Quantcast

I'm confused about what spritual path to follow. Need some guidance.

Helwa

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 24, 2016
Messages
5,793
Reaction score
Reactions
51,681 1,837 1,457
56,837
Alleybux
476,337
I'm craving some spritualty and faith in my life. But I don't know what path to take.

I grew up Muslim but left 3 years ago. The only thing I am certain of, is that I never want to be a Muslim again.

I've been pretty agnostic for these past year. But I started getting an interest in religion and spritualty earlier last year.

I've looked into new age spritualty . Got into astrology and tarot's, LOA etc. While I do enjoy it, I'm looking for something a bit structured.

I was at one point converting to Catholicism. That's how involved in Christianity I had gotten. However my issue with Christianity is that there is a lot of inhumane absurd things in the Bible like slavery and anti LGBT elements.

I am the type of person, that if I'm going to commit to something I'll go all in and won't do it half way.

I felt like if I becmae Christian I couldn't fully commit because there were things I didn't agree with.

Also the concept of the trinity is hard for me to accept as it seems there are 3 Gods and not 1.

But I keep finding myself going back and forth.

I'll admit I'm confused. I don't know what to believe or follow.

In general I always found it difficult to have a connection with God. When I Muslim, and when I was in the process of becoming Catholic. I felt something intialially but it fizzled out.

I just want to know which path to take and feel a strong and constant connection with a higher power.

Your advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
 

MrMason

Controversial Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2020
Messages
2,935
Reaction score
Reactions
11,256 1,382 3,078
7,993
Alleybux
12,953
I do not believe God is religious. Religion is great to keep you grounded and instill time-tested practices to keep humans in a better place. Everyone's journey is unique. My family would be considered non-denominational christian, and while I have never had an issue with it's tenets, my path was always about understanding the nature of God.

That's led me a respect of all religions/religious voices, but no dogma, and a deep belief in panentheism (God as a superset of measured reality). I take to heart the guidelines and best practices of the religions, but organizational structure tends to corrupt, and can lead you further from your path
 

originalsn

General Manager
Joined
Aug 15, 2012
Messages
1,003
Reaction score
Reactions
5,096 119 27
5,359
Alleybux
500
I'm craving some spritualty and faith in my life. But I don't know what path to take.

I grew up Muslim but left 3 years ago. The only thing I am certain of, is that I never want to be a Muslim again.

I've been pretty agnostic for these past year. But I started getting an interest in religion and spritualty earlier last year.

I've looked into new age spritualty . Got into astrology and tarot's, LOA etc. While I do enjoy it, I'm looking for something a bit structured.

I was at one point converting to Catholicism. That's how involved in Christianity I had gotten. However my issue with Christianity is that there is a lot of inhumane absurd things in the Bible like slavery and anti LGBT elements.

I am the type of person, that if I'm going to commit to something I'll go all in and won't do it half way.

I felt like if I becmae Christian I couldn't fully commit because there were things I didn't agree with.

Also the concept of the trinity is hard for me to accept as it seems there are 3 Gods and not 1.

But I keep finding myself going back and forth.

I'll admit I'm confused. I don't know what to believe or follow.

In general I always found it difficult to have a connection with God. When I Muslim, and when I was in the process of becoming Catholic. I felt something intialially but it fizzled out.

I just want to know which path to take and feel a strong and constant connection with a higher power.

Your advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
I relate to this because I felt the same way a few years ago regarding seeking structure. I don’t think anyone can tell you what your spiritual path is besides yourself. A lot of religious leaders are scammers, megalomaniacs or just seeking power over others. Relying on others for structure can set you back spiritually. Build up your discernment. Read up on different religions for yourself and see what speaks to you.Try to find core ways in which they’re similar and the ways in which they’re different.

3 is an auspicious number in many cultures. It’s not really exclusive to Christianity. As an example, some cultures believe we have 3 aspects of our spirits (body, mind and soul). This concept is reflected in the trinity as well. Father (Soul), Holy Spirit (mind), Son (body).

Just keep reading, praying for guidance and searching for more information. It’s a lifelong thing and you’ll always be learning. Start with what you’re comfortable with and then work on growing beyond that.
 

SexyRaccune

Team Owner
Joined
Mar 25, 2014
Messages
13,796
Reaction score
Reactions
85,045 2,342 2,078
91,244
Alleybux
1,945
I think going by connection and what resonates in your spirit as the right thing. Keep doing that. At one point when I was agnostic, I experienced some powered things using the name Jesus Christ.

There are definitely not three Gods in Christianity, just three expressions of purpose and power that make up the Godhead.

