I'm spiritually tired

URAVIP2ME said:

Luke wrote at Acts of the Apostles 10:35 that God accepts people who are God fearing ( fear of displeasing God )
At Zephaniah 2:3 we can read about conditions, a process to be met:
Seek God ( personally seek through prayer, the pages of the Bible and by good association )
Seek God by righteousness ( uphold His righteous standard of what is right and wrong )
Seek God by meekness, and as Jesus promised humble meek people will inherit the Earth - Matthew 5:5; Psalms 37:9-11)
- Isaiah 55:6; 1 Chronicles 28:9 B

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The thing is that I was a Christian for 28 years and I just got burned and burned out during that time. I do like Jesus and there are things I like in the Bible, but I am still on my hiatus from Christianity. It may be a permanent hiatus...

Sand Dancer said:

The thing is that I was a Christian for 28 years and I just got burned and burned out during that time. I do like Jesus and there are things I like in the Bible, but I am still on my hiatus from Christianity. It may be a permanent hiatus...

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Oh, I hope Not permanent hiatus ( perpetually dead - Jeremiah 51:39; Jeremiah 51:57 )
To me the world scene shows more than ever we are in the last days of badness on Earth - 2 Timothy 3:1-5,13
All the more reason why we are all invited to pray the invitation to God for Jesus to come ! - Rev. 22:20
Come and bring ' healing ' to earth's nations - Revelation 22:2 - ( physical and spiritual healing )
Healing to the point that you will Not say, " I am sick....." - Isaiah 33:24
Perfect health for you as described at Isaiah 35th chapter.
Plus, Jesus to come so there will be permanent hiatus for our enemy death - 1 Corinthians 15:26; Isaiah 25:8.
Consider too we are close to Jesus' coming Glory Time (Matthew 25:31-34,37) and if we are alive at this time we can remain alive on Earth to see calendar Day One of Jesus' coming Millennium-Long Day of governing over Earth in righteousness for a thousand years.

Sand Dancer said:

The thing is that I was a Christian for 28 years and I just got burned and burned out during that time. I do like Jesus and there are things I like in the Bible, but I am still on my hiatus from Christianity. It may be a permanent hiatus...

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The one teaching of Jesus I still do like and believe to be good, sound advice is "what profit is it to a man if he should gain the world but lose his very soul?" Of course he was referring to a spiritual nature, but it rings true also of existentialist depth.
But at the end of the day Jesus is still attached to his "my way or the highway" Father.

Sand Dancer said:

I do this too, but I get frustrated because I want each one to be "the one," but I end up with difficulties with each of them.

I have been reading books on Stoicism, but is it a religion or philosophy? I don't see much god talk in it. Can you shed some light, because I do like the ideas.

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It's a bit of both. Stoicism can be approached as a philosophy. Modern Stoicism is mostly concerned with Stoic mindfulness and cultivating dispassion, which can be completely secular.

Ancient Stoics were Hellenists. They had a unique cosmogony where they believed in hard determinism, what they called fate, and they believed that this fate was ordained by Zeus (who they often refer to as God in their writings). Their ethics came from the religious notion of Amor Fati, or the love of fate, where they were to welcome everything that happened as a part of this God-ordained fate.

The degree to which Stoics were religious depends on the Stoic. Some of them spoke about the proper ways of giving offerings to the gods and the proper way to approach divination, which you even see in later Stoics like Epictetus in his Enchiridion. Most of them, however, were naturalistic pantheists, and they used "God" as a sort of metaphorical personification of the order in the universe, which parallels Spinoza's and Einstein's conception of God.

The idea of Stoic virtue is still often quasi-religious, though, because it ultimately derives from that form of pantheism. Even today, we see a lot of "Neostoics" who combine Stoicism with religions like Christianity as a way to better understand and connect with their own concept of God.

Sand Dancer said:

The thing is that I was a Christian for 28 years and I just got burned and burned out during that time. I do like Jesus and there are things I like in the Bible, but I am still on my hiatus from Christianity. It may be a permanent hiatus...

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I understand what you mean, and I sympathize. But I am on a permanent hiatus from Christianity. To be honest, I liken the experience of disavowing my Christian faith to being imprisoned, except that the door to my cell was always open and I was unaware that I could leave whenever I wanted to. I used to feel like Christianity was a prison, but now that I've freed myself from it, I never want to go back.

stvdv said:

The most difficult and most rewarding job
Indeed, it seems to never end
But if you look back you do see progress

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true

Sgt. Pepper said:

I understand what you mean, and I sympathize. But I am on a permanent hiatus from Christianity. To be honest, I liken the experience of disavowing my Christian faith to being imprisoned, except that the door to my cell was always open and I was unaware that I could leave whenever I wanted to. I used to feel like Christianity was a prison, but now that I've freed myself from it, I never want to go back.

