I'm 16 and I've had trouble lately with my religion. My mom never understands me. When I have panic attacks she'll say I overreact and even asks what a panic attack is.. I don't know if I believe in God anymore and if I ever tell my mom that she'll be soooo mad idk what to do.. Anyone advice?
Answers (11)
religion is made to unite people where nationalities and borders cant, to keep people in fear and restrained of thinking and growing for themselves. when government fails to restrain people there is religion hat will.
not believing is ok, and will not make you better or worse of a person. you will still be you. but you will be free of fear, fear of eternal fire and devil and god and what ever you used to believe in.
you don't have to share that with your mother if that will hurt her. but she is your mother she should love you no matter what. she wont get mad, she can get hurt but not mad.
i never believed and it never made a problem in my family until my grandpa found out, (but who is he to tell me what to believe in), i told him that we live in different time where religion is unnecessary for your existence. He might have not understood what i meant but he respected my stand and my opinion.
Science is good, what ever you imagination lets you believe in is good, if you are happy is good, what makes you sad and insecure or fearful is bad.
This doesn't make you a bad person at all at all.
Omg I'm in the same situation and I'm 14.. I always hate the rules of my religion ( islam) and think its not fair to women who have to wear hijab and not even show their legs.. I want to wear dresses so bad but I can't show my legs and if i wear them with leggings ill look like a homeless or something.. Also most islam families don't let their daughter go out and let their sons ( I have brothers and 1 sis) it doesn't seem like they care much about girls, to them girls should get married and stay at home near the age of 15.. I always think about leaving islam and just becoming a good person when im 18.. But my mom always tells me its not the right thing and ill go to hell and these stuff
I may be able to help you or even understand your situation but first it would help to know what religion yiu belong to as some I know more about than others. As for your belief in God, I would say (my answer now may be biased on my own beliefs, sorry if they are, i will try not to) think hard, look at the world around you and since you believe in science, think of the probability that the world, let alone the entire universe, was made perfectly. The chances are very very liw and most likely there was a God who created it all. I advise you not to lose faith and if you do, dont keep it secret as your mom may help you. But my religion (islam) agrees very much with science and doesnt contradict so you can believe in both, largest difference may be evolution.
Anyway, as to you being a worse person, dont fret it. You are as good a person morally as you were, because even without belief in your religion, you are bound to carry some moral aspects of your religion with you. I am 15 btw and can speak only from my perspective but i tried staying broad. I hope this helped.
Sorry that was meant as an answer, anyway, for the sister in islam who has doubts. I advise you to see a sheikh or talk to a parent. If you are not comfortable with this then i advise for you to see my answer as to why there is a God. I answered in this question, but also about the Hijab. You may, if you need wear a skirt or dress in privacy with family and when at a girls only area. The reason for the Hijab is more for tge brothers if you do not know. It is meant to remove out temptation to look at the female and think haram as it may lead to acting in a haram way.
I am also sorry of the way you are treated, i really am as women should be just as respected as men. The only thing, if by go out you mean date, that is understandable as it is Haram to date unless you have done Muta'a or are engaged. If by go out you mean have fun with friends, then you should be able to as long as it is halal. If you really must, you may leave your household without leaving your religion as they are seperate things. Please try staying in the religion, and talk to your family if you feel mistreated.
Sorry that was meant as an answer, anyway, for the sister in islam who has doubts. I advise you to see a sheikh or talk to a parent. If you are not comfortable with this then i advise for you to see my answer as to why there is a God. I answered in this question, but also about the Hijab. You may, if you need wear a skirt or dress in privacy with family and when at a girls only area. The reason for the Hijab is more for tge brothers if you do not know. It is meant to remove out temptation to look at the female and think haram as it may lead to acting in a haram way.
I am also sorry of the way you are treated, i really am as women should be just as respected as men. The only thing, if by go out you mean date, that is understandable as it is Haram to date unless you have done Muta'a or are engaged. If by go out you mean have fun with friends, then you should be able to as long as it is halal. If you really must, you may leave your household without leaving your religion as they are seperate things. Please try staying in the religion, and talk to your family if you feel mistreated.
It is completely normal at that age to start wondering about a lot of things. You are far from being a vad person for wondering and questioning. Just be a teen for awhile, be good, stay off drugs, no drinking, study hard, strive for a good future and talk to your doctor about the panic attacks. Breathe...being a teen is hard but should also be fun.
Always, keep the line of communication open with your mom! And no, you are not a bad person. You are having doubts about God's existence? Not all doubt is bad. The fact that you have put a hold on your religion until you are sure of the facts is commendable. However, before you erase God out of your life completely. Just a suggestion :) Don't stop praying! Prayer can be your very own personal communication with God. Pour out your heart to him. There is never a busy signal with God. You can approach him in prayer anytime. Next, have a heart to heart talk with your mom. Be honest in letting her know what about the teachings in your religion that you are not comfortable with. By all means let her know in a calm respectful manner why you have doubts in the belief of God existence. Once the both of you understand each other feelings, the panic attacks will stop. Everything you say is quite common among teenagers. Get nutritional yeast powder for the panic attacks, and carry B-100 pills if you travel anywhere. The religion problem is because churches don't teach their doctrines any more. Read a chapter of Proverbs every day. Proverbs has 31 chapters so you can keep your place by just looking at a calendar. There is no religion or nothing in Proverbs and you don't have to believe anything. Just read every day. When you are comfortable with that, then read the bible from Romans to 2 Thessalonians over and over until you start to remember what it says. That is the part that applies to Christians. You might be the only one in your church who understands this material. Be nice to your mother. You're lucky to have one. I'm sorry to hear you're having a tough time, but we have all been there at your age so don't feel like you're alone. I encourage you to take a look at the following link, it has helped me and many other teens just like you with various concerns. Hang in there!
