say. Many times Christianity is very abusive towards people. The preachers and the message totally fuck with you. When I left the fundy church and I was only involved in fundyism for a few years, several very sincere but utterly misguided people told me Hubby and I were leaving because we wanted to live immoral lives and that this was Satan out to get us. We left anyway. But it felt so scary.

 

Some Christians (the "real" ones) can be some of the biggest assholes I've ever seen.

 

You may still want to consider counseling but in the meantime I am going to make a few suggestions. These are based on my overcoming childhood abuse and spousal abuse. [i was a freaking mess by the time I got out of my relationship with first husband and I had analyzed and thought and read and tried, etc] Try using a technique where you you say to yourself, "Stop, I don't want to think this way." Then "I am not an idiot" [whatever negative thing it is]. The reason you say stop to yourself is it interrupts the flow of thought. Then say something nice to yourself. "I can get through this, other people have" Start filling your brain up with inspirational stuff. Maybe write some saying down in a notebeook. I still use "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" also "I can do this." There are certainly other sayings available. How about "the journey of a thousand steps begins with just one" or Two steps forward, one step back. Just keep going."

 

I'll give it a shot. But I don't think it will do much good, because even when I'm saying "This thing is a mindfuck. I have to get out of it for the sake of my own sanity." with my mouth, my brain is telling me "You're in denial. You're running from God. You know the Bible is true, and you're a fool for running."

 

What I always remember from when I was so confused and down and depressed was that most people who are depressed really just want their lives to change. So, change your life even though it isn't easy. The payoff in the bigger picture is worth all the effort now. So, when you feel depressed ask yourself what do I need to change. Then work in small steps towards that goal.

 

I know without a doubt, I need to make some majorly drastic changes in my life. But I keep failing at doing so.

 

I still say that Christianity is like the hare Krishnas, it is brainwashing. Read up a little on brainwashing and how to overcome it. Ther is info on cults and brainwashing on the internet. Maybe go to the Orange Papers.

 

Hmm.....

Sounds to me like the fundy bots got ahold of your mind. I couldn't believe what they were saying and would come out of almost every sermon thinking I don't know about that and yet they instilled fear of Hell and such into me anyway. The God of the fundybots and of the Southern Baptists is not the LoveDude. He is a mean guy. They think that women are second class citizens. The Southern Baptists believed in black slavery. Many, if not most, of the Southern Baptists and fundybots hate and are afraid of science.

 

I definitely think that the type of Christianity you were involved with has had an effect on you. Oh, and they believe that you should honor authority no matter how much of a dipshit they are. So, they instill fear and emphasize that you should not think for yourself. Very unhealthy.

 

 

They also tend to instill a fear of the world. Most music is bad [or even all of it], we couldn't shere pants as women. Men should where ong shorts or pants. No long heair for guys, no short hair for women. Hate homos. So much negativity, fear, hate. So not healthy.

 

 

Actually you did not put the mental in fundamental. These, sometimes sincere but often very manipulative, pastors created this mental strait jacket because they get to have power and glory and money. Shameful that they would abuse other people for their own gains whether financial or emotional.

 

Yeah, I heard rock music is demonic. Anything that moves the flesh is a sin. Sin, sin, sin. Talk about obsessive, the Christian fundybots are definitely obsessive about flesh, sex, sin, music, the horrible world filled with Satan. Goodness, what a dreary religion. Sad that it causes so many emotional problems for many of us who are leaving theat dreary world behind.

 

So glad I made it back into the sunlight and enjoy my life.

[renoliz]

I think I messed up on replying so I hope that I will be forgiven for my mess up. I am new to typing comments in the forum. I hope I will get the hang of this. Sorry about somehow typing in the wrong box.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

Shyone:

 

"One teeny-weeny comment.

 

Christianity is a cult that has matured into respectability, and the New Testament still reflects the absolute obedience expected, extreme fear that people should have, and a recipe for isolating yourself from friends and family by latching onto the teachings of the anonymous writers.

 

The love stuff? That's in there. It's the bait, and hell is the trap.

 

Fictional bait, fictional trap, and it's as cultish as you can get."

 

No doubt, true Christianity (not this modern crap) is a cult. That's what worries me.

 

agnosticator:

"After reading quite a bit of your posts (but not all), I think you ARE thinking for yourself more than you give yourself credit for:"

 

I'm not saying I don't think for myself, but.... I don't really know. I don't know where I stand is more like it. I don't know what to believe.

