I need major help with my Christian Family

[emilynghiem]

I was only trying to get you to see that your parents love you, through all they've done for you, I haven't asked you to change your mind about your non-belief, as far as I'm concerned that's something you'll need to do, but it will effect your relationship with your family sooner or later, that you can count on. I'm only trying to give you something to consider about your decision, it's your life, just be ready to live it.

im not changing, and I can see you have shitty parents, my friends are christian and they suddenly dont hate me because of my beliefs, so why would my parents?

this is healthy and ideal to have friends and family who accept each other and aren't scared of differences. I met an atheist who studied regularly with a Catholic Bible study and they all got along great. One of my favorite atheist friends actively teaches forgiveness and abundance in grace in life, the same as Christians teach, but as part of Natural laws and just common sense to stay sane, and he doesn't believe in, need, or use the Bible God or Jesus to teach the same things about forgiveness, healing and maintaining sane healthy relationships.

the Bible explains there are going to be secular gentiles who follow the law by nature or conscience, and these become a law unto themselves. And that Jesus said he governs the gentiles as another fold of the same flock. the natural laws are consistent and help check the spiritual laws; and there doesn't need to be this phobic conflict or fear going on.

people are funny!

---

Er, no. There is no evidence whatsoever of any of these "alternative" treatments having any effect at all beyond a placebo. Sorry.

(Anecdotes are not evidence.)

Placebo's don't work. Just ask any alcoholic or pedophile addict if just "wishing or wanting" to change was enough.

The real deep spiritual healing work takes forgiving anything and everything connected to the abuse or addiction that someone is trying to overcome. It can take 10 to 25 years, to go through all the layers, so this is not some light wishing, placebo effect or any magic ritual that's going to change deep rooted sickness.

I also want to see how deep this spiritual healing can go.
If pedophiles can be cured, that would change this idea that such people just need to be "killed off" like lepers who were once deemed incureable.

I would still detain dangerous criminals, but what if science could detect these illnesses in the mind in advance (like detecting if cancer is benign or malignant or terminal) BEFORE someone kills or tortures an innocent victim. Science could really help take the stigma and myth out of this whole field of studying the cause and cure of such illness.

As for objective formal research and study, as long as the only people even looking into this field seriously are all Christians who go around healing people and don't require medical proof to share it with others, then the research isn't being done.

it would require objective science-minded people getting involved and making sure the research studies are done right. So this is where I believe we are heading, finding the right people to work together and make sure it is done by valid professional standards.

And yes, proving the difference in effects between "positive and negative" energy could also be done by science, by developing technological means of measuring the difference in energy and studying the effects on either causing or curing sick symptoms, or facilitating healing or blocking it.

Even without measuring the energy physically (which I believe will come later with technological advances), I would also offer that observations and statistics can be documents on the effects reported of forgiveness or unforgiveness "correlating with" the ability of people to resolve their conflicts and "heal" their relationships. This can even be shown to be "independent of religious or political affiliation" and show that Christians who don't forgive have more problems than atheists who do forgive, etc.

This may not be a "causal" relationship (between forgiveness and resolving conflicts, and between unforgiveness/rejection and failing at reconciliation and consensus) but it can probably show "correlation" and encourage people to study that relationship further.

Thanks @robvalue I am recommending this forum and your blog to an atheist friend of mine who is completely unhappy with how people approach these things, and wants something else. he is very creative and has a wonderful sense of humor, if he can find the right audience to share it with, so I am hoping he will fit in and be happier by finding his niche!

[robvalue]

Oh, thanks Emily! That's kind of you I look forward to meeting him. Hope he likes my blog! I did a bit more on it today.

That's good to see you pushing for science to be involved. If proper scientific tests demonstrate there is something there, then we'll all learn something. I don't intend to be mean when I say there's no evidence, it's just the truth. I'm always happy to consider new evidence.

[Mister Agenda]

Placebo's don't work. Just ask any alcoholic or pedophile addict if just "wishing or wanting" to change was enough.

Placebos have a measurable effect, which a new medication has to demonstrate that it's stonger than in order to get FDA approval. Do you care if the things you say are actually true?

The real deep spiritual healing work takes forgiving anything and everything connected to the abuse or addiction that someone is trying to overcome. It can take 10 to 25 years, to go through all the layers, so this is not some light wishing, placebo effect or any magic ritual that's going to change deep rooted sickness.

Anything can change in 10 to 25 years. If it takes that long, how can you be sure it's your 'deep spiritual healing work' that should get the credit instead of time? What method doesn't work if you make a sincere effort for 25 years?

I also want to see how deep this spiritual healing can go.

Then you should find a way to do a double-blind study with a large sample size of diverse people so you can make sure you aren't influencing the finding with unconscious bias or being deceived by a statistical fluke.

If pedophiles can be cured, that would change this idea that such people just need to be "killed off" like lepers who were once deemed incureable.

Pedophiles should not be 'killed off', but you should not trust your own judgment that you've cured one. If you're mistaken, a child will pay for it.

I would still detain dangerous criminals, but what if science could detect these illnesses in the mind in advance (like detecting if cancer is benign or malignant or terminal) BEFORE someone kills or tortures an innocent victim. Science could really help take the stigma and myth out of this whole field of studying the cause and cure of such illness.

