Strange Experience?

It looks like my library has that book, I think I will pick it up once I get through a few of the books I am reading right now. Thanks for sharing.

With regard to my comment:

"Notice that I said *collective* and not hive. God does not control us. God is us. Don't take that the wrong way. I'm not saying that we, as people, are god. Our spirits and those of every living thing are god."

People of different beliefs can easily replace the word God with Goddess, "The Mother" or whatever your belief system suggests. God being a name, I should have capitalized it in other instances. That said, it's only a name; a label. It is merely used to label something complex and intangible.

Nysa - I agree. Much like magic is science that people don't currently understand, god is an energy/force we don't fully understand. It is my belief that god is the collective energy/consciousness of all spirits. Notice that I said *collective* and not hive. God does not control us. God is us. Don't take that the wrong way. I'm not saying that we, as people, are god. Our spirits and those of every living thing are god. That is why I think it is important for us to be in touch with our own spirit/essence. I believe that the new age of enlightenment is coming. In short, that's what The Witch of Portobello is about. The protagonist is a woman with a 22nd century mentality living in the 21st century. I cannot do the book justice. You have to read it. Trust me, the book is well worth what you'll pay for it.

NOTE: I have no relation to the author of The Witch of Portobello and I am not being compensated in any form for "promoting" it. I'm doing so because I truly feel it's the right thing to do. I feel that the author's message, via this book, is quite profound.

I had to comment after reading all the posts, I am a christian but haven't been to church in several years because I am too judgemental of the people there and the more I learn about the elders the more I find out they are nothing but hypocrites that drive people away from the church and the teachings are far from what they were originally intended. I believe in God and I hope he believes in me and that should be enough and if its not then so be it!

Champion

The story of Adam & Eve is "true" because it holds truth, though that truth is relayed metaphorically. So the story of Prometheus creating mankind is equally true. Consider how these creation of mankind stories tell how man was molded from clay/earth, and compare that to how we know life came to be. Provided you understand that god = force we don't understand so we give it human-like characteristics, it is easy to see the truth in the myths. Fable is not an inaccurate description though because it also functions as a moral tale, albeit an outdated one.

Incidentally I don't believe the person who posted this story experienced anything, but rather posted this in a barely veiled attempt at Proselytizing.

I too think it was merely guilt. I'm struggling to refrain from getting on my soapbox regarding religion in general. The bottom line is that only YOU can decide the path that you want to take.

Let me give you the link to a book whose author, through the protagonist, says things on this topic much more eloquently than I would. The book is called The Witch of Portobello. No, you won't find paragraphs on spell casting or magic potions here. The protagonist is considered a witch for what she was accused of doing by the Church and not what she was actually doing. Helping people achieve a higher level of consciousness so as to put them in touch with their spirit. If the use of Portobello in the title seems weird to you, it's the name of a road in London, England. I highly recommend this book to all who read this comment. It will change the way that you think about life.

Http://amzn.com/0061338818

Stephy - I simply cannot bring myself to believe the story of Adam and Eve as actual history. There's too much scientific evidence to the contrary. I believe it's merely a fable.

All this talk about hypocrites makes me think of a quote I once read.

"Hypocrites in the Church? Yes, and in the lodge and at the home. Don't hunt through the Church for a hypocrite. Go home and look in the mirror. Hypocrites? Yes. See that you make the number one less." -Billy Sunday

I try to make sure I make that number one less. 😁

Indigo, that is terrible what those people did to your mother and I wonder what they feel when they go to sleep and when they look in the mirror. They may delude themselves with false pride in themselves, but the reality still exists and it is inescapable.

What you did, however, was deeply profound and selflessly loving. I believe that your mother saw it as nothing short of a miracle and she was very blessed to have you as her child. I am in awe.

And Stephy, I absolutely agree with you... Hypocrites are the worst types of people, and karma will always find its way to their doorstep, in the end.

Indigo- I just read your last comment, and I'm with the other ladies! You're a wonderful daughter and beautiful person for doing such a caring thing for your mother ❤

Wow Indigo, that's just horrible. 😢 Hypocrites are the worst types of people. Just the worst. I'm sure it meant so much to her that you did what you did. Whether you believe the religion or not, that really was special. I always think to myself, how could I ever thank my parents for all they've given me? I think that was a perfect answer. ❤

Indigo I just want to give you a hug 😳 You are awesome.
Your Mother was sooo lucky to have you by her side.❤

