Who Else Has Questions About Their Health and Spiritual Journey?

[NeuroNixed Craig]

I know this is a loaded question, yet this is an area I am currently struggling with and have faith you all are willing to tackle it and provide some insight for me. I made a post on my personal blog this morning going into more detail but honestly, I really don't think anyone reads my blog so I have little expectation of any response.

I titled the post, "How Should We Feel About God and Going to Church? Why? Because I really don't know the answer and one thing I've learned in life is not to ask God that proverbial question, "why!"

The challenge comes from questioning the whole "church" thing, the connection with God all mixed with the health circumstances and final outcome. So, where does that put a person anyway? Again, I don't know, but thought you may have some guidance or experiences to share with me.

I know, a deep and possibly controversial question but it is Sunday after all.

[Jeanie Z]

:) Hi everyone. Craig glad to see you back on the board.

David used to be a deacon and I was an elder in the church, but when our pastor retired and we could not understand the new pastor's sermons we quit going. I do not believe that you have to go to church to be faithful. I have a good relationship with God and pray every night and sometimes several times a day.

I feel I have MS and David has liver cancer because God feels we can handle those. I only think of God as a loving God who wants good things for me. I do not have the punishing God I grew up with as A Catholic. Jeanie :)

[Gary]

Wen my wife and I were first married she and I were of faiths that if you married into the other you were not only excommunicated but in many cases your family disowned you. Since we have now been married for 29+ years I guess we have over come any differences that we had. Although I do have one problem. We never praticesed any religion in our house and as a result our kids do not have 1. any tolerance for "forced upon religion" 2. They have no real understanding of the bible.

Growing up you went to catechism on Wednesday evening and Saturday morning,church on Sunday where the sermon normally lasted about an hour to and hour and a half. And Monday night vespers. I also learned all my catechism in German and in English.

We have decided that religion should be a private choice and witnessing to draw people into your particular church or faith just flat makes me uncomfortable and I do not care to discuss my beliefs or lack there of at the front door. Now I am NEVER rude to the people that come calling. I finally told the ones that are famous for this, to please take my name off your list of people you are trying to save because I am not interested. If you want to come by and see how a dairy works and if you want to bring your kids out to play with the baby goats, that is great and you are always welcome. But if you start up on religion I am going into the house and shut the door.

Believe it or not we have had some of them come by with their kids and ask to see the babies. As a matter of fact one of them called this spring and asked to bring their kids out as when they were young their parents brought them and they always remembered it. Lots of kids grow up in the city and a goat dairy is interesting I guess.

[Frog42]

We have decided that religion should be a private choice and witnessing to draw people into your particular church or faith just flat makes me uncomfortable and I do not care to discuss my beliefs or lack there of at the front door. Now I am NEVER rude to the people that come calling. I finally told the ones that are famous for this, to please take my name off your list of people you are trying to save because I am not interested. If you want to come by and see how a dairy works and if you want to bring your kids out to play with the baby goats, that is great and you are always welcome. But if you start up on religion I am going into the house and shut the door.

Believe it or not we have had some of them come by with their kids and ask to see the babies. As a matter of fact one of them called this spring and asked to bring their kids out as when they were young their parents brought them and they always remembered it. Lots of kids grow up in the city and a goat dairy is interesting I guess.

That is so cool, Gary! I grew up in the city and I would have loved to visit a goat dairy. You don't see too many of them on pavement.

[Gabriella7]

Craig, You certainly do know how to ask the hard questions.....I will ponder the answer for a while and come back when I am more rested as I went to church this morning and used up all my energy for the day.

Gabriella

[renee]

Hi Craig.

My spiritual journey does not include going to a house of religion
and maybe not even my personal belief in a higher power.
Saved?
Because I have known good, kindness, gentleness and love, I am saved-
mostly from myself. I am my best friend and worst enemy.

An open heart and open mind.
As long as I learn something from this "horrible mess we are in, Ollie", my version
of MS is not a complete waste of time.

MS will, though, continue to be a pain in the buttocks.

Carry on, dude.

[NeuroNixed Craig]

My Febble Attempt to Address Your Responses

I find your varied responses quiet thought provoking in many aspects not considered previously and I appreciate your insights.

