cheating on God...

[LeoSalinas22]

hello, Q:

We "slave" ourselves to work for the almighty dollar...is that idolatry, or merely making ends meet?

what do you think is meant when it is written:
"man shall not live on bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God"? please don't think i am crazy. to me, if i have to beg because God allowed it, then let His Will be done. after all Job said it best:
Job 2:10 shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?

People have to have icons to admire, and strive to be like. It may be mom or dad,

it does say to honor your father and mother.

or uncle,

don't want to be like them.

Mary, Joseph,

them yes, they raised God's Christ for crying out loud!

Muhammad,

i am still iffy on him.

Daniel,

definitely try to follow his example!

or Spiderman.

he just isn't real. besides, batman is cooler.

Unlike "God" (whom we can never be like)

doesn't Christ say to be like Him? isn't also written that we will be children of the most High?

the others are human in our minds (even super heroes), and have positions in life that are considered accessable/achieveable to us (we can be like them if we try).

you make a good point but i don't know if i speak for the rest but i would rather be a son of God.

Man also needs to be able to escape for a bit, the mundane of life. He needs to suspend disbelief, and consider even for a moment, that anything is possible, even for self.

aren't we lying to ourselves if we "escape" for a bit? we must seek the truth, no?

We appear to be the only animal on earth that can literally project our mind into a different world (and actually be there), if only for a moment.

yes, we truly are blessed having God's Spirit in us to be able to dream or imagine. imagine the day when we will be able to move mountains or walk on water.
God bless you, Quahom.

 

[MindFreak666]

Hi Leo, I am actually a buddhist, not sure if that counts as an atheist. I did not say that I "know" there is no creator, but I believe that the concept of a creator is kind of flawed because it relies on the assumption of an absolute beginning and beginnings are just human concepts because thats all we know, we are born and we die. Beginning and end. But outside of our limited physical existance, things arent so concrete and simple.

I also agree with 17th Angel, in that I will not believe something just because others do or others claim it is true.

I prefer not to speculate on things like god and beginnings because for one it cannot be verified by our limited human minds it must be taken on blind faith, which I believe is completely ridiculous. Instead I will only believe that which can be verified by immediate experience and perception. Reality lies in our minds. I prefer to study my mind, develop it, meditate. Because when the mind is highly developed you can learn things about reality that you cant with an undeveloped mind and these things can be verified because it comes from immediate experience and perception. And although I have not developed my mind nearly as much as many other accomplished meditators, I have atleast developed it enough to know certain things outside of this physical world.

Also, just a comment on your last post where you mention walking on water, moving mountains etc. There are many accomplished meditators and yogis who have performed "miracles" that were also performed by Jesus. Such as walking on water. These feats are accomplished by those with highly developed minds who develop incredible psychic abilities. The power of the human mind is far greater than most realize.

 

[Bruce Michael]

>i don't know about connecting with the world bruce for it is written:

Hi Br. Leo,
What I mean to say is that in or work, studies or life generally , we may be forced to do things that we don't really like or are soulless in nature. When we lose interest in the world we begin to disincarnate or die inside. What the h*ll are we doing here?

The remedy for this is to take up a hobby which we really enjoy- something that really gets us out of bed! This doesn't mean TV or stuff like that.

It may be artistic, gardening, pets or whatever. Isn't this healthy advice? Is it too obvious?

Greetings,
Br. Bruce

 

[Pathless]

i don't know if this has been done before but i'll go ahead and start this thread. my question upon starting this thread is if things like playing videogames, watching movies, "erotic self-pleasure", reading other forms of works like comic books or novels, or listening to music, etc. would offend God because they are a form of idolotry.

P zips up pants, shoves R Crumb comic books back under mattress, puts the black shroud back over the Catwoman action figure. Still, Pong and Tetris blaze unattended in the background, the Holy Hand Grenade scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail continues on, competing with the video for Like a Virgin. Not far away, the sound of thunder is sudden. The sky goes dark, the electric power flickers and temporarily fails.

