The Pain Of Having No God/Goddess/Entity

[Guest freedwoman]

22 hours ago, IAM4TRUTH said:

freedwoman, I'm new to this site - nice to meet you .  Just read this thread.  I can see you're in a lot of pain.  I tend to ruminate about things that I can't figure out.  I can't get them out of my mind.  I'm getting better about not going down that path all the time.  Yoga, meditation and breathing have helped a lot. And with this crazy pandemic, I've been feeling even more alone.  But one thing I'll remember from the pandemic is that it gave me the push to finally join this site.  

 

I haven't had a chance to read all of your posts, but just wanted to share a book that I read.  I actually listened to it on You Tube, and then read the book afterwards.  The book is The Four Agreements.  I don't promote any particular type of spirituality, I just keep searching for wisdom wherever I can find it.  I think you might find it helpful

 

 

Thanks. Nice to meet you too. 

[Guest freedwoman]

I think I'm gonna start praying again. Both my cats are sick. One of my friends is sick too. Might not do any good but whatever. 

[Joshpantera]

59 minutes ago, freedwoman said:

I think I'm gonna start praying again. Both my cats are sick. One of my friends is sick too. Might not do any good but whatever. 

 

@TABA has done stuff like this before. Experimental. Pray to Zeus, or Brahman, or something other than a judeo-christian concept. See what happens. Do it for a while. About whatever you want to pray about. You may find that you'll encounter roughly the same results praying to any random point of your focus. Try embracing a belief in Zeus or whatever you pick while doing it. Then switch to something else after a while. Maybe keep a journal and note the results. 

 

Then revisit all of this down the road. 

 

 

[Guest freedwoman]

I don't pray to any God or Goddess. I pray to the Infinite. If It even exists?? 

[LogicalFallacy]

2 hours ago, freedwoman said:

I think I'm gonna start praying again. Both my cats are sick. One of my friends is sick too. Might not do any good but whatever. 

 

I'd recommend the vet for the cats and a doctor for your friend. Results are demonstrated to have significantly better results than praying. 

[midniterider]

20 hours ago, LogicalFallacy said:

 

 

I'm pretty sure he's saying that humans as a whole need to keep inventing unsupported explanations to explain the universe. Basically 'Goddidit' syndrome. We can't figure out how x happened... therefore Goddidit. (It doesn't just apply to gods either) A recent example would be we can't explain consciousness... therefore the universe is conscious. 

 

Some people like to speculate about how intelligence and awareness could 'emerge' from matter. And what exactly is it that emerges? Changes in voltage in areas of the brain?

Because intelligence and awareness seemingly emerges somehow from human brain matter, they wonder why awareness does not or could not also emerge from other matter, like a tree, a planet, a star. 

 

 

[LogicalFallacy]

40 minutes ago, midniterider said:

Some people like to speculate about how intelligence and awareness could 'emerge' from matter. And what exactly is it that emerges? Changes in voltage in areas of the brain?

Because intelligence and awareness seemingly emerges somehow from human brain matter, they wonder why awareness does not or could not also emerge from other matter, like a tree, a planet, a star. 

 

Good questions. I would speculate, using my layman's understanding of brain chemistry and consciousness (That is to say I know fuck all) that it's something to do with the particular neurochemistry that brains produce.

 

A tree has a nervous system, and there is evidence to suggest it feels pain when cut, but it's not complex enough to produce consciousness as we understand it. Then we move to things like fish. Are they conscious? They seem to exhibit more characteristics of it. Dolphins? We would certainly say so as they exhibit complex communication and intelligence. Dogs? Certainly.

 

Planets? Stars? Well no, they don't seem to exhibit anything we'd associate with consciousness that we can tell at this point. Why? Well if we go back to my first speculation, it would appear they don't have the necessary neurochemistry.

[Guest freedwoman]

2 hours ago, LogicalFallacy said:

 

I'd recommend the vet for the cats and a doctor for your friend. Results are demonstrated to have significantly better results than praying. 

I've taken one of my cats to the vet. But you're right I should take my other one to the vet. My friend refuses to see the doctor though. 

