Depressed and feeling empty. Any LRCers out there that can help?

Another note: I'm not Atheist, because the thought of no afterlife is depressing and I feel that this planet is and universe came together too perfectly for it to be an accident and there must be some kind of grand designer. I may be more along the lines of Agnostic Theism. but I still feel empty inside when it comes to faith, perhaps because I want to "feel" the power others seem to feel from faith. I'm just so confused because the existence of religion itself it what I believe to be a huge cause of violence and disruption in the world.

This may sound weird to some. But, I didn't really believe in God until I read the "craziest things you've experienced" thread. When txRUNNERgirl described her and her sister communicating with demons thats when I made up my mind. I mean WHY ON EARTH would she lie about something like that? There's no reason to! I hope this doesnt sound sarcastic. I'm not good with expressing emotion on the internet.

Let me congradulate you on your loving relationships and coming graduation.

How have you concluded faith/religion, or lack there of, to be the cause of your void?

i feel your pain, brother.

organized religion is indeed a source of tremendous violence and disruption in the world. i doubt even most hardheaded devotees would deny plain historical fact.

do not confuse, however, institutional religion with personal spirituality. your search for God need not be confined by mankind's interpretation of ancient texts. personally, i am agnostic, because i believe that organized religion stifles our natural spiritual curiosity. one of the most important meanings of our lives, in my opinion, is to uncover our origins. to actively pursue and search for faith. to live life thoughtfully, to be our best self, to always have good intentions, and to keep an open mind. organized religion offers a simple, easy, convenient, and comforting answer. be brave enough not to seek shelter there, just because there is shelter. the storm will forge you into the person you truly are, the person you were born to be.

you suffer because you think. you are in pain because you are alive. you have an imagination, and you are not easily satisfied as to the roots of your origin, the purpose of your existence. it makes perfect sense that this would depress you. you are not alone. it depresses a lot of people. not nearly enough, in my opinion. most are content with the shelter i described above. be proud that you suffer.

but do not dwell on your suffering. embrace it as part of the natural rhythm of life. fyodor dostoevsky wrote that "suffering is the sole origin of consciousness." i firmly believe that suffering makes us stronger in the broken places, like ernest hemingway said. listen to yourself, to your truest inner self, to your instinct. learn to spend time away from the white noise of the world. distance running is a great way to silence that. spending time in the wilderness, away from cities, is another great way to do this. you have familial responsibility, but make sure you are taking time to take care of yourself, as well. you have be introspective, allow your imagination to run. i think you will come to many of your own conclusions about the world in this way.

best of luck, brother. i do not mean to tell you how to live your life, even if that's exactly what it sounded like. but i recognize and understand what you are going through, and i strongly recommend you summon the courage to search out your spirituality independent of social institutions. think about it logically. think of what we know as science and fact, and think conversely of what we cannot explain as science and fact. ruminate on these ideas in your darker hours, in your meditation. and do not be afraid to consider the possibility that the afterlife you believe in, may not be the same thing as the afterlife as would be described by popular culture. consider also that perhaps the soul is more than just a ghost. and at least consider that life as we know it, is entirely unique - and "heaven" is nothing like it.

Concerned wrote:

Let me congradulate you on your loving relationships and coming graduation.

How have you concluded faith/religion, or lack there of, to be the cause of your void?

I'm not exactly sure. Possibly because I see those around me with such a strong faith that they seem so happy and sure of life and other things. I on the other hand have many worries in life and with the choices I've made and how I've grown up. For instance, would I end up in some kind of hell because I didn't grow up in a church, or because I struggle to connect?...because I just can't see that as my fault...I can't force my brain into believing something I went so long without and is already socialized.

Thanks, This great advice does help me somewhat. You sound like someone I could converse with for a long time.

Any books you can recommend as well?

The truth of existence is at once so simple yet so immense that any human efforts to fully or even partially comprehend it are doomed to folly and lead to all manner of madness. Of that much I am sure.

Not mine, but the most useful advice I have heard: "Work diligently on your own salvation". Doing so will connect you to The Immensity in the most functional and satisfying way possible. It will take you through pain but liberate you from suffering.

