Politics Spiritual Confusion

Requiem

Cadet
I miss believing in something.

It's just--really hard these days, with everything I see everyday... to believe that there's some mystical force behind it.

And the people at my church make me uncomfortable and say I'll go to Hell for thinking this way.

Ugh.
 
I miss believing in something.

It's just--really hard these days, with everything I see everyday... to believe that there's some mystical force behind it.

And the people at my church make me uncomfortable and say I'll go to Hell for thinking this way.

Ugh.
lol! I LOVE your av! haha!

anyway, lemme guess, you have a conservative church? is it Catholic?
 
I miss believing in something.

It's just--really hard these days, with everything I see everyday... to believe that there's some mystical force behind it.

And the people at my church make me uncomfortable and say I'll go to Hell for thinking this way.

Ugh.


I'm not religious, but I do know how you feel.

I don't believe in God for many various personal reasons, but I have been often told that I'm going to Hell for my believes. Especially since for a number of years I was Christian, and then began to question, and many people were not supportive in the fact that I had doubts. While ultimately I think I would have arrived on my viewpoint anyways, I think their lack of support helped play a role in how quickly my beliefs changed.

I think that if there is a God he would understand your worries, and you have every right to question if you feel it's necessary.

Try not to get too down about it, just believe what ever feels right and it'll all be okay. :smiley:
 
I'm not religious, but I do know how you feel.

I don't believe in God for many various personal reasons, but I have been often told that I'm going to Hell for my believes. Especially since for a number of years I was Christian, and then began to question, and many people were not supportive in the fact that I had doubts. While ultimately I think I would have arrived on my viewpoint anyways, I think their lack of support helped play a role in how quickly my beliefs changed.

I think that if there is a God he would understand your worries, and you have every right to question if you feel it's necessary.

Try not to get too down about it, just believe what ever feels right and it'll all be okay. :smiley:
i really dont like Christians who say others are going to Hell, i mean, who are we to say that? didnt Jesus say "let the one among you who has not sinned be the first to cast a stone"? i actually find it helpful to make people of faith question their beliefs because that is how we grow. i dont know about other denominations, but the Catholic Church (strangely enough) asks her congregation to question their faith. blind faith is not a good thing.

i totally agree with you in that God does understand our worries and the Catholic Church says that we have to respect the decisions people make with an informed conscience. (sorry if it seems like im propagating, but i cant really speak for other denominations when i really dont know them as well as the Catholic viewpoints on these issues).
 
Requiem, I feel the same way as you.

Sure, I'm young and have a long time to smooth out my beliefs. But it disturbs me deeply thinking that what I believe now with my heart may cause me to suffer eternally if they turn out to be wrong. Because I happen to not believe in something, I am going to burn in Hell according to them. Thinking about that just makes me want to cry, how religions have such weight on peoples' consciences and how devastating they can be.
 
Requiem, I feel the same way as you.

Sure, I'm young and have a long time to smooth out my beliefs. But it disturbs me deeply thinking that what I believe now with my heart may cause me to suffer eternally if they turn out to be wrong. Because I happen to not believe in something, I am going to burn in Hell according to them. Thinking about that just makes me want to cry, how religions have such weight on peoples' consciences and how devastating they can be.
Hell was and is not made for us humans. It is simply a place without God, the whole fire and brimstone thing is bunk. Hell is filled with temporary gratifications and the tragedy is that people there are constantly trying to live from one fleeting moment of happiness to the next. it actually sounds a lot like Earth, lol. no human has the right to say who is going to Hell and who isn't, so relax and smile! :cool:
 
I know, I don't really believe in Hell. However every once in a while I think "What if Hell is real?" and it scares me.
 
It makes me sad that when people think about religion, they so often think about Hell and punishment and judgement and other negative things like that. It is perfectly understandable and even healthy, in my opinion, to question your spiritual beliefs. That is how you can grow as a person.
 
It sounds like you havent met very many religious people. Not all of them say you are going to Hell and throw judgement at you because of what you believe.
 
It sounds like you havent met very many religious people. Not all of them say you are going to Hell and throw judgement at you because of what you believe.


