I think I am through with organized religion, or any religion for that matter.
Sorry if this opens up a can of worms or debate. I am just going on my own path in life.
I’ve been reading a lot about buddhism lately. I am also meditating. I would like to become a positive and peaceful person. I like jesus’ teachings and try to practice them. I don’t go to church or talk to pastors though. My family is very religious.
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Buddhism is probably the only religion I could get on board with. It’s very scientific and practical. And it approaches life’s problems from a very logical standpoint.
Kuddos to you @sleepybug may you find the peace you’re looking for 
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Churches do offer free counseling it’s one way around getting free treatment. Depends on the church on how helpful it is. Some places like the Y do offer free therapy with qualified psychologists for example.
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That’s cool. I just feel that talking to the churches reinforces a lot of my delusions. Maybe I am being too “hard-lined” on the issue. I don’t know.
Organized religion used to provide comfort to me before I got sick. Since my diagnosis I have had a hard time accepting the existence of a higher power.
Clergy members don’t seem to understand mental illness and can provide little or no relief
I do believe in a higher power. I believe in an afterlife, and I find this comforting.
I kind of halfway agree on this. I find that it depends not so much on the denomination, but on the person counseling you and that individual’s experience with mental illness. For example, do they treat sz and sza as a more chemically related problem, as opposed to a problem rooted in sin.
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Yea I’m of a different faith, that may not be as tolerant or understanding of mental illness. The concept of sin still exists and God is punishing as well, but I don’t know where we stand on that one.
I appreciate your statement about the afterlife. I guess I didn’t think it through as I tend to agree with you on that. But I do see my mental illness as punishment for things I did wrong in this life before my illness, poor choices, drug use, sex etc.
Some people say that God never gives you more than you can handle I hear this a lot in AA and it angers me. Mental illness like sz and sza are pretty heavy burdens, the suffering literally never stops. You can’t have what you want in life and you get shunned by so many ignorant people that automatically dismiss you because we’re "different"
I don’t know I guess tragedy happens all the time all over the world. I personally never thought it would strike me so I’ve decided to turn my back on god for now
Whatever works for you is what you should do, but my advice is not to shut out the possibility of religion completely. My church has been very helpful to me throughout my journey with mental illness. Through my church I’ve made connections with so many wonderful caring people and if I ever need them, I can just call them up and they’ll be there for me. One time I needed a medical procedure that wasn’t covered by my insurance, and it was $1,500. We didn’t have the money because my family barely scrapes by financially, but someone from my church anonymously donated the entire $1,500 to us. My mom fell on her knees and cried when she found out that someone had been so generous. Whether or not you believe in religion, there are lots of churches out there that can be a priceless resource in helping you through hard times. Honestly I don’t know what I’d do without my church family. Not all churches are as generous or inviting as mine, but if you find the right one it can be a blessing.
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A lot of religious based threads this last couple of days…
I wonder if you opened the floodgates
Could have but I’ve been good haven’t picked any fights…I don’t think any of them have needed to be closed…
That’s cool @PrincessKenny now that I’ve slept on the issue I am more open-minded about it. Thank you.
You’re welcome! Like I said not all churches are so helpful, and it may take a few tries to find a church that makes you feel at home, but they really are great resources that often provide free psych counseling and if nothing else it’s a place where people get together every week so there’s good opportunities to make friends 
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