logain
Junior Member
Posts: 66
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Post by logain on Feb 9, 2015 0:10:52 GMT -5
Not sure if this is where I should post this topic or not but here goes.
A friend of mine who left "Truth" several years ago phoned me recently. She was pretty broken up due to a recent tragedy she has suffered in her life; so much so that she has begun to question whether or not God is "punishing" her for her choice to leave the meetings.
She phoned me since she knows that while I am still a "2x2" I am not as typically hardcore or dogmatic as the average member is. As a member in good standing of "Truth" I enjoy the close bond of fellowship with others but don't harbour any illusions of grandiosity being "Gods only people". My personal view is much broader and constantly changing as my knowledge base grows.
My question arises when I wonder how others have gone from being raised in "Truth" and embracing it (to varying degrees) to then choosing an atheist or agnostic outlook in life. (As my friend has done)
How do you respond to a crisis moment in life?
How do you overcome the primal urge to pray or to call upon some higher power when in great distress? When a person has been "trained" (as typical to 2x2 or like religious upbringing) its very hard to overcome this "hardwired" response in the face of tragedy or great need. Just as the Jesuit boast "Give me a boy until he is seven and I will give you a man"; much of our life's outlook is formed by influences at an early age. How can "brainwashing" be overcome?
How have others successfully overcome the baggage of an overtly religious upbringing?
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Post by withlove on Feb 9, 2015 0:41:37 GMT -5
I have heard people who have left other sects (some Christian and some not) say that the brainwashing is something they have to fight their whole life. No matter how well they understand the facts, there sometimes is the haunting guilt and fear and belief that they are evil or lost. But still they are so relieved to be out.
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Post by Mary on Feb 9, 2015 1:05:53 GMT -5
Your friend also has that guilt and fear that God is punishing her for leaving meetings or as you say is having trouble overcoming the 'brainwashing'. Sorry no answer here but the feelings were similar when leaving meetings and going to another church which some in meetings would say is worse than not believing in God at all. It was hard. I did not leave God though, it was the opposite, I found Him.
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Post by Lee on Feb 9, 2015 2:01:57 GMT -5
Tell her to read the Gospels. Tell her to read the whole Bible for context. Encourage her to identify with the trials and tribulation of our Saviour. Even as the lair of the 2x2 is, this world is not our home.
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Post by placid-void on Feb 9, 2015 2:35:20 GMT -5
Good evening Logain. I am an old man who should be fast asleep but I happened to be awake and noticed your post. I would like to respond from an old man’s perspective (B&R, long time ex, agnostic, still trying to figure out what it all means).
First let me express my sorrow for the suffering your friend is experiencing at this time. Tragedies of one nature or another seem to visit each of us at some time in life and about the only tangible things any of us have to hold onto at those moments are our family and friends who stand by to console and comfort us. My very first thought as I read your post was that probably your friend called you for just that reason, she knew you would be there and that you would listen and understand no matter what. It is not my place to say but I will anyway, it is a testament to your capacity to listen and understand that she called you at this time.
Here is how I think about the “Is God punishing me?” question. At the time of a tragedy, nearly every normal person goes through a series of steps of grieving and one of those steps is to find someone to blame. Someone “must be held responsible” for the tragedy. God is responsible. I am responsible, the doctor is responsible. Etc. But that is just momentary grief lashing out needing someone to blame. In time we all learn that blaming is just another form of magical thinking. Sad things do happen to good people and no one is to blame, it is just a part of life.
From my perspective, I would try to dissuade (very gently) your friend from linking the tragedy with her decision to leave the meetings. (Yes, I have also been to convention and heard those stories preached from the platform. But let's set that aside and quietly think about this situation.) They are two separate and unrelated experiences in her life.
If possible, it is often best to remain in the moment of one’s own grief, experience that grief as deeply and sincerely as possible, know that you are loved and know that you will survive and know that there will be another bright day as you slowly emerge from the grief.
Finally, some thoughts on all of the ideas and concepts that sometimes get jumbled together and bundled up: 2X2, leave the meetings, “Truth”, agnostic, “hard-wired”, brainwashing, fellowship, religious upbringing, punishing, higher power, and on and on. I believe that each and every one of these ideas is important and worthy of deep and honest thought.
