svonhatten
Patron with Honors
This was the only logical place that I felt I could put this post. I'll get straight to the point:
I was raised in Christianity with the thought that there was no other lifestyle. It was a very cultic atmosphere. When I moved out of my mom's house, I decided to screw religion in general. I received little or no help getting out of my mom's cultic Christian atmosphere (stuff like only watching TBN, no privacy, no other churches, only Christian friends, etc.). I was pretty much soured on organized religion altogether. However, as I began coming out of my shell (mainly with Scientology and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Utah) I began realizing that not all individuals in organized religion were bad.
Because of this, I restarted my search for who God was and what God was to us. I tried being an atheist, but I couldn't. It did work for a while, but chance, when it comes down to it, is nothing.
So coming to the conclusion that God is in existence, this creates a dilhemma. I am just not sure what to believe about God.
Point is, I want to know what others think about who God is and what he wants with us. I have laid out some questions that I feel need answering. I've asked some of these questions (along with others) to pastors and rabbis, but they seem to ignore me after a while. That's one of the reasons I stayed in Scientology, because I thought they could answer my questions, or I find out who God is for myself with Scientology's help. For example, the Bridge to Total Freedom and the 8th Dynamic. Five years later, I have found very little emphasis on who/what/where God is. Most of the focus is on the individual.
Anyway, here are the questions:
- Who, what, and where is God?
- Worship God? Doesn't he have a big enough ego?
- What's the REAL point of worship, and WHY should I WANT to worship God?
- How does God talk to people? How do you know it is God?
- What am I supposed to believe about God? Why? How do I know it's true?
Any answers will be very much appreciated; especially if you are a former Scientologist... but ALL opinions are great.
Responses including: "Pray to Jesus" and other Bible rants will not be considered... just fyi. I've gotten too many of those, and honestly? I'm a little tired of them.
-Steve
I was raised in Christianity with the thought that there was no other lifestyle. It was a very cultic atmosphere. When I moved out of my mom's house, I decided to screw religion in general. I received little or no help getting out of my mom's cultic Christian atmosphere (stuff like only watching TBN, no privacy, no other churches, only Christian friends, etc.). I was pretty much soured on organized religion altogether. However, as I began coming out of my shell (mainly with Scientology and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Utah) I began realizing that not all individuals in organized religion were bad.
Because of this, I restarted my search for who God was and what God was to us. I tried being an atheist, but I couldn't. It did work for a while, but chance, when it comes down to it, is nothing.
So coming to the conclusion that God is in existence, this creates a dilhemma. I am just not sure what to believe about God.
Point is, I want to know what others think about who God is and what he wants with us. I have laid out some questions that I feel need answering. I've asked some of these questions (along with others) to pastors and rabbis, but they seem to ignore me after a while. That's one of the reasons I stayed in Scientology, because I thought they could answer my questions, or I find out who God is for myself with Scientology's help. For example, the Bridge to Total Freedom and the 8th Dynamic. Five years later, I have found very little emphasis on who/what/where God is. Most of the focus is on the individual.
Anyway, here are the questions:
- Who, what, and where is God?
- Worship God? Doesn't he have a big enough ego?
- What's the REAL point of worship, and WHY should I WANT to worship God?
- How does God talk to people? How do you know it is God?
- What am I supposed to believe about God? Why? How do I know it's true?
Any answers will be very much appreciated; especially if you are a former Scientologist... but ALL opinions are great.
Responses including: "Pray to Jesus" and other Bible rants will not be considered... just fyi. I've gotten too many of those, and honestly? I'm a little tired of them.
-Steve