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Blanca · (This post was last modified: March 31, 2012 at 10:17 pm by Blanca.)

When I was super religious I had some pretty intense "religious" experiences. I struggle explaining some of them because they were not banal and they changed my life for the better. Some of those experiences led me away from religion, but not necessarily away from god. I don't really want to get into the specifics here but was just wondering, has anyone else de-coverted but struggled with unexplainable powerful experiences from their religious days?

**Minimalist** · March 31, 2012 at 10:33 pm

No. ........................

~~Creed of Heresy~~ · March 31, 2012 at 10:51 pm

(March 31, 2012 at 10:16 pm)Blanca Wrote: When I was super religious I had some pretty intense "religious" experiences. I struggle explaining some of them because they were not banal and they changed my life for the better. Some of those experiences led me away from religion, but not necessarily away from god. I don't really want to get into the specifics here but was just wondering, has anyone else de-coverted but struggled with unexplainable powerful experiences from their religious days?

Yes. It's very easy to reconcile: It's called psychological evaluation. You can even diagnose yourself with the proper amount of knowledge on the topic [like two or three years of study or so, or advanced studies in high school elective classes can also give you a rudimentary understanding].

The only question is, are you going to be intelligent enough to understand how easy it is to pick apart and simplify your experiences and how to reconcile coincidence, or are you going to cling desperately to the mere possibility that you're "special" because of these experiences, and therefore never let the logical explanations really mean anything to you?

If the former: Get an evaluation. Takes an hour, maybe $50 or so, and it'll bring you peace of mind and closure on the entire topic, thus allowing you to truly move on past religion.

If the latter: You're a tool. Big Grin

Aegrus · March 31, 2012 at 11:29 pm

No. I've had a few things happen to me that have appeared to be supernatural or miraculous, but I've always looked for and found rational explanations for them.

I've even tried praying with an open mind and reading the bible, just to test if the fundies might be correct. Nothing. I don't believe in deities of any kind, and more specifically, I'm 99.99999999999% (repeating, of course) certain that an omnipotent, omniscient god as touted by christianity doesn't exist.

Ziploc Surprise · March 31, 2012 at 11:35 pm

(March 31, 2012 at 10:16 pm)Blanca Wrote: When I was super religious I had some pretty intense "religious" experiences. I struggle explaining some of them because they were not banal and they changed my life for the better. Some of those experiences led me away from religion, but not necessarily away from god. I don't really want to get into the specifics here but was just wondering, has anyone else de-coverted but struggled with unexplainable powerful experiences from their religious days?

Yes.

Blanca · (This post was last modified: April 1, 2012 at 12:18 am by Blanca.)

(March 31, 2012 at 10:51 pm)Creed of Heresy Wrote: The only question is, are you going to be intelligent enough to understand how easy it is to pick apart and simplify your experiences and how to reconcile coincidence, or are you going to cling desperately to the mere possibility that you're "special" because of these experiences, and therefore never let the logical explanations really mean anything to you?

If the former: Get an evaluation. Takes an hour, maybe $50 or so, and it'll bring you peace of mind and closure on the entire topic, thus allowing you to truly move on past religion.

If the latter: You're a tool.

lol...I feel your logic appeals to the ego's insecurities and is not necessarily truth-seeking.

(March 31, 2012 at 11:35 pm)Ziploc Surprise Wrote: Yes.

Have you been able to make sense of it to yourself? Do you think about it often? Did it change your life? Sorry for the million questions; but I dont get to ask this of anyone and i'm really curious.

(March 31, 2012 at 11:29 pm)Aegrus Wrote: No. I've had a few things happen to me that have appeared to be supernatural or miraculous, but I've always looked for and found rational explanations for them.

I've even tried praying with an open mind and reading the bible, just to test if the fundies might be correct. Nothing. I don't believe in deities of any kind, and more specifically, I'm 99.99999999999% (repeating, of course) certain that an omnipotent, omniscient god as touted by christianity doesn't exist.

reading the bible and praying was also disastrous for me. i have found answers to most of my experiences but there is one remaining that i have not resolved.

**The Grand Nudger** · April 1, 2012 at 12:28 am

I'm fairly certain that profound and inexplicable (at least, to the party involved) events or experiences are not the sole property of the faithful/those who once had faith. I'm wondering what leap has been made to externalize them. Why invoke the great beyond (whatever that is or that means to whoever's invoking it by any name) before you need to, specifically when "the great within" is usually more than up to the task?

~~Creed of Heresy~~ · (This post was last modified: April 1, 2012 at 1:52 am by Creed of Heresy.)

Think what you want. Doesn't make it true. You can submit yourself to an examination by an individual who has spent years studying the topic of human emotional and mental workings [and who have degrees from reputable colleges in courses specializing in these fields] to figure out if your "religious experiences" were real or made up. OR you can continue to hold your delusions as being feasible. If you think that "appeals to ego" and isn't "truth-seeking," then you might as well submit that the big bang theory and the theory of evolution are pandering to the egos of the individuals who study the topics, too, and if that's the case, good luck ever coming to any valid logical conclusions; you're gonna need it.

Erinome · April 1, 2012 at 2:15 am

I never really had a religious emotional experience. I was still technically a Christian when The Passion of the Christ came out. I went with my whole family. I was the only one who didn't cry... and I'm the type that does cry because of movies. I did have some seemingly unexplainable occurrences, that blew my mind, but the human mind is so pro at convincing itself of things that it wants to believe. If you knew you were having a delusion, it wouldn't be a delusion. I'm not saying you're delusional, you seem to want to accept that there are reasonable, neurological and psychological reasons behind your experiences, and there are.

Religious indoctrination can be really tough to overcome.

~~Creed of Heresy~~ · April 1, 2012 at 2:24 am

(April 1, 2012 at 2:15 am)aleialoura Wrote: I never really had a religious emotional experience. I was still technically a Christian when The Passion of the Christ came out. I went with my whole family. I was the only one who didn't cry... and I'm the type that does cry because of movies. I did have some seemingly unexplainable occurrences, that blew my mind, but the human mind is so pro at convincing itself of things that it wants to believe. If you knew you were having a delusion, it wouldn't be a delusion. I'm not saying you're delusional, you seem to want to accept that there are reasonable, neurological and psychological reasons behind your experiences, and there are.

Religious indoctrination can be really tough to overcome.

Hey, someone else who saw the Passion and was like "Well this is really great...by, you know, torture porn standards..." Big Grin

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