Each idea/concept is a real and important thread that runs through the fabric of each of our lives but I believe that great harm can be done if all of the threads are wadded up together and then we try to “yank” them out of our lives. When I tried to do that, I found I was creating a very strong rope that eventually would have strangled the life out of any love, compassion or understanding I might have. I found it was better for me to tease each thread out separately, look at it carefully and try to understand what it had meant to me or could mean to me later in life and then remove those few that no longer were useful for me, hold on to those that were useful for me and perhaps I even “repurposed” some of those threads that were strong and robust but pulled me in a new direction.
I don’t honestly think there is a whole lot of difference between the way you (in the F&W Fellowship) and I (an agnostic outside the fellowship) would “respond to a crisis moment in life”. We both would experience pain, we both would grieve or be sorrowful, we both would seek out family, friends and loved ones, we both would be sustained by some form of faith that life is rich in joy, sorrow, passion, suffering, beauty, learning and wisdom. You might express your faith a little differently than I would but we both ultimately share the same types of joys and sorrows. There is more that binds together than pulls apart. We are all, in the end, just humans trying to do the best we know how.
My very best wishes to you and your friend at this trying time.
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Post by BobWilliston on Feb 9, 2015 2:35:30 GMT -5
It sounds to me like your friend is neither atheist nor agnostic -- if she's worried about God punishing her for leaving anything. You can't comfort anyone who believes they are being punished by God for what they continue to do.
She has really put you in a position to share some of her guilt too, because she has made you feel responsible for answering questions that she has to take responsibility for herself.
You can't do anything for her, aside from maintaining your friendship and encouraging her to (1) identify what her real fear is, and to (2) remove the cause of the fear. If that doesn't work, she probably needs grief counseling, or some such therapy.
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Post by Mary on Feb 9, 2015 3:05:06 GMT -5
Maybe reading some of the stories of why people left on TLC might help your friend. Has she seen the websites. thelibertyconnection.info/
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2015 4:53:28 GMT -5
Good evening Logain. I am an old man who should be fast asleep but I happened to be awake and noticed your post. I would like to respond from an old man’s perspective (B&R, long time ex, agnostic, still trying to figure out what it all means). First let me express my sorrow for the suffering your friend is experiencing at this time. Tragedies of one nature or another seem to visit each of us at some time in life and about the only tangible things any of us have to hold onto at those moments are our family and friends who stand by to console and comfort us. My very first thought as I read your post was that probably your friend called you for just that reason, she knew you would be there and that you would listen and understand no matter what. It is not my place to say but I will anyway, it is a testament to your capacity to listen and understand that she called you at this time. Here is how I think about the “Is God punishing me?” question. At the time of a tragedy, nearly every normal person goes through a series of steps of grieving and one of those steps is to find someone to blame. Someone “must be held responsible” for the tragedy. God is responsible. I am responsible, the doctor is responsible. Etc. But that is just momentary grief lashing out needing someone to blame. In time we all learn that blaming is just another form of magical thinking. Sad things do happen to good people and no one is to blame, it is just a part of life. From my perspective, I would try to dissuade (very gently) your friend from linking the tragedy with her decision to leave the meetings. (Yes, I have also been to convention and heard those stories preached from the platform. But let's set that aside and quietly think about this situation.) They are two separate and unrelated experiences in her life. If possible, it is often best to remain in the moment of one’s own grief, experience that grief as deeply and sincerely as possible, know that you are loved and know that you will survive and know that there will be another bright day as you slowly emerge from the grief. Finally, some thoughts on all of the ideas and concepts that sometimes get jumbled together and bundled up: 2X2, leave the meetings, “Truth”, agnostic, “hard-wired”, brainwashing, fellowship, religious upbringing, punishing, higher power, and on and on. I believe that each and every one of these ideas is important and worthy of deep and honest thought. Each idea/concept is a real and important thread that runs through the fabric of each of our lives but I believe that great harm can be done if all of the threads are wadded up together and then we try to “yank” them out of our lives. When I tried to do that, I found I was creating a very strong rope that eventually would have strangled the life out of any love, compassion or understanding I might have. I found it was better for me to tease each thread out separately, look at it carefully and try to understand what it had meant to me or could mean to me later in life and then remove those few that no longer were useful for me, hold on to those that were useful for me and perhaps I even “repurposed” some of those threads that were strong and robust but pulled me in a new direction. I don’t honestly think there is a whole lot of difference between the way you (in the F&W Fellowship) and I (an agnostic outside the fellowship) would “respond to a crisis moment in life”. We both would experience pain, we both would grieve or be sorrowful, we both would seek out family, friends and loved ones, we both would be sustained by some form of faith that life is rich in joy, sorrow, passion, suffering, beauty, learning and wisdom. You might express your faith a little differently than I would but we both ultimately share the same types of joys and sorrows. There is more that binds together than pulls apart. We are all, in the end, just humans trying to do the best we know how. My very best wishes to you and your friend at this trying time. Yknot, very sound advice, I fully support and endorse what you have presented here, very well thought out and presented void of any bias. I congratulate you and sincerely hope that this will bring comfort and encouragement to those to whom it has been addressed and others too. Well done,we can all learn from it if we take it to heart.
