lost faith

7 replies

SueBaroo · 03/05/2007 15:11

has anyone else just suddenly lost their faith? I don't mean gradually, but just suddenly, one day, completely unconvinced by the existence of god? Worst thing is, apart from inconvinience and not wanting to confuse my kids, I'm not actually that bothered.

OP posts:

UnquietDad · 03/05/2007 15:40

I only had a half-hearted churchgoing tendency in the first place, so it was no great thjing for me.

But I do know someone who was a very enthusiastic, "happy-clappy" born-again Christian who suddenly woke up one day and decided it was all made-up! He is still happily married to a Christian wife.

matilda57 · 23/05/2007 16:38

Yes I lost my faith but bcs I had been badly abused in the church, and thought THANKS A LOT to the man upstairs (or whatever). I've just come back, and I struggle with not believing. Well, maybe 'struggle' isn't the right word, bcs I feel that 'oh yeah SURE' feeling too, wondering if it's all tosh, and kind of not caring really - sort of pissed off with it all, bored. You could pray - along the lines of 'Suddenly, I'm just not at all sure you exist, and I don't really care whether you do or not - help me out on this one please'. See what comes back?

Actually, the reason I came back is bcs - batty alert - I suddenly got an absolutely crystal clear realisation that there is an enemy, and that all the shit I'd been through wasn't actually god's doing, but that I'd been knocked out of the game. 'Steal, kill, destroy' and all that. With me it was dramatic (getting stolen that is) but I'm sure it happens in a slipping away kind of way.

Original poster

SueBaroo · 23/05/2007 16:50

matilda, it's funny, but I'm not quite so blah with it now and it seems to be creeping back. I think it's a side effect of PND. I suppose once my little wobble is over it'll be ok. Just the way of life, really. We have up and down times in everything, faith is no different.

OP posts:

Soreheart · 23/05/2007 16:59

Hi Suebaroo, I think you are probably right. When things are really tough, the old familiar 'reliable' parts of life can seem 'thin' and 'fake' and frankly, a bit 'meaningless', not just belief in God. I have definitely been there. I reckon that we believe in things for as long as that fits the life we are leading. It's how we adjust to changes that is the really interesting part. You sound pretty grounded about the changes you are noticing, you know, going with the flow - that sounds good to me!

harrisey · 24/05/2007 07:28

SueBaroo, I was a bit like this when I had PND - what was the point of anything? Where was God when I was suicidal, what if I had died etc etc .... I was also unconvinced by any argument.

DH was so good about it. He has a faith that I dont think wil ever be shaken, adn he was great at just puting up with it and ointing me to scripture verses that pointed out that God would never leave me - I found psalms 23 and 139 very helpful when I was going through this. And just reading over the gospels.

I'm fine now, in fact I'm now at Bible college doing a BA in theology! And oving every moment as it deepens my faith more and more.

Babadoo · 25/05/2007 00:53

Hi SueBaroo,

I didn't suffer from PND but I also woke up one morning, when DS was 6 weeks old and took off my headscarf and stopped praying. Can't explain it, it just happened overnight. This was nearly 2 years ago now and I'm praying again, but it was a slow 2 years in terms of regaining faith

lucylala · 30/05/2007 00:40

this is an interesting thread for me.

I suffer from clinical depression and am on and off anti depressants all the time (6mths on, 6mths off, 6mths on again etc)

Anyway, when i'm not on my anti depressants I have a very strong faith and i am also really interested in ghosts and mediums and angels etc BUT as soon as I start taking my anti depressants I lose my faith literally overnight and like you it feels really wierd but the even wierder thing is I'm not bothered. I still occasionally go to church when i'm like this, just for extended family and to keep my little girl in the habit (have not told extended family of the problem) and I stand there chanting along to everything and thinking 'yeah, yeah, blah, blah'.

I came off my anti depressants a couple of weeks ago and coincidently it was my babies baptism last weekend. I found the service beautiful and felt very moved and safe and loved - is very strange.

Wonder if anyone has ever written a book called God and Prozac?

Flip