No, they certainly don't. But sometimes, sadly, they are the ones who tend to be louder.

And it depends on where you live of course. Living in the bible belt, I do hear many people condemning others to hell...probably more so than people who don't.
 
No, but there's always the quiet voice inside me wondering whether they are right and I am wrong.


I think everyone goes through that. I feel quite strong in my beliefs, but there are times when I do wonder whether or not my beliefs are the "right" ones.

I just have to trust me judgement...which I do. But it's natural to doubt every once in a while.
 
I think everyone goes through that. I feel quite strong in my beliefs, but there are times when I do wonder whether or not my beliefs are the "right" ones.

I just have to trust me judgement...which I do. But it's natural to doubt every once in a while.
yeah, i totally agree. even as a born-and-raised believer, i sometimes doubt, but doubting is good cuz that means you are thinking! that's more than i can say about most people who blindly believe.

i believe in an afterlife because a lifespan of 78 years just seems preposterous. in that way, the only thing that separates us from animals and plants is that we are more intelligent and cultured. but there must be more to life than that. i think that without a divine being, good and bad is relative and relativity doesn't set a standard (in my opinion, no matter what Einstein said...ok, stupid joke).
 
i wouldnt worry about what other people think about you and tell you to believe, you have to sort it out for yourself. me personally, i am christadelphian, and having my beliefs makes me feel reassured.

ive had a couple of people tell me im going to hell because i believe something different to them, yet i dont believe in hell! (as in the everlasting fiery torment).

a good place to start if you are seeking something is look around and figure out what you want. there are a couple of forums on AllAlias that deal with different beliefs.
 
sadly enough, there are a lot of people who walk around telling other people who is going to hell and who is not. personally, i'm not sure if i believe in hell but probably not. i don't think it's the people's thing or job to tell each other, to tell other people who is going there and who is not. if it even exists.
but fortunately not all believing people are like that, actually not so many. they are just louder and take a lot of space, that's why you notice them. sadly enough, the consequense can be that all believing people get the same "stamp", which is definitely not right or fair or true. i haven't met that many of the people who judge you and say you're going to hell because you think like this or belive like that, but the few times it's happened, it has always made me feel weird and extremely uncomfortable. those kind of people even scare me a little bit.
and yes, like many people have said here already, it's just healthy to doubt, so don't worry. -_-
 
yes, we have no right to judge others. whether you believe in God or not, nobody is perfect therefore we dont have the right to judge what other people think or believe.

And like many others have said (i think including myself in an earlier post) everyone has some doubts (however big or small) in their life. Im pretty secure in my beliefs yet sometimes i wonder what it is all for. So therefore i think the message that everyone is saying is dont worry about what other people think, just do it for yourself.
 
To answer a few questions...

No, I am not Catholic, but I used to be, and I definately don't appreciate their beliefs, either.

I've stopped going to church when I can, though I have some duities there I can't avoid. I think I'm going to read up on other religions. I've talked to my mom about this, and she's completely okay with it. I think I'm getting happier about this.
 
To answer a few questions...

No, I am not Catholic, but I used to be, and I definately don't appreciate their beliefs, either.

I've stopped going to church when I can, though I have some duities there I can't avoid. I think I'm going to read up on other religions. I've talked to my mom about this, and she's completely okay with it. I think I'm getting happier about this.


That's excellent that you have the support of your mom...that will be such a huge help.

I understand exactly what you're talking about. Both my parents were raised Catholic...my mom a very very strict Catholic. Luckily I wasn't really forced into a religion, since my parents refuse to have anything to do with the Church. But I did attend Catholic Church as well as other Churches to see what was right for me. After all of this and after doing some soul searching I realized that none of it was right for me...and that's why I believe what I do.
 
I did attend Catholic Church as well as other Churches to see what was right for me. After all of this and after doing some soul searching I realized that none of it was right for me...and that's why I believe what I do.
the funny thing is that even tho the Catholic Church is supposed to be uniform throughout the world, the ones in california seem better to me than the ones in lets say st. louis, mo. i went to Mass in St. Louis one time as i was visiting colleges, and all i have to say is "whoa".
 
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