Uh-oh. Nowhere to run now.

 

[LeoSalinas22]

P zips up pants, shoves R Crumb comic books back under mattress, puts the black shroud back over the Catwoman action figure. Still, Pong and Tetris blaze unattended in the background, the Holy Hand Grenade scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail continues on, competing with the video for Like a Virgin. Not far away, the sound of thunder is sudden. The sky goes dark, the electric power flickers and temporarily fails.

Uh-oh. Nowhere to run now.

Ha! Ha! very funny! it is to laugh. i'll get you for this, pathless! *waves fist* if it is the last thing i do!

 

[Snoopy]

P zips up pants, shoves R Crumb comic books back under mattress, puts the black shroud back over the Catwoman action figure. Still, Pong and Tetris blaze unattended in the background, the Holy Hand Grenade scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail continues on, competing with the video for Like a Virgin.

P, is there no depraved craving that you say no to? In fact, I'm now worrying about what else you're up to when you're posting to CR....

s.

 

[LeoSalinas22]

Hi Leo, I am actually a buddhist, not sure if that counts as an atheist. I did not say that I "know" there is no creator, but I believe that the concept of a creator is kind of flawed because it relies on the assumption of an absolute beginning and beginnings are just human concepts because thats all we know, we are born and we die. Beginning and end. But outside of our limited physical existance, things arent so concrete and simple. I also agree with 17th Angel, in that I will not believe something just because others do or others claim it is true.

hey, mindfreak, i know what you mean. believe me, i do. but if you don't mind my asking, where do you think man originates from? where did we begin and how will we end? i used to think we were just a product of chaos. just random. but, this answer still made me feel empty inside. i still wanted to know what was in outer space and constantly asked myself," why don't we know yet, with all the science and all the knowledge of man and high technology, where it is we came from?" you are right, most people just don't know. you ever asked yourself, what is in outer space? why can't we see it for ourselves? it just seemed unfair. it justs seems like a big mystery and no one knows. it pisses me off. i am just curious as to what your thoughts are. hope to hear from you soon. thanks.

 

[LeoSalinas22]

hey bruce:

It may be artistic, gardening, pets or whatever. Isn't this healthy advice? Is it too obvious?

your right, bruce, i do need to get out more. i know what you mean now by soulless activities. i do try to spend as much time with my wife and kids as possible, though.
thanks and God bless you.

 

[MindFreak666]

Leo, as I said I dont like to speculate about beginnings because I believe that our minds are too limited to understand the truth so we cling to concepts that make sense to us. But I still believe that the truth cannot be comprehended by us as we are now because all we know is this physical world and we can only come up with ideas that apply to it when in reality there is much more than just this physical world.
I dont believe we came out of chaos though.
Regardless of how it started, our current situation is the same, and I certainly dont believe that some being called god created it all and thats how it happened. To simple of an answer for me, I would say that answer makes me feel empty inside.

by the way, I love astronomy and I love to read about it and how it works and about the new planets they discover around other stars, and sometimes just stare up at the sky on a clear night. Makes all of our mundane problems seem so small.

 

[sam1008]

God advises against wasting time. Worshipping idols is alright though as long as its a suitable idol and its done properly. For example worshipping a sculpture of Jesus on the cross knowing that it is a representation of God and that God is omnipresent so is present in the sculpture is good. I believe The All Merciful God is happy to accept worship from his people in the way in which they find fills them with the most sincerity and enthusiasm. The best idol or representation of God though is our fellow human for God made humans in His own image.