Like humans have a body, mind and spirit, God (the overall authority) also has a Holy Spirit and a sacrificial human-divine body sent to earth to relate to us (Jesus).
 

ProZolaPye

Staying Positive Anyway
Joined
Apr 14, 2020
Messages
3,066
Reaction score
Reactions
20,002 2,993 1,381
19,038
Alleybux
453,659
I do not believe God is religious. Religion is great to keep you grounded and instill time-tested practices to keep humans in a better place. Everyone's journey is unique. My family would be considered non-denominational christian, and while I have never had an issue with it's tenets, my path was always about understanding the nature of God.

That's led me a respect of all religions/religious voices, but no dogma, and a deep belief in panentheism (God as a superset of measured reality). I take to heart the guidelines and best practices of the religions, but organizational structure tends to corrupt, and can lead you further from your path
I looooove the way you worded your post. Very intelligent and you're definitely on the right path. Many people are "emotional" about God; hence, the dogma and sensationalism. They never consider the "intelligent" aspect of God who in truth "is not emotional at all." God is spirit but unfortunately...many still take the world view that "God is a very, very, very, very old man (probably white) with a long beard, sitting up in the sky on a golden throne or something of the sort with a cane meting out orders and such. Most don't take that next step of maturity in understanding God (or whatever name they want to use) through intelligence....consciousness. Nice to read your post. Much strength to you on your spiritual journey. :emoji_pray:
 

MrMason

Controversial Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2020
Messages
2,935
Reaction score
Reactions
11,256 1,382 3,078
7,993
Alleybux
12,953
I looooove the way you worded your post. Very intelligent and you're definitely on the right path. Many people are "emotional" about God; hence, the dogma and sensationalism. They never consider the "intelligent" aspect of God who in truth "is not emotional at all." God is spirit but unfortunately...many still take the world view that "God is a very, very, very, very old man (probably white) with a long beard, sitting up in the sky on a golden throne or something of the sort with a cane meting out orders and such. Most don't take that next step of maturity in understanding God (or whatever name they want to use) through intelligence....consciousness. Nice to read your post. Much strength to you on your spiritual journey. :emoji_pray:

Thank you. Best wishes to you as well, and I agree 100% with everything you wrote here
 

babyphatcat

The American Dream
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Messages
3,908
Reaction score
Reactions
51,332 438 267
84,597
Alleybux
10,299
I can connect to your journey, I also grew up Muslim. I've been on a spiritual journey but haven't found my path. I always wanted to be in a community with others when it comes to spirituality and religion. I can continue living without following a religion but I want to belong.
 

ChanelNo.5

General Manager
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
4,708
Reaction score
Reactions
35,635 863 758
40,352
Alleybux
73,456
Have you looked into eastern religions?
Buddhism or Taoism or Hinduism to start.
 

Ms Kitty

Team Owner
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
13,642
Reaction score
Reactions
79,397 2,946 1,623
89,265
Alleybux
38,500
I'm like you OP. I was raised baptist christian.

I can't get with it. I am now agnostic.
 

Matheo455

Team Owner
Joined
Jun 3, 2011
Messages
29,224
Reaction score
Reactions
187,245 6,128 3,803
188,229
Alleybux
570,915
I'm craving some spritualty and faith in my life. But I don't know what path to take.

I grew up Muslim but left 3 years ago. The only thing I am certain of, is that I never want to be a Muslim again.

I've been pretty agnostic for these past year. But I started getting an interest in religion and spritualty earlier last year.

I've looked into new age spritualty . Got into astrology and tarot's, LOA etc. While I do enjoy it, I'm looking for something a bit structured.

I was at one point converting to Catholicism. That's how involved in Christianity I had gotten. However my issue with Christianity is that there is a lot of inhumane absurd things in the Bible like slavery and anti LGBT elements.

I am the type of person, that if I'm going to commit to something I'll go all in and won't do it half way.

I felt like if I becmae Christian I couldn't fully commit because there were things I didn't agree with.

Also the concept of the trinity is hard for me to accept as it seems there are 3 Gods and not 1.

But I keep finding myself going back and forth.

I'll admit I'm confused. I don't know what to believe or follow.

In general I always found it difficult to have a connection with God. When I Muslim, and when I was in the process of becoming Catholic. I felt something intialially but it fizzled out.

I just want to know which path to take and feel a strong and constant connection with a higher power.

Your advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.

