Can God help you to get over your problems

[flumpsy]

Not sure why you would feel the need to post to say you aren't going to say anything, unless you are just pointing out that you don't approve of others jumping in the thread ?

I for one have read all posts and welcome all opinions.

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by BritishPeace

have you tried?

If there is some kind of power or intelligence at work, it is unworthy of our love or adoration. Life looks to me like the work of a crude, incompetent, bungling sadist with zero taste. What kind of being would create a world in which parents have to watch their child scream itself to death from bone cancer? Or a world in which every second of every day, year in year out, some living creature is squealing in fear and pain as its throat is ripped out by a predator?

There is so much suffering in this world it takes my breath away. When I was a kid there was a really sweet, gentle lady who lived opposite us. She had two boys, one 13, the other 7, when she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Imagine how she must have begged and prayed night after night to be spared so she could see her sons grow up! No answer. I knew another girl who was thrown through a car window when she was 16 and spent the rest of her life disfigured and imprisoned in a wheelchair, watching her friends go dating, go to University, get married etc. Where was God the night of the accident? Think of the children who have been raped and tortured to death by paedophiles. Imagine how they must have begged God to let them go home to their mum. Not to mention the 6 million Jews gassed in lethal chambers; the 2 million German women gang-raped by Soviet Soldiers, often in front of their children or parents; the Chinese civilians in Nanking who were burnt alive by Japanese soldiers, or used for bayonet practise; the mothers in Nepal sobbing as I type because their child died in the earthquake...and so on and on. And yet I have heard Christians say they asked God to help them pass their driving test and he answered their prayers!!! They deserve to be smashed in the face for saying that. If there is such a being I would never lower myself to beg the filthy sadist for anything.

I suppose you could argue that he "moves in mysterious ways", but then why create the world at all? Why bother? Oh, I forgot...everything WAS great, but then Eve ate an apple from the tree of knowledge. Phew, now it makes sense.

[neilm]

Originally Posted by BritishPeace

Why do you all have atheistic tendencies?

I doubt that everyone here is an atheist to be fair.

I am personally, but don't have any problem with religious folks at all. As long as they are not of the frothing at the mouth, burn in hell, fire and brimstone brigade. Or crazed fanatic and so forth types.

If people find comfort and solace in religion then by all means go ahead. Everyone has their own ways of getting on with things and living their life and as long as they arnt causing harm to others then Ive no problem with that.

[silent_inspiration]

Originally Posted by flumpsy

Not sure why you would feel the need to post to say you aren't going to say anything, unless you are just pointing out that you don't approve of others jumping in the thread ?

I for one have read all posts and welcome all opinions.

ok i hear you but don't misunderstand or try to interpret things as u did above(don't think that's entirely fair)

I wanted to say something but don't value my own opinions on things enough to do so, such is my lack of self confidence and motivation. but i guess i should so here it goes:

Can god help u? well it sort of turns into a question of whether u believe in god in first place(goes without saying) because often religion says that u cannot receive help from god unless u believe in their religion. i personally do believe in god but not religious. what confuses me about religion is that how can u say one religion is undeniably true over another. if a person having been born into a Buddhist religion and destined to die as one be given preferential treatment over someone who believes/practices another religion. that brings me back to the question as to whether god can help u or not. all other things being equal, will god help the Buddhist(who does not believe in god) or the person who believes in the 'true' religion or will god help both. is that really fair for one person to receive preferential treatment other another simply because of tehir life circumstances (a factor that is no fault of their own).

I think God above anything else would rather humans to do the right thing and be good people. its the only thing that make sense to me. and only by doing this could u ever expect to receive help yourself. but i honestly don't know if u can expect god to help you over something like SA even though i know how much of a pain it is????

[BritishPeace]

Originally Posted by runaway

I'm not quite getting this first post,..

the thread heading is
then you post : "have you tried? "..
not sure that makes sense to be honest,.

are you asking, "have you tried to let God help you get over your problems"?

then, when people have put a bit of effort into honest responses, you reply things like " lol "



~ were you bored by any chance ?

It makes perfect sense, I think you are beng too serious or intransigent for your own good. Lighten up.

[Morgana]

I think a strong spiritual belief can be very therapeutic. If you absolutely believe God is helping you, you feel supported, you feel you have someone on your side. Mainstream and most smaller churches (let's leave Westboro out of this!) generally have an ethos of helping others, a belief in loving others, and a supportive community attached to them, so I can see how this would be tremendously helpful.

I'd be considered an atheist myself, yes, but I'm certainly not into the militant atheism that seems very popular at the moment. Evangelising atheism and holding organised religion solely responsible for wars and persecution (which are as much a product of politics, economics and nationalism/tribalism as anything) is akin to being a religious extremist!

[Cojawa]

We're all agnostic towards Santa, in that no one can be certain as to whether he exists or not. That said, most of us choose not to believe in him (and are hence atheistic towards him) due to a total lack of evidence. I think most people accept this; why they can't seem to accept it in the context of a god is beyond me. I don't really understand why there's even a discussion of atheism vs agnosticism: atheist and agnostic aren't mutually exclusive terms.

[chrisv]

Originally Posted by Cojawa

We're all agnostic towards Santa, in that no one can be certain as to whether he exists or not. That said, most of us choose not to believe in him (and are hence atheistic towards him) due to a total lack of evidence. I think most people accept this; why they can't seem to accept it in the context of a god is beyond me. I don't really understand why there's even a discussion of atheism vs agnosticism: atheist and agnostic aren't mutually exclusive terms.

Santa don't exist ahhrr dreams shattered

[flumpsy]

^ what ? I thought he just stopped visiting when I moved out and didn't have a chimney anymore ? Next you will be telling me the tooth fairy is made up, that the bloke who comes in my room at night and plays with my pillows is just some old guy... pah

[chrisv]

The old guy that plays with your pillows..OK then may Santa is real they must have it wrong

[chrisv]

Red suit big white beard talks about rain dear

[chrisv]

Sorry I digress, answer to question. Yes if you trust in faith I think could help if I want that sort of help
I am too self centred maybe!!!

[flumpsy]

^^ nope, old guy, dirty raincoat, talks about "more booze"

[ghost.of.an.englishman]

yes, provided you make an offering of a slaughtered goat.

[chrisv]

What about a small annoying cat!!

[Coffee]

Well, placebos sometimes work, so sometimes yes.

[Morgana]

Originally Posted by chrisv

What about a small annoying cat!!

Poor cat!

[chrisv]

Lol no poor me eeeow