Finding your way after a major loss

[Unveiled Artist]

/nods/ I thought that would help a bit. I mean, if you believe you are a saint, you have a testimony to tell to help others in similar situations. If your testimony helps someone else out, its cool. That's what matters--not the person behind the curtain.

Let me ask this...suppose you were deaf and blind...would you know God? My point being...why do we suppose that the truth behind God is hidden in the minds and hearts of dead men from centuries before us, and only if we read this or that holy text...will we be honored to find Him? I ask that with sincerity, not rhetorically...in hopes of an answer, from your own point of view. I'm not saying ideas of a god and what he might want CAN'T at all come from a variety of religious texts, but...the problem with the world today is that people think they need to be taught who God is (and religion can be constricting in that way)...as if he was a lesson to be learned, a test to be passed. And everyone who thinks they've passed His test, can't wait to tell others all that they've learned, so they too can pass the test. But, God isn't a test. And no generation of men is any wiser than the prior one or the one to follow, as to who God honestly is...

God isn't a mystery to be solved. He is a mystery to be loved. This is my opinion, only.



I like the stories of the saints, but I don't believe in 'sainthood.' As if it were a competition of sorts as to who wins God's favor the most. I grew up in the Catholic faith, and there is much beauty and robust culture within it. But, there is too much of man in the Church, and not enough of God. That could be true of organized religion, in general these days.

 

[Deidre]

/nods/ I thought that would help a bit. I mean, if you believe you are a saint, you have a testimony to tell to help others in similar situations. If your testimony helps someone else out, its cool. That's what matters--not the person behind the curtain.

Yea, I know you mean well. I'm just not in a good place with all of this right now.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Yea, I know you mean well. I'm just not in a good place with all of this right now.

best to a hugglet I can give from here

 

[Baladas]

Maybe the answers come from inside of me..

It is my firm belief that they do.

Follow your intuition, and look within. I am sure that you will find your path, whatever it may be.

I like that.

I remember when I was a devout Christian, life was very simple. I followed a faith and didn't ask questions. When I began asking questions, everything changed. Sometimes, I wish I could go back to the days as a Christian, when I never questioned.

I know exactly where you are coming from here. I have thought this from time to time. It took some time before I found lasting peace, but I did find it.

You will too. May it be soon.

Peace and blessings to you, my sister.

 

[Deidre]

It is my firm belief that they do.

Follow your intuition, and look within. I am sure that you will find your path, whatever it may be.



I know exactly where you are coming from here. I have thought this from time to time. It took some time before I found lasting peace, but I did find it.

You will too. May it be soon.

Peace and blessings to you, my sister.

Peace to you, also...thank you.

 

[Baladas]

Peace to you, also...thank you.

 

[Christ's Lamb]

Let me ask this...suppose you were deaf and blind...would you know God? My point being...why do we suppose that the truth behind God is hidden in the minds and hearts of dead men from centuries before us, and only if we read this or that holy text...will we be honored to find Him? I ask that with sincerity, not rhetorically...in hopes of an answer, from your own point of view. I'm not saying ideas of a god and what he might want CAN'T at all come from a variety of religious texts, but...the problem with the world today is that people think they need to be taught who God is (and religion can be constricting in that way)...as if he was a lesson to be learned, a test to be passed. And everyone who thinks they've passed His test, can't wait to tell others all that they've learned, so they too can pass the test. But, God isn't a test. And no generation of men is any wiser than the prior one or the one to follow, as to who God honestly is...

God isn't a mystery to be solved. He is a mystery to be loved. This is my opinion, only.



I like the stories of the saints, but I don't believe in 'sainthood.' As if it were a competition of sorts as to who wins God's favor the most. I grew up in the Catholic faith, and there is much beauty and robust culture within it. But, there is too much of man in the Church, and not enough of God. That could be true of organized religion, in general these days.

If I were deaf and blind, I would still know God. Maybe not by name, but by knowing him. Knowing God is beyond what man-made languages can describe, thus I find it difficult to describe what I mean by "Knowing" God. Knowing God goes beyond simply knowing him. One got just feel God, but it goes beyond simply feeling him.