"It's the getting through and past your beliefs about God that's the problem. Countering and changing your mind about something that you've been conditioned to believe so deeply is tough to do. But you have begun to do it."

 

The more I learn, the more my "apologetics", brainwashing, stories I've heard, and phobias come into play. The further I get from Christianity, the stronger the Christian side of my brain gets, making fear, anxiety, and depression come into play. Call me negative, but I've learned that it can't be fought. I'll have to learn to live with it. At times like this, with that in mind, I wish I was old enough to buy alcohol.

 

"The quote above proves you CAN pinpoint the cause of your distress. A true believer would not be able to make this assessment."

 

I can pinpoint some of the causes, but really, that doesn't change much. Whether this God is real, whether demons are real or not, whether Satan is real, whether any of them are real or not, they will always be real in my head.... No matter what potential breakthroughs I might have.

 

"If you decide to get any more counseling,I think you should share this quote with him or her."

 

I'm done with counselling.

 

renoliz:

 

"Now there is a comment that shows that you are very insightful about your own self. "the problem is rooted in religion, the medicine, at best, will do nothing but mask the real problem." Wow, maybe you could learn to trust your instincts more."

 

I can trust my instincts to an extent, but to another extent... not really. I'm not gonna come up with my own version of what I want God to be like or anything like that.

 

"Look what else you just said, "The reality is, nothing was wrong with me [other than being a bit obsesseive and analytical] Wow, again very insightful of you. One problem you may be having is that you really have figured out who you are in some ways and to some extent but nobody else wants to except that. They are trying to get you to "buy into" their worldview even though the Christian world view is often fucked up. [No offense to the mentally healthy Christians out there, are there any:) LOL]"

 

I really don't care if anybody accepts me or not. It is annoying when people shove their worldview down your throat, but really, I almost like the idea of being at opposition with everybody around me. Makes me feel independant. If I really come to a conclusion about something, and people don't like me for it... I don't really care. Fuck 'em.

 

"Since you have figured out that god is invisible and unknowable you can now take the appropriate steps to take care of yourself properly. It is your job, not Guy-in-the-sky's job, to take care of yourself. This is a good thing to learn."

 

Yeah. If Spirit-led Christians are as divided as they are, that alone pretty much proves, God is unknowable.

"Sounds to me like the fundy bots got ahold of your mind. I couldn't believe what they were saying and would come out of almost every sermon thinking I don't know about that and yet they instilled fear of Hell and such into me anyway. The God of the fundybots and of the Southern Baptists is not the LoveDude. He is a mean guy. They think that women are second class citizens. The Southern Baptists believed in black slavery. Many, if not most, of the Southern Baptists and fundybots hate and are afraid of science."

 

Many of them are a bunch of idiots.

 

"I definitely think that the type of Christianity you were involved with has had an effect on you. Oh, and they believe that you should honor authority no matter how much of a dipshit they are. So, they instill fear and emphasize that you should not think for yourself. Very unhealthy."

 

Agreed, very unhealthy.

 

"They also tend to instill a fear of the world. Most music is bad [or even all of it], we couldn't shere pants as women. Men should where ong shorts or pants. No long heair for guys, no short hair for women. Hate homos. So much negativity, fear, hate. So not healthy."

 

So many fucking rules. More liberal Christians say it's not a bunch of do's and don'ts, but really, is that true? I don't think so. Much of what the modern Christian would call legalism, is actually pretty biblical for the most part.

"Actually you did not put the mental in fundamental. These, sometimes sincere but often very manipulative, pastors created this mental strait jacket because they get to have power and glory and money. Shameful that they would abuse other people for their own gains whether financial or emotional."

 

Sad thing is, some of them don't even know they're doing it.

 

"Yeah, I heard rock music is demonic. Anything that moves the flesh is a sin. Sin, sin, sin. Talk about obsessive, the Christian fundybots are definitely obsessive about flesh, sex, sin, music, the horrible world filled with Satan. Goodness, what a dreary religion. Sad that it causes so many emotional problems for many of us who are leaving theat dreary world behind."

 

Pretty much anything that didn't suck was of the devil, music or anything else.. Ugh, this stuff is bringing back some bad memories. Such a depressing mindset.

 

"So glad I made it back into the sunlight and enjoy my life."

 

I envy that.

"I think I messed up on replying so I hope that I will be forgiven for my mess up. I am new to typing comments in the forum. I hope I will get the hang of this. Sorry about somehow typing in the wrong box."

 

Don't worry about it, I did the same thing when I first started posting here.

