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Author Topic: Moving back to the Bible Belt's Bible Belt.  (Read 3572 times)

ehbowen

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Re: Moving back to the Bible Belt's Bible Belt.
« Reply #15 on: June 15, 2019, 05:09:04 pm »
I have, actually. I prayed to the Christian God for 7 years straight about my crisis of faith, always asking to be granted wisdom, to find truth, and to be protected from deception. The more I prayed and studied, the more my faith in Christianity fell apart. However, you are right that I can truthfully tell my friends and family that I am praying about it, and that is probably the best way to handle this! They don't need to know that I don't currently address my prayers the way I used to.

Then I will join you in praying that your receive your answer. I'd just ask you to keep in mind that delay is not denial. There's a particular matter which I've been praying about for over 35 years now. And while I haven't received The Answer I'm wanting, I have seen enough "glimpses" of it to convince me that it is on the way...and that when it arrives I'll agree that it was worth waiting for.
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Where's the KABOOM? There was supposed to have been an Earth-shattering KABOOM!
Computers are like air conditioning. They become useless when you open Windows—Linus Torvalds.

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Re: Moving back to the Bible Belt's Bible Belt.
« Reply #16 on: June 16, 2019, 05:46:24 pm »
The comment "Oh, thank you so much for thinking of me. I'm happy with what I'm doing now for my religious needs, but if I ever want to check out your church, I'll be sure to let you know. You're so kind!" and then changing the subject can also go a long way. It's saying you're fine, acknowledging that they care a lot about their church (and sharing their church) and you've heard that. Sometimes that "Yes, heard you!" moment goes a long way to improving things and letting you get on with other topics.


Great advice as always, Jenett! Thanks!

Beloved

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Re: Moving back to the Bible Belt's Bible Belt.
« Reply #17 on: June 16, 2019, 06:02:33 pm »
Then I will join you in praying that your receive your answer. I'd just ask you to keep in mind that delay is not denial. There's a particular matter which I've been praying about for over 35 years now. And while I haven't received The Answer I'm wanting, I have seen enough "glimpses" of it to convince me that it is on the way...and that when it arrives I'll agree that it was worth waiting for.

Something in what you wrote made a little lightbulb go off in my head, but I had to mull it over for a bit to figure out what it was.

I think the thing is that I already have my answer. I prayed for wisdom, truth, and to understand God better for 7 years. During this time, I lost faith in institutional Christianity. So really, that is my answer. It's not the answer I expected to receive. But it is an answer.

It's not something I take likely. There was a great deal of grief involved in losing my faith, and a great deal of fighting to try to keep it. The specific reasons why I no longer believe the claims of Christianity are too much to go into here, but trust me when I say that I never wanted to walk away from my faith. This is probably why I continue to try so hard to find a way to reconcile Christianity with what I've learned over these past years. Walking away from everything you've ever known and believed is not fun.

You approach the topic from the perspective of a believer (and good for you! Tone is so difficult on the internet, please know that I'm not being snarky. I admire your faith even if I don't share it.). Because of this, you actually share the perspective of the friends and family I'm referring to. You're praying for me to find my answer, but really what that means is that you're praying for me to find the answer you believe in. Or not? Perhaps I am judging unfairly. But I do know from other posts I've read from you that you believe, completely, that your God wins in the end. So I assume that, like the Christian faith teaches, you believe that Christianity is the one, true answer and that if I just keep praying and waiting I will come around. :)

And this is where my discomfort lies. As a people pleaser, it will always hurt me a bit for my friends and family to believe I am lost, that I am a mission project, that I am one to be won back. After a lifetime of Christian ministry, it's hard to believe I'm "one of those" now.

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Re: Moving back to the Bible Belt's Bible Belt.
« Reply #18 on: June 16, 2019, 06:37:57 pm »
And this is where my discomfort lies. As a people pleaser, it will always hurt me a bit for my friends and family to believe I am lost, that I am a mission project, that I am one to be won back. After a lifetime of Christian ministry, it's hard to believe I'm "one of those" now.

It is so important that you keep to the path that nourishes your soul, aura, inner self etc. It can take great strength to be true to yourself in whatever path you choose. Sometimes you have to put yourself first.

Zlote Jablko

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Re: Moving back to the Bible Belt's Bible Belt.
« Reply #19 on: June 16, 2019, 08:56:27 pm »
It is so important that you keep to the path that nourishes your soul, aura, inner self etc. It can take great strength to be true to yourself in whatever path you choose. Sometimes you have to put yourself first.

Yeah, it has taken me a long time to not care what others think of me. I have a wife and in-laws who are Christians, and my own direct family is made up of atheists. They will all inevitably see me as “lost” or crazy. I don’t mind our differences. I can relate to the doubt and cautious skepticism of atheism, much as I can relate to the moral clarity and hope that some get from Christianity. I can accommodate something of both world-views into my own. It can be hard to get others to see you as anything less than alien though.

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