If there is a god I believe he will judge on the person you are and not whether you believe in him and ask for forgiveness for your sins. So be a good person and at the end of life if there is a good hopefully he will judge us on our lives not our beliefs.
There is a God…this much I know for sure. I can understand how some may wonder but that doesn’t stop God from existing. Why were you reading the bible, praying, going to church, etc.? Because He is worthy? Because you enjoyed talking to and spending time with Him? If those weren’t the reasons, then that may be a warning flag. Sometimes we make choices that we think are ok and maybe even from God. Sometimes we are hurt solely by other people’s choices. But the reality is He loved us so much that He sent his only Son to die on a cross. Do you know what kind of love that is? I try to, but I can’t say that I do. But anyone who loves us that much loves us enough to care about us no matter what choices we made. He’s not going to puppet us from up in heaven and this life is a very short one compared to eternity. I do feel for you Manny, just as many on this board do and I do think counseling with someone who you can just open up to and talk with without being judged is something you should seek. My life and my family haven’t been all roses since I gave my life to Him. Some of my heartache has been my caused by my own choices and some have been caused by the choices of others. But I’m there, and will be there not because of my circumstances – but because of who He is. Everyone’s life has its ups and downs but He never changes and He’s always there whether we feel Him or not – it never stops Him from existing or loving or caring. It's easy to have faith when times are good but that's not what faith really is.
That would be a nice thing to have but I don't think it works that way. Life is a spiritual warfare, so engage the battle. We all have to take some lumps but fight back. I got divorced when my kids were 2 and 5. How many nights did I ache for them? I lived on George Benson's "Greatest Love of All." My career trailed off because of that distraction but I refused to give in to a dis-spiriting enemy. That enemy would have you to forget that God loves you. God never promised to fix your problems, but He can empower you to more effectively and lastingly fix them yourself with His help. If you need medical attention for depression, get it. You're only choice is to fight back because this is spiritual warfare which is seeking to ultimately discourage you and compromise the value of your life. Are you going to allow that to happen?
There is no god...this much I know for sure. I can understand how some may wish there were but that doesn't stop god from being a figment of their imagination. For the record, I'm not saying I know for certain. Just making a point of how baseless the quoted post is.
I'm assuming your original post was in response to me. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail and we can debate elsewhere if you're up for it. By the way, Manny - these podcasts might be a good listen for you right now. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t7v0Sq_H7sc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KGXdNE3G20w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I find the evangelism -both theistic and atheistic- in this thread pretty sad. Manny- hope you're able to get some help in dealing with depression and I wish you the best.
Many atheists display the same wild eyed fervor and intractable nature as the religious people they deride. Hold firm Manny.
It's funny how many so called "atheists" claim God doesn't exist but yet on their death bed they're scared out of their wits. They're praying to God then, or at least some higher source.
Fear of death is a natural response. There's nothing "funny" (funny haha) about it, as the same way a non religious animal is scared of death. I once talked to a Vietnam vet who told me the line "there's no atheist in a fox hole" is bs. He also said "there is no god on the battlefield". I'm an agnostic and more of a pantheist. If there is a god, it's not of man's imagine.
Manny, I would second the comment wrt to evaluating anti-depressants if you wre pretty happy most of your life. anti-depressants might not be for you. They can make things worse for some people. They did for me. If you were doing well for years without them I would suggest a book by a psychiatrist Dr. Amen who recommends non-prescription products like fish oil and 5 http. In addition he recommends multi-vitamins good nutrition and aerobic exercise. If you still have the energy for exercise and aren't doing it, it can be a game changer. Also helps perhaps with the ladies, which would cheer you up. On the positive side you are still able to work at a pretty stressful job, so you should feel good about that level of functioning and you still have a good base of health and strength to work with. Focus on your kid, family and hopefuly friends. I don't know what to say about religion. I went through a similar depression, but trying religion did not work for me as I was not into it before. If you are relgious you might try more of it. Overall your problems do not seem related to a crisis in faith, but only you know. Hang in there,Manny cluthcity needs you.
Or you could just revive one of the many threads where this very subject is debated. Anyway I haven't been checking too regularly so has there been any more news from Manny?
A little late getting in here Manny, but keep your head up. I just got out of a 3.5 year relationship after being engaged and was completely blindsided by it. And I can only imagine how much harder it would be if I was already married...and especially with kids. I was lucky to just be able to move on rather than worrying about a mortgage, finances, kids, etc. I feel for you, but all I can say is take it upon yourself to learn from this and focus on taking care of yourself in the process. I've upped physical activity to about 4 times a week between weightlifting, cardio, and even some yoga (which is a great release) based on a friend's recommendation. Diet and cutting out the junk can go a long way toward feeling better too...for me the bad feelings still creep up, but they are easier to handle when I'm feeling better physically. You seem like a smart guy so I'm sure you know all this, but it's worth emphasizing. I'm the last one that should offer advice on religion and I think it's ridiculous for anyone to even debate it, but I'll say this ... I've never been very religious but I do believe in God. The truth is that nobody knows what His role and presence really is because it's far too much for the human mind to grasp IMO. Perhaps it's because I haven't studied it enough, but trying to have "faith" in a very specific God and thinking He is in any way responsible for what happens in your life is far-fetched to me (for example, when you said you prayed because you were lonely and God gave you a mate). I tend to believe that God created man to be self-sufficient and He's not a God that answers prayers and divinely intervenes with everyone's problems or needs. I just try to live life by being a good person (the way I think God created man to be), enjoying the blessing of living in the free world, and accepting that religion is too much to try to fully understand. At the end of it all, I just want to make the most out of it and experience a fulfilled life...one that might end up being totally different from what I envision. I tend to think that hard times are there for a reason and help you get to that point.
Thanks for asking. Hanging in there, trying to focus on the things that are important to me like my son and family. I'll probably go back to church; just don't know when. I do miss the people and relationships I had formed at the last church I went to. I just disagree with how they worship and add onto the fact the stuff I am going through and this is why I am at my current state. DHR - your belief is pretty much the same as my father's. With a degree in math and a minor in science (chemistry and physics), I am leaning towards that maybe nature is God or meaning that God created everything but then let man figure everything out. I think that is what Deists believe, but I could be wrong about it.
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