I tend to get overly involved in these topics. So when I posted reply after 5 secs (just like now) I then just re-read and re-read over again, just to be absolutely sure (of myself)
A perfect (simple) example would be when you were young you had a belief in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny (if not you, millions did anyway). Once you became older you then decided not to 'believe'. Reality sets in.
Beliefs can change, EVEN through external knowledge (although ideally internally you just grow up) Belief is a feeling. We can choose not to feel any longer.
Actually the 'feeling' is arguably the hardest part to overcome, especially for others trying to help you with.
I fully understand your internal battle between intellect and this feeling of belief. You are in transition, give it time. Ask questions too, and I'll help if I can, without the usual side gags.
I don't think I'll "lose the feeling". I can recall a moment that I couldn't fully understand in any other way except as a "miracle". I went for a walk, very depressed and contemplated my existence, wondered if there was any meaning or hope, and I began to think about ending it. All of a sudden I heard a calm whispering voice from behind me that said, "It's okay, I'm here." I was alone on the street. I saw no one. I thought it was God at first. Then I came to the conclusion that I just had a temporary lapse of sanity. I told my Mom, at the time, saying, "I think I heard the voice of God." She asked me if his voice was a quiet calming whisper. That's a very remarkable coincidence. So I found it hard to believe that a diety was not out there. Again somethings you can't find on google, but no one has every peice to the puzzle.
Hi, well that's not a question, but I'm glad you gave one of your moments why you feel this way.
Your example is extremely common in the religious world. Its the down and out, sad and depressed (and weak) moments that is the MOST common time that 'belief' and churches will try to misguide you. Your story is also more of a concern to those that are presently devout Christian believers, with similar suicidal thoughts, but don't hear any voices in their head, should they continue on?
Our mind and body is geared to survival. This is why many attempted suicides (thankfully) fail. Our brain will consciously and subconsciously stop us from harming ourselves. No matter if you are a believer or not. In your case, due to past experiences and church upbringing, your mind took the wildest approach that God himself spoke to you and said you are not alone. It obviously worked.
Although you didn't ask me for my answer on your experience, know that every single 'belief' experience does have a much more simpler natural reason why it happened. God did not speak to you, as 1. That's so unlikely its impossible 2. We live in a natural normal real universe where everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know presently why or how.
Thousands of years ago, people prayed for rain, we now know how rain is formed, it is not godly or unnatural. Just as lunar or sun eclipses or even thunder and lightning are not the god(s) mad with us. Once things are brought into reality and perspective it all makes sense. The notion of a god existing is the most confusing and complicated possibility of them all. There are a million million alternatives before we conclude that 'god did it'!
The following is a passage I picked up on one of the many religious and atheist forums I've attended over the years. It has some relevance here.
"Religions are our fantasy when reality is too complex to understand. Simple people like simple answers. How did the universe begin ? Simple - God magically made it. Complex - in the Science of cosmology you can learn about how the universe exists and what we have observed about it's beginnings. The simple answer takes 2 seconds. The complex answer takes 10-15 years of dedicated study and even then, you still won't have all the answers you were looking for, but you will have facts, evidence, observation, models that have predictive capabilities, truth and reality. God & Faith are never answers to anything. They are when you want to give up and let your mind enjoy the simple, untruthful fantasy of knowing nothing at all."
If you DO have any questions that you'd like specific answers to, then please ask. By asking we gain knowledge and better ourselves, individually and for the entire of humankind.
She's your Mom and knows you best? I would have hoped that the voice would have been like thunder and heard 100's of miles away, by everyone! The voice was just in your head. Your mind took on survival mode and told you what you obviously needed to hear. There are no proven miracles (please search this)
If you even accept that this cannot be proved, then on what basis do you believe? I have already provided logical explanation for one of your 'experiences'.
Since there is not only lack of proof (please try not to provide any unsubstantiated stuff that I automatically reply on) but in actual fact zero proof since, well, forever! Then its most likely these are false beliefs.
On top of that, we have already confirmed evolution. The facts of evolution are stronger based than even the theory of gravity. The reasons are we have multiple reasons why we know the universe naturally evolved, all the reasons point exactly to evolution individually. Even the Pope believes in evolution.
So if its just a belief in god. Then on what grounds? He did nothing, and has not played a part in anyone's life forever? Why even praise this god? The chances of a all powerful overseeing godlike creature looking down on us, would have to be next to none. Plus there are many religions with many versions of this god and afterlife wonders. Who's to say Allah isn't the one? To me, its obviously none, due to the lack of proof ever of one ever even existing in the first place.
Pretty sure everything is just natural. Not supernatural. I also clearly understand that inevitably as religion moves further and further out of society, that this 'belief' will be given the same result in peoples minds as mentioning unicorns or a human body with 4 other creatures in one! (all mentioned in the bible!) Most will just laugh it off as nonsense, as it is.
The reason I believe in things without proof is that I've seen things were I know it was real and or actually happened and I had no proof. It's hard to claim something is true without proof, but it doesn't mean it isn't real or didn't happen.
Similarly not knowing how something happened or seeing unexplained phenomenon does not automatically constitute god exists.. It just means we need to learn and find the facts. This is exactly what people normally do anyway. By just saying I don't know, must have been god that did it! Is a cop out that doesn't help anyone.
I honestly do feel that mainly due to the Internet and now that people can openly discuss what the church really believes, that this is their inevitable downfall. I mean Islamism believing their getting virgins when they die? What? When I first heard that years ago I seriously wondered why they still believe in Allah. And Christians believing that they will be judged and sent to heaven to then continue praising the lord for eternity? I fully understand why lucifer would create his own afterlife, because heaven sounds like hell for me.
