Comments on: The heathen in our midst

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:15:45 +0000

In my group of friends, I tend to be the most religious. I go to church on most Sundays, I go during the week for morning prayer or a noon time mass if I can swing it, and I try to make it to major feast day services when possible. I like the mystical religious experience that can occur as a result of going to these services.

However, doubt is always something that lurks behind the religious experience – especially on days when that mystical feeling isn’t quite there. In my opinion, having doubt should definitely be part of the religious experience. Perhaps it’s because I have doubts that I feel this way.

It’s okay to have doubts, questions, or no answers. I mean, Mother Theresa did and she’s on her way to canonization. Sometimes doubts or the yearning for faith isn’t so much a test of it but an affirmation of a faith that may actually be there.

By: David

David — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:56:31 +0000

From some of the comments it seems that some people are under the impression that God is a micro-manager. God doesn’t micro manage.
Not trying to start a debate or tell anyone how to live. Just sharing my learnings from life with and without God.
Remember God owes us nothing. God has given all of us free will. Having the gift of free will means we have to live with the consequences of our and other peoples actions.
Take a school shooting for example. Here we have a kid/s that are disturbed. And it’s not news to anyone who knows the kids that they have problems. Now how many people around these troubled kids have done everything they can to help them??? Hence we live with the consequences of our and others actions.
Remember God helps those who helps themselves. If you don’t want to have God in your life on a daily basis don’t expect God to be there for you on a daily basis.

Hope that made sense to you.

By: The Heathen in Our Midst « Snacking on Antacids

The Heathen in Our Midst « Snacking on Antacids — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:11:22 +0000

[...] The Heathen in Our Midst 2010 March 3 by Nicole F. Old post…also available here http://notaboutreligion.com/2009/07/20/the-heathen-in-our-midst/ [...]

By: Nicole F.

Nicole F. — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:22:02 +0000

Thanks lvilla. It gets easier as time goes by, but finding people who understand, or at least accept where I am is difficult. Guess I need to start expanding my circles.

By: lvilla

lvilla — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:25:12 +0000

No, you don’t need a uber-traumatic experience to bring you back into the fold. You have found what is logical and heartfelt for you and it’s good. Not believing in god or in a church goes against everything we have been taugh and grown into, but there comes a time when their explanations don’t seem good enough, when we constantly ask: “Why would an everloving god let such terrible things happen to good people everywhere?”.
The good news is that each one of us, believers or not, can be good to our fellow man. Oh, and you can still have a group of friends with which you can gather if not to pray, to share, and laugh and cry together and be part of something spiritual even if not ecclesiastic which is everyday life.

By: Nicole F.

Nicole F. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:41:19 +0000

That’s a great question – I don’t know. I think each person’s experience is their own, making it real. Obviously, I prefer the doubt route because I like to think that I’m growing and not stagnant or complacent. But I don’t think that my journey is more or less real than someone else.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:29:25 +0000

This describes more people than we know and are willing to admit. Question is who’s experience is more real? The person who doubts and is scared and filled with longing or the one who believes unquestioningly and feels no fear?