Totally disillusioned

[Easy_C]

I'd like to make one point that's a bit of a trope.

Buuut.

Most people are kind of NPCs. They're not in control of their emotions and will generally float towards the median of any environment they are in.

When your religious life consists of one hour in church and the remaining 99% in today's values the result is inevitable.

 

[Viktor Zeegelaar]

Your fellow parishioners are not important in your salvation to be honest. For an inquirer it is even advised by some fathers to ignore them. You behave in polite manner but don't get involved. You go to church to pray to God. If they joke about you the joke really is on them. Only the priest is important, if he's not up to task then you look elsewhere. Generally if you are around pious people you should receive kindness, even if they are strangers.

I did go back and forth in my time and I know now the notion that Orthodoxy is a tool to keep people docile and controlled is a demonic lie.

It's funny and interesting to notice that if you inquire into Orthodoxy, you find that the true Christian way is actually a very ''alone'' path. In essence, it's you on your path towards theosis, towards becoming godlike, as close as you can with the characteristics of God. If everyone would do that, the cumulative effect would show off tremendously. I always thought that Christian life was first and foremost about helping others, in the material world sense, like helping the poor, but these things are only secondary and will come automatically from steps you make on that first plane of personal development if you will. It's truly a very different take on what the Christian way is compared to what the Papal and reformed protestants teach, who are way more into the rationalistic sphere instead of spiritual, and more focused on worldly things, like helping people or in the Papal protestant case worldly power and influence through their institutions, overlooking what it's truly about: your personal growth that we're all called to.

 

[Viktor Zeegelaar]

I'd like to make one point that's a bit of a trope.

Buuut.

Most people are kind of NPCs. They're not in control of their emotions and will generally float towards the median of any environment they are in.

When your religious life consists of one hour in church and the remaining 99% in today's values the result is inevitable.

If you lie with the dogs, you'll get the fleas. This saying gets more obvious by the week to me. I've shut down MSM completely, and have other sources to shut down also, for every bit of info you take in influences you on some level. Especially if I truly view one piece of MSM news now, I feel filthy afterwards, like physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually sick. Like if you never drink alcohol and then you take 3 shots of whisky, it'll hit extra hard. Or simply walking through the center of a big city is also enough to get poisoned to a degree, with all the flickering lights, sinful entertainment and temptations that are spun out to apt degree.

 

[Sooth]

OP - The first thing I suggest you do is message Roosh and ask him to change your username.

Your username and your goal are antithetical. Pick something a little more up beat or a reflection of anything that is good, positive or admirable.

It might feel like LARPing for now, but you were created in the image of God and shouldn't be self identifying in a negative way.

 

[leamizda]

Now my recent visits to the ortho church. The priest is a nice guy, god bless him but I was rejected by the community.

You’re not alone. Too many others are facing the same problem, I can only encourage you to keep going to church and to be sure to forgive as we all need forgiveness.

Two instances. First I had a car problem where the front bumper was touching the road. An old woman and her family after church pointed and laughed at me.

Second. I went to say hello to a parishioner and the person ignored me turned around and went back talking to his group.

Given the situation of the communities, I suspect that the Holy Spirit is sad. Most people don’t realize that the sin they commit affects everybody else, including at church, because by committing with the world has come to detract them from the holiness of being members of the church, that means that the amount of merit and grace that was being gained as a member of the church is reduced, and even may empower demons in the lives of other people by bringing evil to the church (like rejection, shunning, gossiping and so on). Let’s face it, most people don’t even try to love God more than anything else and don’t put the spiritual warfare at the first priority in their lives, the result is that people aren’t virtuous and are slaves of their passions, and that can be shown as the level of charity and hospitality that is shown to the newcomers.

This way, for example, you have most members that are so committed with feminism that even had affected their thinking inside the church at mass making it impossible for a young man to date and form a traditional family within the church, and when you tell them the natural law structure that God has designed the family to be, the vitriol you get is a little astounding.

In worldy communities the most powerful dominates, the ones with biggest social circles, better social skills and serves mostly his own circle of friends, but in the church the ones who should participate more actively are the ones that only came to serve others, because Jesus did not come into the world for Himself, but for us. He said, I am among you as one who serves (Luke 22:27) and Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. (Mark 2:17).

I think the world will see the church getting restored and showing all its glory before the second coming of Christ, but before that happens we may limit to see it only within a few faithful communities, rare and at the same time amazing ones because the holy spirit can act more freely there.

But Jesus will fix it! Wrong! How many people have said that in their life and it didn't happen. How foolish they have been!

This is another problem that is caused because of the worrying state of sin within the church members, in older times we were used to see so many vocations, healings, deliverances, conversions and now we see very few of them. But I guarantee you, not everything is bad, there are priests and laity members who are saints out there, and many people who got to experience miracles within church, most of them don’t want to talk about it but they are real and the few ones that could know those testimonies and meet those people feel very encouraged to keep follow Jesus to glorify God and to see greater things and delight in his glory.

