|
|
|
UER Store
|
|
order your copy of Access All Areas today!
|
|
|
IrishLady
Location: The South Gender: Female Total Likes: 4 likes
These are the breaks.
| | | | | Becoming a believer < on 9/22/2004 4:48 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | How was it that you came to believe in whatever it is you believe? For me, I have always believed in God. That was it. I believed, lived my life how I wanted. Then in High School, my first boyfriend dumped me because he believed that I was an athiest. Pretty horrible thing to tell a person, especially out of the blue. I know if it had been the other way around, first and foremost I would have asked questions to find the truth. Then I would have explained what I believed and why, not just said "to hell with you" (pun intended). That actually got me to review my beliefs though. My second boyfriend, and fiancee who I was with for 4 1/2 years was religious as well. I continued to study the bible, but that was about it. We never went to church together, nothing. And then he tells me that he feels God does not want us to be together, and that we should break our engagement. I was shocked that religion was on some level involved in my two break ups...so I felt that God was trying to tell me something. I have been studying the bible so much more, and I was Baptized. My ex-finacee and I began to think that things were working out after that, but we neglected to go to church together after that night.... and now he feels even more that we are not meant to be together. I myself have been feeling lately that God does want us together, but obviously there is something stopping it...I have asked my ex repeatedly to do a bible study with me, I don't expect that to fix our problems, but I do think it is necessary for us if we have any interest in a future together. I think that the fact that we were not acknowledging God in our relationship is what broke us up, and I think that having Bible study together would put us on the right track.......
Sorry about that, but it was basically going through all this that brought me closer to God, and into a real relationship with Him. ~April
| So I said "Why don't you shove it where the sun don't shine" and so he did. He put it in the cupboard under the stairs and it hasn't been mentioned since. -Stephen Fry |
| Akron
Location: Colorado Gender: Male Total Likes: 42 likes
Ab inferno te libera, ignave!
| | | My Story < Reply # 1 on 9/23/2004 3:40 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Born to a family that didn’t want me, and raised by folks that were slightly religious, God was never foreign to me. I had always known that He existed, but subconsciously dismissed much of the church’s teachings because I grew up with them at a distance. Just like every other youngster, I wanted to be somewhat different and maybe not by standing out, but by being more interesting than John Doe. I didn’t really begin to understand God ( Heh, well, what a man is capable of understanding anyhow ) until my kin encouraged me to attend church regularly with them. I had no problem with that, other than the time for working on Sundays, so I went. While I still wasn’t sincerely interested at that time, I did begin to see God trying to get my attention more than I had before, but I was a fool and didn’t wish to change my ways. This remained unchanged until I was in the ninth grade. My church went on a mission trip, and I was able to hear many speakers, read books, and take part in conversations with the general populous, and those of my faith. It all was finally becoming tangible; I started seeing things much more logically, and my ideals were actually founded upon law. Becoming more interested in history and science, and what the Bible has to say about those things, I began to delve into light apologetics. I joined the local youth group, and strangely, made some very good friends. I’d never been able to make lasting friendships in school, but here were people who cared about everyone (!). At first I couldn’t figure out why, and was curious if they were only trying to add another statistic to their “convert” list. Those folks' true care for all is what every person should emulate. I was very involved in that church, and being without one is a little sad. Though I am in the process of finding another. Off topic now, but what is it with these east coast types? They do everything so differently... Have they never seen a drifter before? I get the most curious looks from people. Oh well. At any rate, I now feel that I am very close to God, I let Him lead me, and I call upon his judgment whenever I can ( Or don’t forget, which is far too often. ) Not to say that I am at all close to being a “good believer”, or less sinful person, because I am no better than anybody else - Nor is anyone better than me. I feel that at least in the Lord’s eyes, all people are equal; but those who believe, and those who don’t, are set in different groupings. But I’m not sure if that is truth. I’m eternally grateful for everything in my life, and thank God as often as it comes to me. I pray that others may come to find Him, and how wrong the secular world really is about God. How VERY wrong. What a wonderful thing being forgiven truly is, and how equally wonderful to be loved by the all powerful entity. That may sound done to death, but the state is beyond imagination. I’ve got one more thing to tell ‘ya: I don’t want to push my beliefs on anybody, but I tend to do that, so just tell me to stop if it happens. I try to respect everyone, but its tricky somedays. Liberate te ex inferis - it's all up to you.