Jeanie Z: I find I agree with your entire response, personally relating to it at each level.

Gary: What a great example of sharing your inner faith and beliefs without offense. Plus you get to pet goats too! I am happy we learned from our own "forced upon religion" experiences to simply expose our kids to Christianity in many ways with the goal they know enough to decide for themselves at the right time. No regrets with that process with excellent unexpected results by the way.

renee: I find the key to your response simply being, "My spiritual journey"....Followed by, "because I have known...." Isn't that what it's all about?

Much for me to consider at this point with very interesting points of view not previously even considered.

[Jeanie Z]

:) Hi everyone. I was like Gary I could not take my children to any church as I had been raised that I could only attend the Catholic church and I did not want them to learn to fear God and I was uncomfortable taking them anywhere else. I did let them go to Bible school at the Baptist church once and their Boy Scout troop attended the Episcopal Church who sponsored the troop once a month.

My sons are 51 and 50 now. My youngest and my only grandson play in the church band at the Baptist church and his wife works there as the church secretary.

My older son believes in God but does not go to church. His wife goes to the Jehovah's Witness church that her family attends. Her faith helped her through all her cancer surgeries, chemos and radiations. She is still having problems from radiation burns to her female organs and bladder and her colostomy.

I am grateful they both believe but it wasn't much thanks to me. They knew I prayed and they said evening prayers when they were young. Jeanie :)

[Gary]

Well thanks a lot Craig. I went to bed last night and woke up thinking about your post (and my reply). I think that we forget that our country was founded on freedom of religion. Coupled with separation of church and state. At times we carry both to extremes. If you have absolutely no religious beliefs at all I think that you could look at the bible as a guide line for an orderly society. Take the 10 commandments, if you overlook the religious component it is just a guideline, be good to your folks (honor thy father and mother), don't work yourself to death (honor the sabbath...), don't murder ANYone (thou shall not kill) and so on. IMO most of the bible can be taken the same way. The one thing I have taken from years of religious training is TOLERANCE and acceptance of course. I could care less if you want to worship green tee shirts.

Thanks Craig, for an insightful post and allowing us (okay me) to reexamine where we are in the grand scheme of things. And it is nice that we can have a post like this that neither is a violation of law or people get angry and turn it into a: I am completely right and you are completely wrong.

[Virginia]

Hi Craig, I was brought up going to Sunday School and Church - very traditional. My Mother always said God first, family second and then Church. I would be attending church now, but the effort that it would take on Sunday morning is just too much for me now. I wish I could just jump out of bed the way I use to and get dressed and go, but that is not possible for me now.

I do not feel guilty. I feel that my relationship with God is a personal one and that He is not judging me on what I cannot do at this point in my life. I do try to be a Spiritual person, meaning that I try to treat others the way that I would like to be treated, I don't cheat, steal and do all the other things. I know that there are times when I fail at trying to be the best spiritual person I can be. When I do, I try hard to forgive myself and move on with trying not to fail again. But then, of course, I always do. But my God is loving and forgiving and I keep trying.

[Gabriella7]

Deep Subject

Craig, This is a very deep subject with a lot of unanswered questions. I will tread lightly with my answers as I think this is a topic worth discussing.

I was 19 when I began my spiritual journey on a path that I have followed all my life. It has not been an easy path to follow but I was not promised an easy path. I was promised strength and grace to meet the hardships that would lay ahead and a comforter to be with me to guide me. I was married a few months later to a Christian man who always went to church religiously every Sunday as did his Mother. My Mother had taken me to Sunday School and Church from an early age until we moved too far away to walk. My Father always stayed home. I was not concerned with the "religion" of the church when I accepted Christ but just felt the urging to give my heart and life to the one who was calling me.

My health has always been fragile and I have caught every infection that came calling. I was also accident prone and have numerous scars to prove it. In looking back, I think I was born with MG and acquired MS just because this earth has become so polluted by environmental toxins produced by human greed and error. Do I think this life is some sort of test for the hereafter? I really don't know the answer to that question. I hope it is not as I will probably fail that test miserably. Do I think I will be healed by a miracle of God? Not very likely unless He choses to do so. We are now members of a church that believes in miracle healings but I am not of the "name it and claim it" religion.

