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Original poster

Safe haven chat thread for believers

423 replies

Starwisher · 04/04/2012 23:45

I thought it be lovely to start a" safe haven"thread for all the believers on mumsnet. It doesn't matter what religion or spirituality you are, the important thing is a belief in God or higher power that unites us.

The idea is too talk with other believers to share ideas, thoughts and feelings or even general musings.
So come in and relax!

please can I respectfully ask that this is not a debating thread to challenge people. While I am not the mn police, there are other threads to debate on or please start your own. This is a safe haven

OP posts:
TheGreatestmadhairDayinHistory · 06/04/2012 16:46

Ah I see, sorry, this is a thread for believers of all faiths, that's great and a lovely idea, the chataway thread is a christian thread but again all welcome on that :)

SophieNeveau · 06/04/2012 17:15

DM has horrible pictures of crucification reinactments, proper nails through hands and feet whilst being hung from the cross. I feel shaken up from seeing those pictures today.

hiddenhome · 06/04/2012 17:30

Phew, made it to church. ds2 picked up, so I risked it. He was really good and followed the service Smile

to new people Grin

hiddenhome · 06/04/2012 17:38

TheGreatestmadhairDayinHistory, we're just a bunch of renegades who are too lazy peace loving to want to get into arguments with the atheists who were in hot pursuit, but who have now started their own thread Grin

Codandchops · 06/04/2012 17:39

Welcome to you Kal - I have an autistic son and I struggle too sometimes. I tend to accept through that sometimes these things happen fofr whatever reason and sometimes it is unexplained. I find my faith is an oasis in the middle of it all and having a peaceful time to pray (not always possible) is very healing and powerful for me. I literally hand it all over to God sometimes and say "I am struggling to cope" - often I will then experience some input, idea or strength that I wasn't expecting over the coming days. It helps.

Sirzy · 06/04/2012 19:26

I think when you see any sort of suffering it can often make you wonder "why?" its a rather strange situation. When DS was seriously ill I found myself wondering why, but at the same time I felt so much comfort when I was sat in the hospitals chapel, or when I knew other members of our parish where praying for him.

TheGreatestmadhairDayinHistory · 06/04/2012 19:34

Ah well hidden I like being a renegade so I'll stick around if that's OK :) I enjoy debates on MN with people of differing views but it can get full on sometimes - that's partly why we started the christian chat thread too.

I think it's very healthy and normal to be asking why about suffering and to rail at God about it too. I have a long term disease which severely affects my life and I have scary and horrendous times with it, times I have cried out to God 'why?' I've never had any answer apart from 'I am with you', but what an answer. Even when it doesn't feel enough that knowledge keeps on sustaining me.

KalSkirata · 06/04/2012 20:21

I dont worry about my own illness. I have MS. But its hard for an innocent child. I guess I will never understand it. The one thing I do loathe is the sanctimonious 'God chose you cos you are special to recieve this special gift, a disabled child'. I generally ask if they are praying hard for a brain damaged child of their own.
But I'm grumpy.

TheGreatestmadhairDayinHistory · 06/04/2012 20:31

Kal I agree that is an utterly crap thing to say, unhelpful in the extreme, and a load of bollox to boot. Honestly people should engage brain. I know people are trying to be nice, and to find a good reason, but sometimes words don't cut it in any case. Don't blame you for the reply [bugrin]

I don't think there are any real answers to why. For me it all somehow comes together in my hope in Jesus. Not made better, but somehow contained.

Not being particularly clear tonight. Must get off MN, been on tooo long. Night.

hiddenhome · 06/04/2012 20:38

I lost my faith a few years ago because a baby was killed by his father in my region. The father is now in prison not that far away from us. His name was Aaron O'Neil and he was only three months old. The details are bad, so I won't post them. The case was in the newspaper and I just couldn't cope with it. I totally went to pieces over it. I cried and cried for weeks, couldn't sleep, all kinds of stuff. I ended up depressed and I turned my back on God, totally hated Him and came to the conclusion that He couldn't possibly exist to allow such a thing. Perhaps God was there suffering with that baby, I don't know. I worried that the baby had no-one to pray for him and that's why his father was able to do it, again, I don't know. I accept, but don't understand, that suffering has to happen and is part of being here on earth. I think of how much Jesus suffered and think that perhaps God is going through it with us. I understand that it would be too easy for God to reduce us to Sims characters and cut out all the bad stuff and just let us live out our lives in a benign and meaningless fashion. I never pray for trivial stuff as I believe that it's insulting to all the people who are really suffering, so I pray for others instead and for strength to get through my day without throttling either the old people, or ds1 Grin

Anyway, God kept tapping me on the shoulder, gently reminding me that He was still there. I hated myself for being weak and visiting the Cathedral and ruined Abbeys and reading about Christianity, but there was no pressure to return to my belief. I eventually decided to make a decision one way or another and to stick to it. Either I didn't believe, which was painful, annoying, frustrating and just full of doubt, or I could face up to the fact that I did believe and to live my faith out as best I could.

Sorry that some of you or your dcs have ill health.

Sirzy · 06/04/2012 20:44

Kal comments like that even when said with good intention are ill thought out at best.

hidden I can understand why that would make you question. The way I see things is that god can't control the behaviour of people, he can provide guidance but people won't always be open to that.

MonsterBookOfTysons · 06/04/2012 20:46

A 7 week old baby was murdered by his parent a few weeks ago just minutes from where I live, it is very sad.
I have said a prayer today for eastercupcakes baby. Has anyone seen the thread?

Sirzy · 06/04/2012 20:51

No, what has happened?

MonsterBookOfTysons · 06/04/2012 20:54

She went into labour earlier today, had the baby at 3.13pm at home, was a live laour thread, at 4pm baby stopped breathing and was rushed to hospital, from what OP has wrote they have had devastating news.
It is in the childbirth topic, kind of feels wrong to link it.

Sirzy · 06/04/2012 20:55

Oh no that is awful. My prayers are with them all.

hiddenhome · 06/04/2012 20:56
Sad
MonsterBookOfTysons · 06/04/2012 20:58

:( it is horribly sad, I think the prayers would be appreciated.

Original poster
Starwisher · 06/04/2012 21:06

Gosh... Some terrible stories on here.

It truly is the biggest stumbling block for anyone with fatih, the ultimate question; why is there suffering in the world?

Is the ultimate price of freewill that must all risk suffering?God cannot protect us all the time as to prevent the bad, that entails controlling people, events and even nature which negates freewill... But I have no answer

Who can truly answer? I plan to read CS Lewis book The Problem of Pain to see if he has anymore insight

OP posts:
MonsterBookOfTysons · 06/04/2012 21:10

eastercupcakes thread is being pulled by mnhq, they believe she is a troll. Hmm and Angry

SophieNeveau · 06/04/2012 21:12

Do you think it was genuine?

hiddenhome · 06/04/2012 21:12

a troll Sad Wow, the things people will do for attention Hmm Painful for people who really have been through that tragedy.

Sirzy · 06/04/2012 21:13

Why would anyone troll about something like that? At least that means one less child suffering I guess if she is.

hiddenhome · 06/04/2012 21:13

I did wonder. If I had a seriously sick baby in NICU, I wouldn't be posting on the 'net.

MonsterBookOfTysons · 06/04/2012 21:15

I did wonder but wanted to give the benefit of the doubt, I can't imagine why someone would do that :(