[Guest Valk0010]

How about you do this, write down every belief, and every little detail you have trouble with or apologetic you have difficulty with as a list.

 

And then starting with the first one, research it throughly to refute it, or see if it is true.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

How about you do this, write down every belief, and every little detail you have trouble with or apologetic you have difficulty with as a list.

 

And then starting with the first one, research it throughly to refute it, or see if it is true.

 

Ok. I'll give it a shot. May take a while though.

[Guest Valk0010]

How about you do this, write down every belief, and every little detail you have trouble with or apologetic you have difficulty with as a list.

 

And then starting with the first one, research it throughly to refute it, or see if it is true.

 

Ok. I'll give it a shot. May take a while though.

Some people take years. But it would be better, get your issues out.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

How about you do this, write down every belief, and every little detail you have trouble with or apologetic you have difficulty with as a list.

 

And then starting with the first one, research it throughly to refute it, or see if it is true.

 

Ok. I'll give it a shot. May take a while though.

Some people take years. But it would be better, get your issues out.

 

Yeah. I got nothing to lose trying it, anyway.

[ShallowByThyGame]

What you believe, effectively, is what you think reality is.

 

But there is no impartial evidence for the God you describe.

 

I think if you studied more about evolution, which is as true as that the sun will rise tomorrow, you would understand more about how our species is simply an ape with less hair and bigger brains and more emotional control. The DNA comparisons alone are far more convincing than any speculations of origin from ancient peoples.

 

Also if you study the makeup the universe, and how incredibly big it is...more big than can be expressed in any language, you might be able to ponder how unimportant this planet, and this species, really are to it. An asteroid could wipe out Earth and humanity and the Universe would go on uncaring, just as it did when the dinosaurs were wiped out.

 

You want to have meaning, any meaning, because it is scary to face the responsibility of defining your own meaning in a meaningless world. But I think facing that truth will lead towards a happier life, because you won't blame yourself or imaginary gods, for unpreventable suffering in your life.

 

edit: i read the first few posts and had a thought and forgot to read the rest. Hope this is still relevant.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

What you believe, effectively, is what you think reality is.

 

I don't know what that is. It's probably everything I fear.

 

But there is no impartial evidence for the God you describe.

 

Depends on who you ask.

 

I think if you studied more about evolution, which is as true as that the sun will rise tomorrow, you would understand more about how our species is simply an ape with less hair and bigger brains and more emotional control. The DNA comparisons alone are far more convincing than any speculations of origin from ancient peoples.

 

But the idea seems crazy..... I don't know if I can believe that.

 

Also if you study the makeup the universe, and how incredibly big it is...more big than can be expressed in any language, you might be able to ponder how unimportant this planet, and this species, really are to it. An asteroid could wipe out Earth and humanity and the Universe would go on uncaring, just as it did when the dinosaurs were wiped out.

 

I've thought about that before. By the way, how do you know it was an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?

 

You want to have meaning, any meaning, because it is scary to face the responsibility of defining your own meaning in a meaningless world. But I think facing that truth will lead towards a happier life, because you won't blame yourself or imaginary gods, for unpreventable suffering in your life.

 

I want meaning, but I'd rather have my own meaning than to prescribe to the idea that I'm a worthless piece of shit in the eyes of God, and he hates us just for being born.

edit: i read the first few posts and had a thought and forgot to read the rest. Hope this is still relevant.

 

It is.

[Shyone]

 

I've thought about that before. By the way, how do you know it was an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?

Good question. At least you aren't asking how we know there were actually dinosaurs.

 

I also note you didn't ask how we know it happened about 65 million years ago. There are answers to those questions, but they are complicated and deal with sedimentary layers and radiometric dating.

 

The "asteroid theory" of the K-T boundary extinction comes from a variety of findings that all relate to the same time period.

 

There are now many lines of evidence to prove that a relatively large impact happened 65 Million years ago.

 

 

1. The iridium excess in the 65 My-old soil layer has been confirmed at many points around the world.
   
2. The same soil layer contains grains of quartz that were deformed by high shock pressures, as would occur in a giant explosion. (The deformation is a microscopic structure called "twinning," in the crystals).
   
3. The same soil layer contains enough soot to correspond to burnding down all of the forests of the world. This suggests that massive fires were touched off at the time of impact.
   
4. The same soil layer, especially around the Gulf of Mexico, contains massive deposits of tumbled boulders, as would be generated in a large tsunami, or "tidal wave." The geographic distribution of tsunami deposits suggest the impact was in the Caribbean area.
   
