TotalWreck Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Tonight I watched some episodes of this show called, "I Survived". I had never seen or heard of this show before until someone had told me I should watch it. I had no idea how horrific this show is. For those of you who have never heard of it, it's about people who have survived horrific experiences and nearly died from them and have lived to tell their story. These stories were so scary and sad - people who had been abducted, raped, tortured, seen loved ones killed, people set on fire - you name it. It was so upsetting to see just how sick and scary this world is. What upset me the most is how so many of these survivors talked about how they survived thanks to "god". Uh, "god" didn't do anything - they came out alive from their own sheer determination. How can these people who went through such terrible things STILL believe in an "all loving god" after what they'd been through? If their god was so loving, why would he let them go through those things in the first place? It just blows me away at how people can keep ignoring all the things that don't make sense and that even if there was a god, he's sick and sadistic to let these things happen to people. Has anyone else seen this show? The episodes I saw tonight were enough for me and now I'm depressed at what a sick world we live in, and how there really is no god to watch over us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I suffered with that for awhile. Then, I suffered more deeply with the idea that the universe is completely neutral towards us as human beings, indifferent, and largely chaotic. We are surrounded by chaotic events at any given time, and as we hurdle through this life, on this planet, there is so much that's so uncertain. It's like the universe itself is a chaos generator that, while although is bound by certain laws and rules that we've come to understand -- physics, gravity etc -- you never know what's next. What could be the endgame? A meteor? Virus epidemic? World war? Who knows? Somehow, after feeling somewhat forced to confront this realm of thinking (goodness knows I didn't want to or choose to), I came to understand a couple of things. One, impermanence isn't so frightening. Thinking above, beyond and outside of the self -- or at least what the ego would have you believe is the self -- what are we? Little blips on the radar for a passing moment, and then gone. So many peoples, cultures, and places have come and gone. Ancient ruins and crumbling statues stand testament to times long gone, harbingers of countless eyes who have looked upon them, but never to be remembered. So many events have taken place on this planet and so many millions have went to the grave, and no history books tell their tales. Maybe a few names in transaction ledgers or tax books, but they're nothing more to us in our present age than names, are they? To me, this is not depressing, or frightening. It is beautiful. We have our moment, our various rotations around the sun, and then that's it. No matter how bad it gets, how evil the regime, how terrible the moment in time, eventually time will make it all even and clear the playing board again. I am content with having this present moment. Here I am, now. It seems that fear and worry are based in the future, and regret and shame are based in the past... but in the now, in the present, there is balance. And right now is all anyone is guaranteed. The world, in and of itself, isn't sick. Beautiful and terrible events happen on the surface of it, but that doesn't change the world as it is. The world remains unchanged. Even in our modern western civilization which is basically a pointed gun at the planet, the endgame of our civilization could come in the blink of an eye. The shifting of tectonic plates, an unbeatable epidemic, the eruption of the ring of fire -- who knows? I don't. Don't care. In the grand scheme of history and the planet, it doesn't even matter. I am content with the fact that I will die. It is undeniable. It doesn't matter how. There is a great peace in accepting ones own death and impermanence, and in seeing how small one really is compared to the universe itself. Truly, our consciousness is just the universe having gained awareness of itself, and I am thrilled beyond belief that my consciousness, even if for only a short time, was able to discern and behold the splendor of this life. Frodo: "I wish none of this had happened." Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker001 Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I haven't seen it, so bare with me as I speculate. I guess those people thank God because it is something to hold onto, like a security blanket. The larger implication that there is nothing there or doesn't care enough to intervene can be horrifying, it is so much nicer to think that he helps pull people out of there. Nothingness, emptiness, and loneliness, are horrifying if one dwells enough on the concept of those words. Filling those words with deity can be comforting. There is also the cultural aspect as well, xtianity is very much embedded into western civilization. Again, this is my speculation take it as you will. The important thing is, those people survived, and thank lady luck have a chance to rebuild. I just hope they have or find a good support network and healthy coping skills that work for them. The mental scars that are far more complicated to heal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted April 27, 2013 Author Share Posted April 27, 2013 I haven't seen it, so bare with me as I speculate. I guess those people thank God because it is something to hold onto, like a security blanket. The larger implication that there is nothing there or doesn't care enough to intervene can be horrifying, it is so much nicer to think that he helps pull people out of there. Nothingness, emptiness, and loneliness, are horrifying if one dwells enough on the concept of those words. Filling those words with deity can be comforting. There is also the cultural aspect as well, xtianity is very much embedded into western civilization. Again, this is my speculation take it as you will. The important thing is, those people survived, and thank lady luck have a chance to rebuild. I just hope they have or find a good support network and healthy coping skills that work for them. The mental scars that are far more complicated to heal. If people want to believe in god, I would never want to try to change their beliefs. I say if it makes someone feel better, keep on believing. But I'm just puzzled at how they still kept their faith after going through such horrid events. These people will be scarred for life. I can't figure out how people can believe that their "awesome god" would put them through such tragedy in the first place. IMO, god either doesn't exist or is sick and twisted for letting his followers go through such awful things. