Spiderman
Veteran Member
So...I was a very devout Catholic from the age of 20 to 26. It just became too much for me. Not just the Catholic faith became so increasingly difficult, but the Bible itself seemed even more confusing.
I found myself becoming more and more unhappy, always traumatized by the thought that sinners and unbelievers that I was coming into contact with everyday could die and go to hell to be in agony forever and ever.
Not to mention the horrifying "reality" that everyday, so many souls are going to hell. And it became increasingly more and more clear that I was destroying my mental and emotional health by believing in such a thing. So I quit! Why stress myself out daily and burn up so much time and energy over a belief(s) that I can't prove? Was an agnostic for about nine months and somewhat of a Deist at times.
There are a lot of other sad things that took place which lead me away from religion, but i'll save that for another time. Currently i go to bible studies and started going to church again about three weeks ago. I don't like to call myself Christian though because I rarely pray, and when I do, have very little faith that God hears me. I also dont follow the rules
I have met some very awesome people recently and am convinced that God is at work in them and responsible for some of the huge transformation they have experienced and their dedication to helping other people without any reward or pay. There is just something there in some of these people that I feel strongly is far more than what evolution and natural selection gifted the human mind and heart with. This helped a lot.
Anyhow, where are you on your spiritual journey? How did you get there? If you are atheist/agnostic....how did you get there?
I found myself becoming more and more unhappy, always traumatized by the thought that sinners and unbelievers that I was coming into contact with everyday could die and go to hell to be in agony forever and ever.
Not to mention the horrifying "reality" that everyday, so many souls are going to hell. And it became increasingly more and more clear that I was destroying my mental and emotional health by believing in such a thing. So I quit! Why stress myself out daily and burn up so much time and energy over a belief(s) that I can't prove? Was an agnostic for about nine months and somewhat of a Deist at times.
There are a lot of other sad things that took place which lead me away from religion, but i'll save that for another time. Currently i go to bible studies and started going to church again about three weeks ago. I don't like to call myself Christian though because I rarely pray, and when I do, have very little faith that God hears me. I also dont follow the rules
I have met some very awesome people recently and am convinced that God is at work in them and responsible for some of the huge transformation they have experienced and their dedication to helping other people without any reward or pay. There is just something there in some of these people that I feel strongly is far more than what evolution and natural selection gifted the human mind and heart with. This helped a lot.
Anyhow, where are you on your spiritual journey? How did you get there? If you are atheist/agnostic....how did you get there?