Does anyone feel closer to a higher power due to their loneliness?

I think so, I talk to God in my head all the time. I see things and hear things to that make me believe, though I do concede that they may be due to my disorder.

yes, i believe my lonely life is because god wants me for himself...some people are called to serve like this...called to singelhood....all the angels are...

I see no evidence for God in the suffering of humans. The idea that a loving God would allow a human to suffer for 80 years in this world and then condemn them to suffer for eternity just because they didn't believe in him is an anathema to me. As long as personal belief does not infringe on the rights and lives of others, however, I have no issue with religiosity.

jean-vic said:

I see no evidence for God in the suffering of humans. The idea that a loving God would allow a human to suffer for 80 years in this world and then condemn them to suffer for eternity just because they didn't believe in him is an anathema to me. As long as personal belief does not infringe on the rights and lives of others, however, I have no issue with religiosity.

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Do you believe the bible is true? (truth)

Not at all. I rely on concrete things; there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of God. I'd rather get closer to friends, or at the very least myself.

Notions such God do not appeal to me, or help me, whatsoever.

Enpatsu No Shakugan said:

Not at all. I rely on concrete things; there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of God. I'd rather get closer to friends, or at the very least myself.

Notions such God do not appeal to me, or help me, whatsoever.

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Have you explored any religious paradigms other than the abrahamic version of god?

I am an atheist, so I have no thoughts of religion or other people's gods when I am lonely.

I also do not discuss my lack of belief in deities to many people. I believe that personal beliefs (or lack thereof) should not be up for discussion or debate in a friendly setting. That's my current philosophy, and it serves me well.

I wish I could believe in a higher power. I just can't for some reason

Well, if all of this ends smoothly, I might start believing it again.

If I manage to retire at 65 and win my house and my rocking chair in the middle of nowhere country, I'm going up the St-Joseph Oratory stairs on my **** knees...bring cameras.

I refuse to reject the notion of God, simply because I wish to remain open minded about the possibility of the existence of a higher power as opposed to a deity figure.

However, I wouldn't say loneliness ties into that. I would say that loneliness gives you more time to reflect on such matters, though

I have tried/am reluctantly still trying for a relationship with God. My lack of true understanding, direct experience, and doubt between belief systems leaves me torn and unable to fully have faith, which is kind of necessary.

I also just cannot reconcile with the Christian doctrine - the misogyny, the justification for viewing homosexuals as "freaks and degenerates", or the fact that we are expected to pay back a debt for the sacrifice of Jesus, for being created with an innate propensity for sin, all despite not having asked to be created in the first place.

I quite like the Cathar view - pro euthanasia/suicide, antinatalist, supports homosexuality for its lack of procreation, believes we are trapped in a matrix, encourages overall asceticism and vegetarianism.

reynard_muldrake said:

Quite the opposite, really. As I get older, I have become even less certain of a supreme deity/higher power. I guess the only reason I haven't embraced atheism is an interest in the idea of an afterlife. I'd like to think there's a better place than this one.

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^This is pretty much how I feel.

I don't think my loneliness brings me closer to a higher power, though I suppose if I was more of a believer, it would give me some comfort. Right now, I feel like my loneliness is the result of a lack of the dumb luck of not being born with the right stuff, just random chance. And I don't have anything to take the edge off. Sometimes I wish I did.

I always find it interesting to learn why people believe what they do, though. My mind is open to the possibility of a higher power, I just haven't experienced it yet.

I had a close relationship with God, to about the age 12. As tragedy unfolded, I lost that connection. Tried desperately to get it back in my 30's (due to profound lonliness) to no avail. Found Taoism in my early 40's and this is what keeps me grounded ever since.

I often think back to that childhood connection and wonder how something I was sure of ... disappeared completely. I believe, perhaps, it is what I needed for that time in my life. Thankful I had, but moved on....