why doesn't God love me?

[Oberon]

with a hat of course

Well, duh! Of course!

 

[miss fortune]

Well, duh! Of course!

don't even get me started on hat envy suffered at the Kentucky Derby :steam:

 

[Totenkindly]

Jennifer- oh no! completely opposite of my religious experience... which involved sitting in sunday school repeating the phrase "it just doesn't make sense to me"

What was not making sense, specifically?

(For me, in church, I was soaking it all up, INTP style, trying to learn the structure of it and get a "big picture sense." Eventually, where what I was being taught seemed to be conflicting, that's where I started to fight and question.)

And yes, religion as guilt is really something that kind of makes me nervous... I don't NEED extra guilt in my life

Definitely. Which is why I am saying don't take that route.

I think realizing where you have made mistakes and even where you've harbored bad feelings towards others (resulting in bad behavior) or indulged in selfishness at another's expense is something we all have to face as part of growth... but a lot of religious culture seems to inflict some level of shaming against the person themselves. If you experience that, you are heading into quicksand and need to head in a different direction; that sort of shame, the shame that diminishes your value as a person, that puts you down, making you feel unlovable and worthless, is poisonous and deadly and confusing.

I'm starting to think that God is a total bastard... I've been trying to figure things out for more than 10 years now and have gotten NO indication of which way to turn at all

To be honest, God *is* a total bastard... in a way of speaking.

Mike Yaconelli would go around and say that God didn't make his life better, instead God f*cked it all up. This didn't make a lot of the traditionalists happy, but I think what Mike was saying is that a lot of religious faith is aimed at making people comfortable and making life make sense for them... but real life and real happiness isn't found in comfort or total sense, it's found through the continual, ongoing action of engaging the world and embracing your life.

This is what I have found too. All those years, where everyone was telling me what the answers were and how to make my life predictable and comfortable, were the most miserable years of my existence and I wanted to die; nowadays, I cannot say I understand everything, I'm not sure what will happen tomorrow, but I feel happy to be alive and I'm engaged in the process.

 

[miss fortune]

Jennifer- something about Christinanity never really clicked with me somehow... I mean, it has some good points and lessons, like treating people well and not fawning over rich people and things of that sort, but something about it has always left me feeling kind of empty in a way... it's never felt like the right path to take to me, from the moment I can remember even thinking about it

It's like dating a friend in a way- you're good friends, you like them well enough but you know that you're never really going to have a romantic relationship that WORKS for both of you... it's just missing something

Somehow from that point on I had a feeling that there should be something else that should make sense... and we can see where that's taken me!

but yeah, I could deal with a religion that would try to make people feel LESS guilty if possible... my brain is hardwired to shake a finger at me, I fear

 

[Virtual ghost]

Why dont't you just leave religion behind and try to find happness in something else ?

 

[miss fortune]

because I'm not you

obviously, I feel a need for religion if I started this thread

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

LL- I've actually scored equally on S and R every time I've taken the test... including in high school... this adds to job confusion as well... am I supposed to become a gregarious forest ranger? (easier done in disney movies where the animals talk! )

(heh I'm getting off track here, but I really don't care.)

The type of career that fits you will depend on what your third preference is. If it's Investigative, then you might consider being a vetrinarian, since you'd work with both animals and people in that way. If it's Enterprising then managing rental properties would fit, since you could see it as a way to help people, but you'd also need to do plenty of outdoors and fix it type stuff. Likewise if your third letter is Conventional then you might want to consider something like hairstylist. And if Artistic is your third preference then either photographer or Art teacher would fit.

Of course there are other options out there. Those are the ones that come to mind first though.

 

[miss fortune]

it is E, with I close behind

and I suppose they always ARE hiring people to work for apartments and such here...

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

it is E, with I close behind

and I suppose they always ARE hiring people to work for apartments and such here...

If it's E, then managing apartments is a good option. And since you have a decent amount of I you could also consider teaching something like P.E. or Shop or Auto Mechanics since that would involve something from all four letters S\R\E\I.

