Do your beliefs make you happy?

[Spiderman]

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy. Sometimes my prayers to God and heavenly beings make me happy, hopeful, confident, blissful, peaceful, and on occasion more euphoric than drugs.

Then there are days like today where prayer does absolutely nothing. I figure faith is being tested at those times.

When I first converted to Catholicism, my beliefs were not healthy at all. They did not make me happy.

I believed more than 90% of the world was in a state of mortal sin, and , that everyday Souls were falling into hell like leaves falling off trees. I believed that sin cried out to heaven for vengeance, and that God was punishing the world through Wars, famines, heresies, and disease.

I have since been cured of such views. But the belief in such things remains strangely prevalent among believers. If I chose to believe such things it would only make me miserable.

It is sad!

I don't like God very much. I think he's cruel. That's why it helps me to go to a saint or soul in heaven.

I choose to worship God, not because I like him or agree with him, but from the need of maturity, prudence, sobriety, healing, and guidance from a power wiser and stronger. Prayer has helped a lot. When I stop praying, the consequences are disastrous.

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy and why. Thanks!

 

[allfoak]

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy.

Yes

 

[Curious George]

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy. Sometimes my prayers to God and heavenly beings make me happy, hopeful, confident, blissful, peaceful, and on occasion more euphoric than drugs.

Then there are days like today where prayer does absolutely nothing. I figure faith is being tested at those times.

When I first converted to Catholicism, my beliefs were not healthy at all. They did not make me happy.

I believed more than 90% of the world was in a state of mortal sin, and , that everyday Souls were falling into hell like leaves falling off trees. I believed that sin cried out to heaven for vengeance, and that God was punishing the world through Wars, famines, heresies, and disease.

I have since been cured of such views. But the belief in such things remains strangely prevalent among believers. If I chose to believe such things it would only make me miserable.

It is sad!

I don't like God very much. I think he's cruel. That's why it helps me to go to a saint or soul in heaven.

I choose to worship God, not because I like him or agree with him, but from the need of maturity, prudence, sobriety, healing, and guidance from a power wiser and stronger. Prayer has helped a lot. When I stop praying, the consequences are disastrous.

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy and why. Thanks!

Happiness is a strange beast. If beliefs made us happy would we not either always be happy or unhappy. Certainly beliefs play a role. A loved one dies and you experience a consequential unhappiness. Now, if you had not believed they died (you didn't know of their passing) would you have experienced that unhappiness? But later after the grieving process you find yourself happy at some moment or another. Is that because you no longer believe the loved one is dead? Or is it because you have acquired new beliefs that cope or offset the old beliefs? I do not think it is beliefs that control our happiness but how we process those beliefs that effect our emotions. Can a book or a movie make you feel emotion? Is it because you believe the event is actually happening or because you are processing the beliefs as though they were occurring?

 

[Jesster]

I believe that my lunch was yummy. My tummy is happy and so am I.

 

[Jumi]

I believed more than 90% of the world was in a state of mortal sin, and , that everyday Souls were falling into hell like leaves falling off trees. I believed that sin cried out to heaven for vengeance, and that God was punishing the world through Wars, famines, heresies, and disease.

That's the problem with many religions. They believe God is this petty feudal lord with a small mind.

I don't like God very much. I think he's cruel. That's why it helps me to go to a saint or soul in heaven.

Well that's a problem. There's no cruelty in God. All that is in imaginations of people who put words in God's mouth and had wanted to put themselves up on God's throne.

I choose to worship God, not because I like him or agree with him, but from the need of maturity, prudence, sobriety, healing, and guidance from a power wiser and stronger. Prayer has helped a lot. When I stop praying, the consequences are disastrous.

I think you should pray more, think less about what you think you know about God and just relax with it.

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy and why. Thanks!

I don't think about it much. I don't think my beliefs are meant to make me happy, I believe things that I do because they're the conclusions I have reached.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

Yes - I believe that thinking & acting with kindness & compassion towards my fellow beings makes me happy.

That's when I am mindful enough to actually do it!

 

[SalixIncendium]

As I see it, it's not the beliefs themselves that lead to one's happiness, but the actions one takes based upon those beliefs.

 

[Spiderman]

I believe God is cruel because I see all of the misery and the confusion that he's perfectly capable of relieving that he chooses not to.

My belief though, is that he makes something good and beautiful come out of our mistakes.

I forgot to ask if your religious beliefs or lack of religious beliefs ever cause you misery?

If you belong to a system of beliefs where you believe that those who don't belong to your religion go to a place of eternal torment, I cannot fathom how such beliefs could make you happy.

 

[Aldrnari]

You know, I talked to my partner about this. She was surprised that I was happy and content without a god to place my faith in, or to give me a moral code to act with.

For me, asking the big questions unfettered by the assumptions of faith sustains my curiosity, which keeps me happy. As for doing the right thing, it is it's own reward.

Ashem vohu
Vehishtem asti
Ushta asti
Ushta ahmai
Hyat ashai
Vehistai ashem

"Righteousness is best (of all that is) good.
As desired, what is being desired
is truth for him who (represents) best truth."

 

[Jainarayan]

I believe God is cruel because I see all of the misery and the confusion that he's perfectly capable of relieving that he chooses not to.

You might need to rethink your view of God, or reconsider what you’ve been taught about him.

 

[George-ananda]

Do your beliefs make you happy?

Absolutely. The final goal is unconditional happiness in my belief system.

 

[Terese]

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy. Sometimes my prayers to God and heavenly beings make me happy, hopeful, confident, blissful, peaceful, and on occasion more euphoric than drugs.