One can read about God in scripture, because God wrote the scripture through those men. God was speaking, and the men wrote it down. They themselves were reached Theosis, thus God could write those texts through them. But union with God goes beyond scripture. I personally never really read scripture throughly was I was younger, but when I did, I realized what scripture said was what I already believed and knew to be true. So, in some causes, we can know God and his teachings without having ever read scripture in our whole lives, so scripture is not nesarly where we find God, but first within, then in scripture.

God dwells within us, therefore if we want to understand what scripture says, we must first get to know God within ourselves then we will understand completely what scripture means or doesn't mean.

I have read other relgious texts or their than the bible, and I find much truths in it. See, thoses who seek will find. I'll tell you a story. A Christian lives in a city, a Buddhist lives alone in the mountians. The Christian is a "cultural Christian" and doesn't really care about God, only about making money, etc. The Buddhist, during meditation, found God. He/she didn't know God's name, but he/she knew that redemption and Salvation comes from this being, who he knew created all things and he/she sought only to do this beings will. --- Who, out of the two, will go to heaven?

By the way, the Catholic Church teaches that, broadly speaking, we (the believers) are all saints, but narrowly speaking, certain people who lived holy lifes, can be given the title "Saint" out of honor and respect.

 

[Servant_of_the_One1]

I hope you find what u are looking for. You are good person @Deidre

There are many people who believe in the Creator without following any religion.

 

[JayJayDee]

I think the question to ask is why God is so hard to find? Is he hiding or is someone obscuring him?

How do you hide a 40ft tree out in the middle of a cleared field?

 

[Deidre]

I think the question to ask is why God is so hard to find? Is he hiding or is someone obscuring him?

How do you hide a 40ft tree out in the middle of a cleared field?

Something tells me that you are inferring that my mind and heart...aren't clear enough. Yes?
You might be right.

 

[Deidre]

I hope you find what u are looking for. You are good person @Deidre

There are many people who believe in the Creator without following any religion.

How can you be sure that Islam is your true path? Like...how do YOU know it is the true path...for you?

 

[Servant_of_the_One1]

How can you be sure that Islam is your true path? Like...how do YOU know it is the true path...for you?

Oh its just a feeling i get from praying and reading Quran
Everyone experiences it differently.

 

[JayJayDee]

Something tells me that you are inferring that my mind and heart...aren't clear enough. Yes?
You might be right.

Actually I was trying to say that God isn't really hard to find at all.

This is what Paul said to the men of the Greek Areopagus.....(non Jews)

"The God who made the world and all the things in it, being, as he is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples; 25 nor is he served by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all people life and breath and all things. 26 And he made out of one man every nation of men to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of where men would dwell, 27 so that they would seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us. 28 For by him we have life and move and exist, even as some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his children." (Acts 17:24-28)

Sometimes God is standing right beside us but we have an image of him that we have made ourselves (or that was made for us by others) and we simply don't recognize him.

We are conditioned by our upbringing or other influences to see God a certain way. It is sometimes hard to shake that image.

Its a bit like religion....each denomination has its own way of presenting the God of the Bible.....but they can't all be right....maybe none of them are right?

There is a reason for the confusion.

Have you heard how to hide a 40ft tree out in the middle of a cleared field?
The 40ft tree is the truth about God.....the one and only God in existence. There he was....standing tall like a huge tree in the middle of a cleared field. There was nothing obscuring man's view of him. There was no religion and no rivals in the beginning of man's existence to even suggest that he wasn't who he said he was.

Enter a villain. A rebellious and deceptive spirit who envied the worship that God received and wanted it for himself. How could he do that when it was obvious that there was no more powerful being in all the universe than the Almighty?

First of all he began to assassinate God's character, implying that he was not a good father and that he was mean to hold back knowledge from his children; something that they deserved to have. The knowledge of good and bad was painted as a beneficial thing that they had every right to have.

The woman fell for his lies but the man did not. Satan targeted the woman to get to the man. His disobedience was not because he was deceived but because he made a deliberate choice to side with his wife instead of his God. The deed that was done, could not be undone.