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You are not alone in this feeling, either. I feel much the same way.

Sgt. Pepper said:

I understand what you mean, and I sympathize. But I am on a permanent hiatus from Christianity. To be honest, I liken the experience of disavowing my Christian faith to being imprisoned, except that the door to my cell was always open and I was unaware that I could leave whenever I wanted to. I used to feel like Christianity was a prison, but now that I've freed myself from it, I never want to go back.

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Yep, I understand that. Fear keeps you in it. Stockholm Syndrome stuff. So many have been hurt by this.

Sand Dancer said:

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

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Have you tried Jesus? I don’t mean the religion of Christianity, but simply Jesus Christ...

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Sand Dancer said:

I love people and want to know everyone, so I crave having a tribe. I wish I could let that go and just accept friends as they come but one of my flaws is that I am impatient.

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Having a tribe doesn't necessarily mean having to share the same religious beliefs

Sand Dancer said:

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

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Hi Sand Dancer. In my opinion, you won't find spiritual fulfilment in any other than Yahshua the Messiah. Spiritually tired? Yahshua has the answer:

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

We read this in Matthew 11:29. Psalm 62:5 says something similar. Yahshua knew people would be tired, footsore and weary from walking the paths of the world, just as we sing in the song Sweet Will of [Yah]. Yahshua my Savior says take his yoke, and learn of him. He was a commandment keeper. By keeping the commandments of Yahweh as perfectly as we possibly can, we can receive great strength, joy and satisfaction, knowing that we are pleasing Yahweh the only True and Living Elohim.

Sand Dancer said:

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

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I wish you all the best really. We live in a world of confusion. Buddhism has beautiful teachings which I found very helpful in my life but my problem is that I couldn’t accept one religion as the only truth and deny the rest as they all teach truth.

So now I accept all of them. All their Holy Books are part of my religion and in all our services we read from all the religions. As well our houses of worship have engraved in the architecture, doors and windows, the symbols of all the major religions including Buddhism.

Now all the world and all religionists I see as my family not as ‘us vs them’. anymore and it is so liberating being able to accept all and reject none. No more confusion. I’ve been a Baha’i for 45 years now and I’m still so thankful I came across it. In my heart I’m a Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Jew and Christian and the feeling of completeness is great being able to pick up a Sutta or the Bible or Quran and loving it.

But life is a journey and you need to follow your own heart and where that takes you. If you are sincere you will end up in a good and happy space. I pray that your spirit is refreshed.

Sand Dancer said:

Yep, I understand that. Fear keeps you in it. Stockholm Syndrome stuff. So many have been hurt by this.

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Yes, a lot of people have been hurt by it, and that's why I share my story of renouncing my Christian faith, coupled with the story of the severe abuse and constant bullying I suffered while I was growing up. My story of childhood abuse is intertwined with my decision to renounce my faith. I share my story of leaving Christianity in the hopes that it might inspire others who are considering leaving Christianity, or perhaps inspire people who have already left and need reassurance. I participate in a couple of therapy groups for survivors of abuse, and I share my story of suffering childhood abuse and the reasons why I left Christianity in these support groups.

My stories have inspired other survivors of abuse, but I never coerced other survivors to forsake their Christian faith. I told them that it's possible, and I talked to them about how much my life has improved since I renounced my own faith. I make sure to emphasize that the decision to renounce their faith is entirely up to them, and I let them know that I'll listen to them and offer them emotional support. I've made it my life's mission to support other abuse survivors, and one way I do so is by being open about my experiences.

As I explained in another post (click here), being a Christian was a terrible experience for me, and now I'm determined to never be a Christian again. To be honest, it was very difficult for me to detox from my Christian faith, and it took me several years to deprogram myself from all the church indoctrination that I had been subjected to while I was a Christian and while I was growing up. I can truly say that letting go of my belief, faith, and trust in God was the best decision that I've ever made for my mental and emotional well-being. My life is so much better now that I'm not a Christian. I don't regret my choice to disavow my faith, despite the difficulty and struggle it took to do it. I now have genuine peace and joy in my life, and that's something I didn't experience when I was a Christian.

