Any Advice needed please!

[Westy]

Hi,

Ok im really confused right now and was wondering if anyone has any advice they could offer!

Im 23, and for my whole life i have been an atheist. Any mention of God or anything to do with religion and my immediate thought was "there is no god".

For the past few weeks i have been feeling really confused. It feels as if something is missing, or maybe im missing out on something! I keep thinking that i am wrong in my thoughts and that something is calling to me, trying to tell me something!

But then i doubt myself and think that because of my belifs on other matters (Life after death, physics etc) that i cannot believe in god.

I just dont know what to do, if anything or where to start!

Im so confused right now, and i know im not making much sense but any advice would be truely appreciated!

Im sorry to go on and hope ive not bored you too much,

Thank you in advance!

:help:

 

[Halcyon]

Hi,

Ok im really confused right now and was wondering if anyone has any advice they could offer!

Im 23, and for my whole life i have been an atheist. Any mention of God or anything to do with religion and my immediate thought was "there is no god".

For the past few weeks i have been feeling really confused. It feels as if something is missing, or maybe im missing out on something! I keep thinking that i am wrong in my thoughts and that something is calling to me, trying to tell me something!

But then i doubt myself and think that because of my belifs on other matters (Life after death, physics etc) that i cannot believe in god.

I just dont know what to do, if anything or where to start!

Im so confused right now, and i know im not making much sense but any advice would be truely appreciated!

Im sorry to go on and hope ive not bored you too much,

Thank you in advance!

:help:

Hmmm, it might be a good place to start with what automatically comes to mind when you think of the word God. Could you give us a short description?

 

[Gentoo]

I would say that a good place to start is to figure out these feelings, put them into words before you start looking for a label for yourself. Knowing yourself is a great asset when studying different religions.

 

[Westy]

Its kind of hard to describe, As i said for years whenever anyone said the word God, it was an automatic no in my mind. But no, i dont know, its like something is screaming YES YES at me! Something inside. And ive never had that before!

Am i making sense?

 

[Pardus]

Welcome to mortality.

Ever wonder why people generally prefer extreme stress over boredom?

It's because boredom is the feeling you are wasting your time, you are here for a limited number of years, without a purpose/goal/end result, everything is a waste of time.

"Why are we here?" is more about "What am i supposed to do with my life?" than "Who created everything?".

Maybe i'm completely off, but have a think about it.

 

[opensoul7]

No one can tell you what to believe . The choice of Faith is yours alone to make or not to make. The search is yours alone . I you are feeling confused though , think about what you have not done and try that.If you are a lifelong athiest then try going to church or praying if you have not already done so .Try looking at the problem you face from another angle or direction . There is no quick fix to your conundrum , but there are answers if you look for them . my suggestion is start within .No one knows you better than you .

 

[Halcyon]

Its kind of hard to describe, As i said for years whenever anyone said the word God, it was an automatic no in my mind. But no, i dont know, its like something is screaming YES YES at me! Something inside. And ive never had that before!

Am i making sense?

What i mean is, you said you couldn't believe in God because of your beliefs in science, right? Do you see God as being opposed to science? Do you imagine God as He's portrayed in the bible?

 

[Quiddity]

I would recommend you find meaning in something.

 

[Westy]

What i mean is, you said you couldn't believe in God because of your beliefs in science, right? Do you see God as being opposed to science? Do you imagine God as He's portrayed in the bible?

I suppose in a way i must do, as i believe in Evolution. When i think of god, i think in a literal sense, of the bible. Adam and Eve, Turning water to wine etc, Everything i was taught at primary school (i went to a C of E school). I know how ignorant that will sound, but its all i know!

So yes i think i do see God as he is portrayed in the bible, and i have always thought that any religion opposed science!!

And PArdus your not way off, you might be spot on. Thanks for saying this.

I suppose what people are saying is right, its me thats got to figure it out, no one can tell me!

 

[xexon]

Be open minded. Nobody is holding your leash but you.



x

 

[Feathers in Hair]

But then i doubt myself and think that because of my belifs on other matters (Life after death, physics etc) that i cannot believe in god.

