you don't believe in god... ever find yourself praying? (page 3)

Check_Your_Premises

It's all good, and sasquatch,

Thanks for your candor.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I came back here.

I have an interesting perspective. I was a youthful Christian, who fell out due to youthful desires. I then became an athiest/agnostic/objectivist.... The problems and unanswered questions of athiesm called me to consider the possiblity of a benevolent creator... partially out of a search for comfort. I would be a liar if I didn't admit that. But also out of a desire to bring my thinking more in line with reality even though I am not able to perceive it the way I do the physical world.

What I am trying to say, is I can appreciate both perspectives very well. I completely get the ex-jw/athiest disgust with the delusions, and lack of validation inherent in all fundamentalism.

I guess the only reason I fit in here is cuz I can't stand how jw's act either.

Check_Your_Premises

not a standard put forth by some religious organization saying that they represent god.

still angry,

I think you misunderstand what it means to be a "Mere Christian" as opposed to a "True Christian" (aka j-dub)

My concept of faith has absolutely nothing to do with other people or what they tell me God is/ins't. Religion has it's place. It is kind of like a map I guess. It gives you some ideas about what other people have experienced in their faith... what works... what doesn't. That is about it.

I am not a fundamentalist.... or even exactly sure what kind of a Christian I am. There is just to much I can't validate.

And don't worry. I understand what it means to be an athiest. I was one for a good 15 years.

CYP

jeanniebeanz

you don't believe in god... ever find yourself praying?

This is an excellent question!

For those raised in the witness faith, prayer was the answer to all problems, at least according to the elders. We had that hammered into our minds from ‘infancy’ and it is an ingrained habit based upon fear and frustration rather than logic.

I do not believe in god. However, I do find myself at times tempted to pray. This is a big warning sign to myself that things are out of control, and I’d better examine my health, finances, relationships etc., and find a real life solution to the root causes of my unhappiness.

Witnesses are not trained to find real life solutions to problems and challenges, because they are taught that either god will fix it if they pray and attend meetings and send money, or that god will fix it after he murders 99.999% of the human population and establishes a paradise. It is terrifying to accept responsibility for your own life at first. You’ve had this safety net all your life, i.e. ‘god’ will take care of you.

Horrifying! Me in control of my own life? How will I do it myself if god couldn’t make it better?

Silly, me.

My life was always in my hands. God never made it better or worse. My own decisions got me into the shape I’m in, so I’d better figure out a way to make it better.

Crappy marriage? Pick a better man/woman or work on your own contributions to the marriage!

Poor job? Stop waiting around on ‘jehovahs paradise’ and go get an education that makes you worth more money!

No time to yourself? Why? Did you never learn to say ‘no’ to people, and treat yourself well? Most witnesses I know do not know how to spend a little money or time on themselves without bundles of guilt hitting them. (Heaven forbid you miss the weekend field service and meeting to take your family skiing or whatever. It is not okay to spend time on yourself, you lazy no-good! rolls eyes)

Get over it! Lose the guilt and live your life! It’s beautiful… but I’d be willing to bet that most people sleepwalk through it. They never take the time for them to go and do the things that they want to do, while they are young enough to enjoy them!

Take responsibility for your own happiness and stop relying on an imaginary safety net to make things better!

Jean

peacefulpete

When first coming to terms with NonDeism I was often tempted out of pure habit to pray. I found that the habit was easily unlearned when I consciously prayed to silly names when the mindless habit manifest itself. I would laugh at myself and soon the pattern was broken.

poppers

I don't believe in the god that I was brought up with. But even when I still believed I found myself struggling with prayer. Somehow the very act of prayer didn't feel right, like the activity of prayer made me feel even more distant and separate from "god". When directed to pray during church services I always felt like I had nothing to pray for - it was very strange to me at the time.

Those days are behind me, for I no longer feel separate from my "essence", which I sense is what "god" really is. When there is a conscious awareness of one's very essence there is nothing felt to be lacking, there is nothing which is seen as "right or wrong"; there is only a deep peace, silence, contentment, and fulfillment - what more could one want?

Satanus

I don't believe in the bible or wt gods, but i'm fairly sure that spirits of people continue after body death. And so, i sometimes turn to my brother or grandmothers. It's not a worship type of thing. I sense them there. A few yrs ago, i did a long mediatation on god. He never showed, but my brother did.

S

jeanniebeanz

Wow... I'd like to hear about that sometime.

Jeannie

shark attack

NO NEVER

you don't believe in god... ever find yourself praying?

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