My mom was a pretty devout practicing Christian. A better woman youd be very hard pressed to find anywhere. She was diagnosed with cancer, nonhodgkins lymphoma, which is a death sentence, and usually within a year of diagnosis. My mother lived for 7 years past the diagnosis. Long enough for me to live two months of my life with her on a bone marrow ward, long enough for her to gradually weaken to the point she couldn't be around people for fear of contracting another illness and weakening her immune system further, long enough to watch her church members bring her communion twice... And the second time they made the trip, they explained to her that since she didn't come to church anymore, she was no longer a member in good standing and wasn't welcomed back. I studied and became a non-denominational minister in order to give my own mother last rites and ease her mind that she had gotten what she needed to cross over and be comforted in the knowledge that what she believed all her life was to be done, WAS done.
I'm a firm believer of "too many religions, but only one God", and really don't have any belief "issues" of my own, but I certainly can understand how fear of the afterlife can cause some terrifying emotions in people, as most normal people only cross over once. I don't think God meant for us to live in such fear of that one brief moment in time, that only a limited number of people control that fate for you. You and only you can decide which way is the correct path for you to take. That one second isn't the most important, but for many people, it's the most terrifying. Relax. It's not unpleasant at all.

[at] Missy,
I didn't mean to overlook you dear lady. It's just that I read Stephy's comment first and it hit me hard. But I see that you are to be congratulated also. For standing up for what you, me, and so many others feel. I don't need someone else telling me whether I am righteous or not. My children also know the difference.

Jav

PS~~I'm half asleep as I type. My schedule is opposite most of yours. I'm glad I got to read these comments, but I'm off to dreamland again, nite

[at] Stephi,
You have just given the most profound statement I've read all day! Thank you for that. My mother was disowned by the Catholic church because of her divorce from my father. Not a word of comfort for the abuse she received at the hands of an alcoholic wife beater, not any offer of assistance to a woman left with 8 children and no visible means of support. But they did deny her Holy Communion and asked that she remove those children from their school ASAP.
Kudos for hitting the nail right on the head dear lady. Today you are my hero.

Jav ❤ ❤

HEAR HEAR Stephyw2001! Well said, and way better then my rant 😁

Being a teenager myself, I can completely relate to your experiences. Feeling that you are a lost cause in the eyes of your chosen god, seeing the world as being a solely evil place, and feeling like you are being "crushed" are all common for me as well. The stress, hormones, religious pressure from your boyfriend, and so on all contribute to what you are feeling and experiencing, and it's all perfectly normal. It's just a part of life at our age. And I agree with everyone else here who says you should visit the spirituality site. This story and your thoughts on religion will be well received there, I'm sure.

--Mountaineer

Yes I don't go to church anymore either. The Catholic religion seems to think every day I'm sinning (because I'm divorced, and living with my boyfriend). Every day I'm with my boyfriend, I'm committing adultery. I cannot participate in confession, therefore I cannot even try to absolve my "sins". I am not allowed to take part in communion either. Soooo why would I want to go to a church that has basically given up on me?

God made us imperfect. He made us to make mistakes, and learn lessons from them. Its in these mistakes that God can see what kind of a person we are. Are we good, and try to right our wrongs? Or are we bad and do things that are hurtful to ourselves or others? Since the Catholic church doesn't believe in me, I don't believe in them. Treat others the way you want to be treated. This does not mean I don't believe in a God, and I can still show my respect to that God, other people, the dead, and all animals on this planet.

Religion is what keeps the poor from killing the rich. And 'Sin's are more often than not- another way of instilling guilt into a person as a way of controlling them, into obeying the religion.

Http://godisimaginary.com/

You didn't know what right and wrong was? Because that's all that "sin" really means.
My son is almost 3 and we don't practice any religious faith in our home (but technically my husband are Catholic) and he knows the meaning of "righteous" (thank you VeggieTales) and knows what's good and bad/ right and wrong. You can still always be "righteous" no matter what your passed was. You don't need a church to tell you that you are or were wrong and are dammed.
When my son was born our pastor informed my husband and I that we weren't going to heaven but at least with baptizing our son he will have his chance to get to heaven. According to THAT Catholic pastor our sins of myself having previously married and my husband's sins of having our child out of wedlock we would not be getting passed the gates... Well, I'm sorry but I loved the way my Catholic high school teacher taught us about the bible in it that it's not a book to take literally and that the stories within it are just guidelines to live your life by. To teach you right, wrong, good, and bad...etc...
For Priests and Pastor's to tell people that they will not be entering heaven because of their passes is ridiculous. I was always taught that God forgives ALL.

Sorry for the rant... I'm going to go watch me some VeggieTales now... Lol 😆

CHEERS!
MM

If it makes you feel better:
I am a practicing Catholic. I go to church every Sunday and pray often...
I also... Sleep and live with my fiance, have body piercings, and curse like a sailor. Yet, I don't doubt that I'm a good person.
Religion is so much more than "sin" or what others call "sin". Take a class on world religions if you're interested in studying them and perhaps choosing one as your own, but don't let it consume your life and NEVER let anyone choose your path for you 😁

stephy: LOL that was awesome. I love the one-sided argument. 😆 I agree with you though. I think that you should also be comfortable and happy with the body you are in, because you will only have one lifetime with it, and that is not so very long. I have piercings and tattoos and I do not think that makes me a bad person or a sinner or whatever. Granted, I do not subscribe to those beliefs, but what if you recently converted to Christianity and you already had a tattoo? Does it mean that you could never be forgiven or saved? That does not make sense. By the Christian logical standpoint, God loves you no matter what your sins are and if you ask for forgiveness he gives it to you.