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Post by rational on Feb 9, 2015 10:02:30 GMT -5
I cannot address your friends questions as she struggles regarding her belief in god or in how her god might act. My question arises when I wonder how others have gone from being raised in "Truth" and embracing it (to varying degrees) to then choosing an atheist or agnostic outlook in life. (As my friend has done) How do you respond to a crisis moment in life? If you are an atheist you respond to a crisis with the tools you have. If you are fortunate and have friends and family they can be very helpful. This is a learned behavior. It is not primal/innate. If you do not believe there is a 'higher power' no matter what happens you do not reach out to the 'higher power' you do not believe in. One way is to objectively look into the results that you have experienced when reaching out to a 'higher power' and see if they are different than random chance. A lifetime of training is difficult to overcome. Humans are complex. And then there is the guilt! I think I was fortunate because I never believed there was a higher power. I asked the questions and the answers never supported the theist claims. There are others who post here that have made the theist -> atheist transition.
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Post by snow on Feb 9, 2015 14:32:09 GMT -5
My heart goes out to your friend because I know how hard the transition can be. Most of us that have left have all likely had some level of fear in doing that. I was quite young so I was still required to go to all the meetings and be among the friends and all the time them trying to get me back into the fold. It was a scary time and I was quite sure I was going to hell for leaving. I think the thing that helped me was to view the world as it really was. Truth is, bad things happen to good people no matter what they believe. Ynot said it well and so did Rational. I agree it is something they will have to work out on their own. But I also agree that once you have reached a point where you know there is no higher power to help you or punish you, then you reach within for the tools you have learned to cope with. It's an interesting and freeing place to get to when you finally realize that's what you have been doing all the time anyway. It wasn't the prayer, it wasn't a higher power, it was you reaching deep inside for the strength that is us and realizing we can do it. It is the most wonderful realization and so empowering. So I am so glad they have you to support them, they will need that until they trust themselves to be able to have the strength to put the whole idea that God is punishing them behind them.
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Post by dmmichgood on Feb 9, 2015 20:07:15 GMT -5
Not sure if this is where I should post this topic or not but here goes. A friend of mine who left "Truth" several years ago phoned me recently. She was pretty broken up due to a recent tragedy she has suffered in her life; so much so that she has begun to question whether or not God is "punishing" her for her choice to leave the meetings. She phoned me since she knows that while I am still a "2x2" I am not as typically hardcore or dogmatic as the average member is. As a member in good standing of "Truth" I enjoy the close bond of fellowship with others but don't harbour any illusions of grandiosity being "Gods only people". My personal view is much broader and constantly changing as my knowledge base grows. My question arises when I wonder how others have gone from being raised in "Truth" and embracing it (to varying degrees) to then choosing an atheist or agnostic outlook in life. (As my friend has done) How do you respond to a crisis moment in life? How do you overcome the primal urge to pray or to call upon some higher power when in great distress? When a person has been "trained" (as typical to 2x2 or like religious upbringing) its very hard to overcome this "hardwired" response in the face of tragedy or great need. Just as the Jesuit boast "Give me a boy until he is seven and I will give you a man"; much of our life's outlook is formed by influences at an early age. How can "brainwashing" be overcome? How have others successfully overcome the baggage of an overtly religious upbringing? I do agree with yknot, that the her decision to leave the meetings & the tragedy that happened are two separate and unrelated experiences in her life.
Maybe we just think they are connected because we human beings are intentional beings. We tend to think that everything that happens is also intentional & must be connected.
They aren't!
An airplane goes down & 700 people are killed.