5. After a decade of searching, scientists in 1990 identified the crater associated with this material. It is no longer visible on the surface of the Earth, but is buried under sediments. It straddles the coast of Yucatan. It is revealed by mapping the strength of the gravity field over that area, and by drilling; it has been dated to 65 My old.
   
6. Astronomers have charted numerous asteroids that cross Earth's orbit. From studies of orbit statistics, it is estimated that asteroids of 10 km size can hit the earth roughly every 100 My or so -- which fits with the idea that we actually did get hit 65 My ago by an object this size. (Smaller hits are much more common).
   

 

For greater detail, and a better explanation of the origin of the theory and the evidence supporting it, I recommend this wikipedia article.

 

The specific primary crater from the impact has been identified, and it goes by the name of the Chicxulub Crater.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

 

I've thought about that before. By the way, how do you know it was an asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?

Good question. At least you aren't asking how we know there were actually dinosaurs.

 

I also note you didn't ask how we know it happened about 65 million years ago. There are answers to those questions, but they are complicated and deal with sedimentary layers and radiometric dating.

 

The "asteroid theory" of the K-T boundary extinction comes from a variety of findings that all relate to the same time period.

 

There are now many lines of evidence to prove that a relatively large impact happened 65 Million years ago.

 

1. 
    
   
2. The iridium excess in the 65 My-old soil layer has been confirmed at many points around the world.
   
3. The same soil layer contains grains of quartz that were deformed by high shock pressures, as would occur in a giant explosion. (The deformation is a microscopic structure called "twinning," in the crystals).
   
4. The same soil layer contains enough soot to correspond to burnding down all of the forests of the world. This suggests that massive fires were touched off at the time of impact.
   
5. The same soil layer, especially around the Gulf of Mexico, contains massive deposits of tumbled boulders, as would be generated in a large tsunami, or "tidal wave." The geographic distribution of tsunami deposits suggest the impact was in the Caribbean area.
   
6. After a decade of searching, scientists in 1990 identified the crater associated with this material. It is no longer visible on the surface of the Earth, but is buried under sediments. It straddles the coast of Yucatan. It is revealed by mapping the strength of the gravity field over that area, and by drilling; it has been dated to 65 My old.
   
7. Astronomers have charted numerous asteroids that cross Earth's orbit. From studies of orbit statistics, it is estimated that asteroids of 10 km size can hit the earth roughly every 100 My or so -- which fits with the idea that we actually did get hit 65 My ago by an object this size. (Smaller hits are much more common).
   

 

For greater detail, and a better explanation of the origin of the theory and the evidence supporting it, I recommend this wikipedia article.

 

The specific primary crater from the impact has been identified, and it goes by the name of the Chicxulub Crater.

 

Hmm.... ok.

[florduh]

But the idea seems crazy..... I don't know if I can believe that.

That's good. If you can't believe something like that which has evidence for it, then you surely can't believe in virgin births, floating Jesus zombies, and all that unbelievable nonsense that is the Bible. Right?

[Guest Valk0010]

But the idea seems crazy..... I don't know if I can believe that.

That's good. If you can't believe something like that which has evidence for it, then you surely can't believe in virgin births, floating Jesus zombies, and all that unbelievable nonsense that is the Bible. Right?

That is a key point right there PI

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

But the idea seems crazy..... I don't know if I can believe that.

That's good. If you can't believe something like that which has evidence for it, then you surely can't believe in virgin births, floating Jesus zombies, and all that unbelievable nonsense that is the Bible. Right?

 

To an extent, right. But look, here's the thing. There's one difference between both of these "crazy" stories. One claims to have an all powerful God behind it. One doesn't. I believe, if God is real, then anything is possible and it's not hard for me to believe these claims. That even goes for evolution, if it was guided by a higher power. But if there is no God.... I have a hard time believing in either one of these claims.

[florduh]

Fine. But your "all powerful god" is the least likely explanation for anything.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

Fine. But your "all powerful god" is the least likely explanation for anything.

 

Maybe.

[Xerces]

To an extent, right. But look, here's the thing. There's one difference between both of these "crazy" stories. One claims to have an all powerful God behind it. One doesn't. I believe, if God is real, then anything is possible and it's not hard for me to believe these claims. That even goes for evolution, if it was guided by a higher power. But if there is no God.... I have a hard time believing in either one of these claims.

 

 

The Universe is imperfect, you should give this a watch if you have the time. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/into-the-universe-with-stephen-hawking/

 

If an all powerful God existed there would not be all these inconsistencies with creation. Yeah sure, granted some "thing" could have created all this, but why believe that when there is no way of knowing? That is why it is called faith.