 

[Muslimwoman]

what do you think about these scriptures:
Psalms 82:1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
Psalms 82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Hi Leo

The flippant answer is that I think they are written in Hebrew and you should ask the opinion of one of our Jewish friends. Religious scholars have argued over the meaning of these verses for centuries, so I am sorry I have no answer for you. I did find these that you may find interesting? The first discusses the Hebrew term elohim, the second a more in depth study of Psalm 82:

http://www.thedivinecouncil.com/Psalm_82_overview.pdf

"I SAID: YOU ARE GODS"

Certainly I do not believe that G-d is referring to Jesus (pbuh) and neither to mankind as gods.

believe me, i do repent, but does the demon stop attacking? nope.

Satan will always attack and when we close one door to him, he finds another way in. This does not mean we cannot close doors to him but yes it can be very difficult. Forgive me if I am wrong but you appear to want your faith to be a perfect shield to Satan and it appears (knowing I have never met you) that you think that if your faith is strong enough Satan can be kept at bay. This is not correct, even the Prophets (pbut) were tormented at times by Satan. IMHO you must first learn to recognise him, his signs (you know that little voice in your head that says "oh go on, what's the harm"). That is half the battle, when you can see him coming a mile off, you get a running start.

i completely agree. but it is a long, hard road and evil spirits are everywhere i look.

So are you not therefore looking in the wrong places? If you truly feel this tormented and are not just pulling my leg, then you need to seek spiritual help. Have you been to talk to your Pastor/Priest/Rabbi/Imam whoever can offer you spiritual guidance?

she already does and it breaks my heart.

So shame on you, you know this but you carry on. Sorry but obviously you recognise the hurt you cause and allow yourself excuses to continue that pain. Really I am sorry to say that but I belong to a religion where so many men say "men are weak, our needs must be met or we go crazy and cannot control ourselves" - I wish I could swear on here, can I say testicles??? Do your zip up, use the top brain and find some willpower. I am not suggesting you can get a grip on an addiction overnight but the choice to change can only come from inside you.

Can you imagine if you decided to get a grip on this, sent your kids somewhere safe for the afternoon, took your wife out into the yard and burnt all of your mags, books, videos, etc. Then told your wife you have a problem but truly love her and want to change your ways. Now, would your wife feel like the most loved, cherished woman on the face of the earth? The correct answer is YES. Compare that to how you make her feel now.

i know what is real and what is fake. being married is real and being with various partners is fake. but the flesh is very easy to succumb to. know what i mean?

Of course sin is easy to succumb to if you let it be that way, that is why the world is so full of sin. May I ask what it is you get from this fantasy life that you feel you are not getting in your real life? Feel free to ignore me or PM me but perhaps that is the crux of the problem, what you feel you are missing out on? I shall try to do some studying to see if I can find any educated answers for you.

i don't mean to make her feel inadequate, i really don't. only God in time will change me.

But you do and you know you do. Please don't put this responsibility onto G-d, did He not say "if you take one step toward Me, I shall take 2 steps toward you"? But you must make that first step. G-d will help you but not if you wait around for Him to intervene and hide behind His robes.

how do you falter and in what? if you don't mind my asking. if it is personal, feel free to pm me, if not just don't answer. i just want to know if i am alone in temptation since everyone else seems to have conquered it but me. man, i am such a loser!

Don't you dare say you are a loser, if that were true you wouldn't be on here looking for answers. Do you really think this site is full of Saints? We are nameless, faceless people that can, if we desire, portray ourselves in any way we like. The most seemingly devout may logout, get drunk, hump the dog and watch Debbie doing Dallas. I truly admire your honesty.

Here is a short list of things I falter at (some may not seem sins to you but to a Muslim they are). I will share them in the open so others can see that we are all tempted sometimes - maybe someone else will 'share' so I don't feel so awful about my sins.

1. I gossip like an old fishwife.
2. I still smoke a pack of cigarettes a day (she says lighting up).
3. When I visit my parents each year in UK I always have a glass of sherry and a bacon sandwich on my first night - please dont tell my hubby he will never kiss me again.
4. Sometimes I knowlingly miss prayers (we have 5 obligatory prayers a day) because I am watching something good on tv
5. I am still addicted to shopping and I lie to my husband about how much I spend.
6. I still wear make up and nail polish when I go out.
7. Every couple of months I dress in jeans and a blouse just to rebel (but I still wear my head cover).