Was all 700 people killed because of something they did in their past? (other that getting on the same plane)
It is good that you are a friend to whom this person feels free to bring her grief.
Overcoming the baggage of such as we had in the *truth* is probably a lot more difficult than for a lot of other religions, because it WAS our life!
Others had a life outside their church. We didn't. In fact we were not supposed to have any life outside.
Just that fact alone made a huge vacuum in our lives when we left.
I didn't even know what to do with my time because so much of it had been spent in the *truth.*
I had a period of just seeming to be in limbo- no where to go, nothing to do. It sort of seemed I was just waiting until life would be over.
I had invested all those years in something I no longer believed, what was I invest it into now?
Took a while, but as I begin to search I find a goal & am quite happy now.
Never do I feel "punished" for leaving. In fact I am glad I left when my children were young & were not influenced by any religion.
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Post by matisse on Feb 9, 2015 20:40:24 GMT -5
During the period in which my meeting attendance had become sketchy but I still believed in god, I would sometimes wake up in a cold sweat wondering if I was making a huge mistake. After losing my belief in the existence of god, I faced a tremendous sense of loss and grief, but not once in the 30 years of life that have come at me since then have I had any urge to "call on god" or have I wondered if god might be punishing me. It just isn't at all a consideration for me.
I used to resent the imagery and ideas that seemed permanently etched on my "insides" from my early childhood exposure within the 2x2's. I have made peace with these things and in many cases have "re-purposed" them in ways that are in harmony with my present point of view. I like, for example, the saying "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you" because at some level it is true to my experience. As others have mentioned in describing their experience, I have become aware of inner resources that have always been available to me, only now I see them as residing within me - a natural part of being a human being - instead of coming from some outside supernatural source. I echo the references others have made to the resources we have to draw on within our families, among our friends and the community around us. All of these things took time for me to discover for myself. I think it would have been helpful for me to hear about the experiences of others who had gone through a similar process, but I lost my faith back when people who left meetings generally disappeared never to be seen or heard from again!
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Post by snow on Feb 9, 2015 21:23:40 GMT -5
In some ways, finding TMB and TLC on the internet brought back a lot of issues I didn't even know I had. So after 40 years of not professing and 34 of not attending meetings, I found there were things I hadn't even been aware of that I had stuffed away and not looked at. Coming on here brought a lot of it back, things I'd forgotten, learned new things I hadn't even known about the group etc. I actually went through an angry grieving stage when I found out about William Irvine and the way my parents were deceived. I had to work through that part of it which I have pretty much done, but there are still regrets that my childhood was spent alienated from my parents and at odds with their beliefs. It was like living a dual life. They weren't people I could go to if I needed to talk about things I didn't understand because I walked in the 'world' and they didn't. I can't imagine what it was like for them to have me leave because of their belief of their way being the only way to salvation and heaven. To know, or believe you know, that your child would spend eternity in torture must have been a hard thing for them to deal with. Such beliefs divide families and cause unnecessary pain and suffering imo. I wish no religion taught about a punishing God and if anything is wrong with religion, that just has to be one of the things that is.
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jj
Junior Member
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Post by jj on Feb 12, 2015 0:19:50 GMT -5
My heart goes out to your friend because I know how hard the transition can be. Most of us that have left have all likely had some level of fear in doing that. I was quite young so I was still required to go to all the meetings and be among the friends and all the time them trying to get me back into the fold. It was a scary time and I was quite sure I was going to hell for leaving. I think the thing that helped me was to view the world as it really was. Truth is, bad things happen to good people no matter what they believe. Ynot said it well and so did Rational. I agree it is something they will have to work out on their own. But I also agree that once you have reached a point where you know there is no higher power to help you or punish you, then you reach within for the tools you have learned to cope with. It's an interesting and freeing place to get to when you finally realize that's what you have been doing all the time anyway. It wasn't the prayer, it wasn't a higher power, it was you reaching deep inside for the strength that is us and realizing we can do it. It is the most wonderful realization and so empowering. So I am so glad they have you to support them, they will need that until they trust themselves to be able to have the strength to put the whole idea that God is punishing them behind them. I feel like I could have written a lot of this myself. Except I was brought up in an atheist home, then professed, left meetings, then later got to the place where I realised if there was nothing, that's ok. It scared the crap out of me, it was like looking into a void. But later I had freedom and peace. I take comfort in logic and science, everything has an underlying cause. The world doesn't seem as scary anymore somehow
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logain
Junior Member
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Post by logain on Feb 12, 2015 11:30:32 GMT -5
Thank you all for the thoughts
I didn't try to sway or persuade her one direction or another. Just tried to encourage her and cheer her up.