Not Living Not Breathing wrote:

[quote]johnny langenwanker wrote:

Thanks, This great advice does help me somewhat. You sound like someone I could converse with for a long time.

glad you asked!

an essay called self reliance, by ralph waldo emerson, is my personal creed.

if you are up to reading something huge, war and peace by leo tolsoy is, in my opinion, the greatest book ever written. anna karenina is worthy of your time as well.

the brothers karamazov, by fyodor dostoevsky, pretty intensely examines some of these ideas, and will definitely get you thinking.

others that go in a vein similar to my earlier post:

walden by henry david thoreau

anything written by ralph waldo emerson

being peace by thich nhat hahn

letter from a birmingham jail, by martin luther king jr.

to hell with good intentions (a speech) by ivan illich

all come from a standpoint that is at heart religious, but is more antinomian - meaning that faith and spirituality comes from the inner heart, not outer tradition, ritual, or dogma.

personally, some books i would recommend to anyone. especially an imaginative person.

into the wild by jon krakeaur

on the road, and the dharma bums, by jack kerouac

huck finn by mark twain

every book on here has influenced me and changed my life, in one way or another. emerson more than any of the others. i wouldn't call his writing easily accessible, but it is worth the time spent studying.

i almost forgot cat's cradle, by kurt vonnegut. my high school english teacher called him a "gateway drug" into literature. very easy and enjoyable to read, and very thought provoking as well. although he can be depressing, so be forewarned of that, if you aren't already familiar with him.

i would say that "slaughterhouse five" is his most popular and greatest work. "cat's cradle" more directly focuses on religion and spirituality, so i would highly recommend that. "breakfast of champions" i would call his third best novel.

It's people like you that could benefit a great deal from some exposure to philosophy. We have this misconception ever since the Enlightenment that faith and reason are inevitably juxtaposed. Religion is just an expression of spirituality, our direct line to that which is divine and transcendent. Read the work of Plato, Agustine, Aquinas, Leibniz, Spinoza, Pascal, Hegel, Heidegger, Tillich, and Gadamer...just to name a few

Not Living Not Breathing wrote:

Another note: I'm not Atheist, because the thought of no afterlife is depressing and I feel that this planet is and universe came together too perfectly for it to be an accident and there must be some kind of grand designer.

The fact that I'm not going to f*** Katherine Heigl tonight is also a depressing thought for me...but just because I don't like something doesn't mean I'm going to get my way.

As for the "universe came together too perfectly argument"...try picking up a textbook.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He loves you and believes in you no matter what you feel about Him or anything else. Trust in Him and even when you feel down or low, He will guide you. Check out Psalms 23...He is there to be your Shepherd.

You have a kid. It's not time to feel sorry for yourself. Wait until your kid can take care of himself and be a strong, happy father. Then think deep thoughts.

if you don't take care of yourself you can't be your best person. if you can't be your best person, how can you be expected to be your best father? of course be there for your family, it doesn't sound like you would ever abandon them. but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be going out of your way to also take care of yourself.

Try this book, for starters:

http://www.amazon.com/Conversations-God-Uncommon-Dialogue-Book/dp/0399142789

My only advice: Live Big

Not Living Not Breathing wrote:I'm very analytical and logical and don't really understand believing in such a supernatural phenomenon. Not ghosts, UFO's, or anything of the sort. I like the facts. I would like to believe there is an afterlife where all my dreams come true, but there are soooo many inconsistencies with history, biblical stories, and the beliefs themselves that it's hard for me to imagine heaven and a God when there is X and Y (for lack of a better example).

I don't know if this is the missing link in my life or not , because I'm so unfamiliar with faith. And I can't blame myself because I didn't grow up in such a way. And I know most people grow up in a faith and accept it wholeheartedly...whether or not they actually FEEL something or just socialized is part of my dilemma.

Though I haven't read it, I've heard A Case for Christ by Lee Strobel makes an easily understood logical argument for Christianity. If you are looking for something more philosophical, Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton or Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis are both good reads. The Reason for God by Tim Keller is a more contemporary take that is also very good.

how_about_this... wrote:

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He loves you and believes in you no matter what you feel about Him or anything else. Trust in Him and even when you feel down or low, He will guide you. Check out Psalms 23...He is there to be your Shepherd.

stop trolling!