So you see, we are all tempted, perhaps you thought I was the next best thing to a nun? No way, I used to be in the military and it is so hard to change that much. But each day I try, I take small steps, I feel guilt, I repent but I don't beat myself up over it. I accept I faltered, I pick myself up and try harder tomorrow.

well, i know that muslim, but she was the first one to be tempted, no? adam was following God's commandments up until eve tempted him. now, now, i ain't pointin' fingers but if you look around, the women tempt the men not the other way around!

I think you typed Eve (pbuh) when you actually meant Satan tempted them both. That is why we Muslim women dress the way we do, so we don't tempt men but there must be a degree of responsibility by men.

i am 28 yrs old and the more i learn about God the more i feel i am being tempted by evil spirits. i don't know how old you are, but you must be pretty old to have conquered temptation.

I am 42. You don't find the answers to the universe when you hit 40 but believe me it all gets a lot clearer and a lot calmer.

Of course you feel this, it is normal. Before we find G-d everything goes, with no guilt, no thought of consequences and no internal struggle. What you need to avoid though is trying too hard or you will drive yourself nuts. Small steps. You now accept G-d but that doesn't mean He demands that you become an angel overnight. He knows your heart, He understands your struggles and believe me He is your biggest cheerleader. Everytime you do well He see's it, everytime you falter He offers to pick you up, brush you down and help you back on the path. We are as children to G-d, you are a father, when your children do wrong do you hate them? When you see them tormented by something do you offer support or just punish them?

Feel free to PM me anytime if you want to unload.

Salaam
MW

 

[LeoSalinas22]

hi mindfreak:

I dont believe we came out of chaos though.

i don't know, i mean, how can one be content on not knowing where we came from? its insane! there has to be an answer. how can man not know where we came from? do you know what i mean?

Regardless of how it started, our current situation is the same, and I certainly dont believe that some being called god created it all and thats how it happened. To simple of an answer for me, I would say that answer makes me feel empty inside.

you are right in saying that everything is the same and nothing is new, for it is written:

Ecclesiastes 1 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us .
II Peter 3 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. i am not trying to preach to you but i hope you will understand that God knew that we would get this bad and that things would remain the same. nothing is new under the sun.

by the way, I love astronomy and I love to read about it and how it works and about the new planets they discover around other stars, and sometimes just stare up at the sky on a clear night. Makes all of our mundane problems seem so small.

i know exactly what you mean. i am pretty sure that you have seen pictures of other stars besides our sun, or of nebulas or the colorful planets, they are just simply breathtaking. i don't know about you but i would love to see the heavens with my own eyes and actually be there. i know i myself sound insane and sorry about that, but i am not content knowing that i will just die and thats it. there has to be more. all of this can't just be it, you know? sorry if i ramble. hope to hear from you soon.

 

[LeoSalinas22]

hey, dauer, sorry i took so long:

For example, this is from St. Francis of Assisi, translation by Daniel Ladinsky from his book Love Poems from God:

"God came to my house and asked for charity.
And I fell on my knees and
cried, "Beloved,

what may I give?"

"Just love," he said.
"Just love."

beautiful poem. st. francis of assisi? isn't he catholic? you did it again dauer! you confused me again because these are christian ideas, right?

I think that the context may be a little different, but similar content. There was a time where there different types of prophets. If you examine the types of prophets mentioned in the Tanach you see some of them are more about speaking out against injustice and admonishing the people, foretelling of future times (what we today generally tend to associate with prophecy the most), there are others who seem to go on grand journeys with the supernatural, like Elijah. There are also others who seem more to be the practicers or leaders of ecstatic practice. There's one passage that makes reference to them in a particularly derogatory manner when Saul's mad at David, and ruach hakodesh or what you would call the holy spirit comes upon him and he goes a bit bonkers.

from your perspective, do you believe in the supernatural? do you take for instance, Elijah's journey literal? or Moses for instance is also a good example. or is it all just symbolic from your perspective?