| Libera te tu temet ipsum ab inferis! 52389, 118604 |
| Noah Vale
Location: Portland, Or Total Likes: 2 likes
It's nobler to never get paid, than to bank on shit and dismay
| | | | | Re: Becoming a believer < Reply # 6 on 9/23/2004 5:31 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Interesting board. I can't really say I'm a believer yet, but I am in the process I think. I wasn't raised religously and I think my father gave up on the church when he was a boy and lost his bro to polio. Anyhow, I was a devout athiest all through high school, then gradually became agnostic, then eventually believing in something. And recently (within the past year particularly), have begun to believe in Christ. The way it happened was (in my opinion), nothing short of divine. This is how it happened. I was in undergrad in Corpus Christi (about 800 miles from here) and I was at the gym, when this girl came in. Most beautiful woman ever. Why I remember that day, I don't know, but it's very clear to me. Anyway, I began seeing this girl all over campus, we always seemed to work out at the same time and were always sitting across from each other in the library. Of course I was too shy to ever talk to her, but anyway....I graduated and moved up here to Amarillo....but for some reason, I knew I'd see that girl again sometime. So it had been a year since I 1st saw her, and I'm here in school. I'm up at school one night studying and I needed some coffee. I grabbed a friend and we drove up to starbucks. I walked in, and who is standing at the counter....Yep. Her. Of course we instantly reckognized each other and started talking. We traded numbers and the rest is history so to speak. Anyway, she ended up becoming one of my best friends (actually probably my best friend, as I'm more comfortable around her than anyone). For a while, I thought it was just an insane coincidence that we met, some 800 miles from where we 1st "met," but as I got to know her, I found out she is deeply religious. She is also the 1st religious friend I've had who didn't push me toward religion after finding out I was "lacking" in said department. That was infinitely important to my religious development. I cannot be pushed, only gently guided and left to think I got there by myself ;) She also gave me some books to read concerning Christianity and atheism, specifically, "Mere Christianity" by Lewis Carroll and a few others, and I even got up early on a few Sundays to go to church with her...and I didn't hate it! The dude that talks (I dunno what they are called, preachers, priests, deacons etc) made sense to me and made the Bible make sense to me, and for the 1st time it didn't come off as bullshit. The fact that we met at all is a miracle in my books, and I almost think of her (my friend) as my own messenger of God, if that makes sense. Unfortuneatly, she is now going to school in Nashville, so I don't have her to hang out with and take me to church, as I feel kinda weird going by myself. Anyway, thats a long story to say I'm a work in progress.
| "Dallas is a magnificent and wide open city, and I'm deeply envious of any urban explorers who have the good fortune to live there." -Ninj. |
| Frozen
Location: Minneapolis, MN Gender: Male Total Likes: 0 likes
Three-D
| | | | Re: Becoming a believer < Reply # 9 on 10/26/2004 11:57 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | I was raised a Christian. My parents would take me to Sunday school and everything. I thought Jesus was a storybook character because they always talked about him out of books - I never realized people thought he was a real man. I believed in God at that point because I didn't know there was any other way to think. Eventually, my parents stopped forcing me to attend Sunday school and church and I eventually found out that there was another way of thinking (that there is no such thing as God) and so I came to consider myself Athiest. Fast-forward to highschool around 11th grade (4 or so years ago). I had been reading a lot of philosophy and thinking a lot about religion and decided that I shouldn't just believe that there is no god just because I don't see any evidence FOR a god, so I started calling myself agnostic. I've always loved discussing religion, the existence of God, etc. and I have many ultra-religious friends who will discuss their religion with me without getting angry or pushing their beliefs on me (which is great). I've recently started considering myself athiest once again. While I am not 100% sure that god doesn't exist (the only thing I'm truly 100% sure of is that I exist), I think the odds are so favorable against His existance that I should call myself athiest rather than agnostic. The reason I'm not a believer probably stems from the fact that, unlike a lot of people, I don't feel that need to believe in something bigger than myself, and also, I find the idea that when you die, you die and that is it not to be disturbing in the least. I can't make myself believe anything I don't find likely, and no one has ever been able to convince me that the existence of god is likely, despite my constantly seeking out proof. Maybe one of you will be able to convince me to at least consider myself unsure enough to be agnostic once again?
| Urban Exploration |
| Valiant Dancer
Location: Villa Park, IL Gender: Male Total Likes: 0 likes
| | | Re: Becoming a believer < Reply # 10 on 10/27/2004 2:47 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | I'll start off with a disclaimer. My particular spiritual path is one that is the most right for me. I do not believe that one path to the devine fits all. I started off being indoctorinated and confirmed into the Presbyterian sub-sect of Christianity. As a journey of faith, I decided to read the Bible from cover to cover. During this journey, I continued to read the Bible for a total of seven times. The differences between the text and the doctorine on the pulpit disturbed me. I was told what particular passages meant, but just reading them in context showed me a different meaning altogether. I tried a few other churches but found similar problems. Christianity didn't work for me anymore, so I set off to study other religions in an effort to understand them and also to judge the statements from the pulpit made about them. In 1986, I took a college course on Islam. Quite an eye opener, but also not a path I could follow. I studied Judaism and Hinduism through reading their respective religious texts. Buddhaism likewise studied. In 1989, a chance meeting between myself and a Wiccan clergy member through a mutual friend started my study of Wicca. It clicked for me. It was my path and I have been studying it ever since. I have also kept up, through online discussion forums, readings of the other religions I studied. I've also met many atheists who weren't anti-theistic. Simply stated, they do not have the need for a higher power and do not see any evidence for a higher power and therefore lack a God belief.