I did tell her that decisions made under duress or great mental strain are often regretted later on.
The whole situation was an eye opener for me, realizing how much of an effect the situation of our upbringing has on our life. I very much admire this lady, she has a brilliant mind (highly educated) and has done well in life since leaving Truth but despite all of that, when under duress, the "programming" of her formative years still breaks through.
We are familiar with religious people having a crisis of faith, but they don't have a monopoly on that it would seem.
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Post by xna on Feb 12, 2015 14:09:30 GMT -5
Not sure if this is where I should post this topic or not but here goes. A friend of mine who left "Truth" several years ago phoned me recently. She was pretty broken up due to a recent tragedy she has suffered in her life; so much so that she has begun to question whether or not God is "punishing" her for her choice to leave the meetings. She phoned me since she knows that while I am still a "2x2" I am not as typically hardcore or dogmatic as the average member is. As a member in good standing of "Truth" I enjoy the close bond of fellowship with others but don't harbour any illusions of grandiosity being "Gods only people". My personal view is much broader and constantly changing as my knowledge base grows. My question arises when I wonder how others have gone from being raised in "Truth" and embracing it (to varying degrees) to then choosing an atheist or agnostic outlook in life. (As my friend has done) How do you respond to a crisis moment in life? How do you overcome the primal urge to pray or to call upon some higher power when in great distress? When a person has been "trained" (as typical to 2x2 or like religious upbringing) its very hard to overcome this "hardwired" response in the face of tragedy or great need. Just as the Jesuit boast "Give me a boy until he is seven and I will give you a man"; much of our life's outlook is formed by influences at an early age. How can "brainwashing" be overcome? How have others successfully overcome the baggage of an overtly religious upbringing? Everyone is unique and deals with life in their way, as best they can. For myself, I don't think I will totally overcome all the baggage of religion. I have gone thru phases and now see my experience with the 2x2 as helping me to know more about myself than I may have otherwise done. All and all I would have rather avoided the whole 2x2 experience. However, at some point in life you begin to appreciate your life for what it is and was, both the good and bad, and learn from it. When hard times come, it's natural to examine what you believe. It's a good time to check why you believe what you do. Are your beliefs based on sound reasons? Does the world work the way your belief says the world works? Are your thoughts and action in agreement with your beliefs? If there were no gods would the world be or act different? If only one sect was true would the world work different? To better understand your belief, it helps to look at others with different beliefs. If you look at other sects, or even other non Christian religions you will see common patterns. When you see different beliefs that all can't be true, are they all just different delusions? It's much easier to see the wrong beliefs and thinking in others, vs yourself. My goal is to hold beliefs which most closely match reality, and as few beliefs as possible which are not based on reality. The better my beliefs match reality, the less frustration and dead ends I will make in my life's journey. Desire to know what is true, and believe as few false ideas as possible. To do this, you must examine each belief you hold. When new and better information comes, be willing to accept a new belief. The more you question, the more you learn. If you live long enough most everyone will face a few life or death events, and yet live thru them! These times can better define who you are. For myself, when I have gone under the knife and did not know if I would come out alive, I was at peace knowing that my beliefs were based on an examined life, and I had acted in agreement with what I believe. I have come to understand that we don't choose what we believe, but our beliefs can be better understood from living a more examined life. I don't know of any short cuts. If you have doubts, then you are thinking. Blind faith without thinking, has no doubts. Everyones life has it's best and worst moments. Others may seem to have greater best or worst moments than you, but each have best and worst moments that are equally as real for each. None can escape life's best and worst moments. I would be happy to share more of my personal journey, privately with your friend.
