Noggy Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 thanks everyone for the support. its a mix of emotional and intellectual stress. ive been basically asking those questions over and over for the past couple weeks. asking him if hes there or not. no responses How are expecting the response to come? Have you ever reciecved some sort of response? For me I know when I am in the response zone by the way that I feel. This comes from experience. Post #5 in this thread, by midniterider, is great advice. The response after asking the question is your next thought. If you don't like the next thought you can change it to the exact opposite of the answer. It goes like this. "God are you there"? Next thought......"no" I don't like that answer so I am going to think that exact opposite. "God are you there"? "no"........change to "yes". Oh good, I have some other questions since you are here. You can work out some really heavy questions by asking, listening to your own thoughts, and thinking of alteratives to your own thoughts. You can choose what you want to believe. Write your thoughts down. Write the opposites down. Choose what you want to believe. I am a theist, because I choose to be one, for my own reasons. >.> There are lots of people that are spiritual but its not for really stupid reasons like this. Do you think youre god? Because it seems that you like that the idea that you just thunk it and now its there. If you're going to pick a spiritual path at least pick one that makes some sense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chosendarkness Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Choose what you want to believe. I am a theist, because I choose to be one, for my own reasons. I'm a theist too, but I'm god. Actually I'm the king of the gods, I can create them at will. I can remove any of them from existence as I please. They say exactly what I want them to say, whenever I want them to say it. The only power they have is what I give them. I don't worship god though, I don't want him to get a big head and start trying to order me around and play with my emotions. If you worship a god, it'll take it and run with it, turning himself and his followers into complete assholes. Worshiping gods turns people into egomaniacs, I don't recommend it. It's not healthy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickG Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 There are lots of people that are spiritual but its not for really stupid reasons like this. Like what? Do you think youre god? Because it seems that you like that the idea that you just thunk it and now its there. Well I am not the best communicator I guess. No I don't think that I am God. I do think that as Jesus was quoted as saying "I and the Father are one", that I can say the same thing, with the same conviction. It is a connection with the divine. If you're going to pick a spiritual path at least pick one that makes some sense. So you think I should follow someone elses spiritual Ideas? I do. I listen, and incorporate whatever works for me. Now if someone is struggling witht their spirituality, I have a desire to help, I would desire to do so it a good way. So since we are not working on my spirituality here, but on someone elses struggle, show where I am full of shit, and then you will be helpful to the one we are helping, and to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickG Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 If you worship a god, it'll take it and run with it, turning himself and his followers into complete assholes. Worshiping gods turns people into egomaniacs, I don't recommend it. It's not healthy. I'm not talking about worshiping. I'm talking about spirituality. I'm not talking about subservience. I'm talking about taking control of your own spirituality. Maybe I'm just an egomaniacal asshole..............if so, it will serve it's purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherJosh Posted October 9, 2011 Share Posted October 9, 2011 Choose what you want to believe. Or here's a novel idea for sentient beings: Believe that which makes sense and has some evidence. Sheesh. I feel that you are right... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chosendarkness Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 Maybe I'm just an egomaniacal asshole..............if so, it will serve it's purpose. Right before I stopped believing in the bible, I used to look at myself and think, 'I do everything for my own selfish motives'. It really helped me. Now I know that's not 100% true and I don't worry about being punished by a god for anything. It's a good feeling not to be a slave to religion. It makes me happy about being a human being and want to treat others better. Even if I am still an asshole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBob Posted October 10, 2011 Share Posted October 10, 2011 I do think that as Jesus was quoted as saying "I and the Father are one", that I can say the same thing, with the same conviction. It is a connection with the divine. I actually understand where you're coming from Patrick, even though I can't agree with it. At the end of the day you have to do what you have to do. If you're happy and you don't force your ideas on others then go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChurchSucks Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 its still going on. fuck i cant shake these obsessive thoughts that bother me. the fears i still have. i was only in the church for a year and yet this is bothering more than ever. i cant just ignore these thoughts for some reason. I still feel guilty for things even though i dont know why, or know why i still dont have motivation to persue anything. this whole deconverting thing feels terrible. im so freaked out that jesus will come back someday and just send me to hell. i know i feel worse when im in the church or trying to follow faith. but why cant i just choose a side and stick with it. i want to just be able to move on without worrying about how all these issues in the world isnt or is god. things like freshwater supplies running out, the drying of the euphrates river.