@BitChick @BADecker
Do you want to know why you should not consider it harmless to maintain your religious beliefs?
Because they require you to induce 'magical thinking' and 'thought avoidance' in order to ensure that the intellectually honest part of your psyche, your subconscious, does not break it down into its component parts and inform your conscious self of the truth of the delusion.
This means you are living a life of persistent neurological stress, with raised levels of cortisol causing a dysfunctional stress-response as it can never resolve the dichotomy between what you wish reality to be, versus what your brain knows reality to be.
It is an abusive relationship, between you and your theism. The theism causes stress levels to rise when you encounter conflicting positions about your reality, and when you cannot conjure up a sufficient resolution to the conflict, you double-down and immerse yourself more into your theist narrative by seeking ways to wrap it around you tighter, adding layers of explanations as to why your mythical deity might permit so much horror and abuse in our lives if he is so powerful, you dream up excuses for him, to explain away the lack of intervention in natural disasters or personal suffering, all the while looking for ways to pretend to yourself that the good in your life is a reward from him and the bad is simply him testing you, you know, because he loves you so.
It is disturbingly akin to the type of relationship that develops between a parent and the child they routinely abuse. The child seeks to excuse the behaviour of their parent, seeks to be able to find ways to get the parent to love them and approve of them, the child blames themselves for when the parent gets mad and hurts them and the child is elated and grateful to the parent when there are moment of fleeting reward from them.
You keep citing 'science' to support your position when, the truth is, your sources are utter crap. That's not science its pseudoscience reverse-engineered to support the end position of the theist delusion. It is mangled data and shonky interpretations designed to ensure that A+B=Bible.
Stop quoting 'facts' as facts, they are not. You are so terribly, terribly, wrong it isn't even funny. You have been, and are being, brainwashed and conditioned to readily accept the worst examples of theist 'scientific data' solely on the basis that they worked back from where they wanted to get to and ignored and discarded all the data that didn't fit their requirements.
You boldly assert things as true which are absolutely absurd. You make grand statements about your God's behaviour and intentions, as if these things are facts when they are simply what you have been told to believe.
Tell me, what's the difference between your God and Harry Potter? What aspects of your God exists outside of your imagination?
Do you want to know why you should not consider it harmless to maintain your religious beliefs?
Because they require you to induce 'magical thinking' and 'thought avoidance' in order to ensure that the intellectually honest part of your psyche, your subconscious, does not break it down into its component parts and inform your conscious self of the truth of the delusion.
This means you are living a life of persistent neurological stress, with raised levels of cortisol causing a dysfunctional stress-response as it can never resolve the dichotomy between what you wish reality to be, versus what your brain knows reality to be.
It is an abusive relationship, between you and your theism. The theism causes stress levels to rise when you encounter conflicting positions about your reality, and when you cannot conjure up a sufficient resolution to the conflict, you double-down and immerse yourself more into your theist narrative by seeking ways to wrap it around you tighter, adding layers of explanations as to why your mythical deity might permit so much horror and abuse in our lives if he is so powerful, you dream up excuses for him, to explain away the lack of intervention in natural disasters or personal suffering, all the while looking for ways to pretend to yourself that the good in your life is a reward from him and the bad is simply him testing you, you know, because he loves you so.
It is disturbingly akin to the type of relationship that develops between a parent and the child they routinely abuse. The child seeks to excuse the behaviour of their parent, seeks to be able to find ways to get the parent to love them and approve of them, the child blames themselves for when the parent gets mad and hurts them and the child is elated and grateful to the parent when there are moment of fleeting reward from them.
You keep citing 'science' to support your position when, the truth is, your sources are utter crap. That's not science its pseudoscience reverse-engineered to support the end position of the theist delusion. It is mangled data and shonky interpretations designed to ensure that A+B=Bible.
Stop quoting 'facts' as facts, they are not. You are so terribly, terribly, wrong it isn't even funny. You have been, and are being, brainwashed and conditioned to readily accept the worst examples of theist 'scientific data' solely on the basis that they worked back from where they wanted to get to and ignored and discarded all the data that didn't fit their requirements.
You boldly assert things as true which are absolutely absurd. You make grand statements about your God's behaviour and intentions, as if these things are facts when they are simply what you have been told to believe.
Tell me, what's the difference between your God and Harry Potter? What aspects of your God exists outside of your imagination?
I do believe your questions are sincere. There is so much to comment on here but I will do my best.
As for your concern that my "religious beliefs" are indeed harmful, I guess my response is that I have found a peace that is beyond understanding. This brings great comfort, and way less stress, knowing that when things in a world that is often seemingly "out of control" I trust God has a plan. Jesus had a "stressful" life. As Christians we are supposed to be like Christ, so to expect a carefree and painless life is not realistic. Unfortunately many Christians perceive God as a giant Santa Claus in the sky. They think that by following Him then everything will be great and then they are disappointed when the problems of life come along. But God promises to never leave us or forsake us and He walks with us through the journey.
All this said, it doesn't mean I haven't wrestled with this myself. I am often tempted to have a more agnostic view. That God just placed everything in motion and now He just stands from afar and watches as the we struggle here on earth. It especially feels this way when things are not working out the way I would like them too, or I see suffering around me and so on. But I have had such personal encounters with God that have left me knowing this is not the case.
As a very young child I literally heard God whisper to me the words, "I am crying too" as I asked Him why I had to endure continual abuse. It was enough for me to know that He was at least there and understood my pain.
When I was a teen I was involved with the Christian music industry. I had some crappy things happen. I had a song that I wrote stolen and used by someone in the industry because "God told them to change my song." They took it and made money off it and I was devastated. I also saw so much hypocrisy in the church and in the "Christian Industry" that one night in anger I yelled at God and said, "I don't care anymore. If this is the way the church is I don't want anything to do with it! I might as well be a secular artist!" That same night, however, I was at a friend's house and her aunt, which I had never met, pulled me aside. She said God had a message for me and she said that He was pleased with me and that He was going to use me and my music if I just trusted in Him. I literally felt a large amount of oil being poured over my head and down to my feet. There was nothing touching me though. But it was God intervening, out of compassion for me. I then felt a "high" like nothing ever before. That entire night it was like I was wrapped in God's Spirit and it was better than anything I have ever felt in my life, better than sex, better than any drug! There is a verse in the Bible that says, "Do not be drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit instead." I totally get that!
As the years have gone on my relationship with God is one that I am still "working out" as we like to put it. Of course there are still questions in my mind. I think it is easy to be "logical" and think that things just don't make sense. But He has always been faithful to meet me right where I am at, as long as I am coming to Him with an open heart. The latest thing He has given me the opportunity to do is go to India in a couple weeks. I will be singing and speaking to over 500 women there. Pretty amazing!
I was bummed that Bitcoin hasn't increased in price because I was originally planning on a selling a few to pay my way. With the low price it just didn't work out like I had planned, but God, being faithful like He has shown me, provided all of the money I needed. I didn't have to sell coins at a loss which is so great.I don't expect most people on here to "get it." But if there is anyone reading this that questions that there might be more then I highly encourage you just to pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Until God reveals Himself and His Spirit opens the eyes of our hearts and minds it will just seem like nonsense and "foolishness" and I am just some crazy chick on the internet that has lost her mind.