| |
| Father Maurice Lester Noble Donor
Location: York Region Gender: Male Total Likes: 0 likes
Da numba one
| | | | Re: Becoming a believer < Reply # 11 on 1/3/2005 6:27 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by IrishLady My second boyfriend, and fiancee who I was with for 4 1/2 years was religious as well. I continued to study the bible, but that was about it. We never went to church together, nothing. And then he tells me that he feels God does not want us to be together, and that we should break our engagement. I was shocked that religion was on some level involved in my two break ups...so I felt that God was trying to tell me something. I have been studying the bible so much more, and I was Baptized. My ex-finacee and I began to think that things were working out after that, but we neglected to go to church together after that night.... and now he feels even more that we are not meant to be together. I myself have been feeling lately that God does want us together, but obviously there is something stopping it...I have asked my ex repeatedly to do a bible study with me, I don't expect that to fix our problems, but I do think it is necessary for us if we have any interest in a future together. I think that the fact that we were not acknowledging God in our relationship is what broke us up, and I think that having Bible study together would put us on the right track.......
Sorry about that, but it was basically going through all this that brought me closer to God, and into a real relationship with Him. ~April
| I think you should be glad not to be with someone who believes that God has an opinion on whether or not you belong together. I highly doubt that God came down and said, "Dude, don't be with her. She's just not enough of a believer." What a jerk to use this as an excuse. We cannot know what a supreme being or deity is thinking. It sounds as if he used this as an excuse to break things off rather than speak his true reasoning. Remember, you were created with free will and the ability to think for yourself. Obviously, he was not able to do this without reverting to the God issue. I have had people say the same things to me; my reply was short but concise: " Accept me for who and what I am or go F*@k yourself." This is one of many reasons why I find religion to be a stumbling block to happiness and fulfillment. You're a great person Irish. You helped me more than you could possibly know when my problems seemed insurmountable. Don't let such a turd drag you down. You will find someone who accepts you for your true self, not how much of a christian you are or how many passages you can quote.
| |
| IrishLady
Location: The South Gender: Female Total Likes: 4 likes
These are the breaks.
| | | | | Re: Becoming a believer < Reply # 12 on 1/3/2005 10:16 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by apprentice I have had people say the same things to me; my reply was short but concise: " Accept me for who and what I am or go F*@k yourself." This is one of many reasons why I find religion to be a stumbling block to happiness and fulfillment. You're a great person Irish. You helped me more than you could possibly know when my problems seemed insurmountable. Don't let such a turd drag you down. You will find someone who accepts you for your true self, not how much of a christian you are or how many passages you can quote.
| Apprentice, you made me tear up a bit there ;) But you are right. When I was dumped because of my religion, I did basically tell the guy to go screw himself. He knew nothing about me or my beliefs. In fact, that same guy keeps coming around, telling me why my current relationship is failing…. “you were living in sin!” because we had an apartment together. Right. But this is different. Melvin believes what he is telling me. I know him better that anyone else does, and vice versa. I have known in the past when he was lying, and I can honestly say that if he is lying about this, he should go into acting, cause he would be rich. I don’t know why he thinks this, or what he thinks the reason God “wouldn’t want us together” But I do know that he is confused, and that he loves me. I believe one of the reasons he has been pushing me away is fear. Last year one of his closest friends died. It was shortly after that when our problems began. I think he is afraid of losing me, and would rather lose me in this way than having me die. Not entirely rational, but I can somewhat understand the response. Lately he has been confiding in me again, and I can tell he is different. I think he is beginning to come to terms with his loss, and he even talks about it now. What’s making all this worse though, is my health. I am still not sure what is wrong with me, but whenever I try to talk to him about it, for support, he asks me to go see my doctor, and then he changes the subject……. I can see the fear in his eyes. I know that this doesn’t make anything right, but it helps that I am beginning to understand what he’s thinking a bit better. I love him, I would move the world for him, and I hate to see him hurting. I know I need to do things that are good for me, but I also feel that I need to be there for him. He is already improving, and I think that if I am patient with him, he will be back to normal. Apprentice, I am so so happy I could help you. You probably don’t even know it, but you have helped me too. It helps just being able to talk to you (although not so much talking lately). I am happy that I took the time to talk to you that day, and you are such a great person. And funny too Thank you for being there for me, and being a good enough friend to tell me things I may not want to hear. Also for the kind words… If you ever need me, I’m here for you.
[last edit 1/3/2005 10:17 PM by IrishLady - edited 1 times]
| So I said "Why don't you shove it where the sun don't shine" and so he did. He put it in the cupboard under the stairs and it hasn't been mentioned since. -Stephen Fry |
| |
This thread is in a public category, and can't be made private. |
|
All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire.
To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site:
UER CONTACT
View Terms of Service |
View Privacy Policy |
Server colocation provided by Beanfield
This page was generated for you in 218 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 740808923 pages have been generated.
|
|