Do You Ever Miss God?

[phoenix31]

I miss feeling important. I miss feeling at peace because someone was in charge and taking care of everything. I miss the way a quiet awe would happen during music and be called God's presence.

But there are so many more things I feel free from that I don't sit around wasting a lot of time missing things.

[Drich]

Hmm.  No.  I have occasionally missed the fantasy that someday, my Grandparents and parents will be waiting for me with open arms.  Long-lost pets will come bounding up to me.

I have often said that the loss of my faith felt like burning down my childhood home.  It was falling to pieces around me, crawling with all sorts of poisonous things, and dripping with black mold, but hey, it was home for a long time.  But then you look at the empty space and get to build something healthy in its place.

Funny.. Christ too draws a parallel between faith and a home.

However He said a foolish man's faith will be washed away by the trials of life, (which will allow him to build on His truth.)

[FatAndFaithless]

For me personally, I was always just kind of a Catholic by association and never really felt any deep connection with Christ or God or anything like that, so I'm lucky enough to not have to deal with that sort of emotional hangover.

[The Valkyrie]

I miss religion the exact same way I miss performing oral sex on rabid wolverines.

So, what do you do with your Wednesday evenings now they've been freed up?

[The Valkyrie]

Hmm.  No.  I have occasionally missed the fantasy that someday, my Grandparents and parents will be waiting for me with open arms.  Long-lost pets will come bounding up to me.

I have often said that the loss of my faith felt like burning down my childhood home.  It was falling to pieces around me, crawling with all sorts of poisonous things, and dripping with black mold, but hey, it was home for a long time.  But then you look at the empty space and get to build something healthy in its place.

Funny.. Christ too draws a parallel between faith and a home.

However He said a foolish man's faith will be washed away by the trials of life, (which will allow him to build on His truth.)

He also, supposedly, invented hell.

So, nice one, JC!

[Drich]

Funny.. Christ too draws a parallel between faith and a home.

However He said a foolish man's faith will be washed away by the trials of life, (which will allow him to build on His truth.)

He also, supposedly, invented hell.

So, nice one, JC!

Actually he expounded on the principle of Sheol so that even retarded monkey could understand.

[The Valkyrie]

He also, supposedly, invented hell.

So, nice one, JC!

Actually he expounded on the principle of Sheol so that even retarded monkey could understand.

Retarded monkey's DO understand it, believe it, and accept it without question...

[Cephus]

He also, supposedly, invented hell.

So, nice one, JC!

Actually he expounded on the principle of Sheol so that even retarded monkey could understand.

And believe in it, apparently.

[Rhondazvous]

He also, supposedly, invented hell.

So, nice one, JC!

Jesus was a product of Apocalyptic Judaism, not its inventor. The Jews decided they needed a hell after the Babylonian captivity when it became clear this life was not enough for god to carry out justice.

This has been a public service message brought to you by the Rhondazvous.

[marktzu]

For those of you who have a history in a particular religion and moved away from it, I mean do you ever miss the feeling of believing you had a personal relationship with god?

A few weeks ago, to my surprise, I went through a period of nostalgia.  I shouldn’t have been surprised.  Twenty-five years of indoctrination and programing in fear and guilt, joy and gratitude don’t just go away just because I realize intellectually that Christianity isn’t true.

If I shared those feelings and the dreams I used to have of being left in the rapture with a Christian, they will have an explanation for it. This is why indoctrination is so important in religion. We’re programmed with the strongest emotions and religionists know the feelings won’t go away—not permanently. All it takes is a trigger, a song, a memory. Then the Christians can say aha, in your heart of hearts you know god exists. And if I don’t know better, I’ll have to believe their interpretation of what I feel.

But I do know better and I resent being played with. To program me to believe something and then use that programming as proof of my belief is disingenuous. Of course, now they can interpret my resentment as proof that I hate god.

I was raised in a Christian home and up until my 50's I was very active in the church.  Like many of us the more I studied and learned I realized that what I had been taught over the years just did not stand up.  I went through many changes during the years, liberal Christian, society of friends, Buddhist and last of all I decided I was a Taoist.  Finally I had to throw in the towel.  Carl Jung the great psychologist called the fear of death as one of the two major drives for human being.  Taking away the illusion of heaven is a very sobering thought.  Having to face death with out all the built in defenses of religion is difficult.  Sometimes I find myself feeling like the, "stranger in a strange land".  Sitting at a funeral where people are being told about the "assurance of the resurrection" and knowing it is bull.  I miss the comfort my delusions provided.  Problem is I now prefer reality.  Thanks All.  Marktzu