Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
From the comments; People do terrible things in the name of religion, but honestly, I would rather blame those people than the religion (and I'm not religious). People are just insane... If it would be no religion, they would do it in name of whatever else, in name of justice or whatever you might think of.
And:
As someone who has suffered an incurable disease with chronic pain for the past eleven years and had life-altering (disability-causing) surgery two months ago, as well as going into treatment tomorrow for cancer caused by my disease, I respect his bewilderment and frustration with the problem of pain. However, my experience has been the opposite of his. I have found ever-increasing peace and the indescribable comfort of perfect love in the arms of God. What I've suffered has bound me tighter to Christ, and I live with assurance of His goodness. I know the struggle, and I have wanted to take my own life many times. Now I'm on the other side, and while I do not know the philosophical answer to these things, I have found in the Person of God my eternal answer
Pretty much sums it up.
**********
The fellow was religious all his life. Perhaps that was the problem. I became religious in my 20s. I learned all about God as an adult. No illusions and no surprises. Often reality deals us a hand we may not like. Now at age 60 something he is disillusioned with religion. Well my advice is-do something about your hair!
Each of us must follow the path we chose. My guess is his faith was based on God being all nice.
From the comments; People do terrible things in the name of religion, but honestly, I would rather blame those people than the religion (and I'm not religious). People are just insane... If it would be no religion, they would do it in name of whatever else, in name of justice or whatever you might think of.
And:
As someone who has suffered an incurable disease with chronic pain for the past eleven years and had life-altering (disability-causing) surgery two months ago, as well as going into treatment tomorrow for cancer caused by my disease, I respect his bewilderment and frustration with the problem of pain. However, my experience has been the opposite of his. I have found ever-increasing peace and the indescribable comfort of perfect love in the arms of God. What I've suffered has bound me tighter to Christ, and I live with assurance of His goodness. I know the struggle, and I have wanted to take my own life many times. Now I'm on the other side, and while I do not know the philosophical answer to these things, I have found in the Person of God my eternal answer
Pretty much sums it up.
**********
The fellow was religious all his life. Perhaps that was the problem. I became religious in my 20s. I learned all about God as an adult. No illusions and no surprises. Often reality deals us a hand we may not like. Now at age 60 something he is disillusioned with religion. Well my advice is-do something about your hair!
Each of us must follow the path we chose. My guess is his faith was based on God being all nice.
Your reasons for dismissing his, you mean. Yes, the reasons who people give up faith are not always the One Big Thing that would make you change your mind. It's often something small but brings all those long -resisted doubts crashing through. And the problem of evil is one of the problems that I saw most cited (in deconversion stories) as the reason for those doubts piling up. The Learning curve and Naughty step apologetics do not convince, even when backed up with 'God knows what he is doing - it may not make sense to you, but it makes sense to God'. and the 'Who are you to moan to the potter?' waiting to trundle onstage.
I find it interesting that it works the other way, too. The doubts about mundane apologetics having all the answers -or any of the answers - can pile up until it can be one almost irrelevant line in this or that Holy Book, and bang, there you are, converted.
Btw IIDM, it's ok you don't need a FB account. I don't have one, and I always check out HONY on that facebook link. It lets me see all the pics and comments.
He found he doesn't need religion. Some others do. Everybody swears their viewpoint is the right one. I guess the dramas we create are part and parcel of being human beings.
On the judgement day, YOU will be the one facing questions, NOT the God.
*yawn*
Quote:
Originally Posted by ll0OoO0ll
The focus will be on YOU as to how you spent your life? What good deeds have you brought in your favor?
You won't be asking questions from God as to what he does, how he does and why he does?
Hurray for tyrants!
There are so many strange and contradictory Americans. They champion freedom and individuality yet worship a celestial dictator and defend his every action while simultaneously embracing corporatism which is inherently fascist and offers no freedom to the worker.
It just seems to me that an awful lot of Americans are not the rugged individualists they try to paint themselves as, but rather they are soft fatbodies looking for someone to order them around.
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,925,051 times
Reputation: 4561
Quote:
Originally Posted by ll0OoO0ll
On the judgement day, YOU will be the one facing questions, NOT the God.
Fantasies and adapted tales promulgated by bronzed aged desert tribes don't constitute a reality, they only constitute a belief. If that belief system makes you a good person while here living on earth, great. If any part of that belief system harms anyone else living, it becomes something not valid. Period.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, the reasons who people give up faith are not always the One Big Thing that would make you change your mind. It's often something small but brings all those long -resisted doubts crashing through. And the problem of evil is one of the problems that I saw most cited (in deconversion stories) as the reason for those doubts piling up. The Learning curve and Naughty step apologetics do not convince, even when backed up with 'God knows what he is doing - it may not make sense to you, but it makes sense to God'. and the 'Who are you to moan to the potter?' waiting to trundle onstage.
