Moderator Margee Posted May 12, 2013 Moderator Share Posted May 12, 2013 Remember the good old days when we used to take our 'sins' down to the alter of god? Cigarettes, drugs, cursing, anger, envy, lustful thoughts, hatred, partying and the list goes on a mile?? How many times did I try to 'get free' from 'something' that had its hold on me. I am so grateful today that I do not have to worry about taking these 'sins' before the big lord in the sky. I can now correct any thinking that I want to. I can be me. How about you? Aren't you soooo happy to be free? I used to cry buckets of tears before the lord as I read these scripture verses in Romans over and over a million times praying to god to 'get free' from all the terrible sin in my life. Romans 7:14-25.......New Living Translation (NLT) Struggling with Sin 14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a]I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[b] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. I am sooooo happy to be free of this bullshit today!!! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centauri Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 ...I used to cry buckets of tears before the lord as I read these scripture verses in Romans over and over a million times praying to god to 'get free'. Romans 7:14-25 New Living Translation (NLT) Struggling with Sin 14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a]I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[b] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. I am sooooo happy to be free of this bullshit today!!! That passage is Paul's version of the insanity defense. He just can't control himself, it's the demon of sin that lives in him. He then lies by claiming to love the law, which he had no trouble undermining and bashing, Then he appeals to the magic of his "Lord" to rescue him from his own sophistry. One has to wonder why anyone should trust anything that comes from him. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker001 Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Remember the good old days when we used to take our 'sins' down to the alter of god? Cigarettes, drugs, cursing, anger, envy, lustful thoughts, hatred, partying and the list goes on a mile?? How many times did I try to 'get free' from 'something' that had its hold on me. I am so grateful today that I do not have to worry about taking these 'sins' before the big lord in the sky. I can now correct any thinking that I want to. I can be me. How about you? Aren't you soooo happy to be free? I used to cry buckets of tears before the lord as I read these scripture verses in Romans over and over a million times praying to god to 'get free' from all the terrible sin in my life. Romans 7:14-25 New Living Translation (NLT) Struggling with Sin 14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a]I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power[b] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. I am sooooo happy to be free of this bullshit today!!! You are making me so glad I jumped ship before I went to deep. I shudder to think what ingraining that mindset would do to me mentally, I already have anxiety and confidence issues. Yes, I am very much aware I am a flawed individual; I don't need the reminder! This was what started my spiritual journey to try and make sense of the world around me and find inner peace. Everyone has personal flaws and vices, but life is all about overcoming challenges and making the best out of what we have. One thing I observed about people is when nothing is going wrong people are going to make drama to overcome. It doesn't have to be anything major, it can be something as minor as buying a jigsaw puzzle to solve or picking up a new hobby to master. Without some challenge to overcome life gets boring, and there is nothing more rewarding than the taste of victory. I'm not saying this is everybody, but this is from my own observations. Regardless, the only way to get to victory is to take initiative, there is no magic bullet that is going to take away all of life's ills. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 So true, Margee!!! I have a fundagelical friend who is married but who is obsessed with sin: she masterbates occasionally and then beats herself up for it, and she has the occassional "lustful" thought about an acquaintance. She is so tormented! I keep telling her "You're human. Move on. This is all part of the human experience." but she persists in her self-hatred. It's so sad. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overcame Faith Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I remember those days all too well. They were filled with guilt, begging for forgiveness, swearing to change, and then going right back to the "forbidden" activity. The freedom came when I finally learned that there was no true reason for guilt. It is terrible the amount of unnecessary guilt the religion imposes on innocent people. I hate Christianity! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeker001 Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 There is a fine line between owning up and taking personal responsibility and acknowledging one's flaws, and just tearing yourself down. We're only human. For any Christian lurkers, you are a more beautiful soul than you and your religion are giving credit for. Take pride in your accomplishments, and let go of the guilt. The fact that you are trying to live up to a moral standard and a life of decency reflects a sincere heart. We are only human, making mistakes is a natural part of life. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeCycle Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Hell yes!!! Christianity is so burdonsome/oppressive! When I overhear people speak of "sin" I really just feel sorry for them. Because they're prisoners just as I was at one point.... And like them, I didn't even know it - to the contrary I thought I was "free." It's a sad state of delusion and the battles that are waged within your own head can be exhausting. Great thread! And I too am so glad to be free of manipulative bullshit! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipVanWinkle Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Margee: Clever. Paul set forth hurdles impossible to clear and then says we don't have to clear them, as long as we believe exactly like he does. In others words, as long as we follow him, which is the true motive of his epistles. I thought Romans 7 was one of the best passages in the Bible when I was a Xtian. Even now it strikes a chord. From a psychological standpoint, it is true in a sense. Not that we have inherited a "sinful nature" through Adam and Eve, but it certainly is true, at least for me, that I can fool myself as to the real reasons I want something. I have done things or bought things thinking that my motives were sensible, but after I reflected on it, I realized that my motives were, in fact, selfish. It's consistent with Freud's "id" which comes into conflict with the "superego". Except for Paul's mythological perversion, it was a sophisticated analysis for 2000 years ago, I think. bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest r3alchild Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Your bouncing smiley icon says it all, I can enjoy that icon without the sin goggles telling me that smile means something more and if I ever feel I might be going to far with that icon, I can say to myself, hey! Its just a animated picture of a bouncing yellow ball and nothing more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burny Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Stop reading my posts and telling my parents. This site is supposed to be confidential. You're a jerk and a jack ass whoever you are. Thanks also for hurting my folks. Good Christian actions. NOT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Amen sister! Religion (Christianity) couldn't take away my sin and guilt the way atheism has. I'm more free now than I ever was. Yes. Back as a Christian I was told (so I believed) that atheists just love to sin so that is why they are in rebellion against God. But experiencing atheism wasn't like that at all. You realize there is no sin. Then I suddenly realized that I had been rude to people my whole life while thinking that it was perfectly okay because the Bible doesn't name it as a sin. Getting your policy out of an old book is a silly way to live. Crime is real. Rudeness is real. Sin is a myth because there are no gods to offend. There are religious organization that tell people how to live their lives but there is no reason to allow one of those to have control over you. We have only a few years of life so we should spend it getting along with all those people our religion trained us to hate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted May 14, 2013 Share Posted May 14, 2013 Amen, no pun intended, to all the above posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TrueFreedom Posted May 14, 2013 Moderator Share Posted May 14, 2013 Indeed. Guilt and fear are poor motivators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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