I did a particular meditation on the tetragrammaton.

what is the deal on the tetragrammaton? is there anyone left in the world that actually knows how to say His name? or is the tetragrammaton actually His name making it impossible to pronounce?

It's actually been my experience that many Christians are much more in touch with experience, with the non-rational (not a bad thing) aspects of religion than the average Jew.

we kind of think of ourselves as "over-grown children". the scriptures are just so fantastic. impossible, but possible. know what i mean?

As a work of tikkun, of repair, it seems very necessary to remind people that religion's meant to be lived, breathed, experienced, not just thought about and practiced in a rote manner. That type of religiosity is just a big turn-off for me. Of course there are also people who are very happy with it and wouldn't want something more experiential. That's okay too.

you call it religion, but i call it a way of life. you are right though, most religions are very systematic, very robotic if you will. there isn't any love or emotion. its just very routine. the path has to be walked always, meditate on His Law, day and night, not just on wednesdays or sundays. but yeah, most people are happy with this i guess.
well, dauer, thanks for your responses and thanks for your patience with me. again, the jewish mentality is just fascinating to me, so please bear with me. thanks again and God bless you. hope to hear from you soon.

 

[LeoSalinas22]

God advises against wasting time. Worshipping idols is alright though as long as its a suitable idol and its done properly. For example worshipping a sculpture of Jesus on the cross knowing that it is a representation of God and that God is omnipresent so is present in the sculpture is good. I believe The All Merciful God is happy to accept worship from his people in the way in which they find fills them with the most sincerity and enthusiasm. The best idol or representation of God though is our fellow human for God made humans in His own image.

Deuteronomy 4 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth: And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.hi sam, you say that it is ok to worship graven images, as long as they represent God? you and i have different points of view on this subject. what do you think about this scripture? hope to hear from you soon.

 

[dauer]

leo,

beautiful poem. st. francis of assisi? isn't he catholic? you did it again dauer! you confused me again because these are christian ideas, right?

Yes, St. Francis was Catholic. There was no intention to confuse. Just demonstrating the more universal aspects of what I was saying.

from your perspective, do you believe in the supernatural? do you take for instance, Elijah's journey literal? or Moses for instance is also a good example. or is it all just symbolic from your perspective?

I don't accept the supernatural which is not to say that I think the supernatural is absolutely impossible, just that until I've seen something clearly verifiable happen that goes beyond the physical I'm not holding my breath.

I do take stories like that symbolically but I also take them more literally, as mythology and ahistory. That's to say that even though I don't hold to hte belief that, for example, the red sea parted, it's still a part of my mythical history and I can refer to the story on its own merits if I want to without getting into metaphor. And at the same time, when I want to, I can think from within a framework where this stuff really is possible. I sometimes find something very powerful in that.

what is the deal on the tetragrammaton? is there anyone left in the world that actually knows how to say His name? or is the tetragrammaton actually His name making it impossible to pronounce?

It was pronounced at one time. As Judaism generally understands it the only person who did so was the kohein gadol, the high priest, and only once a year on Yom Kippur, and now the pronunciation is lost. The name itself ends up taking on a lot of meaning and it now contains many levels of symbology.

we kind of think of ourselves as "over-grown children". the scriptures are just so fantastic. impossible, but possible. know what i mean?