 

I mean, do you know just how many different things you could believe in based on faith alone?

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

To an extent, right. But look, here's the thing. There's one difference between both of these "crazy" stories. One claims to have an all powerful God behind it. One doesn't. I believe, if God is real, then anything is possible and it's not hard for me to believe these claims. That even goes for evolution, if it was guided by a higher power. But if there is no God.... I have a hard time believing in either one of these claims.

 

 

The Universe is imperfect, you should give this a watch if you have the time. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/into-the-universe-with-stephen-hawking/

 

If an all powerful God existed there would not be all these inconsistencies with creation. Yeah sure, granted some "thing" could have created all this, but why believe that when there is no way of knowing? That is why it is called faith.

 

I mean, do you know just how many different things you could believe in based on faith alone?

 

I don't have much faith in faith. I've been told by Christians that it's by faith that they believe, and it's their faith that will save them. I then mention that the Muslims have just as much faith in their god, yet we both know that their faith in Allah won't get them anywhere. So, what's the difference in the Christian's faith and the Muslim's faith? Both have faith in something that is unseeable, unknowable, and unprovable. They then tell me, that's different. When I ask how, they don't really bother explaining why or how that's any different. I can jump off a building and have faith that I'll sprout wings and fly, but when it all comes down to it, that doesn't change a thing. Blind faith is worthless.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

I hate it when people look down their noses at you and act like you're less than a human being just for not believing exactly the same thing as they do, labeling you as evil/heathen/weird/rebellious/fill in the blank. I've gotta say, I'm blessed to be in a family that doesn't completely shove their specific beliefs down my throat like a whole lot of Christians do.... but I still get flack sometimes for voicing my inquisitive mind. Being "encouraged" to go to church, being made to do family devotionals, getting asked questions like "did you ever get your salvation settled?".... honestly, how am I supposed to answer something like that? Seriously, they don't know the half of it.

[agnosticator]

I'm not saying I don't think for myself, but.... I don't really know. I don't know where I stand is more like it. I don't know what to believe.

 

 

The more I learn, the more my "apologetics", brainwashing, stories I've heard, and phobias come into play. The further I get from Christianity, the stronger the Christian side of my brain gets, making fear, anxiety, and depression come into play. Call me negative, but I've learned that it can't be fought. I'll have to learn to live with it. At times like this, with that in mind, I wish I was old enough to buy alcohol.

 

I see what you are saying. Maybe you could try to immerse yourself in activities that you enjoy or focus on learning new things. Things like this will build new neurons and pathways in that brain of yours that the old paths of thought can't touch (Shyone will be able to explain the neuroscience about this better than I can). Hitting this head-on might be too much to handle for now.

 

Drugs and alcohol may temporarily dull your senses, but the antagonizing thoughts won't be affected much. Alcohol will give you a sluggish feeling or worse, and may exacerbate your problem. But I see much hope for you because of your awareness and intelligence.

 

I can pinpoint some of the causes, but really, that doesn't change much. Whether this God is real, whether demons are real or not, whether Satan is real, whether any of them are real or not, they will always be real in my head.... No matter what potential breakthroughs I might have.

 

Eventually, this will fade away. I used to fear quite a few non-existent supernatural entities that were real to me.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

I see what you are saying. Maybe you could try to immerse yourself in activities that you enjoy or focus on learning new things. Things like this will build new neurons and pathways in that brain of yours that the old paths of thought can't touch (Shyone will be able to explain the neuroscience about this better than I can). Hitting this head-on might be too much to handle for now.

 

I can't really think of any activities I enjoy, nothing to amount to anything. Life is empty and unfulfilled. My void was caused by Christianity. Let's see Christians explain that, with their "God shaped hole" nonsense.

 

Drugs and alcohol may temporarily dull your senses, but the antagonizing thoughts won't be affected much. Alcohol will give you a sluggish feeling or worse, and may exacerbate your problem. But I see much hope for you because of your awareness and intelligence.

 

That's not how I pictured alcohol working... maybe I shouldn't touch the stuff, ever.

 

Eventually, this will fade away. I used to fear quite a few non-existent supernatural entities that were real to me.

 

I think there's a part of it that always stays with you, it never completely fades away.

[Guest Perfect Insanity]

God damn I hate me. I'm sick of looking at my worn out stressed face in the mirror. Everywhere I go I'm like a walking zombie, it's like I forgot how to feel normal. I am such a fucking loser, on so many levels.