I appreciate how strong you stick to your convictions with the ability to walk away from what no longer serves you. I believe maybe the best path for you to find strength in your higher power is within buddhism, taoism, or essentially belief systems not of the western world. I would stray away from focusing too much on the cultural aspect. As people are human and as a result will distort the text in a way to benefit them most. I know you will find the answer and i the silence it will come to you!
 

LeBronFan

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 27, 2013
Messages
26,860
Reaction score
Reactions
46,803 2,676 1,826
55,324
Alleybux
0
I believe it's a wiser choice to follow logic.
While problem solving without creating more problems.
I've learned in my young life, that it makes sense to follow logic.

Practicing logic works, anywhere on Planet Earth.

Just my personal thoughts and views.

Logic Definition:

1. Valid reasoning.

2. The science of the distinction of true from false reasoning, with whatever is naturally treated in connection therewith.


logic - definition and meaning
Peace.
:peace
 

Chibuikem

General Manager
Joined
Apr 1, 2017
Messages
2,293
Reaction score
Reactions
12,302 405 304
13,078
Alleybux
82,375
How about becoming a follower of Christ? Being a follower of Christ means putting Christ first in your life, asking for his will, asking him to lead you, and building a personal relationship. When you put your trust in Jesus you can ask him for more faith, more understanding etc. When Jesus is your main focus, you’ll notice that positive changes in your life. This isn’t Catholicism.
 

JaxRhapsody

Rhapsodic Laviathan
Joined
Jul 10, 2020
Messages
1,077
Reaction score
Reactions
1,657 121 132
1,839
Alleybux
145,181
I'm craving some spritualty and faith in my life. But I don't know what path to take.

I grew up Muslim but left 3 years ago. The only thing I am certain of, is that I never want to be a Muslim again.

I've been pretty agnostic for these past year. But I started getting an interest in religion and spritualty earlier last year.

I've looked into new age spritualty . Got into astrology and tarot's, LOA etc. While I do enjoy it, I'm looking for something a bit structured.

I was at one point converting to Catholicism. That's how involved in Christianity I had gotten. However my issue with Christianity is that there is a lot of inhumane absurd things in the Bible like slavery and anti LGBT elements.

I am the type of person, that if I'm going to commit to something I'll go all in and won't do it half way.

I felt like if I becmae Christian I couldn't fully commit because there were things I didn't agree with.

Also the concept of the trinity is hard for me to accept as it seems there are 3 Gods and not 1.

But I keep finding myself going back and forth.

I'll admit I'm confused. I don't know what to believe or follow.

In general I always found it difficult to have a connection with God. When I Muslim, and when I was in the process of becoming Catholic. I felt something intialially but it fizzled out.

I just want to know which path to take and feel a strong and constant connection with a higher power.

Your advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advanced.
All you did was move from one abrahamic faith, to another one. Not really a big leap. If I moved out of my apartment building to one behind or next to it; I'm still in the same complex.

And Catholics aren't Christian- Catholocism predates Christianity.

If you're just going to run around the Allah mixer cruise ship... just be agnostic, because the ship is vast.
 

Helwa

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 24, 2016
Messages
5,793
Reaction score
Reactions
51,681 1,837 1,457
56,837
Alleybux
476,337
How about becoming a follower of Christ? Being a follower of Christ means putting Christ first in your life, asking for his will, asking him to lead you, and building a personal relationship. When you put your trust in Jesus you can ask him for more faith, more understanding etc. When Jesus is your main focus, you’ll notice that positive changes in your life. This isn’t Catholicism.

I find it a struggle to have a connection with God. Mostly because when I'm in actual need of something God usually doesn't come through. Then I get demotivated to worship him

Catholicism is Christianity. Prosteantism is a spin off of catholicism. Before Martin Luther everyone was catholic or orthodox.

My main issue with Christianity is that there's some things in the Bible that are questionable. Especially the condoning of slavery
 

AHeartForAll

Rookie
Joined
Apr 16, 2020
Messages
39
Reaction score
Reactions
264 2 6
294
Alleybux
0
Of course there are a lot of inhumane things in Scripture. The Bible is telling one cohesive story from Genesis to Revelation. It starts out showing how God is the Creator-King. He created the universe and everything in it, so by definition, He is sovereign over it all. Only He has the authority to establish the law and expect us to obey. This is His domain – His kingdom. When you create something, you have authority over it and can do with it whatever you want and establish laws governing it. The same concept applies here.