I think I do, that those faculties like imagination and awe which are so fundamental within a child's view of the world don't stop just because a person's clock ticks to a certain hour.

you call it religion, but i call it a way of life. you are right though, most religions are very systematic, very robotic if you will. there isn't any love or emotion. its just very routine. the path has to be walked always, meditate on His Law, day and night, not just on wednesdays or sundays. but yeah, most people are happy with this i guess

I'm not suggesting that the level of ritual is bad. If anything I think most people's lives are lacking in conscious ritual. More it has to do with the way in which religiosity is approached. To give an example: in Judaism a person is obligated to pray daily at the appointed times, say certain prayers. If they do so they've met the rabbinic obligation to prayer. But there's also a biblical obligation of prayer that goes deeper and addresses the heart. If the prayer is rote then the biblical obligation has not been answered.

well, dauer, thanks for your responses and thanks for your patience with me. again, the jewish mentality is just fascinating to me, so please bear with me. thanks again and God bless you. hope to hear from you soon.

I'm glad we had the chance to have this conversation too. Your personal convictions about religion are very strong and at the same time you're very open to dialogue and learning about other people's beliefs. imo that is very admirable.

Dauer

 

[MindFreak666]

Hi Leo,
you said you are not content on not knowing where we come from. No offence but you don't know. You believe in something but you don't know personally.

We don't need to have blind faith in anything, we can learn many higher things and secrets of reality through meditation. That is how you unlock the power of the mind and learn things about reality, things that are hidden from our mind in it's limited state. Buddha knew many things that he did not talk about because he said that we can learn these things for ourselves and and he taught us how to do that.

"I hope you will understand that god knew that we would get this bad and that things would remain the same"
I'm sorry, I know that you believe this but again you are not basing this on personal knowledge, just blind faith.

And I don't believe that we die and thats it, didn't mean to imply that I thought that. I believe in reincarnation.
I too don't believe that all this is it because, through meditation I have realized personally that there is much more. And through astral travel I have proven to myself that there are other planes of existence besides this physical one.
But I don't believe in god. Its way too simple of an answer for something as complex and complicated as our existence.

To each their own though, right?

 

[LeoSalinas22]

hi mindfreak:

To each their own though, right?

look, i don't want to make it seem like i am pushing my thoughts on you. just know that i used to curse God and believe in all sorts of crap. as you have probably read on my posts, i have alot of vices that i am still trying to get rid of because they just didn't get me the answers i needed. i was lost for so long. sometimes i still think i am. if i offended you in talking about God i am sorry. just know that if you ever have any questions about Him, i will always be here to talk to you. otherwise, i understand exactly how you feel and i wish there was something i could say to help you understand how God works. maybe this scripture will help, maybe it will make you hate Him more:
Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
if you still want to talk, feel free. thanks for your response and God bless you.

 

[MindFreak666]

No, talking about god doesn't offend me at all. But I don't hate him I just don't believe in him.

 

[LeoSalinas22]

hi muslimwoman, sorry i took so long to get back to you. i will have you know that i only have internet access at work and lately i have been busy. so lets get started.

The flippant answer is that I think they are written in Hebrew and you should ask the opinion of one of our Jewish friends.

i actually did look at the tanach version and this is what i found. check it:
Psalm 82 God stands in the congregation of God; in the midst of the judges He will judge.
now, this is an example and i hope you will understand it. again, tanach version:
Judges 16:31 And he judged Israel twenty years.
now, if Samson was a judge, and the tanach replaces the word gods with judges and Samson was godlike or superhuman... just makes me wonder. know what i mean?
now check this tanach version:
Psalm 82:6 I said, "You are angelic creatures, and all of you are angels of the Most High."
angels? instead of sons? it just makes you wonder. let me know what you think.

Certainly I do not believe that G-d is referring to Jesus (pbuh) and neither to mankind as gods.

i don't blame you for believing that. it is you wanting to be as humble as possible in God's Eyes. thats cool.

