Mental illness and Christianity/religion

[God is good]

Thanks for sharing this. You have a mental illness that is religious in nature, but you still have a good relationship with God.

I've also struggled with some mental illnesses, depression and schizophrenia. I used to think God was helping me overcome the depression, but my schizo symptoms wrecked my life and everything I was trying to do to combat the depression. Now the depression is back.

I feel like, if there is a God, he plays rope-a-dope with me. Just when I think I'm going to win, he's like Lucy yanking the football away from Charley Brown. I'm trying not to hate God, and to keep an open mind instead of going to full on Atheism, but I just don't see the hand of a loving God in my life or the lives of others.

I am sorry for what you are going through. Just remember that God really loves you and that Jesus died for you and even if you were the only person in the world He would die for you. I just want you to know that God really us there for you, when you doubt just look around, the blue sky, mountains, the ocean, everything that we have couldn't happen by accident, Jesus loves you and when you say you feel like a rope a dope that could be the enemy trying to destroy your joy. You are loved. God bless you and Jesus is Lord, if you ever want to talk to me you can pm me.

 

[AgonyApathy]

I wish you well, and hope you get what you need to make things better in your life, but I want to mention that there's no mystery about this sort of thing from the atheist's viewpoint.

There's no agonizing about why a god would do this or that awful thing or wondering how a plan like this could possibly be worth it. Things like medical conditions, mental illness, and other health factors are the unfortunate but largely unavoidable side-effects of living in a world where it is possible to live at all.

It's not a god's fault, or demons, or ancient humans that disobeyed a god. We as humans can only do the best we can to make our lives better and overcome.

I called myself an Atheist for a long time. I might still be one. I tend to do think it's all junk, and I might think God sucks if he's real. But sometimes I feel like it would be a form of faith if I said I'm sure there is no God. That's more like Agnosticism.

Edit: You have a great username and avatar.

 

[AgonyApathy]

I am sorry for what you are going through. Just remember that God really loves you and that Jesus died for you and even if you were the only person in the world He would die for you. I just want you to know that God really us there for you, when you doubt just look around, the blue sky, mountains, the ocean, everything that we have couldn't happen by accident, Jesus loves you and when you say you feel like a rope a dope that could be the enemy trying to destroy your joy. You are loved. God bless you and Jesus is Lord, if you ever want to talk to me you can pm me.

How do you know that? It feels good to think about things like "Jesus is Love," but I feel totally disconnected from that right now.

 

[AgonyApathy]

I am sorry for what you are going through. Just remember that God really loves you and that Jesus died for you and even if you were the only person in the world He would die for you. I just want you to know that God really us there for you, when you doubt just look around, the blue sky, mountains, the ocean, everything that we have couldn't happen by accident, Jesus loves you and when you say you feel like a rope a dope that could be the enemy trying to destroy your joy. You are loved. God bless you and Jesus is Lord, if you ever want to talk to me you can pm me.

I would like to send you a PM, but I can't figure out how, lol.

 

[Scann]

I would like to send you a PM, but I can't figure out how, lol.

Go to their profile and click Start a conversation?I hope im telling you the right thing lol.

 

[AgonyApathy]

Go to their profile and click Start a conversation?I hope im telling you the right thing lol.

I don't have that in my view of his profile page. Maybe I don't have that functionality yet.

if you ever want to talk to me you can pm me.

I would like to, but I think I don't have access to PM functionality because I just signed up today. Can you try to send me a PM? Thanks!

 

[faroukfarouk]

I hope what I say can make you feel better. When I was 16 and 17,I absolutely HATED playing sports. This wasn't just some simple dislike,I HATED sports with all my heart and it was emotionally distressing for my own reasons. Sometimes on the days where we had to play sports, it would rain. I would be relieved thinking sports would be cancelled only to have the rain stop every time I got into the car to go to school. Talk about rope-a-dope. This happened many times and NOT ONCE was there a day where the rain would continue.I thought God specially hated me like He hated Esau. Once secondary school was over I realized as time passed by, it wasn't something that destroyed me terribly and I went back to God. I know my situation cannot be compared to schizophrenia, but I hope it helps.

We all have things that irritate us, I guess; trouble is, we might sometimes develop new things that irritate us, that didn't irritate us before...

 

[SkyWriting]

How do you know that? It feels good to think about things like "Jesus is Love," but I feel totally disconnected from that right now.

Who Else Wants to finally SEE Gods Answers to Prayers?

 

[AgonyApathy]

Who Else Wants to finally SEE Gods Answers to Prayers?

This seems like wish thinking. "If I don't get what I want from God, it just means he did something different that might be just as good. When I do, I'm grateful to God." It's circular reasoning. You find a way to see God no matter what happens.

I don't expect God to be like a vending machine that returns favors in exchange for prayers, but I don't see the hand of a loving God in this cosmos. It seems apathetic, if not downright cruel to human beings at times. My life is a small example.

I've been to a few third world countries and saw things like young children living in the street, begging for scraps from fat foreigners like dogs. Many of the kids had birth defects from the pollution, or sometimes scars or missing limbs from fighting.

"God works in mysterious ways."

Or maybe... the universe exists without an anthropomorphized Creator and we are products of evolutionary biology.

 

[SkyWriting]

This seems like wish thinking.

I wouldn't post it if that was the case.
I already checked.

 

[SkyWriting]

I've been to a few third world countries and saw things like young children living in the street..

You seem concerned. That's what God wanted.

 

[AgonyApathy]

You seem concerned. That's what God wanted.

Maybe God gets what He wants too often? We're made in his image. What does too much power do to us?

I wouldn't post it if that was the case.
I already checked.

You would, though. Wish-thinking just means thinking in ways that make the things you want SEEM to be true so that you can go about your business without accepting counter-arguments or contrary evidence.

I'm not saying you don't believe. I'm not even 100% sure you're wrong. I wish you could convince me so that I could feel Jesus's presence in my life. I sure could use a double shot of Redemption, straight with a Grace chaser.

God has, thus far, not given me the "gift of faith," as I once heard a preacher say.

 

[public hermit]

I don't know what I'm looking for to be honest. I'm in a terrible situation and this is something to do besides mope.

I think this is what religion actually is. Something is bothering me and religion gives me metaphors, examples and stories that I can use to understand the situation, and a reference point for discussion with others. At the societal level, religions help to bind people together.

At this point, I see religion as an activity that people partake in.

I'm truly sorry for your troubles. Reading what you have written, I wish I had the magic words but I don't.

"This is something to do besides mope." You say religion gives you examples and metaphors you can use to understand the situation and a reference point for discussion with others. It seems that is exactly what you are doing here. I commend you for doing so. I wish I could say something to take away your troubles and pain. But you're here talking about it and I do hope that helps in some way.

You have a way with words and ideas. I hope you keep posting.

 

[AgonyApathy]

I'm truly sorry for your troubles. Reading what you have written, I wish I had the magic words but I don't.

"This is something to do besides mope." You say religion gives you examples and metaphors you can use to understand the situation and a reference point for discussion with others. It seems that is exactly what you are doing here. I commend you for doing so. I wish I could say something to take away your troubles and pain. But you're here talking about it and I do hope that helps in some way.

You have a way with words and ideas. I hope you keep posting.

Thanks for your kindness! I very much appreciate it! I'm going through the most painful, terrifying experience of my life, and this is a nice distraction from the despair. I like arguing with teh intarwebz.