Church + Girlfriend problem.

[fed1943]

I am a believer.I believe in God.I just don't believe the small god who is nothing more than a superman.
If He is Infinite(as I believe)then is impossible that any creature to be without Him.And any Church(and I'm not trying to say is a bad thing)is just an assembly of creatures who try "aproach" God :it's human,not Devine.
And "there are many places in the House of my Father".
Best regards,

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Sn00py
Yesterday she says she can no longer be with me.

I know it probably sucks in the short term to lose her like this, but in the long run it will be for the best.

And next time check into the girl's religious beliefs before you start dating.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Sn00py
For many weeks, my knowledge of the world is being suppressed by christianity.
...

I find that, ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge on the scientific side can be even more blissful.

Glad to hear that you dumped the girl though. It didn't sound like a healthy relationship from your description.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Sn00py
I just wanted to mention that I finally told her, but it was not out of whim.

For many weeks, my knowledge of the world is being suppressed by christianity.

Imagine a balloon, the balloon is christianity, and knowledge is inside the balloon. Knowledge is continously being fed inside, but the balloon is trying its hardest to hold it, but is on the edge of exploding. It's at this point that I found myself in.

Just a quick history notes here, I have only been considered a christian (to myself) for approx 1 year, before this, I was heavily into understanding everything there is in this universe, christianity intrigued me, the spirit side intrigued me, but now that I have gone through all that, I understand what it is all really about, and I needed out. The stretch marks of the balloon is my stress and upcoming depression.

It's this stress and upcoming depression that my GF noticed every passing day, get worse and worse, she asked me what it was, I refused to tell her, eventually I blurted out why, she was cautious and interested, not at all angry.

2 days pass, and she becomes very frustrated and angry. I keep calm, as usual. Trying to explain to her my balloon analogy along many other things.

She finds no way to dispute what I say, so she gives up in tears.

Yesterday she says she can no longer be with me.

I got a bit angry and told her she's a fool for following so blindly to a simple sentence written in the bible, and said by stupid people who know little.

She has given up happiness, while I have gotten it back.

I find that, ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge on the scientific side can be even more blissful.

You know that knowledge and science should have nothing to do with religion, right?

They are seperate things, no ammount of knowledge of science will tell you anything about religion. Also, no knowledge of religion will tell you anything about science.

Some great scientific minds, at the forefront of physics (even string theory) are Christian, and know a lot more than you, and have a lot more scientific knowledge than you.

The feeling that religion and science are mutually exclusive I just don't understand. Now maybe her version of religion tries to put limits on science, but that is a different matter, and is not true of all religions (note I would be saying the same thing if you said islam or hinduism rather than Christianity).

I know that this is a hard time for you, and I actually think that leaving her is a good idea (for you), but I think that you have a wrong view of the world if you think that religion in general (and Christianity in specific) is mutually exclusive of science and an expanding scientific mind.

I also actually dislike it when people start giving science the elements of religion, I find that that weekens their scientific understand. (but that is another discussion)

Jon Miller

[polarnomad]

Originally posted by fed1943

If He is Infinite(as I believe)then is impossible that any creature to be without Him.

Now see, if someone from a church approached me and said that, I might even consider joining their congregation...

[polarnomad]

Originally posted by Stuie

And next time check into the girl's religious beliefs before you start dating.

Of course, the amount of discipline required to switch which head leads which could prove difficult to even the best of us.

[Dinner]

Best of luck to you. Do you have your own place yet? Hopefully you followed my advice and worked out your escape plans before you jumped off of the cliff.

[Ben Kenobi]

Snoopy:

I just wanted to mention that I finally told her, but it was not out of whim.

For many weeks, my knowledge of the world is being suppressed by christianity.

Imagine a balloon, the balloon is christianity, and knowledge is inside the balloon. Knowledge is continously being fed inside, but the balloon is trying its hardest to hold it, but is on the edge of exploding. It's at this point that I found myself in.

