Faith?

[2107]

Just wondering about this recently.....
Does anyone have faith in God or any higher presence? Does it make you stronger?

Only asking cause my mum is a very active member of the church and is trying to get me to go to lourdes with her, i said that if she was going to be spending her money then a  trip the dead sea maybe more appropriate!(Didn't go down too well)
I dont believe in God or anything like that, but it just got me wondering if any of you on here did and do you think it has helped you stay stronger, more positive etc?

[BillyTheKid]

Good question.

I used to be a seeker after enlightenment which made me explore different faiths and 100's of meditation tecniques until one day it all fell into place and I stopped searching and saw that the present moment is perfect,not in the sense of  no pain or no concerns but just that here now is a restfull place to lay my head for ever.

Yes it has made me stronger but also made me more aware of the sorrow and pain as well as the joys of living.

I realize that reality is  very simple and all one has to do is  be still and observe the movement of Life,I used to want to know the answers to everything,why was I born ,why must loved ones die, and then instead of trying to figure it all out I just surrendered myself to the process of living and now, something other, than that I ,thats wants to fullfill itself has taken over the reigns of my Life and it's so peacefull now,just accepting what gifts are given,be they relatively good or bad it doesn't REALLY matter,and Life then becomes a play of cause and effects endlessly back and forth . hmmm sorry if I went on a bit.

[Anton]

nice post billy. that is so true. I think people, me included, get caught up in either looking to the past with regret or worrying about the future. Be nice to just accept the present. About the faith thing I have never really had any faith myself- but when my P was really bad i kind of wished that i did- partly to have someone to pray to but also to have someone to blame!

[sdavies]

I am a Christian and I have to say that having faith has really helped me through bad times. Its a question of when things get too tough to deal with I can turn it over to God.  Being a Christian doesnt been that bad things dont happen to you - I'm living proof of that - it means that when things get bad you have somewhere else to turn. I dont believe that God can be blamed for any of the bad stuff that happens on this planet, war, poverty, famine are usually down to humans greed and ignorance and not because of God. I personally feel he has given us free will and as a result he does not get involved unless we ask him too.
Ok this was not meant to be a sermon and these are purely my own beliefs. I respect the beliefs of others and wouldnt dream of trying to convert anyone.

xxx
Stace

[Ayub]

For me faith equats to hope, a hope for a better future, a hope that we are not mere bodies but actual spirits, that we are not just matter but rather we are energy, that there is a glimpse of life after death than rather we turn to dust, that miracles do happen, that love is truely a universal force we can all connect to and not just a temporary playful emotion.

However as chris pointed it just not hope for the future but rather learning to appreciate and accept the present. to live and let live!  

[rachaell]

good question and some good responses here

personally i have no faith in a religious sense, but that is mainly to do with being brought up in an athesist family. i have always been told that i have the choice to belong to a faith if i wanted to but when u are brought up without any religious beliefs then it is hard to accept any. that isnt to say that i dont accept other peoples beliefs, i respect peoples beliefs

i think that to some people, having faith can help clear their p since they believe it will happen (ie god can help them), and they always have someone to turn to nomatter what when things get tough

i think that positive thinking can help, and that is what faith can be

but this is just the way i see it

[david_8]

hi, Angela & all

that brought back memories praying  must been around 10yr old like an idiot i tried more than once.    searching p and herbs took me to the bible, even cayce readings mentions tribes etc from the bible  quite interesting but i will stay on the fence  tried faith healing but could afford to keep going they said they will pray for me every night so even faith comes down to money in the end .  it used to be a donation at Lourdes? cayce predicts we have only 800 or so yrs left if we dont change are ways
we will not be shown the way but then again he said  America/Mexico  would   be under water in 200/2001 all these bombs killings etc , prehaps where  just 1 big sick game for some higher presence  are well just another 1 of life mystery's

[righty50]

hi Angela,i think faith and beliefs are upto the individual concerned,if you believe in somthing strongly enough then go for it, but do what you want to do for yourself. i went to the dead sea for one day while in isreal and two days later was completly clear(lasted about two years). i was telling a local all about it later when he said "aghh the dead sea 90% belief and 10% the place".did the dead sea clear my p? or was it the belief that the dead sea would clear it.had many nights thinking about that one  :-/

[BillyTheKid]

both?

[sdavies]

I think that anyone who puts a price on religion is a fake and I'd be very wary of anyone peddling cures through faith. When it comes to the Dead Sea and Lourdes I'm more inclined to believe in a scientific reason than in a religious one despite being a Christian. As for faith healers - hhhmmmmmmppphh not convinced at all and if they are asking for cash then ditch it would be my advice. Thats not to say I dont believe in miracles but anyone who claims to be able to heal at a price sounds dodgy to me. Dont recall Jesus ever charging for a miracle!
xxx
Stace