Congrats on coming out! I came out about a year ago after being a life-long Christian. I only confided in my immediate family but congrats on coming out to the world :)
@AugustBloomingdale "Schizophrenic" is probably one of the most accurate words to use here. I don't think many theists realize the bind they put nonbelievers and doubters in when they insist that we BELIEVE in something that NO ONE KNOWS exists. It's like what my deceased mom used to say about the futility of lying - you gotta tell lie after lie just to cover for the first one. It's quite taxing...
@Servant2All You're taught that ignoring logic and making excuses for your religion is having strong faith, and I was cool with that. To think a virgin got pregnant or that people used to live to 900 years old didn't make sense but I was willing to believe it anyway. After a while, the absurdity piles up and I came to the conclusion that this is just highly unlikely. It's a strange world that when you start speaking facts, people look at YOU like you're the one who's crazy...lol
There IS no devil, MrTrackfeek. But I DO feel your concern. But just as you are probably taught to "hate the sin and not the sinner", I also have evolved to a point of "hating the belief and not the believer". Peace be unto you, my brother.
@AugustBloomingdale Someone commented somewhere that coming out to the world was brave. I responded that it was more about preserving my sanity. Pretending to be something that I'm not is entirely too stressful. Imagine living in a world where homosexuality is the norm, with all of us straight people having to pretend to be gay in order to be liked. Now THAT'S some stress for your ass - pun intended. Tolerance is the key to world peace...
@EmanEzone Ditto! And with this focus in mind, commUNITY is what I seek. Forming some level of consensus among multiple faiths was my goal as a pluralist theist. It remains the same - just from a different vantage point. If I can "minister" to all factions to agree on the relevance, universality - and COMMON THREAD - of MY only "god", the spirit of love, we would be halfway there.
@soulwolf233 I checked out a few minutes. Can't say it's high on my list of priorities, but I'll probably get around to giving it a few more minutes...
@Mrcharlestaylor1 I checked out a few minutes. Can't say it's high on my list of priorities, but I'll probably get around to giving it a few more minutes...
@infernus024 Thanks. It's good to be embraced by new friends when you KNOW that some old ones will forsake you because of an inability to believe as THEY believe. ...but I suspect there will be issues within the atheist commUNITY as well. Already some have pontificated on what is "proprietary atheism" just as my many christian friends used to pontificate on what constituted a "proprietary christian".
I so can identify with your plight and innerstand everything that you are saying and going through. I would like to offer up to you is to find your center. The way that I found mine was leaving religion, stop reading the bible and clearing my mind and body through fasting. Through about six months I thought that I was going through pure hell because I was purging and everything was falling apart around me. But the higher self or being or god did speak and will speak to you as well. Then you can make your covenant with your teacher or guide that comes to you. Purging the mind body and soul is the key to finding what you are looking for. Peace unto you beloved.
@EmanEzone I believe both gods and devils to be anthropomorphic symbols of perceived good and bad values/virtues/ethics/morals/traits/characteristics, etc.
@Servant2All I know what you mean. I'm still at the point where I don't wanna talk about my current beliefs to my old church friends because in their minds, it would seem as if I've lost my mind. But pretending to agree with the Christian religion (or any religion) when I have strong reservations causes it's own stresses. Little by little, I'm becoming more vocal about my beliefs. It may seem a little schizophrenic to some but being a hypocrite is far worse :)
@AugustBloomingdale Correctamundo! How the hell IS that. religions [virtually all of them] have the most incredulous stories and the NON-believer is the one who is put on the spot for not believing the incredulity! That is NOT rational. It's the result of mass hypnosis of some sort. Where the incredible is considered worthy of faith. But brainwashing, where those NOT believing are taught to be possessed of an evil spirit, will do that!
You need to focus on one faith and grow on that, running out the kitchen every time there is a fire is a huge problem, its believing in everything but supporting none. Christian is much more than theism, its much more than faith, and its much more than spirituality. Its the completed and glorified form of faith, that is a seed but ends up a huge everlasting tree and absolutely powerful roots, so powerful that this tree cannot be burned down or can be stuck by lightening. Its an immortal tree.
Dearest Brother I believe that this Master has given me complete knowledge that you have imparted to me and others, Continue to stand for Truth and Consciousness of Eternal Life already endowed to us by our Creator. Keep it a 100. Your Sister in Love and Truth. Jackie/aka/Surayyah Salaam If you get a chance check out Sri Mooji on You Tube,Powerful!
Thank you! I agree. It's sad that people are taught that religion is about believing in a magical, supernatural being. Does God exist? It's the wrong question.