Interesting analogy. What I found was rather different. When I became a Christian, I realised that there were a whole slew of assumptions that I had that no longer made any sense whatsoever. The concept that the only things that exist are what our senses can perceive, and that what our senses perceive shows things as they truly are, does not work.

I don't see why you feel Christianity limits your knowledge of science, of the world around you, unless you have already decided that Christianity suppresses scientific endeavour. Like Jon Miller says, the best scientists understand that there are two spheres of inquiry, and that scientific investigation is not the only measure of knowledge.

Just a quick history notes here, I have only been considered a christian (to myself) for approx 1 year, before this, I was heavily into understanding everything there is in this universe, christianity intrigued me, the spirit side intrigued me, but now that I have gone through all that, I understand what it is all really about, and I needed out. The stretch marks of the balloon is my stress and upcoming depression.

So, after one year of being a Christian, you've seen and done everything, and now you have no use for Christianity? In what sense do you say you became a Christian a year ago? I find that surprising. I still have much that I am discovering and I'm sure that I always will have things come up that I have never considered.

Yesterday she says she can no longer be with me.

I got a bit angry and told her she's a fool for following so blindly to a simple sentence written in the bible, and said by stupid people who know little.

She has given up happiness, while I have gotten it back.

I find that, ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge on the scientific side can be even more blissful

I don't know about anyone else, but she obviously put more value into your relationship then you did. If you cared about her and her beliefs why would you ever call her a fool for believing what she does?

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
I don't know about anyone else, but she obviously put more value into your relationship then you did.

No, she put more value in her wacked out religious beliefs. The relationship was subordinate to that.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Snoopy:

I don't see why you feel Christianity limits your knowledge of science, of the world around you, unless you have already decided that Christianity suppresses scientific endeavour. Like Jon Miller says, the best scientists understand that there are two spheres of inquiry, and that scientific investigation is not the only measure of knowledge.

I didn't say the best scientists, I said some of the best scientists.

JM
(probably a majority of the best scientists are atheist/agnostic...)

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
The concept that the only things that exist are what our senses can perceive, and that what our senses perceive shows things as they truly are, does not work.

Are you seeing things not there, BK? Are you all right?

call the funny farm!

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
I don't see why you feel Christianity limits your knowledge of science, of the world around you, unless you have already decided that Christianity suppresses scientific endeavour.

Huh? The bible does say "ignorance is bliss." What do you think Creationism is?

Just take a look at the first passage I quoted of you, above. That's completely at odds with science.

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
Like Jon Miller says, the best scientists understand that there are two spheres of inquiry, and that scientific investigation is not the only measure of knowledge.

Not all of them. Darwin wasn't, Einstein wasn't. Some were, but the rest weren't. Some were able to reconcile two conflicting worldviews, others could adopt only one.

[DaShi]

Both Darwin and Einstein believed in God and sought to reconcile their theories with religious beliefs of Christianity.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
The concept that the only things that exist are what our senses can perceive, and that what our senses perceive shows things as they truly are, does not work.

This is very similar to Taoism and Buddhism. Perhaps you should look into them as they tolerate Christian beliefs with their own.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by DaShi
Both Darwin and Einstein believed in God and sought to reconcile their theories with religious beliefs of Christianity.

Actually, while Darwin may have retained a belief in a deity, by the end of his life he couldn't reconcile his science with his religion, and further believed that his science disproved some of his society's Christian beliefs. He never said anything publically about this because of his wife's fervent Angicanism, but it's in his papers.

[Wycoff]

Some people just seem to need religion. I don't really understand why. I really have no concept of what "spirituality" is; I've never felt anything that I'd consider spiritual.

I was raised in a believing Protestant Christian household (not crazy religious, but we went to church each week), but I didn't believe in any of it by the time I was 12 or 13. I wasn't a rebellious kid, and I'm pretty conservative by nature, I just never believed any of it. I tried to believe in it, but I just don't.

If your God is real, Ben, then I'm hell bound. It's not my fault. I'm incapable of truly believing in him. Regardless, I'm going to Hell. If Christianity is true, then the only true form must be Calvinism. I just wasn't written into the book of life I guess. Doesn't seem fair, does it?