Seeking meaningful advice from atheists

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I suggest sortes biblicae: take your favourite version of the Bible, and with your eyes closed, let it fall open to a random page, then plunk your finger down on the page. Open your eyes and read the verse you touched. This verse (properly interpreted, of course) will guide you through your troubles.

Randomized, independent studies have shown this method to be exactly as helpful as prayer, with the added bonus of being a fun party game.

Boru

[Pat Mustard]

I can’t get any help from other Christians on religious message boards. After they read about my problems, they claim my faith isn’t genuine. Others say my issue is with the church I attend, but that isn’t true: Every week I go to the United Methodist Church, a progressive denomination. They accept homosexuals and even allow gay marriage. Their sermons are uplifting as well; they aren’t like fire and brimstone preachers you find in various unaffiliated Baptist churches. Basically, progressive churches don’t rebuke people for their imperfections and make their congregants feel like horrible people for failing to live up to impossible standards.
 
So what am I going through? What is bothering me so much that I need help and advice?
 
God has been nitpicking at all my flaws, however insignificant. If I were to do something completely harmless such as have a glass of wine, God tells me I committed an atrocious sin. Then he makes me suffer for it greatly; that suffering being a result of his will, not natural circumstances. In other words, God likes to punish me for enjoying a glass of wine.
 
I asked God what the hell is so wrong with having a sip of wine. His response is always the same: He believe that because a very small percentage of people drink irresponsibly and kill others in car accidents that, therefore, no one can ever be allowed to consume alcohol.
 
His logic is childish and unfair. His fallacious way of thinking here isn’t any different than a person with left-wing political views who wants to ban guns. Many leftists say guns ought to be illegal because a very small percentage of gun-owners kill people in school shootings, or otherwise kill people with guns when they shouldn’t have. When you consider that US civilians own 393 million firearms and that only a small number of people get killed in school shooting or ‘hood shoot-outs, that’s a very small number of homicides relative to the total number of guns that gun-owners in America possess.
 
It isn’t fair to implement Prohibition because of a small percentage of idiots who kill others in car accidents. There are many responsible drinkers who never kill anyone while driving drunk. By the same token, it isn’t fair to ban all guns because a small percentage of psychos kill others with firearms. There are many responsible gun-owners who never kill anyone while owning a firearm.
 
I pointed out this analogy to God. No matter how much sense I make, no matter how fair or well-reasoned my argument is, he doesn’t care. He won’t change his view and tells me I have to suffer by never drinking alcohol ever again!
 
By the way, I confronted God about the Bible’s apparent approval of drinking alcohol in the Bible. Jesus turned water into wine in the Gospels, and he also drank wine during the Last Supper. Eventually God spoke to me in an audible voice and told me it was misinformation. Given that Catholics have a sacrament called Eucharist—where they eat bread and drink actual wine to celebrate becoming one with Jesus—I wondered how God could have allowed such a great sacrament to take root in the Church given how much he appears to despise alcohol. He didn’t answer me about that.
 
God’s nitpicking behavior extends into many aspects of my life, and I can’t stand it. I’ve written close to 600 words now, so I don’t feel like writing much more and providing other examples of this (maybe I will in follow-up posts). But trust me: I feel like I have walk on eggshells my entire life, and it is driving me mad!
 
I don’t feel like a free person. I feel like I have to closely monitor all my thoughts, words, and actions so my conduct is in-line with what God wants. Unfortunately for me, that usually isn’t possible because God has to be a jerk and tell me I committed this little tiny sin or made that little tiny error—his response to me, therefore, is to suffer the consequences. He won’t help or change.
 
I’m miserable. Just truly miserable. I want my freedom in the worst way, but God’s excessive fault-finding is ruining everything!

Get professional health and speak with a properly qualified psychiatrist. And not an overtly christian one either.

[Angrboda]

The danger in listening to voices. You can never tell which side they're on.

[Ad Astra]

Hey Ad Astra, fellow Christian here hopefully to help with this issue.

If you are hearing a voice that also responds to what you say please try asking this voice to reveal themselves in the name of Jesus Christ. Tell them that they need to be honest in identifying themselves before Emmanuel. Also, try asking them if they believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, a true manifestation of the holy spirit will have no problem admitting this truth and the holy Angels will always glorify Jesus over themselves.

It sounds to me like one of the devil's scorpions is using guilt to manipulate you. As someone who struggles with guilt as well I can tell you that you are no where near alone in this battle, I feel as though guilt is one of the primary tools that the devil uses against good hearted Christians because he knows that we care about the commandments of God. Jesus did turn water into wine and there are plenty of verses regarding wine throughout the whole Bible, simply put this voice is a liar and a bully which is trying to steal your joy and sense of freedom and purpose in Christ.