Take what path you feel is spiritually right for you... If you want to become a Christian, then do some research and if you believe in it and feel it is right, do it. But do not let your boyfriend or anyone else pressure you into it. If you choose not to become a Christian, that is entirely your choice too, and your boyfriend can either respect that or be on his way. Your relationship or lack thereof with whatever deity you choose is a very personal thing and no one can decide it for you.

I think if anything paranormal was going on here, it was possibly your own negative feelings about the situation overwhelming you, perhaps manifesting into something you felt was haunting you. Maybe it was your inner self reminding you that you ARE a good person, and you do not need anyone's affirmation to know that, regardless of what you look like.

Darn! The fruit made them aware they were naked, not the clothes! 😆 See what I'm talking about! I'm going to stop now. Just check out the spirituality site. You'll like it there.

ps, I realize that is probably confusing. Adam and Eve angered God, not because of the clothes, but because that made God aware that they didn't listen to him when he said to not eat the forbidden fruit. Clothes made them aware that they were naked. The clothes were not in the wrong here, the eating of the fruit was.

Sometimes, stuff makes sense in my head, but I have a hard time explaining it well. Sorry for that! 😳

I think what the others are trying to say, is there is a sister site (link at the top) for "Spiritulality". I think this story would be well received there, and there are many religious people who can answer your questions there (not that no one is religious here, its just aimed for that topic).

I have to comment though, on your piercings. Hmmm. Honestly, (I was raised Catholic) I understand that you're probably seeing that a sin because you've been told "your body is a temple of God". Well... I have a problem with that logic. See, if you want to go on that, then we should all be naked, as in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve hid behind make-shift "clothes", they angered God. So, logically, if their bodies were temples of God, and they put clothes on, they were "accessorizing" their temple. So isn't a piercing just another accessory? Or tattoos? I find it weird that people can create beautiful, elaborate churches to be temples to God. They can make them ornate and intricate, spending a lot of money and time on them. But our bodies, which were "temples to God" must be bare? To me, that doesn't make a lot of sense. So I wouldn't worry about your piercings. I don't think God is going to judge you based on what you look like. Just how you live your life. I think, if you honor your body, and don't do anything to delibaratly injure or damage yourself (harmful drugs, ect...) God will understand that you're grateful for the gift of life that you've been given.

yeah I did think about it later on and thought it was probably just myself, thank you... Aha I'm not trying to gain converts by the way I'm too confused I don't know what to believe

Ok. I apologize for sounding a bit harsh on my last post. I was preoccupied with someone needing assistance locally and posted without thinking.

What I MEANT to say but didn't come across as well as I'd have liked was this:

Sometimes people can pressure us into feelings of guilt and remorse for things we don't do similarly to them. In your post, you made it seem as if your significant other made you feel this way because you don't believe or share the same faith that they do.
Guilt and remorse caused in this way can cause intense emotional feelings of negativity, oppression,depression, fear, loneliness etc, especially in someone that is young. The feelings of wrong doing etc on your part was obvious, and that is something that you have to seek out and find out for yourself. I'm not sure why you weren't introduced or taught about Christianity in some form, as most religions at least touch base on many points of Christianity. It almost sounded as if you were pleading with us to understand that you didn't realize that you were doing wrong.

It's not our place to tell you that you were or weren't doing wrong. That is between you and whatever God you choose, which is why I suggested that this site wasn't the proper site for you to pose your question to. You apparently are leaning toward the same faith as your partner, and therefore I recommend that you discuss this with that partner and the leader of their religious group, as different faiths have many different thoughts on such matters as these, and different preferred methods of dealing with them.

Once again, I do apologize.

Indigo brings up some good points here and I am working off that and what I have read so far.

Is it at all possible that after obsessing about what you feel you have missed out on, and have done wrong in your life, and the seriousness in which you regard these beliefs, led to to a feeling of severe guilt, that could have then spurred on a complete panic attack more severe than you have ever experienced before?

I have suffered from panic attacks and there are times I have felt disoriented and almost out of my own body until it passes and a feeling of calm and warmth will pass over my body.

It's a theory.

Guilt...depression...anything BUT paranormal is my personal opinion. I'm nit understanding why this story is posted on this site? Shouldn't you be going to a Christianity site or whatever religion you are to begin with? I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but it sounds too much like you're trying to gain converts here.