Alexander: My interest in the historical Jesus stemmed from the fact that I was heavily indoctrinated and psychologically abused by this religion and needed to deconstruct the whole thing in a very long and painful process.
Hi Alexander,
Does it help you knowing, or acknowledging, that almost every child is indoctrinated and perhaps also “psychologically abused” by the dominant religion of their tribe/ nation/ country, simply because it is part and parcel of everyone without exception being born with instinctual passions and the consequential prevalent morals, ethics and beliefs, principles, truth and tenets which attempt to curb those instinctual passions.
When you find a way to look at the resentment you hold, and recognize that doing this is hurting yourself – perhaps you can then let go of this burden.
Richard: Given that people are as-they-are and that the world is as-it-is there are more than a few things which are ‘unacceptable’ (child abuse, rape, murder, torture and so on). What worked for me twenty-odd years ago, as a preliminary step, was to rephrase the question so that it makes sense (rather than vainly apply any of those unliveable ‘unconditional acceptance’ type injunctions):
• Can I emotionally accept that which is intellectually unacceptable?
This way intelligence need not be compromised … intelligence will no longer be crippled. (Richard, List B, James2, 18 Aug 2001).
Alexander: Have I left that God behind? Yes and no. Intellectually yes. But I can clearly see emotional imprints of this fear-based belief system living on inside me. Feeling unworthy for instance. But thankfully I found the Actual Freedom website and have been doing the deeper work of investigating these feelings and freeing myself of them. (link)
It seems that as long as you carry resentment and blame for what happened to you then you need God to have someone to be angry with and be afraid of. Acknowledging that you are your feelings and your feeling are you, you will be able to channel the affective energy towards the felicitous and innocuous feelings. Then, with your permission and with diligent and fascinated attention – with the very intent to enjoy and appreciate being alive – those feelings and beliefs can start to unravel.
I wish you success in being a friend to yourself and, with the sincere intent to feel good, solve the puzzles which stand in the way of feeling good.
Cheers Vineeto