Finally about isolation:
No matter how hard our individualistic culture fights against the notion, most of us were never meant to walk alone, but to walk alongside the same community he started, where we can share our struggles, ask or give advice. Jesus even tells I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another (John 13:34).
It would be nice to know how our forum members embrace isolation within the church, I really tried to keep the community growing by volunteering like crazy, discussing with the priests about some new ideas we can consider and introducing people from one group to another but finally I ended up left out, isolated and people leaving. I suspect that isolation is part of the cross men carry to follow our Lord, with the determination to continue faithfully in His word, after the desert experience where you fight against temptations and do it well enough then different kinds of things can happen depending on what our Lord wants for your life, your faith and your works, he may give you the grace you need to finally choose to live a different life away from the world and it’s vanities or he may give you a proper community and better communication skills, I can tell you because both things are happening to me. God's love is too great to fully understand

 

[Yeagerist]

So I will tell me story and my feelings right now, I hope for help. I don't think that the forum will like the post.

I've come to believe that religion is just one big grift and fraud.

I grew up catholic and went through all the sacraments. Around my teenage years I began to drift away and have tried again to come back even briefly going to an ortho church.

What makes me question is the amount of people eho just put on the mask for church and the minute they step out they don't even try!! I mean it's instant back to sinning.

I tried to really follow and instead was rewarded with suffering by being born poor in a family of domestic abuse.

Now my recent visits to the ortho church. The priest is a nice guy, god bless him but I was rejected by the community.

Two instances. First I had a car problem where the front bumper was touching the road. An old woman and her family after church pointed and laughed at me.

Second. I went to say hello to a parishioner and the person ignored me turned around and went back talking to his group.

This church is part Arabic and Greek orthodox.

After all this, I am beginning to believe that religion is what they say, an opiate for the masses!

Why not convince people that there is more after this life? It stops competition and it lets the evil ones continue to rule! You have this false belief that those evil people will get their due, with no proof! No proof at all! And it takes a blind man to.reject what we see everyday, more and more evil! Where is the good?

But Jesus will fix it! Wrong! How many people have said that in their life and it didn't happen. How foolish they have been!

I try to pray and talk.with my priest the patient man that he is, but it is getting quite difficult to keep on.

Brother, you don't have to walk away from Christianity altogether. You're hurting deep inside, I get it, and I could tell you've been through a lot of trials in your life. I'm sorry for hearing about the snobbery from cradle Orthodox people who should have known better, and believe me, they don't represent the rest of us.

You can hang out with us in this online forum for the time being if you need somebody to talk to.

So meanwhile, is there anything you can do to try fix things in your life around? You mentioned having a car, which means you either live alone or at least already have a job. That should be a start. At least you're not constantly stuck having to deal with difficult people.

Yes, I lurked this forum and did not want to post either because it seems people get attacked or banned. I think the feeling is very very common and not talked about so I hope we can talk about it here.

I feel abandoned and yes saints went through worse, but they are saints not common men. They were either delusional or God if real granted them visions as proof.

I have been shown no such thing, just evidence to the contrary.

Try to put your mind away from comparing yourself to saints or people in the past. They have their own struggles to face, you have yours.

I don't think that you suddenly want to give up on God altogether because of just two incidents of Orthodox Christians being snobbish. This is indicative of deep underlying issues that you have. I don't mean to be condescending here; on the contrary, I'm doing the best I can to help you bro.

 

[CollinG]

So I will tell me story and my feelings right now, I hope for help. I don't think that the forum will like the post.

I've come to believe that religion is just one big grift and fraud.

I grew up catholic and went through all the sacraments. Around my teenage years I began to drift away and have tried again to come back even briefly going to an ortho church.

What makes me question is the amount of people eho just put on the mask for church and the minute they step out they don't even try!! I mean it's instant back to sinning.

I tried to really follow and instead was rewarded with suffering by being born poor in a family of domestic abuse.

Now my recent visits to the ortho church. The priest is a nice guy, god bless him but I was rejected by the community.

Two instances. First I had a car problem where the front bumper was touching the road. An old woman and her family after church pointed and laughed at me.

Second. I went to say hello to a parishioner and the person ignored me turned around and went back talking to his group.

This church is part Arabic and Greek orthodox.

After all this, I am beginning to believe that religion is what they say, an opiate for the masses!

Why not convince people that there is more after this life? It stops competition and it lets the evil ones continue to rule! You have this false belief that those evil people will get their due, with no proof! No proof at all! And it takes a blind man to.reject what we see everyday, more and more evil! Where is the good?

But Jesus will fix it! Wrong! How many people have said that in their life and it didn't happen. How foolish they have been!

I try to pray and talk.with my priest the patient man that he is, but it is getting quite difficult to keep on.

I tend to think that's one of the greatest lies the devil has ever sold humanity on. That your beliefs about and trust in God and Christ should be based on the actions of fallen, sinful humans.