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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not know how anyone can believe in God or not hate him if they do?

221 replies

JustWearThePants · 19/02/2020 14:49

I've been thinking a lot about this lately. I've a relative who's very religious and brings God into every conversation and situation.

I grew up going to church with my parents and always just took the 'who knows' approach afterwards.

I've been through an incredibly traumatic experience lately, where something happened and keeps happening to me which has left me broken, a shell of who I was, depressed and anxious, and just wanting to die so many times.

Yet this relative always wants to bring God into my situation. Tell me how he'll help, if I pray, if I 'give it to him' it will help me etc... I want to shout and shake them and tell them to wake up.

It's left me honestly baffled how anyone can either believe at all or, if they do, why they don't see him as a horrid bully who enjoys watching people suffer. All you have to do is watch the news to see what goes on in the world.

Before this happened I was okay just letting my relative and whoever believe whatever they believe but now I want to scream at anyone who brings it up. How could you possibly feel loved by someone who allows these things to happen to you?

I'm so angry at someone telling me the man in the sky will make everything better yet whenever I ask why he's let it happen in the first place they have no answer. It's all 'his plan' or some other crap. And how when I start to feel better it's because of God giving me strength when actually it's me, I've put in the effort, I've gone through the shit.

I don't want to see this person anymore but I can't as they are a close family member and I know no one else in the family would understand.

OP posts:
Potatobug · 20/02/2020 22:56

Jesuschrist! Is it some kind of a trick question of yours?Why are you asking ME? Do you know me? Do I matter to you in any way?
Ask yourself or your mum. Good night.

Eckhart · 20/02/2020 23:07

I just wanted a straight answer from you to a straight question pertaining to something we were specifically discussing.

The spitting out of your dummy tells me all I need to know.

Eckhart · 20/02/2020 23:08

And don't blaspheme.

CharlotteCollinsneeLucas · 21/02/2020 10:04

I'm not sure it's a huge surprise that Satan can be sadistic?

@springydaff, yes, withdraw was not a good choice of word.

JudyCoolibar · 21/02/2020 14:02

Okay, so let’s say God exists. Are you seriously angry with him for the brutality, callousness, cruelty and wickedness of other people? Are you blaming God for all the evil that people do? How about blaming the actual people who are evil and wicked?

That would work as an argument but for the fact that awful things happen - for instance, natural disasters - that can't be ascribed to the wickedness of others. What sort of benevolent, omnipotent supreme being sets up a world where that is possible, and fails to do anything to prevent it?

UYScuti · 21/02/2020 16:50

she/he/it cannot be both benevolent & omnipotent, if god is the former then god clearly is not the latter, and vice versa

Namechangearooney1 · 21/02/2020 22:48

Genuine question - those who believe that the poor PPs who have lost babies will be reunited with them in heaven - do you believe they age in heaven? So the PPs who had miscarriages - will their babies forever be the age they were when they passed away?? It just makes no sense to me and the more I think about it, the more absurd it seems.

JudyCoolibar · 21/02/2020 23:14

The whole concept of heaven bewilders me anyway. If it existed, there are plenty of people I know who would, I assume, qualify for heaven but who I don't particularly want to spend eternity with. My grandmother for one. So how does that work? And what age are we when in heaven? I would far rather meet my mother as she was say 20 years ago than as she is now when she is in her 90s with dementia, and I dare say she'd rather be as she was in her 20s or 30s.

Namechangearooney1 · 21/02/2020 23:38

Exactly @JudyCoolibar - it makes no sense whatsoever.

springydaff · 22/02/2020 00:16

Personally, it's the land of the living I'm more concerned with.

As a Christian aid slogan went once : Life before death.

That's what gets my attention, that's what I'm focused on. My lovely mummy died recently and, by all accounts, she's in heaven. I have no idea what that means. I hope she's in bliss.

But for now my focus is here and now. For everybody.

moondance19 · 22/02/2020 00:31

Why on earth would we be near people we didn’t get on with in heaven. It always amazes me how people imagine heaven to be, practically the same as earth. Confused

CharlotteCollinsneeLucas · 22/02/2020 09:28

Well, we are all made perfect in heaven - those of us who want to be changed that way by God.

But I believe in a new heaven and a new earth, and my tentative plan is to find a remote corner of the new earth and spend plenty of time away from crowds. Grin

SudokuQueen · 22/02/2020 09:39

She said it was a miracle from God that she had survived - even though her husband and child had died in the accident. What sort of fucked-up logic is that

That is her way of coping. One day, it won't work anymore, something will make her waver in her belief. That day will not be good for her.

I get what you mean op. How could God possibly be real AND love us when he allows children to be born with cancer, born to abusive parents, allow people to become sick and in so much pain, allow terrorists to wreak havoc in countries across the world, allow people and animals to suffer in floods, wildfires, famine etc? If there is some logic behind all of that, I'm not seeing it. Why would anyone think it would be helpful to a woman to let her give birth to a stillborn baby, for example? How does that help her? I can't see how it possibly could. Sad

If god exists, they clearly don't like people or animals anymore. I doubt 'heaven' would be much fun given that. But I don't believe any God exists.

moondance19 · 22/02/2020 10:17

I definitely believe., to me it would be illogical to think we haven’t been created. We’re here to learn, we have great times, but bad times too. The bad times can be horrific but it’s not for us to know what God wants us to learn from them. For me, I have so much more empathy for anyone suffering than I used to, because of sad events in my life. (which made me turn to God) Maybe I needed to become a better person. But we’re only here for a heartbeat. It’s the next life which is home.

Samcarpy92 · 23/02/2020 07:49

So it would also be logical to think God created the many illnesses which kill babies?

JudyCoolibar · 23/02/2020 08:38

Why on earth would we be near people we didn’t get on with in heaven. It always amazes me how people imagine heaven to be, practically the same as earth.

But that is precisely why the entire concept is illogical and, of course, impossible - because not getting on with someone isn't necessarily a two way process. A narcissistic parent might want to be with their child, or a stalker with a stalkee, but not vice versa.

JudyCoolibar · 23/02/2020 08:41

The bad times can be horrific but it’s not for us to know what God wants us to learn from them. For me, I have so much more empathy for anyone suffering than I used to, because of sad events in my life.

I hate the concept that there could be a supreme being who would inflict awful things on people just so that can become better characters, or so that they could learn something but they're not even entitled to know what they're learning. What sort of capricious tyrant would do something like that?

Millettmum · 23/02/2020 09:28

There is no chance I could believe in such a thing that could inflict such horrors. Why would any god want innocent children to have cancer? My 13 year old daughter died last month because of this. If anyone would even say anything about god to me they would get my anger too x

Disgustingly · 23/02/2020 12:03

Maybe I needed to become a better person

And yet there's so many worse people out there that seem to breeze through life with no issues... Hmm

God is either a bit of a dick or not the kind of God people believe him to be imo. Or, most likely, it's all a load of made up BS.

springydaff · 23/02/2020 14:44

💐🌺🌹 Milletmum ❤️❤️

Namechangearooney1 · 23/02/2020 21:52

@Milletmum so sorry to read this. x

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