So are you not therefore looking in the wrong places? If you truly feel this tormented and are not just pulling my leg, then you need to seek spiritual help. Have you been to talk to your Pastor/Priest/Rabbi/Imam whoever can offer you spiritual guidance?

i wish i was joking about this, but truthfully i am not. i do feel tormented, day and night. i wish it was as simple as talking with a pastor, priest, rabbi, or imam. do you know what i mean when i say that the majority of these leaders are very close minded and all claim to be "right"? i only know of a two gentlemen who are almost like-minded and still can't understand how i feel. my own wife says i am insane and that i have a devil. this path is truly a lonely one. it is not easy at all.

So shame on you, you know this but you carry on. Sorry but obviously you recognise the hurt you cause and allow yourself excuses to continue that pain. Really I am sorry to say that but I belong to a religion where so many men say "men are weak, our needs must be met or we go crazy and cannot control ourselves" - I wish I could swear on here, can I say testicles??? Do your zip up, use the top brain and find some willpower. I am not suggesting you can get a grip on an addiction overnight but the choice to change can only come from inside you.

i know we are weak. i am not going to deny this. but surely, you have to understand men. you said it yourself, we are like overgrown children.

Can you imagine if you decided to get a grip on this, sent your kids somewhere safe for the afternoon, took your wife out into the yard and burnt all of your mags, books, videos, etc. Then told your wife you have a problem but truly love her and want to change your ways. Now, would your wife feel like the most loved, cherished woman on the face of the earth? The correct answer is YES. Compare that to how you make her feel now.

i suppose i could do this but it doesn't work. i did at one point destroy all of my porn. she still didn't think i had changed my ways. she is just too emotional and cannot forget my mistakes. she doesn't forgive. she doesn't have a heart of flesh. it is made of stone. i know i don't need her to recognize my deeds and all i need is God to see my deeds, but it does get frustrating.

Luke 7 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! no matter what good i do in this life, only God will see my deeds and not man.

May I ask what it is you get from this fantasy life that you feel you are not getting in your real life? Feel free to ignore me or PM me but perhaps that is the crux of the problem, what you feel you are missing out on? I shall try to do some studying to see if I can find any educated answers for you.

if you knew what crosses my mind, you wouldn't even want to talk to me anymore. i would love to know a point of view from a woman, though, and it would probably make me understand my wife more.

The most seemingly devout may logout, get drunk, hump the dog and watch Debbie doing Dallas. I truly admire your honesty.

i love your sense of humor. lmmfao.thank you for understanding.

So you see, we are all tempted, perhaps you thought I was the next best thing to a nun? No way, I used to be in the military and it is so hard to change that much. But each day I try, I take small steps, I feel guilt, I repent but I don't beat myself up over it. I accept I faltered, I pick myself up and try harder tomorrow.

you don't know how much it means to me for you to share this with me. it really means alot. now all we need to do is get the pope to admit his sins and the world will be a better place.

I think you typed Eve (pbuh) when you actually meant Satan tempted them both. That is why we Muslim women dress the way we do, so we don't tempt men but there must be a degree of responsibility by men.

i am not even going to debate about this with a woman! that is suicede!lol. but if you want to "poke the bear", be my guest.

Feel free to PM me anytime if you want to unload.

i will have to take you up on that. thanks for responding and God bless you.

 

[Quahom1]

hello, Q:
what do you think is meant when it is written:
"man shall not live on bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God"? please don't think i am crazy. to me, if i have to beg because God allowed it, then let His Will be done. after all Job said it best:
Job 2:10 shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?

it does say to honor your father and mother. don't want to be like them. them yes, they raised God's Christ for crying out loud! i am still iffy on him. definitely try to follow his example! he just isn't real. besides, batman is cooler. doesn't Christ say to be like Him? isn't also written that we will be children of the most High? you make a good point but i don't know if i speak for the rest but i would rather be a son of God.

aren't we lying to ourselves if we "escape" for a bit? we must seek the truth, no? yes, we truly are blessed having God's Spirit in us to be able to dream or imagine. imagine the day when we will be able to move mountains or walk on water.
God bless you, Quahom.

Leo...I can already walk on water...I'm a Coast Guardsman...where have you been?