Finding Sanity In An Insane World

[mj27]

i was/am in that state ever since i came back to stay with my family a few months ago. questioned getting a job and living the 'normal' life but when i got down to it, the idea of staying in a place that makes me sick and doing some medial job i dont give a fuck about just worsened my state. my parents run a church and i always believed that there was a god out there, but lately i've been doing some research and actually getting the historical facts on the events that are noted in the bible and i'm at a loss to prove any truth. and taking something you've been programmed to believe your entire life to only disprove it can really fuck up my whole idea on existanced as i knew it... and it really got me down. but to know the truth is more comforting i've come to believe, at least im no longer following some story some long ago government made up to keep their people at bay... but basically i've decided to seach for truth and in that traveling is the way to go for me, and my morale has been better the past week or so. sometimes times get you down, but all in all be thankful your alive to make the decisions you have to make. nerveracking as things get might as well try and fail than to wonder. i hope it works out for you.

 

[barefootinbabylon]

You can always find research that will either prove or disprove whatever it is you are looking for - in your case, the historical authenticity/validity of (I'm assuming? Since we're 'Merikans) Jesus, and the Bible as a whole. I did a fair amount of researching that sort of thing myself, reading everything from The Case for Christ to Why I Don't Believe in God (Bertrand Russell), to everything in between, and guess what?! I STILL don't have any answers, truly: ultimately, what it all came down to in my mind was that if we measly humans were to ever presume to know the true nature of God, we would pretty much be akin to gods ourselves. He/she/it is completely and utterly beyond a neatly packaged little box labeled Religion A, Religion B, Religion C, D, or X.3 - as they said in Dogma, 'No religion has got it ALL right, but the important thing is that we HAVE faith...' and I think that's completely true. Growing up is definitely about finding one's own way, and that often includes questioning the validity of one's parents' beliefs, be they spiritual or not. I commend your searching for Truth (with a capital T... your OWN truth), and wish you the best of luck on it.

Here's what I think about the Bible: I do believe it has some basis in historical fact, as has been evidenced by things like Roman censuses from the times at hand, and loads of other documents - damn, I wish it hadn't been 5 years since I've read this stuff, but I DO know that historians have found secular documents that had close similarities to things in the Bible, especially the Old Testament. The original writers WERE simply historians, writing down the facts and happenings as they knew them and reported them to be. HOWEVEERR, the Bible since then has undergone numerous translations and re-writings, and THAT'S when the whole 'government making up a story to keep their people at bay' bit comes in - namely, the Roman Catholic church picked and chose about what would be included, and what would be left out. I always thought it fascinating, the number of OTHER gospels that are out there (Thomas, Mary Magdelene, Judas, etc.), but were not included for a variety of reasons... The number 1 being control of the people: in Thomas, Jesus is quoted as saying that the Kingdom of God is WITHIN YOU... this was anything BUT a pleasing thing to advocate from a church that made people pay plenary indulgences, so... no Gospel of Thomas. Things like that. The fact that Jesus, as portrayed in the New Testament (original texts HAVE been found), is reported to have fulfilled sooooo many prophecies from the O.T., made 100's of years before his birth - my old youth pastor told me once the figure is something like, 'the likelihood that one man could fulfill all the prophecies that Jesus did is something like covering the entire state of Texas with silver dollars, marking one of them randomly, and then successfully selecting that ONE silver dollar.' Yeah, the odds are apparently that high.

There's also that whole 'Bible Code' business, which I find realllyyy crazy. Check it out if you haven't. Maybe the whole Bible IS just code for something else, ya never know.

Anyways. There's my... 2 cents. I'm not a Christian, I just like studying these things (all religions, really), and keeping an open mind about them. It's crazily fascinating, and I know you'll find your way - asking questions is good, asking questions is awesome!! Mad props to ya, girl Take care.

Namaste, Blessed Be,
~ melissA

 

[Alexander]

Truth is what you find for yourself in this world, I too have heard the probability being alluded to as the silver dollar thing as well...thanks conservative christian education. I really think a lot of my beliefs have been indoctrinated from my early youth, and I even remember having thoughts when I used to be teased a lot that I wanted to go to heaven, because it had to be better than what I was experiencing. I wasn't suicidal, but I was very young to be thinking these things at that age. I saw a video on youtube where a priest admits that hell was specifically invented to create fear in people as a sense of controlling them. I do not believe in a religion that uses fear and guilt as a way for people to continue to follow a certain way of thinking. Fear and guilt are what make people go insane, especially if you have no other exposure to more open ways of thought. I have been brought up christian my entire life, went to church most of my childhood, but no longer go as of the last few years...Especially now that I am starting to disagree with most of what is taught, especially the "unconditional love" except if you are gay, a thief, a murderer etc...That statement itself is a contradiction. So, yeah added to my depression, and my loneliness I have an internal issue with my "faith" and everything I believed about reality at the same time. My mind is FUCKED UP. So right now I work a mundane job that I don't care two shits about, I live at home so money isn't an issue, but I just have an overwhelming feeling that I just don't belong in this close minded, robotic style of living like everyone else seems to be so comfortable with. I keep waiting to snap out of it and I think its a bad thing that I'm not materialistic but that is just what this place wants you to feel like. Every day I want to just walk. I have to find my inner peace now, without the "grownups imaginary friend"

 

[mj27]

its funny that you mentioned to book of thomas that was not put in the bible because that (and all the other books i believe martin luther had suggested be put in, i could be wrong on the martin luther fact but i think it was him), but the government at the time said no way and that its what started my search for truth... but thanks for the insight i love hearing other opinions to be able to question my own (or lack there of in some cases) like i said havent done a whole lotta looking just yet but whats life for right? and to alexander, its good not to be materialistic.. one of my favorite quotes from a book i just finished i think says it all ''

'the casting away of things is symbolic. talismanic. when you cast away things, you're also casting away the self-related others that are symbolically related to those things. you start a cleaning out process. you begin to empty the vessel. ... when you empty out the vessel you also are emptying out all the other crap floating around in there, the additives. the impurities. sure it feels good. its a whole-body, whole-mind enema." -the stand ​

 

[Alexander]

I agree with that quote, I don't need many things in this life...and having a ton of things just drags u down with it. I feel like the more stuff you have in your life the more stress is involved. I just want to keep my life stress free and have the ability to do what I please whenever I please. There is always a way to get there, I have already lost most of my things from last year, and it doesn't bother me at all. I am already on my way to freedom.