[TruthSeeker0]

On 3/20/2020 at 1:18 PM, freedwoman said:

I miss the times I felt love and safety from such a being. One that would always love me. Eternally secure me. One where I'm not ever ashamed to crawl to and be held like a baby. The only ones love which is eternal and unconditional. But even then it was never perfect. I'm not so sure why I'm posting this? Maybe to cry by pouring my heart out? Maybe to know how others feel? I've suffered many tears, and fears, for too many years. I won't lie. I miss Jesus Christ. I miss the beautiful, stunning, pure wholesome goodness of the gorgeous HOLY SPIRIT. I miss God goddammit!!! How many others feel the same way??? 

 

I have an ENTITY I pray too. But I don't even know if I believe IT exists? I could be praying to nothing? 

Uh no, I do not miss that at all, as I never felt held and comforted by a god, although maybe in my early years. Once I hit my teens and early 20s there was only a lot of questions as to why "god" was allowing all this shit in my life. And it got worse in my 30s. It felt much better when I finally figured out there was no deity to question. 

 

May I suggest something - give yourself the unconditional love and acceptance that you are craving.  Don't know how? Start with reading Leaving the Fold by psychologist Marlene Winell. 

It's not a crazy concept - you have self care and love within yourself, you just need to learn how to tap into it and heal yourself and your trauma. 

[Guest freedwoman]

20 minutes ago, TruthSeeker0 said:

Uh no, I do not miss that at all, as I never felt held and comforted by a god, although maybe in my early years. Once I hit my teens and early 20s there was only a lot of questions as to why "god" was allowing all this shit in my life. And it got worse in my 30s. It felt much better when I finally figured out there was no deity to question. 

 

May I suggest something - give yourself the unconditional love and acceptance that you are craving.  Don't know how? Start with reading Leaving the Fold by psychologist Marlene Winell. 

It's not a crazy concept - you have self care and love within yourself, you just need to learn how to tap into it and heal yourself and your trauma. 

Thank you.

[◊ Weezer ◊]

5 hours ago, freedwoman said:

 My friend refuses to see the doctor though. 

 

(At the risk of being inappropriate) 

LOL, Perhaps a cattle prod would get her motivated??

[Joshpantera]

15 hours ago, freedwoman said:

I don't pray to any God or Goddess. I pray to the Infinite. If It even exists?? 

 

Try that. The mythic gods all represent the infinite and eternal anyways. As metaphors, symbols and placeholder concepts for that which has always been, is, and will always be. They basically represent existence itself in that way. It's where people are trying to think about or imagine the totality of infinite existence 'as if' it were personified, or 'as if' the totality were a being or entity. 

 

So you should get the same results (answers to prayer or prayers not answered at all) regardless of who or what you are praying to. If it makes you feel better, pray vaguely to "The Infinite." Make the cats and your friend get better. The ratio of positive results to negative results should be identical to that of praying to the christian god. These are baby steps towards understanding the bigger picture surrounding gods and prayer a little better. 

[TABA]

 

17 hours ago, Joshpantera said:

@TABA has done stuff like this before. Experimental. Pray to Zeus, or Brahman, or something other than a judeo-christian concept.

 

 

Wow, Josh has quite a memory!  I have to be careful what I say around here...

 

I think I only mentioned this once, around three years ago...

 

On 5/28/2017 at 6:56 PM, TABA said:

Regarding prayer, I have pretty much lost any desire to pray, but on one or two occasions when things have gotten really dire,  I prayed briefly to Zeus, a god I never believed in.  I felt the same sense of vague relief that I had previously experienced in praying to the Christian God!  Another time I said a quick prayer to Satan (don't believe in him either) to see what the effect would be.  Instead of demons taking possession of me, again I felt a bit better, just as before.  So even though it's been a while since I believed that there is any god hearing and answering prayers, I realize that the act of praying can have benefits.  Now I want to be able to gain some of those benefits without praying to any imaginary deity, so I want to explore meditation.  

 

 

Prayer can certainly provide comfort at times.  I addressed those snippets of coping “prayer” to Zeus and Satan as a way of affirming my rejection of Christianity. 

 

 

[Guest freedwoman]

10 hours ago, Weezer said:

 

(At the risk of being inappropriate) 

LOL, Perhaps a cattle prod would get her motivated??

He's to stubborn. I've tried to convince him until I was blue in the face.