Once sin was in their flesh, it was easy pickings from then on.

As time went on, the devil began to plant other "trees" in the field all around the original 'tree', similar, but different enough to take worship away from the true God and direct it to himself. A virtual forest was planted all around that original tree until it became very difficult to identify it. People forgot what the original tree looked like.

If we know this, then it gives us a platform to examine the beliefs of all faiths, because they are all planted by the one entity, so they all have a common thread running through them.

If you spot the common thread that identifies satan's fake religion, you will see that the real one stands out as completely different by contrast.

Can you find the common thread? These are beliefs that basically all religions have in common. They may vary a little from faith to faith, but they all have these beliefs at their foundation. All originated in ancient Babylon, the birthplace of false worship.

Today, they make up a religious empire called "Babylon the great" and God has commanded his people to "get out of her" before he brings destruction upon her. (Rev 18:5, 6)

We cannot heed that command unless we identify the fake religions that the devil has planted in the world.

 

[Deidre]

Well, think I'm 'finding my way' through the grief process. Without clinging to any one religion. I've just allowed myself to feel. Glad I didn't jump to a religion. I do sense beautiful things about Islam, but if I were to eve convert to any religion, it most likely wouldn't be for the right reasons. Thanks for helping me work through this stuff, everyone. Appreciated.

 

[Adramelek]

I like your sig Deidre. To some, the Self is the very essence of God within us. For some the Self is all the "religion" they need.

 

[Deidre]

Thank you, adra. Yepp, in seeking something outside of myself, I found me. <3

I like your sig Deidre. To some, the Self is the very essence of God within us. For some the Self is all the "religion" they need.

 

[Deidre]

Actually I was trying to say that God isn't really hard to find at all.

This is what Paul said to the men of the Greek Areopagus.....(non Jews)

"The God who made the world and all the things in it, being, as he is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples; 25 nor is he served by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all people life and breath and all things. 26 And he made out of one man every nation of men to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of where men would dwell, 27 so that they would seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us. 28 For by him we have life and move and exist, even as some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his children." (Acts 17:24-28)

Sometimes God is standing right beside us but we have an image of him that we have made ourselves (or that was made for us by others) and we simply don't recognize him.

We are conditioned by our upbringing or other influences to see God a certain way. It is sometimes hard to shake that image.

Its a bit like religion....each denomination has its own way of presenting the God of the Bible.....but they can't all be right....maybe none of them are right?

There is a reason for the confusion.

Have you heard how to hide a 40ft tree out in the middle of a cleared field?
The 40ft tree is the truth about God.....the one and only God in existence. There he was....standing tall like a huge tree in the middle of a cleared field. There was nothing obscuring man's view of him. There was no religion and no rivals in the beginning of man's existence to even suggest that he wasn't who he said he was.

Enter a villain. A rebellious and deceptive spirit who envied the worship that God received and wanted it for himself. How could he do that when it was obvious that there was no more powerful being in all the universe than the Almighty?

First of all he began to assassinate God's character, implying that he was not a good father and that he was mean to hold back knowledge from his children; something that they deserved to have. The knowledge of good and bad was painted as a beneficial thing that they had every right to have.

The woman fell for his lies but the man did not. Satan targeted the woman to get to the man. His disobedience was not because he was deceived but because he made a deliberate choice to side with his wife instead of his God. The deed that was done, could not be undone.

Once sin was in their flesh, it was easy pickings from then on.

As time went on, the devil began to plant other "trees" in the field all around the original 'tree', similar, but different enough to take worship away from the true God and direct it to himself. A virtual forest was planted all around that original tree until it became very difficult to identify it. People forgot what the original tree looked like.

If we know this, then it gives us a platform to examine the beliefs of all faiths, because they are all planted by the one entity, so they all have a common thread running through them.

If you spot the common thread that identifies satan's fake religion, you will see that the real one stands out as completely different by contrast.

Can you find the common thread? These are beliefs that basically all religions have in common. They may vary a little from faith to faith, but they all have these beliefs at their foundation. All originated in ancient Babylon, the birthplace of false worship.

