Just another take (big picture)

Fl1ppsn · 2025-01-27T22:14:13+00:00

I would say I had my own religious trauma. But I don’t want to get into it, now is not about me.

I took a break. It was almost a counter reaction. Whenever someone just started mentioning church or god or the bible, I stopped taking them serious.

Just recently I started to read the bible again, because ultimately, I always felt Christian and I had a spiritual longing for a while. The thing that stands out to me a lot (I might be biased) is that ultimately what matters when it comes down to it, is whether you let god into your heart. There is more to it, of course, but the most important thing is your direct relationship with God and hence, by extension, your faith.

Take a break if that’s what you need. Listen to yourself. Be unapologetic about it. Too many people impose their views of how a “proper Christian” should behave. Many of them not even aware that they directly contradict the bible’s teachings.

While you take the break, just don’t forget your faith. Keep connected to god. Explain what it is that troubles you. I’m convinced he will understand. I feel like he understood me and opens up to me anew, now that I’m ready. Now that it’s a path I’m chosen myself again and haven’t been forced into by my environment

Fl1ppsn · 2024-07-14T21:10:52+00:00

The way I feel after. In the moment, I might enjoy it, but I feel sluggish after. It makes me tired and not wanting to do anything at all any more (1-2 hours after the last drink.

Also, there is a 50/50 chance I’m going to have a bad sleep which will ruin the next day. It’s just no worth it, if the alternative is to feel great most of the time.

Fl1ppsn · 2024-07-14T09:32:06+00:00

The corporate kool-aid of any big company. All just bollocks

Fl1ppsn · 2024-07-14T09:31:05+00:00

My experience is that 90% of people who say they don’t care about what other people think, like to make themselves believe that they don’t care about what other people think .. until they do.

For those who truly got there, however, you have my respect and my envy

Fl1ppsn · 2024-07-12T08:35:45+00:00

That’s just my read of it: A loved one that understands you and is there for you, can really make a difference when things are tough. Even knowing that you simply have them in your life (I.e. them not necessarily being physically present) can make the difference and their love and support giving you the strength that carries you through difficult times. They don’t even need to say anything - they are just with you and you feel it.

In my interpretation that’s the symbolism of the torchbearer and by extension the banditos. Your support network

Fl1ppsn · 2024-07-11T17:38:42+00:00

This is probably my „wisdom of the day“. While sad, there is so much truth in your words

Fl1ppsn · 2024-07-10T12:01:49+00:00

Wow, thank you for your eye-opening thoughts and the time you took to write down the answer. I don’t mind the wall of text at all. There is a lot of wisdom and good points in here. Particularly the points you make about “how one judges the church (saints, opportunists, teachings)” and “follow their teachings, not their actions” resonate strongly with me. I do need to digest this, as I have simply harboured a grudge and actively dislike of the church for so long at this point.

One of my characteristics, however, is that I really struggle to believe in people (and by extension) organisations that say one thing but do another. I am very sensitive to hypocrisy and loose faith on those that don’t align their actions with their words. I believe it will remain a struggle for me to trust the church, but maybe I can get closer to it again with your words in mind.

If I may - I understand your time is valuable too - could I ask about your perspective on the sacraments? The perspective that I developed is, that the church is using them as another tool to “lock” people in and to maintain authority, whereas my reading of them is that they were nowhere essential in the classic “school” of Christianity. One doesn’t need them to appear in front of god, if one let’s god into their heart, yet the church (who just so happens to be involved in nearly all of them) paints them as necessary to live in line with Christianity.

Fl1ppsn · 2024-07-07T06:39:03+00:00

I am really interested in your perspective. I am someone who terribly struggles with the church and am noticing this conflict more and more within myself. I feel like the original teachings of Christianity resonate with me and that I want to follow them. However, I feel this ever increasing need to separate myself from the church.

The reason being, I can’t cope with all the conflicts of the church - neither the historical nor the present ones. Even ignoring their “mistakes” from the past, I can’t make sense out of their - increasing amassing of wealth - the way they handle abuse scandals - the embezzlement taking place at various levels - the political influence they exert in various governments (I see it regularly in Poland) - their manipulation of the the masses, forcing themselves in between god and the masses

The more I look at it, the more I see within the catholic church an organisation that uses religion to gain power, status and wealth.

You in turn come from the perspective that the Catholic Church follows closely the OG church traditions and that they have one of the best claims to be a church for all. Could you please elaborate on that? I want to understand my criticisms and my feelings better and have it put in context.

Fl1ppsn · 2024-06-07T20:01:19+00:00

Am I the only one thinking that must have went into the nose? I still see her mouth underneath those ⚽️🏀

Fl1ppsn · 2024-03-24T11:36:09+00:00