What do I do with this?

[surferdude]

 

 

[TABA]

Hi @surferdude, I’m glad you stopped by!  This is a great community, for sure.  
 

I assume you are just having some scrupulosity issues, as opposed to thinking Christianity might actually be true?  You know it’s not, right?

 

No doubt there is wisdom in the Bible, no denying that.  Even if that wisdom comes from humans, not some god.  
And I think one way there’s wisdom is in cautioning about pursuit of money and material things.  Nobody on their death bed wishes they’d spend more time in pursuit of riches or even career advancement.   Yeah, you need a minimum to live on and keep the wolf from the door, but after that the best things in life really are free, or at least can’t be bought: the love of a mate, friendships, appreciation of nature and  this amazing planet we live on.  
 

The good thing about being deconverted though is we can cut ourselves some slack.  We don’t have to worry about sin, looking forward instead of backward, but we can still try to live more in accordance with our values.

 

What values?  Personally speaking, since deconverting I’ve found it very helpful to look into some of the old Greco-Roman philosophies like Stoicism and Epicureanism.  Either one can give you principles to live by, without the guilt and cognitive dissonance that Christianity conjures up.  

[◊ Weezer ◊]

58 minutes ago, surferdude said:

 How do I know for sure? It's as if I'm trying to crack the code or something. It sucks!!

 

Thankfully I've begun the journey of therapy and want recovery more than anything! 

Casey

 

 

It is good that you have started therapy.  And remember that the Bible is Just a bunch of myths written by humans who wanted to control what people did.  What you do with your money is your choice, and since you are wanting to do the right thing, that is likely what you will do.  So Don't worry.

[freshstart]

3 hours ago, surferdude said:

Matthew 19:24. Again I tell you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. 

I don't know if this helps, but some say the word "camel" was a mis-translation for the original word, which should have been "rope." Therefore, while difficult, it is not impossible to be rich and also enter the kingdom of God - in the same way that it would be difficult (but not impossible) to pass a rope (presumably unraveled) through the eye of a needle.  Of course none of this matters to an ex-Christian who does not believe in a literal kingdom of God. 

https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/aramaic-thoughts.html?article=224