Dear Vedam,
I read both of your recent posts; “Who & What Is God?” and “Belief Systems; Are You On Auto-Pilot?” I like what you said about God, and I am beginning to question the beliefs that I have been taught. But here is my problem; I was taught you do not question God, and if you did, you would certainly go to hell. I want to develop my relationship with God, I want to find God but I have such a hard time maneuvering through the stuff that I was taught. Any suggestions?
Answer:
Thank you. I understand your situation, as I went through some of that myself, and have known many people that have also been in your situation. However, there are some bigger issues/concepts involved; other questions (beliefs that you have) that are not being addressed. Once you address those, I believe you will find your answers.
The first question is not ‘whether or not God is going to send you to hell for questioning… ,’ but rather does hell exist at all, and if so what is it, does God send you there as punishment, etc.?
I will begin with one basic concept; the concept of ‘free-will and free choice.’ If you believe that concept to be true, then ask yourself if you also believe that it is a basic human right, a gift from God/Existence? If the answer is yes, then you may want to ask yourself the next question; ‘do I choose to, want to honor, love, or worship a God that would give free-will and then punish you if you make the wrong choice? It even goes beyond punishment; it goes all the way into believing in a God that would not only punish you, but damn you for ALL OF ETERNITY!” Bluntly, if that is what you choose to believe in and worship that type of God then deal with it and move along. If that is the case, I believe that is what type of God you think you need, and that is the type of God you will find/have.
The opposite also holds true. If you believe in God, a loving God, a supportive, understanding, and compassionate God, that is the type of God you will have, and your whole experience with God will be changed forever.
Addressing another thing…
Do you have any idea how many people have used the terms, ‘this is God’s will, this is the word of God,’ etc? I would imagine, thousands upon thousands. You can not listen to what anyone else is saying about God (not even me); go directly to Source and ask yourself. If you believe that you cannot ask for yourself, or that you need someone else to ask for you (a clergyman, minister, rabbi, priest, etc), you are only cutting yourself short, cutting God short, and cutting yourself off from Existence. Do you believe that God requires a mediator to have communication with you? If so, don’t you think that would be rather egotistical of God? Again, is that the type of God you want to worship, love, honor, etc.?
I know that many people have been taught to not question. ‘Understanding God is beyond reason; we are not supposed to understand, and it is blasphemous to question God.’ I know that it also can be difficult to go beyond what you have been taught to believe, especially when it comes to your belief that you may go to hell if you do question. I still go back to the basics. Do I believe in a God that needs something from me, and requires something of me? Do I believe in a conditional, and judging God? If you do, fine. If, on some level, it feels good to you, fine. If you think that it keeps you from just going wild, fine. But if I have not made my point clear; that is not the type of God that I know.
All I can tell you is my experience. I found that there was no retribution, no lightening strikes, when I began to question. I did find that my life became better, easier, more peaceful, and yes, my questions were answered. The answers came in many ways. Sometimes they came in obscure ways, and sometimes the answers came in what I would say were obvious ways; but my answers always came. Another thing I can tell you is that I asked anything and everything, and I looked within for the answer rather than looking through someone else’s perspective.
I really hope this helps you. Below, you will find other articles that I have written that may also support you even more.
Many blessings and Namaste…
The Language of the Soul
Listening & Understanding The Language of the Soul
There Are So Many Paths To Find God
When Your Belief Systems Are Being Challenged
Living Beyond Your Religious and Spiritual Beliefs
Show Your Support
If you have found what I have said to be support for you, made a difference for you, and would like to help spread the word of a new way of being, please do so by sharing this with your friends. Introduce them to Love, Live & Laugh. You can also show your support through financial support. Your sharing enables me to continue to offer these spiritual insights (blog posts, podcast) to everyone. All donations are appreciated.
Related Posts -
Belief Systems; Are You On Auto-Pilot? Since I wrote the post Who & What Is God?, I have been thinking about belief systems, especially spiritual beliefs. I would like to address those thoughts here for you... -
Minister Fired For Questioning Hell I spent four hours Friday driving to and from Atlanta, and the mind was focused predominantly on one subject during that time. The evening before, I was directed toward a... -
The Love of Self is Worship On the day that is considered to be a worship day, how are you going to worship and what are you going to worship? The dictionary defines worship as “to...
Related Websites - 5 Pieces of Advice to Tell Your Child About Money- Part 3 5 Pieces of Advice to Tell Your Child About Money...
- How should we pray? How should we pray: Prayer, when effective, can be the...
- Duck Hunting Leases Duck hunting leases and leases for virtually any type of...
