Posted by Farmer on January 21, 2012 at 22:47:04
In Reply to: Re: God is cruel, God hates me posted by I Feel terrible on January 19, 2012 at 22:13:06:
Dear IFT...hope it's ok to abbreviate here...I mean no harm...just to save time and space.
I figured it might be good????? to "chop" my possible answers up, number them...as the theme is big and the answers have a "practical/personal" side as well as a spiritual.
May be it suits you, but I leave quoting the Bible out for now...but I sum things up...render the thoughts, as I understand it....is that ok?
Some people have gotten such tremendous doubts about a loving God...the theodizee-problem e.g....that they gave up (for now) their formerly professed faith...ref. point: being born again...Most prominent example known to me for "the Americans" is the following:
So may I conclude, that you still believe in God?...but think that HE is mean to us...you??
I read a recent survey while in the doctors waiting room...that over 60% of those asked in Germany believe in God and that Jesus Christ is His son...whatever the latter means exactly...anyway so many have left the churches (you pay church-tax here for the main denominations otherwise) and certainly "made their own faith"...for I think less than 5% read actually in the Bible, according to the survey.I don't know...if that survey can be considered overall significant, trust in probability and stats..Just to say, there is a big "trend"...
So I don't know, what you know from the Bible...certainly, there are other religions/faiths...relying on other scripture.What convinced me big & that since 35 years...coming from esoteric/occult/Asian Philosophy, religion and background before joining TFI are the many fulfilled prophecies in the Bible and they are not "self-fulfilling prophecies"...plus most of all my personal experience with Jesus Christ in prayer.
That my mind/faith got screwed in TFI is another subject...I leave out here
Next thing I'd like to emphasize is, that TFI is/was a super/ultra charismatic group, no better label for now...so that understanding how TFI works/worked...on my/our mind(s) one has to have some good understanding of this "branch" of Bible-based faith.
Even Catholics rely on scripture other than the Bible...those of the church-fathers e.g. etc. (and there are some "connections" between charismatics and the Catholic church too)
Charismatics rely also on dreams...visions... prophecies, open and closed doors...various leadings of the "spirit"...May be you remember: 10 /12???...ways to know God's will ...some publication of TFI??...then you'd know what I mean....and certainly TFI relied on scripture other than the Bible...the Gnostics too had their publications outside of the canon.
When leaving TFI I learned to question all that (in distancing myself from TFI)...not all at once but step by step over many years by observing...comparing...fruits in my life...mainly studying.
What is certainly God's will for me???I wanted to know...I did want to know e.g. could I still marry after separation, having lived in a relationship 2 times out of wedlock/legal marriage...that was really a huge question for me.I still got "leadings"...but they were false!!!!! The answer I finally found in the Bible...I certainly didn't like, I was crushed...but my heart knew, it is the truth...huge difference between "liking" something and the loving truth for me.