Has faith helped you

[I'mdave27]

Has faith and belief In a religion helped you with anxiety and depression ?

[AnxietySufferer]

No if anything my lack of faith probably caused it...

[i love tea]

Yes, definitely - it gives me comfort & hope. Do you have a faith or is it something you're considering?

[ippik]

Yes it has ..there is always hope.

[I'mdave27]

I am considering following a religion but only because I have been drawn to it for some time now , it's like my calling. You ever heard of 'quakes' ?

---------- Post added at 15:34 ---------- Previous post was at 15:09 ----------

My problem is that one minute I want to believe in God I'll go out buy a bible , I have one , then I hear a song on the radio that makes me want to do what is considered a sin. My mood , feelings and beliefs change instantly it's so annoying but it can be upsetting because it puts me off doing other stuff in life , my fiance says I'm like a woman with my mood swings.

[i love tea]

Nope, what are 'quakes'?

Believing in God won't instantly change anything - I personally think faith / belief is a choice rather than a feeling. (As anxiety sufferers we know that feelings can't always be trusted!)

[theharvestmouse]

Maybe he means Quakers?

[Fishmanpa]

Has faith and belief In a religion helped you with anxiety and depression ?

This is a subject that will have as many answers and variations as there are people.

"Faith" is a very personal thing. "Religion" is an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies and/or rules used to worship God or a group of gods.

Believing in "God" or a higher power is very different than religion. I have my own personal beliefs and Faith in God. For me, looking at the wonders of the world and universe is proof that God exists. How I manifest it into my life is something one cannot put into words in one post.

I can tell you that having "Faith" has helped me in my life. It's given me a sense of peace when I battled my health issues. I've been part of "religion" and while there are benefits in all of them, one must make a personal choice in following them.

Positive thoughts

[Edie]

My problem is that one minute I want to believe in God I'll go out buy a bible , I have one , then I hear a song on the radio that makes me want to do what is considered a sin.
To be honest, if your beliefs are causing you this much confusion, there is something wrong with your beliefs. Everyone is tempted to do things that the believe are morally wrong - whether those morals come from religion/faith or just personal beliefs about ethics.

You mention wanting to do things that are considered a sin - who considers them a sin? If the belief considers them a sin, but you do not, then maybe you're looking into the wrong belief. If you consider it a sin, then you need to ask yourself whether you actually want to do these things, or just feel tempted.

Religion or faith should never be used as a tool to control people or make them feel guilty. No one is perfect and if you're aiming for perfection you're only ever going to be disappointed with yourself.

Think carefully about what your beliefs are giving you. If it's reassurance, guidance, strength, community, then it sounds like a good thing. But if it's anxiety, guilt, pressure, confusion, then be wary.

[Brunette]

That's a great post Edie and I think it really gets to the heart of the matter here.

You've posted about this subject before Dave, and seem to have flirted with the idea of every religion going including Satanism!

My worry would be that if you do eventually "choose" one it won't bring you any sort of peace - instead you will get into a cycle of wondering whether you've chosen the "right" one.

To my mind it will be much easier if you just try and be honest with yourself, do right by other people and accept that no person (and no religion) can give you all the answers.

[Rennie1989]

I don't understand why you can't be faithful or spiritual without a religion. Religions have set rules and beliefs and are often the centre of the community. You can believe and be faithful to God without putting a label to it.

[I'mdave27]

I can be all those without religion but I believe in God , even if it the subject does confuse me. I just like exploring different religions I think it's a fascinating subject and I was brought up with going to church every sunday so it's kind of ingrained in me , oh well. I have read into satanism I also have the satanic bible which I thought wasn't evil at all just a different experience but I did learn stuff from it , a lot of stuff. I couls leave religion alone but I seem to have an obsession with it. Private message for more

---------- Post added at 15:52 ---------- Previous post was at 15:46 ----------

That message was for you rennie by the way

[MrAndy]

I pray every night ,no idea who to though :D

[I'mdave27]

Ok

[shakey1961]

Do I have a faith in God? Perhaps. Has it helped me? On occasion. As for religion I used to go to a Church of England church and I've been carted off to places to have "evil spirits" cast out of me that was causing my problems.

