what if you aren't married and have no faith?
someone asked me that today after reading this.
good question.
here is my answer.
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first of all, there is an agnostic/atheist thread in the "I can relate" forum.
go join it. talk to others in your situation.
and secondly....even if you're not in some way religious, you can meditate. That can be helpful. Deep breathing. And most religious works have truth. Read Ghandi. read Carl Jung. Read Joseph Campbell. Search for TRUTH. thats the idea. A search for truth is always a voyage of self discovery and i know if you seek truth with all of your heart, you will always find it. Start looking at lies you've believed, examining your own heart.
you must make amends to yourself.
you've damaged yourself deeply.
and likely you have a moral code. Define it. Decide what things violate your sense of self-respect and dignity.
Sue Monk Kidd wrote a book you might appreciate about self-discovery, it was called "Dance of the Dissident Daughter"
A lady I love deeply and admire for her wisdom, an agnostic friend, recommended it to me.
I was apostate at first. I'd left Christianity for years. I want you to know that. I refused to pray, practiced tarot and tried to follow its path and got into New Age rituals ... if anything at all. Mostly nothing. I found a lot of help regardless, started the road to sanity without real faith, a weird mixture of it and something else.
I did turn back to my faith obviously. But i totally respect and sympathize with those who do not share it.
Gandhi said, "I like your Christ, but not your Christians."
yeah. I know the feeling. I decided to give Christianity another chance and ignore the Christians who'd wounded me. ...try to know Christ. But I know not all will do that. I'm realistic.
Be honest. Try these things. And try giving to your community, to others, in simple ways. Practice selflessness.
and I'd like to add that in the stories of others many times we see ourselves and the truth of our own hearts in ways we can't otherwise. Seek stories that touch you deeply, and pay attention to what they are saying. Journal that. They will likely give you answers about your journey.
write your autobiography. thats a big one.
you have to discover who you are. and what your goals are for your life. and for happiness and for marriage.
and I promise solemnly to pray for you.
[This message edited by Maia at 12:07 AM, April 18th (Wednesday)]