(wich i guess was prophecised) and things like the light over jereuselem wich i actually just posted. i just want to live the iife i wanted before i got involved in all this. and it feels like i dont even have the strength to make a choice and stick with it. I dont want to follow what this supposed god sais in the bible and i disagree with it. but why does it still torment me. how much longer I deal with that too man. I still wonder at times "what if I go to hell?" but then I remember that even if there is a loving God (which I'm agnostic by the way, I simply choose to say I don't know), I don't see how it's possible for him to send so many people to hell to endure everlasting torment. That type of God would be worse than Hitler! Hell would be worse than the holocaust! I also then look back to the Bible and have a good chuckle about how the Old Testament says it's okay for a man to sell his daughter into slavery, or how Lot offered to give his two daughters to the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as sex slaves, or how Esther won a sex contest in order to become queen (and this is a favorite story among young christian girls!), or about how not even half of the new testament books were written by who they say they were. Yep, Christianity ain't the truth. Once you get past that, you can realize that God or no God - you probably won't end up in hell. Besides, if I do end up in hell, I think the only person to blame for that is God himself. I prayed so many fucking times that I did not want to lose my faith, that I wanted to believe, and then asked for God to change my heart and to reveal himself to me. And he never has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChurchSucks Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Choose what you want to believe. Or here's a novel idea for sentient beings: Believe that which makes sense and has some evidence. Sheesh. Couldn't agree more. I tend to side with science now - if it's not observable, measurable, or repeatable, then there's no damn proof. Spirituality just seems too mushy gushy to me. I think all of the instances in which people think they catch glimpses of the spiritual world, they are simply just experiencing a psychiatric disorder or have some sort of mental condition. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I'm 2 pages late, but I know exactly how you feel rocklobster. When I first deconverted I spent almost a year with extreme paranoia regarding god "coming after me" for leaving christianity. It sounds silly now, but I was so convinced that god was going to kill me in a car accident (in order to send me to hell, of course), that I couldn't drive or ride in cars without having a panic attack. I also had panic attacks if I found myself in the part of town where my old church was. The thing that made me decide that I had to nip those fears in the bud was the fact that my grandmother is a paranoid schizophrenic, so I definitely didn't want to trigger any kind of psychotic break in myself by cultivating so much fear, and especially fear of something that I had come to believe was not true. I For myself, I've learned that the best way to combat these feelings (or any feelings of fear, paranoia, or doubt) is to develop a belief system in, what my favorite spiritual teacher calls, "a safe universe." It's the idea that you are safe in the world in which you live, and not at the mercy of any "evil" or of any vengeful god. I had to recognize that I have control over what happens to me in the world, precisely because there is no god. There is no one to come after you or send you to hell, so there's no reason to be afraid. I hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yask Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Hey Rocklobster, Christian faith is based on god's breath, which is what inspired the writing of the Bible. However, when over 40 different authors are responsible for what is claimed to have been material inspired, or channeled from god it pretty much is saying that over 40 different people contributed from their imagination all that god and faith in that, is suppose to entail. So why not take the time to ask yourself what you hold faith in? What do you believe is true that makes you feel good about bing you and living your life with that understanding of what life means. The fear paradigm in Christianity can make a very strong impact on the believer in it. Installing that into believers at the inception of the faith is what helped in part to make it the worlds foremost populace religion on earth today. However, if a god is infinitely kind would it want you to be terrified of it's powers as your creator? We can see in headlines around the world how affective terrorism is in garnering respect. How's faith any different? Hard wiring especially is hard to overcome if you were indoctrinated at a very young age. However, it's like any other progression or change. It's scary to leave what's familiar and set out into strange lands. However, if you can't live with what you once believe, you owe it to yourself to live at peace with what you can accept as truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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