The whole religious concept is mind boggling. Common sense alone tells me that all life (even plants and insects) are just a lifeform like animals and humans of Earth and our Milky Way galaxy, within our universe of an already estimated 100 Billion of other known galaxies out there. Peoples fears and arrogance in their god is just pathetic.
Agnostics ponder that maybe one day proof will come that god exists. Atheists whilst still open to any evidence, do not waste anymore time on pondering about religious ridiculousness nonsense anymore, to do with a current mythical god.
A perfect (simple) example would be when you were young you had a belief in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny (if not you, millions did anyway).
Once you became older you then decided not to 'believe'. Reality sets in.
Beliefs can change, EVEN through external knowledge (although ideally internally you just grow up)
Belief is a feeling. We can choose not to feel any longer.
Actually the 'feeling' is arguably the hardest part to overcome, especially for others trying to help you with.
I fully understand your internal battle between intellect and this feeling of belief.
You are in transition, give it time. Ask questions too, and I'll help if I can, without the usual side gags.
Your example is extremely common in the religious world.
Its the down and out, sad and depressed (and weak) moments that is the MOST common time that 'belief' and churches will try to misguide you.
Your story is also more of a concern to those that are presently devout Christian believers, with similar suicidal thoughts, but don't hear any voices in their head, should they continue on?
Our mind and body is geared to survival. This is why many attempted suicides (thankfully) fail. Our brain will consciously and subconsciously stop us from harming ourselves. No matter if you are a believer or not. In your case, due to past experiences and church upbringing, your mind took the wildest approach that God himself spoke to you and said you are not alone. It obviously worked.
Although you didn't ask me for my answer on your experience, know that every single 'belief' experience does have a much more simpler natural reason why it happened. God did not speak to you, as 1. That's so unlikely its impossible 2. We live in a natural normal real universe where everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know presently why or how.
Thousands of years ago, people prayed for rain, we now know how rain is formed, it is not godly or unnatural. Just as lunar or sun eclipses or even thunder and lightning are not the god(s) mad with us.
Once things are brought into reality and perspective it all makes sense. The notion of a god existing is the most confusing and complicated possibility of them all. There are a million million alternatives before we conclude that 'god did it'!
The following is a passage I picked up on one of the many religious and atheist forums I've attended over the years. It has some relevance here.
"Religions are our fantasy when reality is too complex to understand. Simple people like simple answers. How did the universe begin ? Simple - God magically made it. Complex - in the Science of cosmology you can learn about how the universe exists and what we have observed about it's beginnings. The simple answer takes 2 seconds. The complex answer takes 10-15 years of dedicated study and even then, you still won't have all the answers you were looking for, but you will have facts, evidence, observation, models that have predictive capabilities, truth and reality. God & Faith are never answers to anything. They are when you want to give up and let your mind enjoy the simple, untruthful fantasy of knowing nothing at all."
If you DO have any questions that you'd like specific answers to, then please ask.
By asking we gain knowledge and better ourselves, individually and for the entire of humankind.
I would have hoped that the voice would have been like thunder and heard 100's of miles away, by everyone!
The voice was just in your head. Your mind took on survival mode and told you what you obviously needed to hear.
There are no proven miracles (please search this)
I have already provided logical explanation for one of your 'experiences'.
Since there is not only lack of proof (please try not to provide any unsubstantiated stuff that I automatically reply on) but in actual fact zero proof since, well, forever! Then its most likely these are false beliefs.
On top of that, we have already confirmed evolution. The facts of evolution are stronger based than even the theory of gravity. The reasons are we have multiple reasons why we know the universe naturally evolved, all the reasons point exactly to evolution individually. Even the Pope believes in evolution.
So if its just a belief in god. Then on what grounds?
He did nothing, and has not played a part in anyone's life forever?
Why even praise this god? The chances of a all powerful overseeing godlike creature looking down on us, would have to be next to none. Plus there are many religions with many versions of this god and afterlife wonders. Who's to say Allah isn't the one? To me, its obviously none, due to the lack of proof ever of one ever even existing in the first place.
Pretty sure everything is just natural. Not supernatural.
I also clearly understand that inevitably as religion moves further and further out of society, that this 'belief' will be given the same result in peoples minds as mentioning unicorns or a human body with 4 other creatures in one! (all mentioned in the bible!) Most will just laugh it off as nonsense, as it is.
It just means we need to learn and find the facts.
This is exactly what people normally do anyway.
By just saying I don't know, must have been god that did it! Is a cop out that doesn't help anyone.
I honestly do feel that mainly due to the Internet and now that people can openly discuss what the church really believes, that this is their inevitable downfall.
I mean Islamism believing their getting virgins when they die? What? When I first heard that years ago I seriously wondered why they still believe in Allah.
And Christians believing that they will be judged and sent to heaven to then continue praising the lord for eternity? I fully understand why lucifer would create his own afterlife, because heaven sounds like hell for me.
The whole religious concept is mind boggling. Common sense alone tells me that all life (even plants and insects) are just a lifeform like animals and humans of Earth and our Milky Way galaxy, within our universe of an already estimated 100 Billion of other known galaxies out there. Peoples fears and arrogance in their god is just pathetic.
Agnostics ponder that maybe one day proof will come that god exists.
Atheists whilst still open to any evidence, do not waste anymore time on pondering about religious ridiculousness nonsense anymore, to do with a current mythical god.