Questions Young People Ask?Answers That Work, Volume 1
Does your religion believe in the Bible? I ask because the Book of Job in the Old Testament is about a man who was having terrible problems and he was mad at God and doubting God. The book tells how he was honest about his doubts and anger when he prayed. The most important lesson from this book IMO is that Job never stopped talking to God but remained in close communication with Him until things turned around and got better for him. So I think what you should do is continue praying even when you are doubting God and I will also pray for you that soon things will be better. God bless you!
Ask yourself: Is it really God I have lost faith in or is it my religions doctirine that I have a problem with? If the latter, it is comforting to know that Jesus provided a standard to help us view religion objectively. He said: “Each tree is known by its own fruit.” (Luke 6:44) For example, when you look at a particular religion or denomination, what fruitage does it bear? Do its members follow Bible principles regarding morals? Jesus said his true followers would be "sanctified" or held separate by means of the truth of God's word. (John 17:17) If stronger faith is what you desire. Ame an earnest effort to weigh your religion in the light of what the Bible teaches.
At one time I didn't believe in God either. The reason you don't is because you was in a religion. Religions are manmade. They are not of Yah our father God. God proved to me he did exist. Just let him prove it to you and be patient okay. I promise you he does exist but don't listen to me you go and find him he will prove it to you like he did to me.
Ignore your family! Jesus didn't go to church!!! Family gets on my nerves. Nosey body!!
Esta respuesta por cierto acaba de hacerte lucir humillado . Incluso el autor de la pregunta piensa que eres lo suficientemente estúpido como para decir que para que él / ella se sienta mejor.
It does not make you a bad person at all. Religion is just a belief of something such as God. Having a religion is not bad if you want to have bonding since that is one of the purpose of a religion. The other purpose is faith. The largest religion on the world is Christianity, which in terms says that Jesus Christ is our savior and that we should learn his ways and be like him if we don't well.. We go to hell and suffer for eternity, but if we do learn his ways we get to live at a paradise.
So let's get to the main question, What do you do?
You can wait till you're old enough to decide yourself to do whatever you want, you can stay in the religion, you can debate to yourself and ask yourself why you believe and why you think you don't believe in him/her/it. But most importantly Trust Yourself, If you don't trust the answer you just gave yourself, how will you move on? So whatever your mind/heart pick, trust it.
From what I'm reading from you, I don't think that it's you don't believe in God anymore, but more so that you are frustrated and need someone to understand you. You so many people use the word religion as a title, but really it should be a relationship. So when you are serving God, you are in a relationship with Him, like a father and child. If fact having a relationship with God is the most easy thing to do if you rely on Him instead of trying to do things yourself. I have children your age and they go through many of the same anxieties as yourself, but if it is something they are not ready to discuss yet with me or their mom, they approach God in prayer and then when they are ready they will discuss it with us. A good website to go to is www.tv.jw.org. In the teenager section there are some really good videos that will help you see that there are others just like you with some of the same anxieties and it will help you see how you can cope with some of your problems. I hope this helps some, take care.
I may be able to help you or even understand your situation but first it would help to know what religion yiu belong to as some I know more about than others. As for your belief in God, I would say (my answer now may be biased on my own beliefs, sorry if they are, i will try not to) think hard, look at the world around you and since you believe in science, think of the probability that the world, let alone the entire universe, was made perfectly. The chances are very very liw and most likely there was a God who created it all. I advise you not to lose faith and if you do, dont keep it secret as your mom may help you. But my religion (islam) agrees very much with science and doesnt contradict so you can believe in both, largest difference may be evolution.
Anyway, as to you being a worse person, dont fret it. You are as good a person morally as you were, because even without belief in your religion, you are bound to carry some moral aspects of your religion with you. I am 15 btw and can speak only from my perspective but i tried staying broad. I hope this helped.
Religion is a kindergarten, it teaches us the ABC of God but while we don't feel bad about leaving kindergarten and going to school and university, why do we feel bad about leaving our religion? Do not worry about it, you need to go beyond religion. God exists, God is everywhere, in everything. You need to go to the university of spirituality, then you will realize the Truth about God. You will not feel bad about your religion; you will not feel that you are a bad person because you are not, you are Divine. The kingdom of God is within you; you are a manifestation of the Divine. But we live in ignorance, we don't realize the Truth. That's why we stick to the kindergarten of religion and till we die, we are repeating the ABC of God, we don't attain the masters of spirituality. Go on a spiritual quest. Ask the question who am I and why am I here, and you will evolve beyond religion and be a happy person.
Thanks! I just feel guilty about even thinking about it .. Because in my religion it's always "if you don't do this you're a bad person" I just disagree with every rule and believe more in science than in adam and eve. Thank you for your advice, it helped me:)