As Halcyon brought up, it would really depend on your view of deity. For example, there are many of us here who see god differently than one another. A good way to take 'inventory' of how you might percieve god would be to write out the things that you believe already and that would be conflicting if you tried following a certain type of tradition or belief system. (For example, writing down the things you note you already believe.)

 

[Ðanisty]

What you have been taught about God does not necessarily apply to every religion. Just read a few posts here and you'll see that there are many different views. We don't need to hear about what you've been taught about God. It would be much more helpful if you told what you would like God to be. Then maybe with our collective experience, we can point you in a direction.

 

[xexon]

Awww. I wanted to spin him around a few times first. Like pin the tail on the donkey.



x

 

[Westy]

What you have been taught about God does not necessarily apply to every religion. Just read a few posts here and you'll see that there are many different views. We don't need to hear about what you've been taught about God. It would be much more helpful if you told what you would like God to be. Then maybe with our collective experience, we can point you in a direction.

I would like god to be someone i can turn to, someone to guide me, give me faith! To make me believe that i am here for a reason, not meaningless, i can serve a purpose!

At least i think so!!!

 

[Halcyon]

I suppose in a way i must do, as i believe in Evolution. When i think of god, i think in a literal sense, of the bible. Adam and Eve, Turning water to wine etc, Everything i was taught at primary school (i went to a C of E school). I know how ignorant that will sound, but its all i know!

So yes i think i do see God as he is portrayed in the bible, and i have always thought that any religion opposed science!!

Ok, cool. Then in light of this, if you have a curiosity about spirituality and God my advice would be to get a good grounding in the diversity of beliefs people hold about God. That way you aren't confined to making a choice between one version of God and science.
There are plenty of people who believe in God and also in all aspects of science, such as myself. It all depends on how you view God.

It's a lot of reading, but i think you'll find the following wiki links helpful;

For a monotheistic view of God, the kind we find in Judaism, Islam, Christianity etc;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheism

For a pantheistic view of God, which is quite different to the one above and, if you want, has no conflict with scientific beliefs;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panentheism

For polytheism, which is the belief in many different Gods;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytheism

For the mystical view, which is somewhat similar to the panentheistic view, but i should warn you this is pretty complicated;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Absolute

Those links should give you a basic knowledge of the most common concepts of God that people hold. Although i'd encourage you to explore wiki further, its a great starting point for learning about theology (the study of God) and religion in general.

Hope that helps.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Something that can also be helpful is to recall some of the myths you've enjoyed reading, and the attributes of any gods that you might think that you would celebrate.
This can give you a sketch of what a deity that might appeal to you would be like.

 

[Westy]

Thank you so much for these Halcyon, i am reading them right now!

Thank you for taking the time to get the links for me etc. I will let you know how i get on

And Feathers in hair, i am writing that list later, and hopefully it will help, thanks for the advice.

 

[jonny]

I'd start by thinking about what you believe your relationship to god is and the purpose of this life and God. You can narrow down the philosophies or religions you're interested quite a bit when you figure out these things.

 

[Comet]

I think xexon's sig says a ton on this subject. Spiritual awakening and self discovery is a lifelong process. Take your time to find what it is you truly believe.

 

[Katzpur]

Hi,

Ok im really confused right now and was wondering if anyone has any advice they could offer!

Im 23, and for my whole life i have been an atheist. Any mention of God or anything to do with religion and my immediate thought was "there is no god".

For the past few weeks i have been feeling really confused. It feels as if something is missing, or maybe im missing out on something! I keep thinking that i am wrong in my thoughts and that something is calling to me, trying to tell me something!

But then i doubt myself and think that because of my belifs on other matters (Life after death, physics etc) that i cannot believe in god.

I just dont know what to do, if anything or where to start!

Im so confused right now, and i know im not making much sense but any advice would be truely appreciated!

Im sorry to go on and hope ive not bored you too much,

Thank you in advance!

:help:

Hi, Westy! Welcome to RF! I think you may find some of the answers you're looking for here. I'm not saying that any of us are going to be able to say anything that clear up all of the confusion you're experiencing right now, but at least something one of us says may give you enough to go on that you can at least start doing some exploring for yourself. Enjoy yourself here. I hope to be hearing more from you.