I have a lot of questions about the why's, what if's, and why not's that will go unanswered but they are directed more to the medical men rather than to God. I have faith that God knows all the answers and He will share them one day in due time. On the practical side of attending church or not attending I don't think God is judging us unfairly if we don't go. After all He knows what is in our hearts. He can come and meet you wherever you are even if it is in the bed.

Gabriella

[NeuroNixed Craig]

Craig, This is a very deep subject with a lot of unanswered questions. I will tread lightly with my answers as I think this is a topic worth discussing.

I have a lot of questions about the why's, what if's, and why not's that will go unanswered but they are directed more to the medical men rather than to God. I have faith that God knows all the answers and He will share them one day in due time. On the practical side of attending church or not attending I don't think God is judging us unfairly if we don't go. After all He knows what is in our hearts. He can come and meet you wherever you are even if it is in the bed.

Gabriella

A very heartfelt and thoughtful response Gabriella and very much appreciated. I believe you have summed up how many of us who are chronically ill and still dealing with life's daily tasks feel with respect to our questions and concerns. I cannot disagree with your final statements of God's presence and actions in our lives. As you have read the responses to this thread have been very enlightening and providing a great many new perspectives to consider. For many of us just the act of preparing for and getting through a church service is more than we have the ability to accomplish, regardless of our desires to attend. I've found the few times I've managed to attend other people just don't, "get it." I'm asked to get involve with this committee or that function and I now tell people I am "Consistent Continuity Challenged" and can't depend upon myself to be or do anything on a regular basis. We all must learn to deal with our symptoms as they present and I know mine do not provide a schedule of when that is going to happen a week ahead of time for planning purposes.

So no, I too don't believe God keeps a score card of our attendance at an institutional church of any religion. The key appears to be our personal relationship with him and not the man-inspired trappings established that make the difference.

[Parsi]

Religion is personal but there is a common thread running through all. I'm with Gary about the Bible being a guide of ethical behavior. All religions I believe have a simliar guide or at least a similar set of beliefs.

I don't like forced religion: People coming at you because they don't think you believe as they do and must be saved because you can not tell them the day and hour you were saved and therefore you are not.

Also it bothers me when the emphasis of a church is miracle healing or is "ask and it will be given". I do believe miracles happen and petitions answered positively but not as the major function of religion or even the norm. And sometimes a different type of healing happens (such as acceptance instead of regaining ability to walk) or the answer is "no" to the request.

[Sparky10]

Here's another perspective. Let me preface this by saying I'm agnostic.

I don't understand religion. There are so many different ones! So many interpretations! How can everyone be right? How can anyone be wrong just because the majority doesn't agree? My own personal standpoint is that I believe I'm a good person. If there is a God, and I am certainly not denying that possibility, why should I be doomed to Hell because I don't worship Him?

Craig, if you feel you need to visit a specific building at times of certain days specified by people, go for it. If you can fulfill your needs at home and not be concerned what others think about that, all the power to you! Do what you feel is best for you! Live live on your terms, my friend!

[Gabriella7]

Clarification

Parsi, I am with you in rejecting any emphasis on "miracle healing services" and I probably should clarify that our church as a whole does not emphasize this in our service. We do have services where people are invited to come down to the alter and the elders and pastor will pray for their needs be it healing or other needs. It is only some of the members who have placed more importance on this. Our pastor has even spoken out in the service that he does not know why people are not healed.

These beliefs are probably a result of the TV preachers (name it and claim it religion) who regularly have healing services where people claim to be healed and fall out on the floor. It would be very hard to prove one way or the other. I have left my healing in God's hands....He has given me the faith to live life and if He chooses to heal me He can without any assistance from mankind.

It does make me uncomfortable when people make the remark that "I am looking so much better" and that day I'm not in the wheelchair.... hence maybe they are thinking I don't have MS any more. I simply smile and thank them for the compliment and say nothing more. Later when they do see me in the wheelchair again they will know it was just temporary. Most people do not know anything about MS or MG.

Gabriella