Doubting God...please Help

[Gwen]

Perhaps you ought to consider a personal retreat. Go off to a quiet, natural setting--away from the noise of life. Enjoy what you enjoy (hiking, fishing, just soaking it in). Pray, think...yell at God if you need to.

Consider looking at people of others faith--not to shop, but to compare. You believe that if there is a god then you've found the right church. Well, see how those who have not are doing. What are they doing that you my ADD to your current practices. Maybe something you spend time doing now is useless or worse?

i would have to say my advice would follow along the same lines as pc's advice. some of my most wonderful spiritual experiances have come from being compleatly honest with the lord, sometimes involved blaming him for everything, and just letting him have it. my answers usually come and in consequence i've had to go back to the lord on my knees with humility and apologize but i really feel like he's ok with that.

look at other faiths, not to shop but compare. i've been struggling with certian parts of my own testamony lately. some things i still know and i know without a doubt. other things that seem almost inseperable from the first seem to be compleate mistrys. it's been dificult to figure it all out. before i share an experiance i do want to say somthing else.

you aren't alone in your feelings (i know everyone has said it) i think that is a lie satan tells us to get us to give up. though i have had experiances that many have told me are unique that have answered prayers, i still find myself traped in moments of feeling desperatley alone. i don't question if god is there but i do feel alone and abandoned. i guess my point is yes seek that experiance that removes all doubt if that is what you desire but don't expect life to somehow become clear or to never question again because of it. it is a life long process, 27 yrs is just gettting started.

but back to other faiths. i too was raised in the chruch. took a very long time to be able to recognise the holy ghost due to that (in my opinion). as we learn from the fall, man must experiance the bad to know the good. if we are always surrounded in good we don't know what we have, we need need the oposite to give us perspictive. due to having been raised "feeling the spirit" it became common place so it became difficult to recognise. all the converts kept bearing testamony of how strong the spirit was. why didn't i ever have that? wasn't fair. i had nothing to comepare to, i had never been without to know the feeling of having. but anyway, the first weekend of this month was stake conference for us. for our family it is a lot of travel and full of frustrations to attend our meetings. after it all i didn't feel refreshed, it felt like a waste of time and energy. there was no spiritual fulfillment there. ppl talked about how strong the sprit was this stake conference but i didn't feel it. the next weekend i went with a friend to a meeting. though not a chruch meeting it was very religous and much testifying taking place. had a very religious feel. but it wasn't lds. i don't think i've attended a non lds service since highschool. (for those that are non lds please know i mean no offence, this is my perspective on it all.) this meeting was so much fun. there were ppl sharing their stories of how god had touched and guided thier lives. there were touching stories, you could tell what they said was ginuine and from the heart. there was humor involved, laughing, clapping, ppl calling out their expressions of agreement and understanding of what the speaker was saying. (very different from lds testamony meeting) it was contagious, it was fun, it energized. i left feeling more excited about sharing my testamony. that confused me. why? i don't recall feeling the "spirit" once. but i felt faith filled. the time flew by, it was a 4 hour meeting and felt like it was shorter than our 2 hour stake conference meeting. some sleep in our meetings, not this one. so arriving home none of this made since to me. as i pondered it this is all i could come up with. i had a friend in school that talked about being "on fire with god" not something i ever fully got. but fire is fast it's intense it spreads it brings ppl to action. that's what these ppl were. it was fun. the gift of the holy ghost is different. it's not a flame, it's warm not hot. it's calming, it's peace, it's comfort, it's safe, it's secure. what a wonderful feeling to fall asleep with. lol we as lds aren't on fire with god, we are filled with the spirit. but sometimes we forget. i think i needed that experiance with other faith filled ppl but not lds so that i could feel the difference. i have a new view and respect of other faiths that i never had before. but i also have a new view of my own faith. i commented to my husband that i had a greater spiritual experiance following the second meeting than our stake conference. at first he was very concerned. lol but i honestly think it was the two combined. i needed that right now in my life. i'm still struggling, but i feel closer to my answer and more secure in the answers that i do have than i did before. i needed to know one to recognise the other, i needed something to compare to.

i hope all that rambling made some since and was remotely helpful in some way.

[Moksha]

In fact, i think we CHEAT both God and ourselves, when we try to put down, suppress, ignore or deny our questions and doubts. We're talking about the most important issues and questions in life, right? - The things that in fact, make life worth living. Shouldn't they present us with difficult questions that make us struggle? Shouldn't they be difficult to find?