Then there are days like today where prayer does absolutely nothing. I figure faith is being tested at those times.

When I first converted to Catholicism, my beliefs were not healthy at all. They did not make me happy.

I believed more than 90% of the world was in a state of mortal sin, and , that everyday Souls were falling into hell like leaves falling off trees. I believed that sin cried out to heaven for vengeance, and that God was punishing the world through Wars, famines, heresies, and disease.

I have since been cured of such views. But the belief in such things remains strangely prevalent among believers. If I chose to believe such things it would only make me miserable.

It is sad!

I don't like God very much. I think he's cruel. That's why it helps me to go to a saint or soul in heaven.

I choose to worship God, not because I like him or agree with him, but from the need of maturity, prudence, sobriety, healing, and guidance from a power wiser and stronger. Prayer has helped a lot. When I stop praying, the consequences are disastrous.

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy and why. Thanks!

Yes my religion makes me happy, because it centers around love of God

 

[YmirGF]

My beliefs are a result of my blissful state of mind. Once you have found that magic balance everything just falls into place.

 

[RedDragon94]

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy and why. Thanks!

Sure. I hate that I have such a hard time convincing people of them but that may be because I don't know everything I should.

 

[Spice]

Happy doesn’t describe what my faith gives me. The best word I can find would be “content”. My faith journey has wrapped me in a blanket of acceptance. Sometimes the simplest of things can make me smile with an inner happiness that if ever experienced prior, was never noticed; things like squirrels chasing each other around a tree, or a flower going from bud to full blossom overnight. At the same time, my faith causes me sadness and pain from aspects of this world mankind can control, but does not; commercials showing shivering, emaciated dogs tied up with heavy chain, or the news reports of the sick, starving children in Yemen often bring unanticipated tears to my eyes.


But my faith has taught me, this world IS improving, one generation at a time. With love, we’re to do what we can, when we can, and all life will be better for it.

 

[shunyadragon]

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy. Sometimes my prayers to God and heavenly beings make me happy, hopeful, confident, blissful, peaceful, and on occasion more euphoric than drugs.

Then there are days like today where prayer does absolutely nothing. I figure faith is being tested at those times.

When I first converted to Catholicism, my beliefs were not healthy at all. They did not make me happy.

I believed more than 90% of the world was in a state of mortal sin, and , that everyday Souls were falling into hell like leaves falling off trees. I believed that sin cried out to heaven for vengeance, and that God was punishing the world through Wars, famines, heresies, and disease.

I have since been cured of such views. But the belief in such things remains strangely prevalent among believers. If I chose to believe such things it would only make me miserable.

It is sad!

I don't like God very much. I think he's cruel. That's why it helps me to go to a saint or soul in heaven.

I choose to worship God, not because I like him or agree with him, but from the need of maturity, prudence, sobriety, healing, and guidance from a power wiser and stronger. Prayer has helped a lot. When I stop praying, the consequences are disastrous.

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy and why. Thanks!

No, my beliefs do not make me happy nor comfortable. It is misleading to seek happiness and comfort in ones belief system, because the contradictory result is that everyone finds a different happiness and comfort in many conflicting different belief systems.

This does not translate to finding joy and spiritual fulfillment in the world around me, but I realize that this must be found outside my comfort zone of being happy with the choice of my belief. My choice of my belief is open to continuous skepticism open to options with a better explanation of the unity of our existence, In actuality Philosophical Naturalism has the best non-contradictory explanation for universal perspective and explanation without the contradictions of most religious choices. I would be very happy and comfortable with being just a plain old fashioned atheist or strong agnostic in the Unitarian Universalists, and easily reject most if not all Theistic choices as actually logically outrageous.There are far too many questions concerning the choice between belief systems that bring to question on the nature of what is Universal in the spiritual world beyond our physical world, that seeking to be comfortably and happy with choices cannot provide.

 

[Grandliseur]

I choose to worship God, not because I like him or agree with him, but from the need of maturity, prudence, sobriety, healing, and guidance from a power wiser and stronger. Prayer has helped a lot. When I stop praying, the consequences are disastrous.

Just curious if your beliefs make you happy and why. Thanks!

I don't agree with the stuff I put in red; otherwise, I think I pretty much agree at the moment, especially the last prayer part. Like you said, you court Misery as your mistress, I take mine as my hell with brimstone that cannot be avoided, wanting to kick James in his shins at times. And, no, stewing in my hellish juices do not contribute toward happiness; it contributes to this philosophy: what is - is. What isn't - is not.

A lot of us wouldn't be here if we had been given off buttons we had control of ourselves. There would be little fear of overpopulation if this feature had been incorporated into our bodies. There would be few people on earth if we had this.

 

[Spiderman]

I don't agree with the stuff I put in red; otherwise, I think I pretty much agree at the moment, especially the last prayer part. Like you said, you court Misery as your mistress, I take mine as my hell with brimstone that cannot be avoided, wanting to kick James in his shins at times. And, no, stewing in my hellish juices do not contribute toward happiness; it contributes to this philosophy: what is - is. What isn't - is not.

A lot of us wouldn't be here if we had been given off buttons we had control of ourselves. There would be little fear of overpopulation if this feature had been incorporated into our bodies. There would be few people on earth if we had this.

Well said!

 

[Spiderman]

Well said!

I will add that I love God, I just don't like his choices

 

[Grandliseur]

I will add that I love God, I just don't like his choices

I must say, at times I agree. But, then I am not as wise as he, and never shall be.