[AmaShel567]

I used to believe in a higher power. I grew up taught in a specific way and I believed that what was being said was the truth up until recently. Now I don't really have any sort of religion, but I have yet to tell my family. I'm unsure of how they will take it. I told one of my best friends and she kinda freaked on me. Has anyone else here ever been in this situation?

[Maven]

A lot of people in my family and otherwise are unhappy that I'm agnostic, but what you believe, is what you believe.

[Yoda]

I told my mom I didn't believe in her god & she freaked out. I regret telling her for now she worries about that.

[jerrymichele]

If it was me, I wouldn't even tell. I'm in the middle of what to believe, and what not to believe. I have even been told that I'm going to rot in hell over it. It's just one of those things.

[nowheretorun]

there is nothing bad about feeling what you feel in the moment Ama... listen to yourself, your own experiences will give you the feedback you need to know what is right.. i have been a spiritual student many years and have wavered between different ideas until i found what did work for me... you will find your way in time, keep good health in mind always

[VickiesPath]

So many people, especially older people and people who follow specific religions believe that if you do not believe in the god that they believe in and worship the way they worship, then you will be damned to hell. So many do not understand the difference between spirituality and religion and that one can have faith and a personal relationship with whatever they conceive a god to be and themselves...privately.

Unfortunately, many feel it is their privilege to judge you. And even those who love us, if they do not judge us, feel "afraid for us". They mean well but can be a pain in the butt.

[WePow]

Yes on going through the no god issue with those around. I was raised in a Baptist home - full of abuse. So I wondered why they were shocked when I wanted nothing more to do with a "god" who would let that happen to kids.

What I found out what that a true "Creator" is like a good parent. The kid doesn't have to love the parent or even believe they exist. But a good parent never stops loving the kid. And a good parent does not punish a kid for being in pain. So I came up with the saying for myself "Even when we don't believe in God, God still believes in you."

Focus on your own healing and here is sending you all the best.

(((AmaShel567))) follow your heart. only you can decide what you believe in...
Good ppl will except you for you ....
in my life I have kinda followed what i believed ...which always was not the exact of ppl in my family. We all learned to accept each other in time.......
trust in you .... you will find your way...which ever path you choose will be correct for you

[I_WMD]

Originally Posted by AmaShel567

I used to believe in a higher power. I grew up taught in a specific way and I believed that what was being said was the truth up until recently. Now I don't really have any sort of religion, but I have yet to tell my family. I'm unsure of how they will take it. I told one of my best friends and she kinda freaked on me. Has anyone else here ever been in this situation?

You never know how strong you are ,,,,, until your options become very limited .

........ and more times than not ,,, you'll choose the right option .
and sometimes we will be / feel guided to that choice .

WMD.

[Vlo1980]

Hey!

I believe in God and I think he does care. He gave us life, his son's sacrifice so that we could be forgiven for our sins and have hope for a better future, so that what Adam and Eve did in the beginning could be undone, and I don't think he is to blame for our suffering. God is not responsible for people's actions and most of our misfortune is self-inflicted. People engage in sexual imorality, abuse alcohol, drugs, tobacco, drive too fast (myself included! :P and I've suffered the consequences of those actions LOL! ) and if that behavior results in suffering we are to blame because we chose to behave like that. God gave us free will as well!

The same goes for poverty and starvation. There is enough food in this planet to feed everyone but it is the unequal distribution of what God has given us that leads to poverty and hunger. And the world leader's selfishness is what prevents this problem from being solved. Not the Creator. If everyone lived the way God intended us to live, none of these problems would occur but as we can see, the farther humanity drifts away from God, the worse things get for everybody.

People often hurt one another too, like what happened to wpowers, and that results in suffering too but the suffering wasn't caused by God, it was caused by those who chose to be abusive and evil toward their loved ones. God wants us to draw close to him and he in turn will draw close to us. He invites us to "pour our hearts before him" in the good book.

This world is getting worse as years go by and God is our only hope. We are nothing without him.

[AmaShel567]

Thanks for your input guys. I live in what people call the bible belt so religion comes up in regular conversation on an almost daily basis. I think I'm going to keep it to myself for right now. My family wouldn't react well most likely and I don't think I wanna add more stress on my life.

[I_WMD]

I lived in North Carolina some 20 or more years >>> I know where ya coming from .

WMD.

[Maven]

Vlo1980, I don't think Ama was looking to be preached to. You have your opinion, that's fine. Some of us don't believe in a god, so when you speak of "God," it's as if you think we all share the same one, if any. Believe me, I have a lot of opinions about what you said, but I'm respecting the board rules and not debating with you.

I know several atheists who haven't "come out" to their families. As much as I believe it is their right to keep their beliefs (or non-beliefs) a secret, it does bug me that so many religious people think they know their family members and friends and are arrogant in that "knowledge" when they push their beliefs onto others, or gang up on others. There are more atheists, agnostics and other non-religious believers than people think.

[In_The_Darkness]

I (unfortunately) gave up on god a LONG time ago.

Sigh.

[AAAAA]

I don't believe in organized religion these days, but I do believe in God. I will not go further as I do not really know what would violate the rules of this forum. I had my oldest son when I was just 18. I was going through a crisis of faith at that time, but I still made all of the arrangements to have my son (and all my children for that matter) baptized.

My father has always been very devout and we somehow got into a discussion about my beliefs. He was very angry and asked why I would have my son baptized if I didn't believe, I told him honestly that I fully understood that there was a possibility I was wrong and would not have my child pay the price for my mistake.

For the record, even if you've given up on God, he will never give up on you and will wait very patiently until you're ready to return.

[VickiesPath]

Let us remember that when we speak of "God's son" we are speaking of a specific religion and that is not allowed per the guidelines of this forum. Thanks.

[sabby]

Thank you everyone for your input. Unfortunately, this thread has gone beyond the scope of our forum guideline and discussing religion. Because of that I will be closing this thread.