 

[miss fortune]

that could be fun! I always kind of wanted to be a park ranger who led guided tours as well

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

that could be fun! I always kind of wanted to be a park ranger who led guided tours as well

That sounds cool too. From what I understand though Forestry jobs tend to be extremely competitive. Something like 1% of people with a Forestry degree end up becoming a park ranger.

I'm sorry if I sound discouraging. I was simply trying to suggest careers that are not quite as competitive.

 

[miss fortune]

oh... not a problem... I also would love to be a baker, but even finding a job doing that is hard anymore! My cousin actually IS a forester, which is funny because his degree is in nursing

 

[Totenkindly]

Jennifer- something about Christinanity never really clicked with me somehow... I mean, it has some good points and lessons, like treating people well and not fawning over rich people and things of that sort, but something about it has always left me feeling kind of empty in a way... it's never felt like the right path to take to me, from the moment I can remember even thinking about it

It's like dating a friend in a way- you're good friends, you like them well enough but you know that you're never really going to have a romantic relationship that WORKS for both of you... it's just missing something

Oh, I get it -- you're not gay! Or you are gay! or something....! in terms of religions, I mean!

I'm just sharing my experiences. As far as methodology goes, what Oberon suggested is basically it... you need to find your path and not worry about end result. If you're proceeding with a right attitude and spirit, then you'll end up wherever you are supposed to go.

Somehow from that point on I had a feeling that there should be something else that should make sense... and we can see where that's taken me!

What makes sense to you, then? What resonates with you? What are your values?

 

[Virtual ghost]

because I'm not you

obviously, I feel a need for religion if I started this thread

I know. I am simply offering alternative viewpoint.

 

[miss fortune]

Jennifer- yeah... kind of like when my friend's dad described the horrors of trying to date women... that wanting it to work, but it just doesn't click in a way... Trying to figure out what works though is kind of like being dropped in a forest with no compass or map, and you don't even know what hemisphere it is in so you can't test the lichen on the trees

I do know that I value peace, balance, respecting all living things (I don't even kill bugs ), equality and kindness... however, ALL religions pretty much have those as a basic tenent

AO- as you have every right to

 

[FDG]

Religion sucks. If God doesn't love you, you have something more to be proud of. My father was born 200 m away from the Vatican, so I'm a trusted source.

 

[Totenkindly]

I do know that I value peace, balance, respecting all living things (I don't even kill bugs ), equality and kindness... however, ALL religions pretty much have those as a basic tenent

If you already have a list of values that belong to you and that you embrace/breathe, then why do you need a religious framework to plug into?

IOW, what exactly are you looking for? Comfort? Security? Reassurance? Less ambiguity? What need is driving your desire to find an explicable doctrinal statement, vs just following the values you hold dear now?

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

oh... not a problem... I also would love to be a baker, but even finding a job doing that is hard anymore! My cousin actually IS a forester, which is funny because his degree is in nursing

Yeah baker is another good one that fits. Although really any type of restaurant owner would fit. You wouldn't have to be a baker unless you thought that is the only type of food that you could make.

 

[Lady_X]

i think it's fine and normal to believe there's something out there but possibly just beyond your conception. nobody has all the answers but i think it's important to ask the questions. i don't believe in a god that punishes the ignorant or misguided and i don't believe in sin or hell. i believe it's a learning process and that mistakes are important for growth...but i also believe in reincarnation...whatever...i have a lot of spiritual beliefs but i'm not religious.

 

[Iriohm]

RE: Victor

It's not that difficult to stop your thoughts altogether. It only takes practice.

Of course you don't want to stop your thoughts all the time, but turning your thoughts off for a while is relaxing and refreshing.

A good place to start your practice is from the book, "Relief Without Drugs", by Ainslie Mears.

Meditation? Perhaps...

Though I still retain some skepticism. We two are different people by who knows how much; what's easy for you might not be so easy for me...though I won't know until I try, I expect.