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There is nothing holding me back from that - no wife, no kids, no real faith or belief that life is going to get better. I do have a job, but it's a dead end job and so on.
I don't have many friends - not many sober friends. And I have a high standard for what I consider a "friend" - it's not someone who knows me by my first name and/or we hung out a few times and connected. If you're a "friend" to me, my standard is: would you bail me out of jail at 3 in the morning if it ever come to that?
And I haven't had that many people in my life, ever.
I asked a gentleman once on the street corner what he pulled in and he told me close to $100 in a couple hrs. I mean, and there is a safety net for homeless in my city and state. There are options. And even more so when you have mental health issues (which I might have).
Life is tough. Giving up would be much easier. A belief that God wants more for me, though, is about the only thing that has kept me from going under and maybe even kept me alive.
I guess. And maybe he wants me to be an example to others that you can go through hell and through to the other side to find light again. Maybe there is more to my story...?
I guess. And maybe he wants me to be an example to others that you can go through hell and through to the other side to find light again. Maybe there is more to my story...?
The latter part sounds more likely. . And there does not need to be a place of eternal torment for that to be true, does there?
There is nothing holding me back from that - no wife, no kids, no real faith or belief that life is going to get better. I do have a job, but it's a dead end job and so on.
I don't have many friends - not many sober friends. And I have a high standard for what I consider a "friend" - it's not someone who knows me by my first name and/or we hung out a few times and connected. If you're a "friend" to me, my standard is: would you bail me out of jail at 3 in the morning if it ever come to that?
And I haven't had that many people in my life, ever.
I only noticed this late as it popped Up but I saw an appeal for some support. Particularly with hellthreat.
Ok, so I'm an atheist. But...if you wanted to hear the Unbeliever argument about something that bothers you (as it botheres many - even deconverts) you could pop over to A/A to at least hear how we deal with it.
And Dillanunty knows, you are by no means alone in questioning, and there is plenty of room for God believers and even christian -believers who have just modified a bit what they can believe.
Kavalier: I urge you to read the gospel of John and the book of Romans (assuming you’ve read both, read them again). Pray. I also urge you to listen to Baptist Fundie and Mike555 on ths thread. May God bless you.
There's a lot to the original post Kavalier, but I'll throw out a few thoughts. First, try to be thankful for the good things that have happened to you, and not lose sight of them. Keep in mind that most believers - and most honest Christians - will admit to going through dark periods. Periods when things suck, nothing is going right, God seems far away or not there, life sees cold and dark. And these periods can be long lasting, days, weeks, months, even years.
There's a lot of junk going on in this country now that could really get a person down in the dumps, even if their life is going well currently. Beware of the impacts of the surrounding junk, pessimism, disfunction, anger, hatred, and brokenness that is so prevalent now in our country.
It's easy to start doubting, even everything you've ever thought and believed. You don't have to try and figure it all out now though. Sometimes you have to back off a bit, reflect, maybe change the kind of information and surroundings you're taking in. See it as a time to grow, learn, and maybe even prepare to move to a higher level (higher degree of awareness). I've found in myself and others, that key times of difficulty and crisis - though painful and unpleasant - usually necessary to get us to a different place that we need to be. They're actually good for us, and make us more deep and real individuals. It's hard to see benefits while in the "midst of the storm", but if you can hold off from making judgments and decisions, you might be surprised later what you can see and find out. Try not to worry about hell, judgement, right/wrong decisions, guilt, religion, pressure, hassles, etc. Leaving the emotional and even worldly matters behind might be a healthy constructive first step.
Try to find time to "get away from it all", away from the crowds and city stuff, and go to a nice peaceful scenic location, if you can. Set aside some quiet time with just you and God. The more natural the setting - free of man's items and stuff, and more God's creations - the more you'll be surrounded with things of his. Just be still and quiet and free up / clear up your mind. See if you maybe can hear his still "quiet voice". That can be a time of healing and awareness. I've found it extremely important and helpful.
If somebody proved to me that there wasn't a God, I wouldn't care about anything and I would not be a good person at all. I would immediately begin doing Methadone without a care in the world for life. Life would have no meaning, not even having children would mean anything, I wouldn't mean anything.
God forbid if somebody talks me down from God, it wouldn't be pretty at all because I would gain a freedom to do what I want to do, and that would not be pretty. But since I believe in God, I have to at least try and change my inherent evil. If I didn't believe in God, I would be a freaking king of this earth and everyone would know my name. I would walk out of here and make a couple million in a couple months in a legal way, but what I did with that money would not be legal, and it would just add to who I would become.
If somebody proved to me that there wasn't a God, I wouldn't care about anything and I would not be a good person at all. I would immediately begin doing Methadone without a care in the world for life. Life would have no meaning, not even having children would mean anything, I wouldn't mean anything.
God forbid if somebody talks me down from God, it wouldn't be pretty at all because I would gain a freedom to do what I want to do, and that would not be pretty. But since I believe in God, I have to at least try and change my inherent evil. If I didn't believe in God, I would be a freaking king of this earth and everyone would know my name. I would walk out of here and make a couple million in a couple months in a legal way, but what I did with that money would not be legal, and it would just add to who I would become.
All of my imaginations are evil Plerro.
But it’s not fear of hell. You want to be rewarded, and you don’t want to miss out on good stuff.
If somebody proved to me that there wasn't a God, I wouldn't care about anything and I would not be a good person at all. I would immediately begin doing Methadone without a care in the world for life. Life would have no meaning, not even having children would mean anything, I wouldn't mean anything.
God forbid if somebody talks me down from God, it wouldn't be pretty at all because I would gain a freedom to do what I want to do, and that would not be pretty. But since I believe in God, I have to at least try and change my inherent evil. If I didn't believe in God, I would be a freaking king of this earth and everyone would know my name. I would walk out of here and make a couple million in a couple months in a legal way, but what I did with that money would not be legal, and it would just add to who I would become.
All of my imaginations are evil Plerro.
On the other hand, there are many, many atheists who are good, decent, caring people who don't need to believe in God in order to be good people. That doesn't say much for you.
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. And there does not need to be a place of eternal torment for that to be true, does there?
But...if you wanted to hear the Unbeliever argument about something that bothers you (as it botheres many - even deconverts) you could pop over to A/A to at least hear how we deal with it.