Sand Dancer said:

I am tired of trying to "find" a religion. I am a philosophical Buddhist, but religiously, I am a pantheist. The pantheist label doesn't do much for me; it's basically just a worldview. I guess I'm just laboring in vain. I am trying to be okay with this. Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

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Sand Dancer said:

You're probably right, but it might be like an addiction. Right now I might need to stay away from religious books, because I might fall back into searching again. I have been searching ever since leaving Christianity 7 years ago, so I might need to avoid that to break the cycle. I usually read non-fiction, so I can learn stuff. I need to also try more fiction books, so I can just read for enjoyment instead of trying to learn.

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Lets trade advice. I'm not trying to find a religion and accept that I will never fit in unless I suspend my thoughts and let other people think for me. I'm thinking about (but am not sure about) advising you to do that.

You've found many religions, but you've become expert in defeating beliefs. This has left you only with ideas and principles and no religious rites or zealotry. Is that accurate? I wonder: perhaps you have met Buddha on the road. Perhaps you have failed to become a fool and therefore don't know what is wise. Having never been outside, how can one talk about being outside?

I don't recommend having a psychotic break and feel fairly confident in reality, however I do recommend getting out once in a while. Go out at night to see the stars. Go somewhere you don't normally go, such as to where no one expects you to be. Do something no one expects you to do. Suddenly change your schedule at random. Change your pills. Change your food. Get into a confrontation (without hurting anybody). Make an animal angry with you.

Finally, experiment with what is unwise: Run from wisdom and safety. Wear uncomfortable and embarrassing clothes. Meditate wrong. Do something wrong. Get into a situation in which you will need help. Look at things you aren't supposed to or go somewhere you aren't allowed to. Eat something you've been told not to (but don't poison yourself. I'm not saying to poison yourself). Tempt the devil. Talk to yourself and to strangers. Make friends with someone you shouldn't. Believe lies. Tell lies. Break rules. Forget something you worked hard to learn. Learn something you don't care to know. Struggle to walk down a hill, and then ride a car back up. Fill up a sink using only a spoon. Wear the same underwear for too long. Go without socks.

Would I do the above things? No, because it would be unwise. But if I got really, really stuck I might. The silly has a power to stir the mind.

InChrist said:

Have you tried Jesus? I don’t mean the religion of Christianity, but simply Jesus Christ...

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

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I do like Jesus and try to follow him as much as I can. I am reading the Bible again and highlighting the most positive verses to see what I can salvage from it.

Scolopendra said:

Having a tribe doesn't necessarily mean having to share the same religious beliefs

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I know...I guess I just have good memories of church friends, but then again, I have made some shallow friends in the religion too. I need to let that desire go and I am trying.

Brickjectivity said:

Lets trade advice. I'm not trying to find a religion and accept that I will never fit in unless I suspend my thoughts and let other people think for me. I'm thinking about (but am not sure about) advising you to do that.

You've found many religions, but you've become expert in defeating beliefs. This has left you only with ideas and principles and no religious rites or zealotry. Is that accurate? I wonder: perhaps you have met Buddha on the road. Perhaps you have failed to become a fool and therefore don't know what is wise. Having never been outside, how can one talk about being outside?

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Yes, accurate.

I don't recommend having a psychotic break and feel fairly confident in reality, however I do recommend getting out once in a while. Go out at night to see the stars. Go somewhere you don't normally go, such as to where no one expects you to be. Do something no one expects you to do. Suddenly change your schedule at random. Change your pills. Change your food. Get into a confrontation (without hurting anybody). Make an animal angry with you.

Finally, experiment with what is unwise: Run from wisdom and safety. Wear uncomfortable and embarrassing clothes. Meditate wrong. Do something wrong. Get into a situation in which you will need help. Look at things you aren't supposed to or go somewhere you aren't allowed to. Eat something you've been told not to (but don't poison yourself. I'm not saying to poison yourself). Tempt the devil. Talk to yourself and to strangers. Make friends with someone you shouldn't. Believe lies. Tell lies. Break rules. Forget something you worked hard to learn. Learn something you don't care to know. Struggle to walk down a hill, and then ride a car back up. Fill up a sink using only a spoon. Wear the same underwear for too long. Go without socks.

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I need to stop caring about what other people think and I am working on that. I do some of these things and will possibly try some of these other things...except the underwear thing. I think I am good without doing that one.

Sand Dancer said:

Anyone in or have been in the same boat?

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Nah. Pagan describes me 100%.