religiosity/spirituality

T

tcwall

Member
Not sure about that way.

But, I'm pretty convinced that, with my skewed dark outlook..... religion and spirituality compounded my self-loathing, by vindicating it.

Like "see? God says your worthless, too!"

I know. Been told over and over that I'm looking at it wrong. Sorry, but I can't help it, no matter how I try.
 
Z

Zod

Well-known member
With me spirituality kind of became another crutch/drug to hide behind.

I'd do nothing but listen to spiritual teachings all day, instead of going out and trying to deal with life. Don't get me wrong, spirituality can be very good, but in moderation, and at one point I just have to let go of it and actually bring things into practice. But I never did that, so I now recognize it's just another form of addictive escapism really for me.

Spirituality should be about connecting to life, and to bring an end to a restless mind and suffering, but it can become out of balance very fast if you use it as a crutch. There should really be a balance between doing and thinking.
 
Last edited:
hoddesdon

hoddesdon

Well-known member
I lost my faith after developing SA because of the idea that if I had been called by God, then why did that happen? The answer is that it happened because of the misdeeds of people. They did it because they have free will, which is an integral part of existing in a meaningful sense, and so it is necessary for them to have it, and it would have been wrong if they did not. Fortunately I had further spiritual experiences after that so I know for certain that God exists.
 
neardeath

neardeath

Well-known member
My illness keeps me away from church. I attend a wonderful, inclusive church and it is the best place on earth I can go. It is a life-saver for me.

I just missed a whole month because I was too depressed/anxious to go. This illness is ridiculous and it makes no sense. I hate depriving myself of the very things that help!


I'm with Alienated and hoddesdon!
 
Last edited:
Alienated

Alienated

Well-known member
It strengthened my faith !! It made me rely on God ( Which NEVER fails) , and NOT other people ( Which ALWAYS fail )... Including myself....

It made my weakness self evident and required me to reach out beyond myself, and human power to bring order where there was only chaos. And understanding where there was only confusion.

I mean all you have to do is look at ourselves and realize, we screw up everything we touch. If humans are so smart and self sufficient then why are so many of us so lost ?

It took absolute exercise in futility on my own effort, to realize I didn't know how to even take care of myself. And brought myself to the brink of death, before I was willing to listen.... And read the instruction manual.
 
Flanscho

Flanscho

Well-known member
Well, I'm an Atheist... Been agnostic before that, but that changed over the years.

It has the disadvantage, that I have no faith to gain strength from. On the other hand, I'm also free of any sort of curses, or fate, or "god tests me", or any sort of higher power doing anything nasty with me. It's all in my own hands. :) I also know that anything I achieve is because of me, not because of some deity doing anything.
 
hoddesdon

hoddesdon

Well-known member
Alienated said:
It strengthened my faith !! It made me rely on God ( Which NEVER fails) , and NOT other people ( Which ALWAYS fail )... Including myself....

It made my weakness self evident and required me to reach out beyond myself, and human power to bring order where there was only chaos. And understanding where there was only confusion.

I mean all you have to do is look at ourselves and realize, we screw up everything we touch. If humans are so smart and self sufficient then why are so many of us so lost ?

It took absolute exercise in futility on my own effort, to realize I didn't know how to even take care of myself. And brought myself to the brink of death, before I was willing to listen.... And read the instruction manual.
Click to expand...

+1 ..........
 
S

Steppen-Wolf

Well-known member
I've been an agnostic atheist since I was around 9 years old.

I'm not really sure if my issues really affected that, but I do feel there's usually a very strong sense of community associated with religion and sometimes spirituality. And having been emotionally and intellectually isolated all my life I became an individual with few external influences, so that probably contributed to some degree.
 
Odo

Odo

Banned
I think that if I were more religious I would probably feel better about everything... but even though I'm not completely certain that deities don't exist, I think that the universe is mostly indifferent to what people want. I would imagine that in the greater scope of existence everything is meaningful simply because it exists and just because we don't necessarily understand or agree with the way things are, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't be able to appreciate them or coalesce on some level... the trick is to not resist or let your base impulses guide you and try to remain honest with yourself and keep a clear perspective.
 
Lonelyguy111

Lonelyguy111

Member
I found that becoming a Christian years ago, my self hatred, pessimism, and hatred for the human race greatly increased as well as my isolation. My shortcomings became more evident to me and I ended up hating myself and becoming very negative towards the world.

Unfortunately this seems to be a common element to Christianity and social anxiety. I have read posts on other SA forums with the same experiences. I am not criticizing my faith, only pointing out that people like me with an extreme fear of people and low self-esteem can become much worse. I got to the point where I could only expect bad things from God and life.
 
MBinMN

MBinMN

Well-known member
I have my beliefs but going to a church every Sunday. I cant do it. I tried. :( Then if I miss a service or two then I feel guilty like people know and so I just stop.
 
Ree

Ree

Well-known member
I used to be a christian, until I realised that the only reason I was one in the first place was out of fear of hell... and it didn't help me with my social problems in anyway, so I decided to leave. I find buddha belief to be inspiring and comforting though :) but other than that, I'm just trying to work on myself and take steps to become more confident in myself and positive, and make some good friends and get out there! :D
 
dragons

dragons

Active member
I'm agnostic. I can't get myself to have blind faith in there being a higher power, but I don't completely dismiss the idea either; anything is possible, and the universe is mysterious.
 
S

Scandic123

Well-known member
I'm an atheist and I reject everything supernatural and spiritual, although Buddhism is slightly appealing. I'm not anti-theistic, but when theists try to force their beliefs down on others, I will not ignore it. Actually, I'm a member of the Danish People's Church and I'm both baptized and confirmed, but I don't recall ever believing in anything of it. I'm going to 'sign out' when I reach the age of 18.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top