With much love and respect from a fellow Christian †

I’m very skilled at determining the type of spirit coming from the voice.
 
Demons invariably speak derisively and hatefully. If they were ever to say anything “good” or “helpful,” it would be done with malevolent intentions. One example is when a demon, apparently a homosexual, made dreams about me prostituting myself. He created images of lewd sex acts between me and strange men, then he made images of dozes of $100 bank notes. The guys who appeared in those dreams were not attractive.
 
This dream happened after my prayers that night. I told God that I needed money, since I don’t have a job right now. My prayer request was for God to give me some cash some way. Maybe he could help me find a job suitable for my talents (my main talent being prose writing). My English language abilities are so adept that I possess all the skills to gain employment as an editor somewhere, but unfortunately I only have a high school diploma. Without credentials, a job in skilled labor is hard to come by.
 
The homosexual prostitution dreams started immediately upon falling asleep, and it continued throughout the night.
 
Clearly the gay prostitution dreams weren’t from God. Mind you, I’m not ant-gay. I also think the anti-gay ramblings of Paul found in the New Testament are either outdated or misinformation. But still, God wouldn’t want me to become a boy whore. Doing that would inevitably lead to an HIV infection, and then a slow, painful AIDS death. God doesn’t want his Christians to suffer like that and then die in complete agony.
 
So yeah, I know where the voices come from. I’ve heard them so many times that I have a keen intuitive sense about their source.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Hey Ad Astra, fellow Christian here hopefully to help with this issue.

If you are hearing a voice that also responds to what you say please try asking this voice to reveal themselves in the name of Jesus Christ. Tell them that they need to be honest in identifying themselves before Emmanuel. Also, try asking them if they believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, a true manifestation of the holy spirit will have no problem admitting this truth and the holy Angels will always glorify Jesus over themselves.

It sounds to me like one of the devil's scorpions is using guilt to manipulate you. As someone who struggles with guilt as well I can tell you that you are no where near alone in this battle, I feel as though guilt is one of the primary tools that the devil uses against good hearted Christians because he knows that we care about the commandments of God. Jesus did turn water into wine and there are plenty of verses regarding wine throughout the whole Bible, simply put this voice is a liar and a bully which is trying to steal your joy and sense of freedom and purpose in Christ.

With much love and respect from a fellow Christian †

I’m very skilled at determining the type of spirit coming from the voice.
 
Demons invariably speak derisively and hatefully. If they were ever to say anything “good” or “helpful,” it would be done with malevolent intentions. One example is when a demon, apparently a homosexual, made dreams about me prostituting myself. He created images of lewd sex acts between me and strange men, then he made images of dozes of $100 bank notes. The guys who appeared in those dreams were not attractive.
 
This dream happened after my prayers that night. I told God that I needed money, since I don’t have a job right now. My prayer request was for God to give me some cash some way. Maybe he could help me find a job suitable for my talents (my main talent being prose writing). My English language abilities are so adept that I possess all the skills to gain employment as an editor somewhere, but unfortunately I only have a high school diploma. Without credentials, a job in skilled labor is hard to come by.
 
The homosexual prostitution dreams started immediately upon falling asleep, and it continued throughout the night.
 
Clearly the gay prostitution dreams weren’t from God. Mind you, I’m not ant-gay. I also think the anti-gay ramblings of Paul found in the New Testament are either outdated or misinformation. But still, God wouldn’t want me to become a boy whore. Doing that would inevitably lead to an HIV infection, and then a slow, painful AIDS death. God doesn’t want his Christians to suffer like that and then die in complete agony.
 
So yeah, I know where the voices come from. I’ve heard them so many times that I have a keen intuitive sense about their source.

You’ve called God childish, unfair, and fallacious. Given that, how do you know he DOESN’T want you to be a gay prostitute? If he really didn’t want you to service men for money, it seems like he could simply send you another dream and tell you, ‘Disregard previous dream.’

Boru

[onlinebiker]

The voices in my head have a bigger dick than the voices inside your head.


Signed


Every Religious Lunatic, Ever.

[Jehanne]

The OP is mentally ill; hopefully, he's not dangerous.

[brewer]

I predict a self flagellation circle. (can two people make a circle?)

The power of christ compels them!!!!!

[Jehanne]

I predict a self flagellation circle. (can two people make a circle?)

The power of christ compels them!!!!!

A flatulence circle would be more appropriate these days.

[brewer]

I predict a self flagellation circle. (can two people make a circle?)

The power of christ compels them!!!!!

A flatulence circle would be more appropriate these days.

That's so 1970's.