This is a difficult topic because it’s complicated. For instance, people I thought were friends gave me the notion that God could heal all wounds.
He always acted like I was exaggerating my illness. I kept praying to God, and on one hand it helps and on another it doesn’t because I’m not sure if I’m on solid ground.
Now I’ve been named as a witness in some massive investigation, and I’m breaking down. The stress caused me to start becoming psychotic, as my religious friend already lied about a few things to the officer who he convinced me to interview with. Talking about it is traumatic–so is not knowing what really happened. But the guilt of our friendship is tearing me apart.
Which makes me feel that these people are religious nutcases.
I want to believe deep down that God would never betray me, but I’m confused. I don’t know what to look up to right now, when I feel like things are getting out of hand. My mom is doing well though. Is that because I prayed for her or because she’s strong and despite the illness?
Should I be supporting her being hospitalized, or is that the wrong solution? can I trust the government or does the government support mind control and terrorism?
I always think it is unhelpful to be bringing up the topic of religion on a forum for people with mental illness. But since you did, here’s my thoughts. I went through a period when I became very spiritual and read a lot of spiritual books. I have been a church organist for 20 years and have stuck at it despite some horrendous experiences in life. But now that I am beginning to experience some form of psychosis, I have realised, just like yourself, that praying to God has no benefit for me anymore. It is a pointless exercise. He or It isn’t preventing the tactile hallucinations I am having, or the overbearing and heavy mental fogs I keep getting. He or It isn’t going to help. No, if I want out of my current problems I will have to see a doctor.
Religious people are the last people you should be talking to about this. Talk to a professional. Ignore your ‘friends’ who claim God heals all wounds. He or It doesn’t. It is just wishful thinking and it doesn’t help anyone. Listen to medical professionals.
I don’t know about you, but after the things I have experienced I am done with religion.
Do not consider it as a Buddhist or a Hindu meditation…Do not bring religion into meditation.
Meditation has no religion.
This concept of RELIGION never existed in India…During its golden age my country produced the greatest thinkers and philosophers the world has ever seen .(Aristotle and Plato were bunnies in front of them).
The most recent of them is Osho. Read about his teachings.
Few meditation techniques:
Anapanasati (Mindfulness of Breathing)
Sathiputtana Sati (More famous in the west as Mindfulness meditation)
Pranayam meditation (A Hindu meditation technique)
I’m sorry you’re going through so much stress right now. I had a similar experience when I got involved with a Christian church years ago. I became saved and the church I was involved with was more than just somewhere you went on Sundays. It was an outreach ministry and on Mondays through Sundays we ran a coffee house out of the building. Everyone would hang out there and I became very close friends with the other people. There was a group of us that traveled to Africa on a missionary trip where I became really close to two of the other girls. Our church was more of a community. I shared a house with three of the girls from church and became very close to the girl I shared a bedroom with. When my mental illness got worse I had to move two hours away to live with my mom, which was good because my pastor’s wife told my mom that they were against me taking medication. They believed they could pray away my illness. The three girls I was close to never answered my phone calls or called me back once I moved away. These were people I thought were good friends, even best friends. I felt God betrayed me because he had me get close to these people who were fake. There’s more to the story, but ultimately I went from having a very close relationship with God to wanting nothing to do with the religion.
I went back to the faith I grew up in, which is Buddhism and feel much happier. I think there are Christian groups that are misguided. I think any group that takes an extreme approach to their faith is dangerous, but it is important to have faith in something. Praying is good because if nothing else it gives you hope. I don’t believe one faith is right while the others are wrong. I think as long as you are connecting with the universe you improve your life condition which attracts things to your life. Prayer doesn’t give immediate results, sometimes it does but not usually. It may bring small changes that over time when you look back you see how the right things happened at the right time.
I understand your confusion though as I’ve been there. The betrayal I felt from the group I was involved with and ultimately the betrayal I felt from God served as a catalyst for me to reconnect with my Buddhist roots. For me Christianity wasn’t right, but Buddhism is.
Seeing your friend lie about something important while being strict with you about your illness would be confusing. Unfortunately a lot of Christians are that way. They say homosexuality is a sin yet eat pork and shellfish while wearing tattoos. I would say to distance yourself from this friend and if he asks why tell him how you feel.
As far as your faith you have to find what works for you.
I almost became a mormon, and they seemed eager to have me in their flock. They were impressed with my knowledge of the bible. I was secretly drinking a lot though, and also a bit psychotic. I was hospitalized and it became a fluke, also since I became to delusional, but I felt that they were nice people and all, if alittle insistant on my coneversion. I would trust church people more than a psychiatrist any day.
Personally, I’m an agnostic. I don’t know if there is a god, and I don’t know if God, if there is a God, is the way the Christian religion portrays him. I don’t care what another person believes, though, as long as he doesn’t try too hard to force it on me. One of my reservations about God comes from the fact that so many terrible things happen. How could a loving God permit such things?
I agree that a sz forum is a bad place to bring up religion because most think God has abandoned them .Im a Christian but I haven’t been to church or read the Bible in 30 yrs specifically because church and the many denoniminations were created by man and they adhere to their own principals regarding Gods word so just because someone is Christian doesn’t make them"good".When it comes to sz you should only listen to a professional ni the field.I dont even go to a standard pdob that doesn’tdeal with other sz people becsause most jst hear about people’s depression or a bad relationship or something else.Schizophrenia is a entirely different disorder.
that is if he has created you…which he obviously hasnt.
Lets say you came into existence by evolution EVEN THEN why has the God not done anything …absolutely NAUGHT to solve A SINGLE CASE of suffering in this world?.
Do you know that babies get raped by 70-80 year olds?(ok I know it is terrible to even say this stuff but such stuffs happen in life)…Where was God???..On vacation?
Well since this thread is here.I believe that God does or doesn’t do what ever for his own purpose which is beyond our understanding. I am not a church goer or bible reader but I live my life just in case its true whats said about going to hell for living a immoral life.Im prolly waay off on this but if you look at the news of the world there is a correlation to whats said in the bible would happen in the end days.Speaking truthfully i’ve said im a Christian AND I am but prolly because of my social anxiety, irrational disgust of STD’s, and natural dislike of mean people my beliefs and how I live my life just happens to fit in with Christian moral definition. If I didn’t have sz and the irrational brain disruption id prolly be just like everybody else hanging out at clubs passing diseases around, doing drugs that WOULD make me sz .
Where do you get your information? The most prosperous countries are in China, India, U.S.A. and some Islamic countries. And a lot of those countries are very religious and believe in a God.
My sister ran into a ‘church’ like this. It’s really a cult. They try to distance you from friends and family. Once you leave the cult they say not to contact them because they’re afraid of free thinking away from their heavy influence.