At the pinnacle of creation is humanity. God created humans to dwell on this earth with Him forever – only knowing good things. We were put here to co-rule the earth with Him – that’s what it means for us to bear His image. The Scriptures state that when God got done with creation, everything was very good. Things however go horribly wrong when the first human couple decide they want to rule independently of God and in fact be their own gods. Instead of being obedient, they eat the fruit from the forbidden tree and as a result, there were a few negative consequences that still affect us today. While their desire was to become gods, they end up inadvertently giving their allegiance to another god – Satan – and a rival kingdom known in Scripture as the kingdom of Satan or collectively as the kingdom of the world or metaphorically as Babylon.

In addition, their nature became corrupted as they fell from a state of innocence. Since they cannot produce beings superior to themselves, all humans have inherited this corrupted nature which is why we are naturally more attracted to evil than good. In addition, evil, death and suffering entered into the world. While we were to know evil existed, we were not to know it experientially. God never wanted us to know murder, rape, and etc. This also includes slavery. There were no slaves in the Garden of Eden. There was no need for any since God initially blessed them with abundance. But as a result of their disobedience God put them out of the Garden and mandated that they would now have to work for food, but in the process He curses the ground they will have to work. This led to a scarcity of resources which led to flawed manmade economic systems like slavery. That’s what slavery was during biblical times – the common economic system of the day, kind of like capitalism and etc. now. God put up with it, just like He puts up with capitalism, but these are not His ideal. Neither originated with God, but with fallen man. In fact, none of these economic systems originated with God. They were never part of His original plan since He blessed humans with abundance and everything they needed, so there was no need for any of them.

Just because something is in the Bible, does not mean that God approves of it or that it is His ideal. Genesis 3 – Rev 20 is showing the consequences of humanity’s rebellion against God. That is why God did not allow the biblical authors to only record feel good stories. They went out of their way to highlight the wickedness so that we can come to understand the severity of rebelling against God. We are living between Genesis 3 and Revelation 20 which is why there is so much evil recorded in there. It was done intentionally as God is trying to show us the consequences of rebelling against Him. What you see from Genesis 3 to Revelation 20, was not His desire. His desire was what you see from the opening chapters of Genesis to right before the Fall. This is why the Bible ends in Revelation 20 – 22 the same way that it starts – with a new creation, Eden restored to this earth where God is once again dwelling with humanity.

God will not allow Satan, the rest of the fallen ones, nor rebellious humans to thwart His plan for humanity which is for us to live on this earth with Him as His co-rulers, forever, only knowing good things. That’s why the NT talks about a new creation and shows God re-establishing Eden aka the kingdom of God back on the earth. This work is ultimately accomplished through Jesus as He is the one who comes to reverse the curses and judgments, via His life, death, and resurrection from the dead, that are a result of humanity’s rebellion against God.

Humanity has a big sin problem that needs to be dealt with before we are allowed back into God’s house. This is why Jesus is necessary. His sacrifice is foreshadowed in many ways in Scripture. You first see it in the Garden. After Adam and Eve rebel and God goes looking for them, they attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves. God however, takes the fig leaves off and covers them Himself with coats of animal skin, so there was blood that had to be shed for their rebellion because without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. Animals however did not sin, so their blood could not offer full atonement for sin. Humans sinned, which is why the sacrifice of animals were a temporary fix to the overall issue until the blood of another human who could represent all humans and therefore take on their punishment came – this human is the Messiah. God still put Adam and Eve out of His presence after killing that animal, and all of their children were exiled from His presence and out of Eden until the Messiah came who makes it possible for all to enter back into Eden.

Jesus is the Messiah, and the religion that He practiced does not exist today. He practiced first century Mosaic Judaism, but even Judaism today doesn’t look how it looked in the first century since it began to undergo some transformations starting at the end of the first century. Christians are to primarily be concerned with following Jesus. That is His call to all – to confess their sins, repent or turn from them, put their faith in Him for salvation and then to follow Him. To follow Jesus means to love and serve God with your whole being, to love others as yourself, to preach the Gospel of the kingdom, and to be a light in this world by allowing Christ who is the light of the world, to live through you. However you want to express that religiously/spiritually is up to you, it should however be done within the boundaries Scripture sets. But this is the calling of all believers – to follow Jesus - not to merely live out some rigid, structured religious life. Everything you do must be centered around love – loving God and loving others. Your love for God is not merely based on feelings but how you live your life. If you love God, you will do what He says to do. Christ demonstrated His love for us in that while were yet sinners, He died for us. This is the kind of sacrificial love we are to have for God and other people. That is what being a Christian is about. In addition, Christians are also called to suffer just as Christ did. While God is preparing a new creation for us including a new earth, He is preparing us for that world and one of the main ways He does this is through suffering.