Today, they make up a religious empire called "Babylon the great" and God has commanded his people to "get out of her" before he brings destruction upon her. (Rev 18:5, 6)

We cannot heed that command unless we identify the fake religions that the devil has planted in the world.

JayJayDee, have you been a JW your whole life?

 

[JayJayDee]

JayJayDee, have you been a JW your whole life?

Hi Deidre,
No I was raised in the Anglican Church which I attended and belonged to until my late teens when I couldn't get any reasonable answers to my many questions. I left the church and dabbled in evolution for a time, but it always brought me back to the Creator. The design I saw in nature demanded a designer.

I tried other forms of Christianity....Mormonism and a few fringe churches, but there were still no satisfying answers. They were basically all the same, just with a different label. I was losing heart and my faith along with it.

For some reason, I have always highly respected the Bible and I always knew there had to be someone who was responsible for giving me life. But with the bad wrap that was given to JW's, they were the last people I expected to have the answers to all my questions. It was with the death of my father than answers were all the more important to me.

So when JW's called, I asked them all the hard questions that no church had answers for......expecting that they would be just as vague as everyone else. To my complete surprise, they answered every one I had, from my own Bible.

Did you know they offer a free home Bible study to anyone who would like to understand the Bible's message?
Just an hour a week (or more if you want) and you can see for yourself what the Bible really teaches. There is no cost and no obligation. You can stop the study anytime, no questions asked.

You cannot make informed choices without information. We should check out those who claim to teach the truth.
Look at what kind of people they produce.

I'm glad I gave them an opportunity to tell me what they believed and why. It changed my life.

 

[Deidre]

Hi Deidre,
No I was raised in the Anglican Church which I attended and belonged to until my late teens when I couldn't get any reasonable answers to my many questions. I left the church and dabbled in evolution for a time, but it always brought me back to the Creator. The design I saw in nature demanded a designer.

I tried other forms of Christianity....Mormonism and a few fringe churches, but there were still no satisfying answers. They were basically all the same, just with a different label. I was losing heart and my faith along with it.

For some reason, I have always highly respected the Bible and I always knew there had to be someone who was responsible for giving me life. But with the bad wrap that was given to JW's, they were the last people I expected to have the answers to all my questions. It was with the death of my father than answers were all the more important to me.

So when JW's called, I asked them all the hard questions that no church had answers for......expecting that they would be just as vague as everyone else. To my complete surprise, they answered every one I had, from my own Bible.

Did you know they offer a free home Bible study to anyone who would like to understand the Bible's message?
Just an hour a week (or more if you want) and you can see for yourself what the Bible really teaches. There is no cost and no obligation. You can stop the study anytime, no questions asked.

You cannot make informed choices without information. We should check out those who claim to teach the truth.
Look at what kind of people they produce.

I'm glad I gave them an opportunity to tell me what they believed and why. It changed my life.

I appreciate your honesty JayJayDee, and here I was, always thinking you were a JW all of your life. I think you have found the right path for you, it seems...it seems natural for you to follow, and not forced. For me, growing up indoctrinated into a faith, I didn't know anything else. When I became an adult, I went searching myself and found that Christianity resonated with me for a time, but I always had doubts. Doubts about who the Bible states the Creator to be. I believe that the Bible paints God to be very humanlike. The almighty Creator shouldn't have a need to be jealous, or petty in his punishments. Jesus, I believe could have very well been a historical figure, but then you have a story and religion built around him, when he was specific in stating to his followers and anyone who would listen, that he wasn't meant to be held as equal to God. So, that plus a whole host of other confusion ideas in the Bible, including my issues with Genesis as evidence against evolution, just caused me to depart eventually. Many people I've talked with after leaving Christianity, who are Christian, think that I left without thorough examination of my beliefs and I wouldn't have left if I had done so. But I did, just like you...what's interesting is that you were led to JW and I was led away from Christianity. Isn't that something? lol

 

[Twilight Hue]

I always forget which is which

Me too. Its the suttlity that gets you. ;0]