Yes, science has the potential to do that, because science is based on making sure something actually works and progresses by discarding things that don't work.

As for objective formal research and study, as long as the only people even looking into this field seriously are all Christians who go around healing people and don't require medical proof to share it with others, then the research isn't being done.

It isn't being done because the people doing don't want it done. That's what I figured.

It would require objective science-minded people getting involved and making sure the research studies are done right.

One well-documented restoration of an amputated limb would definitely get them interested.

So this is where I believe we are heading, finding the right people to work together and make sure it is done by valid professional standards.

I hope something good comes of it.

And yes, proving the difference in effects between "positive and negative" energy could also be done by science, by developing technological means of measuring the difference in energy and studying the effects on either causing or curing sick symptoms, or facilitating healing or blocking it.

All you have to do to get scientists interested in detecting the energy is to demonstrate that it affects something. That's how we found dark energy, even though we don't know for sure what it is.

Even without measuring the energy physically (which I believe will come later with technological advances), I would also offer that observations and statistics can be documents on the effects reported of forgiveness or unforgiveness "correlating with" the ability of people to resolve their conflicts and "heal" their relationships.

I'm on board with forgiveness being a good thing, as long as you save it for people who are good for you.

This can even be shown to be "independent of religious or political affiliation" and show that Christians who don't forgive have more problems than atheists who do forgive, etc.

I'm naturally forgiving and find it a good way to be, with the caveat that some people see forgiveness as an invitation to repeat their bad bahavior.

This may not be a "causal" relationship (between forgiveness and resolving conflicts, and between unforgiveness/rejection and failing at reconciliation and consensus) but it can probably show "correlation" and encourage people to study that relationship further.

The causal connection seems pretty obvious to me. You seem to be overly skeptical about easily demonstrated things and 'underly skeptical' about things you should be very skeptical about. It's not the 'forgiveness is an important part of healing relationships' stuff we're having trouble swallowing.

Thanks @robvalue I am recommending this forum and your blog to an atheist friend of mine who is completely unhappy with how people approach these things, and wants something else. he is very creative and has a wonderful sense of humor, if he can find the right audience to share it with, so I am hoping he will fit in and be happier by finding his niche!

I know I may come off as critical with the way I dissect your statements, but you seem to be a person with a kind attitude, and that counts for a lot, Welcome to our forum. I hope you like it here.

[Brakeman]

..
What I find is the issue is not Christian vs. nonchristian
or theist vs. nontheist

It is Forgiveness vs. Unforgiveness.

As long as people accept each other and forgive differences,
we can work things out in the same spirit of truth and love
whether we are theist nontheist, Christian nonchristian, etc.

If people CANNOT forgive differences, even two Christians will argue and not resolve it, two theists, two atheists, etc.

The first step is to forgive and let go of fear of changing each other.
And then whatever is needed to resolve conflicts follows naturally.

Where Christianity helps with forgiveness, then that is central and true.
But where Christians can't even forgive, that is self-defeating and false.

Forgiveness??? For what infraction? Why would an atheist have to ask a christian for forgiveness for not believing in their god claim?

Should we atheists say sorry for the all of the contradictions, the evil, the plagiarized parts of the bible, and the mountains of missing evidence that make us unable to fake belief?

[Zer0dog(Atlas)]

Hi Danny!!

[Brakeman]

Hi Danny!!

Hello Jake!

[Godscreated]

I was only trying to get you to see that your parents love you, through all they've done for you, I haven't asked you to change your mind about your non-belief, as far as I'm concerned that's something you'll need to do, but it will effect your relationship with your family sooner or later, that you can count on. I'm only trying to give you something to consider about your decision, it's your life, just be ready to live it.

im not changing, and I can see you have shitty parents, my friends are christian and they suddenly dont hate me because of my beliefs, so why would my parents?

I never said your parents hate you or would, you are a little liar of the first degree.

GC

[dyresand]

im not changing, and I can see you have shitty parents, my friends are christian and they suddenly dont hate me because of my beliefs, so why would my parents?

I never said your parents hate you or would, you are a little liar of the first degree.

GC

In so many words GC you did go back and read what you have posted.

[TubbyTubby]

you are a little liar of the first degree.
GC

Lying or not, you reveal things about your personality with every post. You already appear to have put this person in a box titled 'small child who must be shown the foolishness of his ways' rather than treat him as the equal that he is.

Perhaps you think the pastor Eric Dammann method should be used here? "..he was just trying to push my buttons. He was kind of not taking the Lord serious. So I walked over to him and went BAM! Punched him in the chest as hard as I could.. I led that man to the Lord right there"

That would sort him out eh GC?

And for the record, your talent for lying puts all others to shame it's just that you don't believe you are lying.

[KevinM1]

im not changing, and I can see you have shitty parents, my friends are christian and they suddenly dont hate me because of my beliefs, so why would my parents?

I never said your parents hate you or would, you are a little liar of the first degree.

GC

You certainly implied it:

You need to think about the love your parents and you have for each other and you might want to brows through this forum and see the relationship some of these gave up with their families, just to be an atheist. Seems to me they chose atheism over family and you know what they cry about Jesus saying He was more important than family, if they only knew what He meant.

With every post you reveal yourself to be a vile little person who attempts to cloak their venom in piety.