I feel sorry for religious people like my wife. They try so hard to achieve the unobtainable because of man's weakness. They beat themselves up for things like not going to church. They feel like they have to believe like it is part of them. Not believing would be denying themselves of the truth. Religion is so ingrained in people that it is unhealthy because it becomes selfish and people can easily become self-absorbed, as is the nature of all things. This is not to say my wife is the quintessential Christian believer. Indeed there is a countless variety of believers out there, but there are a few archetypes.
Religious people recognize man's weakness. A religious person can go one of two ways if they remain religious, because of this realization. The first is that they are so sensitive to what they are doing, and so controlling of themselves, that they inhibit the mystery of god and miss out on helping others because they are too worried about themselves.
The second type is that they through caution to the wind, in the realization of saving grace. Because they are so confident with a strong conviction of faith, they hurt others unintentionally, I don't think these type look deep enough inside themselves. They lack wisdom in comparison with the first type of religious person.
The third type I find so few of that I cannot comment much on other than to say they are the "Messiah" type. They are rejected by fundamental religious sects, these free thinkers are pushing reformation. They believe in God, but are aware of the danger of self-edification and organized religion. Or, at least they try to be more aware. They are as close to the image I have of a true Christian.
My wife is like I was, of the first type.
I see the anguish in my wife's eyes when she is trying hard to be good. The woman needs counseling. She is a struggling mother who is a struggling Christian. It is not a good combination because she needs things that Christianity can teach (like patience), but without all the guilt and peer pressure to attend church. She needs an avenue to learn about herself and how she can change. So unaware of the power within herself that she is hurt when God doesn't come through for her. That is a common problem with the first type. They believe all good can only come from God. She is chained down by religion.
She will never be free until religion is gone. I'm not saying that everyone should not believe in God. But, if God is the origin, then religion is false because every religion has its own interpretation and its own belief set that may or may not be the belief of God.
I hope this thread helps some people think about where they are with faith and question why they are here at that point. Everyone needs to learn from everyone for the truth to be revealed.
Religious people recognize man's weakness. A religious person can go one of two ways if they remain religious, because of this realization. The first is that they are so sensitive to what they are doing, and so controlling of themselves, that they inhibit the mystery of god and miss out on helping others because they are too worried about themselves.
The second type is that they through caution to the wind, in the realization of saving grace. Because they are so confident with a strong conviction of faith, they hurt others unintentionally, I don't think these type look deep enough inside themselves. They lack wisdom in comparison with the first type of religious person.
The third type I find so few of that I cannot comment much on other than to say they are the "Messiah" type. They are rejected by fundamental religious sects, these free thinkers are pushing reformation. They believe in God, but are aware of the danger of self-edification and organized religion. Or, at least they try to be more aware. They are as close to the image I have of a true Christian.
My wife is like I was, of the first type.
I see the anguish in my wife's eyes when she is trying hard to be good. The woman needs counseling. She is a struggling mother who is a struggling Christian. It is not a good combination because she needs things that Christianity can teach (like patience), but without all the guilt and peer pressure to attend church. She needs an avenue to learn about herself and how she can change. So unaware of the power within herself that she is hurt when God doesn't come through for her. That is a common problem with the first type. They believe all good can only come from God. She is chained down by religion.
She will never be free until religion is gone. I'm not saying that everyone should not believe in God. But, if God is the origin, then religion is false because every religion has its own interpretation and its own belief set that may or may not be the belief of God.
I hope this thread helps some people think about where they are with faith and question why they are here at that point. Everyone needs to learn from everyone for the truth to be revealed.
