Religious Question/Opinion

[tomato]

Powerful statement, Nemelek. For what it's worth, I admire your honesty and courage. These words couldn't have been easy to write.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by wiirenet

Well, if it was a complete 180 on her personality... then I would stick around and try to talk her through it. Let her know it bothers you, and you value tolerance and etc. But, religion is.. well, religion. People are passionate about it. I don't know her, but since you do I think you can figure out of this is a temporary thing and you can teach her to be tolerant of other beliefs again, or if she's a lost cause because of the people she talks to now.

I let her know that it bothers me, and I really hope she stops it now. So far so good.

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by TLyttle

Yes, yes, a very civil thread indeed! There are other sites, other participants whose attitudes wouldn't be so... well, enlightened.

I have seen a number of families torn to shreds by these "conversions", always ugly, usually because the organisation keeps pounding on the converted about how they are living with a sinner, and raising the family in sinful ways; how powerful is that? Tell someone that they are sending their kid to Hell because (usually) hubby won't convert, now there's a dinner table conversation no one wants to be part of! More than once I have told reps from SDA and JW that their zealotry is more destructive than any vice, right up there with heroin and crack, and that they are lucky the Law protects them because of their greedy practices. Usually, that is when they leave.

Staying in a relationship like that is only going to put off the inevitable: "little" problems get a whole lot bigger as time goes by. Certainly, it is best that it came up now, rather than after you established a family. You just know that they will find her a "suitable" mate when you split.

Very true, and I hope she turns around in the sense of being able to coexist with my beliefs.

[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).

[KCALB SIRAY]

so it's been a month, have things worked out?

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Well, I straight up told her to never talked to me about religion anymore, and after that, she's barely talked to me. But I did agree to go to a seminar (actually today) and to her church (Saturday), but I'm going just to go. In no means am I or my friend going to convert. And if anyone asks us, we will state that.

Oh, and my other friend and I decided to look up SDA's, and found out that one of the cofounders, Ellen G. White, opposed everything the bible says (and SDA's are suppose to be following the bible, but look at it's founders), and the other stated before he died, "It's sad to see the religion I created is starting to become a cult" (something to that extent). So more of a reason for me to never convert.

Thanks for checking up, Mike.