Signs

raven1 · #1 3rd July 2011, 10:04 PM

Is there anyone on here that doubts Gods existance I guess from o.c.d and asked for a sign he is real. Is this wrong?

SoldierOfSoul · #2 4th July 2011, 12:58 AM

I don't know if it's wrong or not although I do remember Jesus rebuking those who asked for a sign when He was on the earth. I think Jesus would tell you this:

"Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." (John 14:11)

I think the best route you can go with your thinking is to study and decide for yourself once and for all: was Jesus who He said He was? If the answer is "yes" and He is indeed the Son of the living God, then no questions remain.

OCD=Owie · #3 10th July 2011, 03:27 PM

I did the same thing I remember. And while we're not supposed to ask God for a sign, I think that he understands what we're going through. You show signs that your doubts are largely OCD related. You desparately just want the doubts to go away, which, I think, shows that you have genuine faith in God, and have salvation. If asking for a sign was a sin, then it was forgiven when you accepted Christ.

canamer · #4 10th July 2011, 07:04 PM

I agree. One has to be careful when criticizing a fellow Christian about their OCD doubt (specifically pertaining to their Christian walk). Let's be realistic about this. A fellow Christian who is having OCD doubts about their salvation isn't any more crazy than I am for thinking I'm going to throw my TV out my patio door. It's all OCD. None of it is more then just a 'thought'. It's not based in reality.

I would go on to say that a Christian who has OCD and has doubts isn't any less of a Christian than the Christian standing beside them who has no doubts because they have no OCD.

Folks, the reality here is that God knows our hearts. And he knows that we're a little 'defective' because of our OCD. Something is a bit off in our minds and he doesn't hold that against us.

It troubles me when people come on here (people who I question if they even have OCD) - I don't see any of it in this thread yet thankfully - but they come on here and judge Christians who have OCD for doubting their faith. My goodness, that would almost be hilarious if it wasn't so troubling for those who have to deal with these thoughts.

OCD is a doubting disease. It doesn't draw a line in the sand when it gets to the area of Christianity in our minds and say oh... I'm not going to give you any problems on this one. It affects most, if not all, areas of our minds. It saddens me that people think that they are less of a Christian because of the OCD thoughts they have, especially to do with God, eternal life and all that other stuff. That is not correct at all.

PS - Maybe 'doubting' Thomas had OCD. We may never know. But, we do know that when he said to Jesus I will not believe until I touch your side that Jesus didn't call him a big sinner for that.

canamer · #5 10th July 2011, 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by canamer

I agree. One has to be careful when criticizing a fellow Christian about their OCD doubt (specifically pertaining to their Christian walk). Let's be realistic about this. A fellow Christian who is having OCD doubts about their salvation isn't any more crazy than I am for thinking I'm going to throw my TV out my patio door. It's all OCD. None of it is more then just a 'thought'. It's not based in reality.

I would go on to say that a Christian who has OCD and has doubts isn't any less of a Christian than the Christian standing beside them who has no doubts because they have no OCD.

Folks, the reality here is that God knows our hearts. And he knows that we're a little 'defective' because of our OCD. Something is a bit off in our minds and he doesn't hold that against us.

It troubles me when people come on here (people who I question if they even have OCD) - I don't see any of it in this thread yet thankfully - but they come on here and judge Christians who have OCD for doubting their faith. My goodness, that would almost be hilarious if it wasn't so troubling for those who have to deal with these thoughts.

OCD is a doubting disease. It doesn't draw a line in the sand when it gets to the area of Christianity in our minds and say oh... I'm not going to give you any problems on this one. It affects most, if not all, areas of our minds. It saddens me that people think that they are less of a Christian because of the OCD thoughts they have, especially to do with God, eternal life and all that other stuff. That is not correct at all.

PS - Maybe 'doubting' Thomas had OCD. We may never know. But, we do know that when he said to Jesus I will not believe until I touch your side that Jesus didn't call him a big sinner for that.

EDIT: One other thing, as far as recurring thoughts coming up about one doubting their faith I would challenge anyone on here to explain to me how that is different OCD than my OCD which is to worry and check 6 times that I've locked the door at night. It's NOT different. There will always be another question with OCD. There will always be another uncertainty. You can never be 100% sure when you're dealing with an OCD thought. The only way to beat it is to let it go. Otherwise, you'll never win against it. Remember it's all about 'what if'. How do you have a good ending for 'what if'? It's an endless Universe. You must let it go. It's the only way. I don't feel any more reassured on my 6th time of thinking an OCD thought than I did on the 2nd time. We all need to be continually asking God for his grace to help us look our fears straight in the face and say you know what... I choose to let this one go. Of course there will always be another fear - it is OCD we're talking about here - but the response needs to be the same for each fear. Sometimes we'll win and sometimes we'll lose. It's the nature of it.

OCD=Owie · #6 10th July 2011, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by canamer

I agree. One has to be careful when criticizing a fellow Christian about their OCD doubt (specifically pertaining to their Christian walk). Let's be realistic about this. A fellow Christian who is having OCD doubts about their salvation isn't any more crazy than I am for thinking I'm going to throw my TV out my patio door. It's all OCD. None of it is more then just a 'thought'. It's not based in reality.

I would go on to say that a Christian who has OCD and has doubts isn't any less of a Christian than the Christian standing beside them who has no doubts because they have no OCD.

Folks, the reality here is that God knows our hearts. And he knows that we're a little 'defective' because of our OCD. Something is a bit off in our minds and he doesn't hold that against us.

It troubles me when people come on here (people who I question if they even have OCD) - I don't see any of it in this thread yet thankfully - but they come on here and judge Christians who have OCD for doubting their faith. My goodness, that would almost be hilarious if it wasn't so troubling for those who have to deal with these thoughts.

OCD is a doubting disease. It doesn't draw a line in the sand when it gets to the area of Christianity in our minds and say oh... I'm not going to give you any problems on this one. It affects most, if not all, areas of our minds. It saddens me that people think that they are less of a Christian because of the OCD thoughts they have, especially to do with God, eternal life and all that other stuff. That is not correct at all.

PS - Maybe 'doubting' Thomas had OCD. We may never know. But, we do know that when he said to Jesus I will not believe until I touch your side that Jesus didn't call him a big sinner for that.

I agree completely. OCD manifests itself in many different ways, and often in the areas that are hardest for us to deal with.

And yes, there are people who have posted on this forum that don't seem to have any knowledge of what OCD is. If there's anybody who is reading this, and thinking of giving advice, I ask that you don't post unless you know what OCD is and how stressful it is. These people are enduring a LOT of stress, and your comments might end up doing more harm then good.