Religious Question/Opinion

[nemelek]

I swore that I would sit on the sidelines for this thread. Oh well. These are my thoughts and beliefs and I speak for no one but myself.

Religion is for people that don’t want to go to hell. Spiritually is for people that have lived in hell. I was born into a Catholic family and did the sacraments and alter boy thing. Never believed that wine and bread was changed to body and blood of Christ during the mass. Still don’t. When I left home I left the church and never went back except for weddings and funerals. Born again were interesting and I often told them no thanks, I had enough of the crap the first time.

It is said that what you think about most becomes your God. For some it’s money, sex, work etc. Mine was drugs and alcohol. In 12 years I drank my lifetime and 5 other peoples lifetime supply of alcohol. Drove drunk over 1,000 times. Even after killing a teenager while drunk driving I didn’t stop. When I tried I couldn’t quit. It took finding a power greater than myself through a 12 step program to finally stop. Today I have over 20 years of continuous sobriety. God did for me what I couldn’t do for myself. God didn’t open the gates of heaven and let me in, He opened the gates of hell and let me out.

I believe that there have been enlighten spiritual teachers that have lived among us. Jesus, Ali, Gandhi, Buddha, and others. Like them I am also a son of God. However, these people achieved a spiritual awareness that I’ll never obtain but to grow toward. To me God is like the electricity in a house. If you find a place plug into it there is remarkable things that can be done. The Star Wars God of the force and being able to channel the power through you is also a metaphor I use to describe my beliefs.

God gave man free will. That means that I have the right to choose and create my life. I can make choices based on prayer and meditation or based on ego and old beliefs. Every day, ever hour, every minuet I stand at the turning point. I can make choices based on love or fear. There are no wrong choices. If I take the road A I live certain life lessons. If I take road B I live another set of lessons.

This applies to relationships. If I choose to stay, I’ll live a certain set of lessons. If I leave, I’ll live another. The real question is that if I leave but end up in the same relationship with a different person what did I really learn. The goal is not to see what I can get from another. The goal is to see what I can give. Paradoxically the more I give, the more I get. Also the other person has the right to free will and in order to grow spiritually might find it necessary to leave me. My choices become do I learn and grow or do I wallow in self pity.

I believe that water seeks it’s own level. If I have great relationships, I must be doing well. If I have sick relationships I am probably not all that mentally healthy. Relationships are like rock tumblers. Every body rough edges keep getting knocked against each other until we are polished gem stones. I have been knocked around a lot and still being polished.

Relationships can be tough Good Luck.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by nemelek

I swore that I would sit on the sidelines for this thread. Oh well. These are my thoughts and beliefs and I speak for no one but myself.

Religion is for people that don’t want to go to hell. Spiritually is for people that have lived in hell. I was born into a Catholic family and did the sacraments and alter boy thing. Never believed that wine and bread was changed to body and blood of Christ during the mass. Still don’t. When I left home I left the church and never went back except for weddings and funerals. Born again were interesting and I often told them no thanks, I had enough of the crap the first time.

It is said that what you think about most becomes your God. For some it’s money, sex, work etc. Mine was drugs and alcohol. In 12 years I drank my lifetime and 5 other peoples lifetime supply of alcohol. Drove drunk over 1,000 times. Even after killing a teenager while drunk driving I didn’t stop. When I tried I couldn’t quit. It took finding a power greater than myself through a 12 step program to finally stop. Today I have over 20 years of continuous sobriety. God did for me what I couldn’t do for myself. God didn’t open the gates of heaven and let me in, He opened the gates of hell and let me out.

I believe that there have been enlighten spiritual teachers that have lived among us. Jesus, Ali, Gandhi, Buddha, and others. Like them I am also a son of God. However, these people achieved a spiritual awareness that I’ll never obtain but to grow toward. To me God is like the electricity in a house. If you find a place plug into it there is remarkable things that can be done. The Star Wars God of the force and being able to channel the power through you is also a metaphor I use to describe my beliefs.

God gave man free will. That means that I have the right to choose and create my life. I can make choices based on prayer and meditation or based on ego and old beliefs. Every day, ever hour, every minuet I stand at the turning point. I can make choices based on love or fear. There are no wrong choices. If I take the road A I live certain life lessons. If I take road B I live another set of lessons.

This applies to relationships. If I choose to stay, I’ll live a certain set of lessons. If I leave, I’ll live another. The real question is that if I leave but end up in the same relationship with a different person what did I really learn. The goal is not to see what I can get from another. The goal is to see what I can give. Paradoxically the more I give, the more I get. Also the other person has the right to free will and in order to grow spiritually might find it necessary to leave me. My choices become do I learn and grow or do I wallow in self pity.

I believe that water seeks it’s own level. If I have great relationships, I must be doing well. If I have sick relationships I am probably not all that mentally healthy. Relationships are like rock tumblers. Every body rough edges keep getting knocked against each other until we are polished gem stones. I have been knocked around a lot and still being polished.

Relationships can be tough Good Luck.

Wow, very good and powerful post. You are a very admirable person, and congrats on the 20

I guess we are still getting polished into that perfect diamond (well, no ones perfect, but you know what I mean. hehe).