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker001 Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 I haven't seen it, so bare with me as I speculate. I guess those people thank God because it is something to hold onto, like a security blanket. The larger implication that there is nothing there or doesn't care enough to intervene can be horrifying, it is so much nicer to think that he helps pull people out of there. Nothingness, emptiness, and loneliness, are horrifying if one dwells enough on the concept of those words. Filling those words with deity can be comforting. There is also the cultural aspect as well, xtianity is very much embedded into western civilization. Again, this is my speculation take it as you will. The important thing is, those people survived, and thank lady luck have a chance to rebuild. I just hope they have or find a good support network and healthy coping skills that work for them. The mental scars that are far more complicated to heal. If people want to believe in god, I would never want to try to change their beliefs. I say if it makes someone feel better, keep on believing. But I'm just puzzled at how they still kept their faith after going through such horrid events. These people will be scarred for life. I can't figure out how people can believe that their "awesome god" would put them through such tragedy in the first place. IMO, god either doesn't exist or is sick and twisted for letting his followers go through such awful things. I'm not disagreeing with you, you have the right to be confused. I don't claim to know what is floating inside their noggins, I only have my speculations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 TotalWreck: I agree people who are happy believing in god should not be disillusioned. But they should not hound others to join them in their illusion. On could argue that it makes sense for them to want to share their experience in their belief. That's true, but there is a big difference between sharing their experience and hounding others to believe like they do or go to hell. bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
◊ crazyguy123 ◊ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 If their god was so loving, why would he let them go through those things in the first place? It just blows me away at how people can keep ignoring all the things that don't make sense and that even if there was a god, he's sick and sadistic to let these things happen to people. It's because everyone should know that a good father who loves their children will torture them to test their faith in him. Gawd's not really sadistic, he's just teaching them a lesson or testing their faith by letting these terrible things happen to them... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stryper Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 The few times I have seen that show I am reminded of something I read years ago. To paraphrase: The comfort that we experience in Occidental culture is not universal. It is easy to think that everyone's lives are similar in comfort to ours. That show is just a reminder that this is not so. Painful and depressing at times. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
◊ crazyguy123 ◊ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 I have never watched this show and it's probably best if I don't ever watch it. I would probably have a similar reaction to yours and become fixated on how much of a mess the world is and how much everything would be better if the world just ended with every living thing dying at the same time. It's really not a good thing to be stuck in a mindset of thinking that an apocalypse of any kind would be good, even if it resulted in everything dying eventually. I know this from experience. When I saw the title of this thread and the show you mentioned, for a moment I got the title of this show confused with a different show that I have watched, which I think is called "I Shouldn't be Alive" which was a show about various people who became trapped in the wilderness, whether it be the mountains, a desert, or a forest, and usually the people stranded out in those places would have a bad injury and would be unable to move, or could only move by pulling themselves along by their hands, yet somehow when they think all hope is lost, they finally make it out of their situation by finding civilization or other people finding them by chance and getting help. At least the show I confused "I Survived" with wasn't depressing because it always had a good ending and the people whose lives were in danger were never put in that situation by other people. When I actually read the description of "I Survived" I realized that what you were describing was certainly not what I expected. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 If their god was so loving, why would he let them go through those things in the first place? It just blows me away at how people can keep ignoring all the things that don't make sense and that even if there was a god, he's sick and sadistic to let these things happen to people. It's because everyone should know that a good father who loves their children will torture them to test their faith in him. Gawd's not really sadistic, he's just teaching them a lesson or testing their faith by letting these terrible things happen to them... And that is EXACTLY how people rationalize these awful things! It's amazing, yet sad at the same time. It's terrible that some people are so scared of the fact that there is no god that they would rather believe in a "god" that is cruel and makes them suffer rather than believe in no god at all. One of the things that finally woke me up was thinking about how we (usually) don't associate with people that are cruel and mean to us, so why should we worship a god that's cruel and mean to us? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 The few times I have seen that show I am reminded of something I read years ago. To paraphrase: The comfort that we experience in Occidental culture is not universal. It is easy to think that everyone's lives are similar in comfort to ours. That show is just a reminder that this is not so. Painful and depressing at times. Very true. This show is not for people who are already depressed at how screwed up the world is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TotalWreck Posted April 29, 2013 Author Share Posted April 29, 2013 I have never watched this show and it's probably best if I don't ever watch it. I would probably have a similar reaction to yours and become fixated on how much of a mess the world is and how much everything would be better if the world just ended with every living thing dying at the same time. It's really not a good thing to be stuck in a mindset of thinking that an apocalypse of any kind would be good, even if it resulted in everything dying eventually. I know this from experience. When I saw the title of this thread and the show you mentioned, for a moment I got the title of this show confused with a different show that I have watched, which I think is called "I Shouldn't be Alive" which was a show about various people who became trapped in the wilderness, whether it be the mountains, a desert, or a forest, and usually the people stranded out in those places would have a bad injury and would be unable to move, or could only move by pulling themselves along by their hands, yet somehow when they think all hope is lost, they finally make it out of their situation by finding civilization or other people finding them by chance and getting help. At least the show I confused "I Survived" with wasn't depressing because it always had a good ending and the people whose lives were in danger were never put in that situation by other people. When I actually read the description of "I Survived" I realized that what you were describing was certainly not what I expected. If you're an emotional person like me or get depressed easily, this is definitely not a show I would recommend watching. And not only is it sad and depressing, but scarier than any horror movie because this is REAL stuff that has actually happened. I wish I'd never watched it because three days later I'm still depressed over it. I know awful stuff happens everyday, but when you hear the victims themselves telling their stories and recounting every detail, it's too much for me to handle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
◊ crazyguy123 ◊ Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 If their god was so loving, why would he let them go through those things in the first place? It just blows me away at how people can keep ignoring all the things that don't make sense and that even if there was a god, he's sick and sadistic to let these things happen to people. It's because everyone should know that a good father who loves their children will torture them to test their faith in him. Gawd's not really sadistic, he's just teaching them a lesson or testing their faith by letting these terrible things happen to them... And that is EXACTLY how people rationalize these awful things! It's amazing, yet sad at the same time. It's terrible that some people are so scared of the fact that there is no god that they would rather believe in a "god" that is cruel and makes them suffer rather than believe in no god at all. One of the things that finally woke me up was thinking about how we (usually) don't associate with people that are cruel and mean to us, so why should we worship a god that's cruel and mean to us? There might be some believers that would not prefer to believe in a deity that is cruel and mean to us over believing in no god, it could be that they were indoctrinated to believe in an evil god from the very beginning so the idea of considering that there might be no god or that the god they believe in might not be real is too scary because they are afraid of what he might think or do if they doubt. It is true that we don't ordinarily associate with people that are cruel, but when it comes to the belief in a god that is cruel and downright evil, the believers will worship and obey that god for the very same reasons that citizens living in a country run by a monstrous, human tyrant would obey the human tyrant and follow all of his laws. Fear will usually get people to worship monsters and accept terrible things as good and result in them using whatever means necessary to convince themselves and others, sometimes with success, that this evil god or tyrant isn't the monster he/she/it appears to be, even if it means ignoring facts and telling lies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 As painful as these things are to watch, it would be much better if everyone in the first world saw these kind of shows. I believe one reason Xtians believe as they do and refuse to even consider that their religion might be wrong is because they truly don't know how horrible this world is for millions and millions of people. I have posted here in the past about a Sunday school teacher who, when I raised the question as to how god could let millions of people suffer abject poverty, asked me where in the world I got that idea. That happened many years ago. Since then I have learned that many people don't know or refuse to believe those conditions exist. And many more don't know how horrible the past was for all but a very few. bill Maybe knowledge of how things really are and were in the world would get more people to question their belief in an all powerful, benevolent god. Then again, maybe not. bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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