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Post by snow on Feb 12, 2015 19:30:10 GMT -5
Thank you all for the thoughts I didn't try to sway or persuade her one direction or another. Just tried to encourage her and cheer her up. I did tell her that decisions made under duress or great mental strain are often regretted later on. The whole situation was an eye opener for me, realizing how much of an effect the situation of our upbringing has on our life. I very much admire this lady, she has a brilliant mind (highly educated) and has done well in life since leaving Truth but despite all of that, when under duress, the "programming" of her formative years still breaks through. We are familiar with religious people having a crisis of faith, but they don't have a monopoly on that it would seem. It really is an eye opener isn't it. I had mine when my aunt phoned me one day after being diagnosed with bone cancer. She was in her mid 80's. Had never professed. But she grew up in a 'divided' home, her mom professed, but her dad didn't. So you can imagine my surprise when she called me and asked me what I thought about her finding the workers and professing. Did I think it was something she should do. My mom was the only one in the family that ever professed other than their mother. So I guess she felt I might know more about it because my parent's professed. So this is a woman that never professed, had a father that never professed and she lived her whole life not in the fellowship. Yet when she had a life crisis, it's what she thought of. So it gave me some good insight into just how deep these early beliefs can reach. I know I will never be completely rid of their influence either. I have to question some of the things I do still. It takes work to let it all go. How is she doing btw.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2015 12:29:21 GMT -5
Not sure if this is where I should post this topic or not but here goes. ... My question arises when I wonder how others have gone from being raised in "Truth" and embracing it (to varying degrees) to then choosing an atheist or agnostic outlook in life. (As my friend has done) How do you respond to a crisis moment in life? How do you overcome the primal urge to pray or to call upon some higher power when in great distress? When a person has been "trained" (as typical to 2x2 or like religious upbringing) its very hard to overcome this "hardwired" response in the face of tragedy or great need. Just as the Jesuit boast "Give me a boy until he is seven and I will give you a man"; much of our life's outlook is formed by influences at an early age. How can "brainwashing" be overcome? How have others successfully overcome the baggage of an overtly religious upbringing? Wow! what a wonderful letter. Yes, I think this is an appropriate place to pose ideas or questions like yours, and get some feedback. Concerning the dilemma of not believing but needing a God to cry out to.., I find honesty to be the key to being at peace with both ideas. It's a way for me to have both. For example I can not honestly believe in, and don't feel it would be honest to pretend to believe in the Christian God as commonly constructed. The God I believe in respects that honesty. Really, wouldn't want it any other way between us. So that's the God I, as you would say, primally, uncontrollably, pray to in times of trouble. It is the "feeling", or the belief, or the Spirit I came to know in my upbringing as a 2x2. It's the God I stood up for when the question was asked... if God has been speaking to your heart, and you'd like to make it known to others...
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Post by dmmichgood on Feb 21, 2015 16:19:13 GMT -5
Everyone is unique and deals with life in their way, as best they can. For myself, I don't think I will totally overcome all the baggage of religion. I have gone thru phases and now see my experience with the 2x2 as helping me to know more about myself than I may have otherwise done. All and all I would have rather avoided the whole 2x2 experience. However, at some point in life you begin to appreciate your life for what it is and was, both the good and bad, and learn from it. When hard times come, it's natural to examine what you believe.
It's a good time to check why you believe what you do. Are your beliefs based on sound reasons?
Does the world work the way your belief says the world works?
Are your thoughts and action in agreement with your beliefs?
If there were no gods would the world be or act different?
If only one sect was true would the world work different?
To better understand your belief, it helps to look at others with different beliefs. If you look at other sects, or even other non Christian religions you will see common patterns. When you see different beliefs that all can't be true, are they all just different delusions? It's much easier to see the wrong beliefs and thinking in others, vs yourself. My goal is to hold beliefs which most closely match reality, and as few beliefs as possible which are not based on reality.
The better my beliefs match reality, the less frustration and dead ends I will make in my life's journey.
Desire to know what is true, and believe as few false ideas as possible.
To do this, you must examine each belief you hold.
When new and better information comes, be willing to accept a new belief.
The more you question, the more you learn. If you live long enough most everyone will face a few life or death events, and yet live thru them! These times can better define who you are. For myself, when I have gone under the knife and did not know if I would come out alive, I was at peace knowing that my beliefs were based on an examined life, and I had acted in agreement with what I believe. I have come to understand that we don't choose what we believe, but our beliefs can be better understood from living a more examined life. I don't know of any short cuts. If you have doubts, then you are thinking. Blind faith without thinking, has no doubts. Everyones life has it's best and worst moments. Others may seem to have greater best or worst moments than you, but each have best and worst moments that are equally as real for each. None can escape life's best and worst moments. I would be happy to share more of my personal journey, privately with your friend. Xna! Your post is absolutely great!
They are so much like the questions that I asked myself!
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