Concerning the doctrine of the Trinity, it is difficult to grasp but the Bible clearly teaches it. It is not the belief in three gods, but one God – YHWH – who manifests Himself in three distinct persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three from the Old to the New Testament are referred to as God and more specifically are all called YHWH. God seems to express this triune nature of His in how He has created humans who are body, soul (includes your innermost being, mind etc), and spirit. This is also reflected in the construction of the Temple which had three main sections – the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. The Temple is in turn patterned after the cosmos which Scripture states contains three heavens. God resides in the invisible third heaven. This is also patterned in Genesis. You have Eden which corresponds to the Holy Place, then you have the Garden of Eden which corresponds to the Most Holy Place, and then you have the rest of the world which corresponds to the outer court as the whole world was not Eden. Eden was confined to a specific geographical location. In any case, biblically speaking God seems to have patterned these things after His triune nature.

Homosexuality is indeed condemned in Scripture like many other things. God created men and women for each other. Homosexuality is a perversion of God’s original design so of course Scripture is hostile to it. What it boils down to is that this is God’s domain. He establishes whatever laws He wants. His kingdom is not a democracy where fallen, wicked humans get to establish what is objectively good or evil. You can reject God based on what Scripture says about homosexuality, though I do not think that is in any way a good reason to reject God who is good and loving and has done more than proven that to humans. He demonstrated this through Jesus, creation, all that He does everyday to sustain this universe for us and everything in it, the mercy that He shows us in spite of the fact that we are wicked beings.

Finally, when it comes to which spiritual path to take, this ultimately relates to truth. It is quite obvious these religions are not all teaching the same thing. They hopelessly contradict each other on several different topics, so they cannot all possibly be true either. Certainly, they can all have elements of truth, but either one of them is comprehensively true – true in all or nearly all of what it teaches – or none of them are. And where one is true, the others are false. You should seek for truth. If you don’t want the truth when it comes to spiritual things, why even bother? From a Christian perspective, this is not something you can be wrong about as it has eternal consequences. I’m a Christian who is thoroughly convinced Christians out of all people ultimately have the truth. I would suggest reading the Bible all the way through again and again. Also check out some Christian apologetics books where you will find overwhelming evidence which points to the truthfulness of the Christian faith and compare it to what other faiths teach and the objective evidence they provide, if any at all for their beliefs. More importantly, you need to cry out to God with all of your heart and ask Him to show you the truth no matter where it leads you. If you are sincere, He will show you. God bless.
 

AHeartForAll

Rookie
Joined
Apr 16, 2020
Messages
39
Reaction score
Reactions
264 2 6
294
Alleybux
0
I find it a struggle to have a connection with God. Mostly because when I'm in actual need of something God usually doesn't come through. Then I get demotivated to worship him

Catholicism is Christianity. Prosteantism is a spin off of catholicism. Before Martin Luther everyone was catholic or orthodox.

My main issue with Christianity is that there's some things in the Bible that are questionable. Especially the condoning of slavery

A few things, one your worship of God should be motivated out of love, not based on whether or not He provides you with things you think you need. This is quite possibly why you don't feel a connection to Him. Your motives appear to wrong. I could be misreading you though. In any case, anything you ask according to His will, He will give it to you, but it has to be according to His will - not yours. I know, it's a lot easier said than done, but it is a hard lesson I have had to learn...trust me.

Christianity is a made up second century religion. You won't find it practiced anywhere in Scripture. The Apostles and early Jewish believers never practiced it. They were practicing a version of first century Mosaic Judaism. The closest you get to it today is Messianic Judaism. The Church father given credit for creating Christianity is Ignatius of Antioch. Latin Christianity which was also created in the second century was created by the north African Church father Tertullian. Both Roman Catholicsm and Protestantism grew out of Latin Christianity. Roman Catholicsm however would have been largely rejected by a good portion of the second century Gentile church since they were very anti-pagan, and all Roman Catholicism is, is the blending of Christianity with paganism. None of the early church was "catholic" or "orthodox." They were Jews, practicing first century Mosaic Judaism. You do not see those terms anywhere in the NT, nor do you see anybody in the Bible practicing anything which looks like Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or etc. Those were all made up by Gentiles after the fact. The closest you get to what the early believers practiced, is Messianic Judaism.

See my other post on slavery. The Bible never condones it as if that is God's ideal. It is merely tolerated like every other man made economic system. BTW, you will have to reject a lot faiths, particularly ancient ones since that was a common practice back then. All practiced it, not just Israelites. It didn't even originate with the Israelites.
 

Similar Threads

Ask LSA

The Lounge

General Alley

Top Bottom