Instead of fearing, avoiding or denying their questions, many people feel that the Questions are often at least as important/ valuable, as the Answers --

If i may quote a line from a movie ("On A Clear Day, You Can See Forever") that raised some of those questions in an interesting way:

".... The answers make us wise, but the questions make us human."

Being human connects you with others: If you acknowledge your questions, you begin to be more understanding and compassionate, toward others who have similar questions -- and more understanding if they find answers that differ from yours *smile*.

I think the questions themselves are important, and have much to teach us -- and we should avoid rushing to answer them too quickly or easily.

Blessings --

~Gaia

Gaia, this is very profound stuff. The wisdom of what you have said is both obvious - once I read it - and inspiring as well.

[anthony]

I posted this on LDS forums and thought you guys deserve to hear it too.

I would like to thank everybody who has responded to my plea for guidance and advice. In reading these posts I have come to understand much and look at different points of view. I have decided not to give up on God, thanks in large part to the heart-felt responses of many of the members of this forum. The church, on the other hand, is something I will be giving up. It has been difficult to do this. It is always difficult to give up something upon which one has based his or her entire life. But I know this to be for the best. As of this moment I believe the church to be false, with greater certainty than I ever knew it was true despite many years of trying to force myself to believe. This has been the result of serious questioning and investigation. I do not wish to offend anyone, I just thought you all should know what the result of my search for the truth has been. Thank you,

-Anthony

[Palerider]

I posted this on LDS forums and thought you guys deserve to hear it too.

I would like to thank everybody who has responded to my plea for guidance and advice. In reading these posts I have come to understand much and look at different points of view. I have decided not to give up on God, thanks in large part to the heart-felt responses of many of the members of this forum. The church, on the other hand, is something I will be giving up. It has been difficult to do this. It is always difficult to give up something upon which one has based his or her entire life. But I know this to be for the best. As of this moment I believe the church to be false, with greater certainty than I ever knew it was true despite many years of trying to force myself to believe. This has been the result of serious questioning and investigation. I do not wish to offend anyone, I just thought you all should know what the result of my search for the truth has been. Thank you,

-Anthony

[prisonchaplain]

Richard Dutcher (God's Army producer) recently did the same thing. Sometimes people have to grapple with God, before they can sincerely commit to a community of faith.

In the Pacific Northwest it is so very common to meet people who say, "I'm spiritual, but not religious." Or "I believe in God, but not organizaed religion."

My thought is to encourage them in that relationship with God (or the search for one), with the hope that once they truly do encounter the Creator, He will direct them to his people.

[onyx]

All the best to you Anthony

Onyx

[Gaia]

This has been the result of serious questioning and investigation. I do not wish to offend anyone, I just thought you all should know what the result of my search for the truth has been. Thank you,

-Anthony

GAIA:

Dear Anthony -- Good luck and blessings to you, as you -- like Jacob -- "struggle" with God.

May your rewards be as great, as his were.

Blessings --

~Gaia

[rosie321]

I posted this on LDS forums and thought you guys deserve to hear it too.

I would like to thank everybody who has responded to my plea for guidance and advice. In reading these posts I have come to understand much and look at different points of view. I have decided not to give up on God, thanks in large part to the heart-felt responses of many of the members of this forum. The church, on the other hand, is something I will be giving up. It has been difficult to do this. It is always difficult to give up something upon which one has based his or her entire life. But I know this to be for the best. As of this moment I believe the church to be false, with greater certainty than I ever knew it was true despite many years of trying to force myself to believe. This has been the result of serious questioning and investigation. I do not wish to offend anyone, I just thought you all should know what the result of my search for the truth has been. Thank you,

-Anthony

It's good to hear you will not be giving up on God. Let me urge you in caution on giving up on the church so readily. Maybe you need a break. Maybe there are lessons to be learned elsewhere. Instead of spending your time worrying about whether the church is true or false take the time to know God. Put your focus on understanding God better. If you are so busy looking at the "false" church you may be filled with hate and negativity that may actually drive away the spirit of God. It's easy to get consumed with the spirit of the Flesh

Follow God and let Him lead you to where He wants you to be. Maybe that place is in the LDS church or maybe not. It may take time to find out where that place is or to learn the lessons that God would have you learn. Focus in on God and the love that He is for us. Focus in on the sacrifice of Christ and the love he has for us. Learn to trust God and listen to the spirit. Don't worry about the rest. Still praying for you bro'.