Blooming crackpots!!! And I was the fool to go along with it!

Don't get me started on religion, I'm likely to explode!

However, I'm not one to knock faith/religion. If it helps you then use it.

My faith - my present GP who diagnosed gluten intolerance/coeliac disease and that's cured me.

Possessed by Evil sprits - my a r s e

[Brunette]

There's nothing wrong in being interested in all sorts of religions - some people make it their life's work to study them - but what you keep coming back to is that you feel you want to (or ought to) choose one.

That means you're not actually looking at them all objectively and that's a different thing entirely. If you were, you wouldn't have a problem, especially not with the idea of "sin".

[I'mdave27]

I just enjoy learning about them and thinking 'wow what if this happened' , i'm amazed by it all. I really don't feel like I 'ought to believe in any' what I was trying to say and what I tell people is that I feel like I'm being drawn to religion it's like an intuition , if that makes sense. I haven't read anything religious for a while now I haven't even thought about it I even rejected it , believe it or not , but for some reason out of the blue I get these feelings where I must learn about them. For some reason something deep inside of me is telling me that this is very important so while that feeling is there I will learn about them but I can only go on my feelings

[NorthernGeek]

Religion is a great source of comfort for many & the cause of great distress for others, but I'm not sure that you can just choose one based on the lifestyle.

Although my parents are quite religious, I've been an Atheist for my entire adult life. My obsessive worrying about the future would certainly be easier if I could believe in something looking after me, but no matter how often my Mum tells me to have faith that things will turn out OK, I just can't.

Trying to make yourself like other people in order to copy their lifestyle is tempting, but based on my personal experience it only works for a while & usually ends badly.

I suppose it depends on whether you really have religious faith though, which is something I don't know anything about.

[Brunette]

What you actually said was:

"I am considering following a religion but only because I have been drawn to it for some time now , it's like my calling. You ever heard of 'quake(r)s' ?"

Being interested in "religion" generally and following "a religion" are two different things. You can't just think, "Oh I think I'll become a Quaker," in the same way as you would think, "Oh I'll wear a blue jumper today." Well, you could, but it's pretty disrespectful and not about what faith is all about at all.

I think you are probably desperate to "belong" or to "find meaning" in something but religion isn't necessarily the way to find what you're looking for. Faith requires true belief and a deep commitment, if you don't have that you are really just mucking about.

[Leslie735]

I don't know what I'd do without my faith in God. I was raised Baptist and I still am as an adult and am raising my kids the same. If I didn't have God to lean on and call upon I'd be so lost. I pray and talk to him several times a day. My faith in God brings me comfort and peace. If I'm having a particularly bad day with my anxiety or with anything really I don't hesitate to take a moment to tell God about it. No matter how down I feel I always thank him for what he's given me. I could go on and on how much I love the Lord and how much he has helped me. Don't get me wrong my anxiety gets the best of me sometimes but it's nothing God cannot handle and sometimes I just look up and cry my eyes out and I know he understands how I'm feeling. I hope you are able to find what you are looking for. I will keep you in my prayers! :hugs:

[rb1978]

I believe in God and pray every night, sometimes in the morning too. I tell Him about the things which I'm frightened about or worried about (these prayers can be a bit long sometimes lol) and ask for help with things which trouble me or which seem insurmountable. I also pray for people who need help. Faith has been a massive comfort to me at certain times in my life and I do genuinely believe it has helped me.

I don't regularly go to church, I tend to pray alone, privately.

[Leslie735]

I will also add I pray for family members, friends, and even random strangers often. I've prayed for people on this forum several times as well. I just recently got back into going to church regularly and I'm loving it!

[kahi35]

God Is Good!

[Karen62]

I find that if I start to feel edgy when I'm at work I sing a Christian song to myself to remind me that God is bigger and stronger than my anxiety