Anyone here religious?
- Thread starter Shyguest
- Start date
because I am religious -- a Platonist.
BenCassidy
Member
SA is all in your head. All things are made for a reason. You will learn to cope with it in your own good time. It's kind of like a social version of puberty. Everyone hits it at a diffrent time. I feel the best way to prepare for it is to join a church where you will be loved unconditionaly/ somewhere you feel comfortable with the people around you. Not everyone in the world judges you by looks or things you do. A man should not be judged by outside traits but by what is in his heart. More people beleive this then you think. I suggest you put yourself into more social situations to try and overcome the SA. I know I did, and life is a whole lot more enjoyable. Best of luck and remember, god loves you no matter what.
rado31
Well-known member
But most of us here are exposed to social situations from our childhood,
and we almost can stand it anymore-it getting so tough!, so thatwhy we are here. I assume that religion can be very helpful in any problem, but i cant simple become religious like that. I try it, but i cannot. Organized religion is also not familiar to me.
and we almost can stand it anymore-it getting so tough!, so thatwhy we are here. I assume that religion can be very helpful in any problem, but i cant simple become religious like that. I try it, but i cannot. Organized religion is also not familiar to me.
applesewer
Well-known member
Hi Shyguest
yea I'm a christian and would be happy to talk to you about anything concerning my faith and SA.
God has helped me loads with SA....Firstly, through church....a community full of all kinds of other messed up people that unconditionally accept each other is a really great help.
Secondly, through perspective.....when you study the bible and begin to see the world as god see's it, it changes a lot. Like the bible teaches that fear of man is actually idolatry which I wasn't so sure about at first, but we're called to fear god which translated means to revere god...and I find that the more I meditate on god's awesomness the more ridiculous being scared of a few peoples opinions seems. Only gods opinion matters and he loves me and has made me perfectly and has assigned me a specific job to do in life....which gives me soo much purpose and meaning in life. Also there's that verse in 1 John 4:18 "perfect love drives out fear"...which I find to be true....the more I fill my life with god's word and focus on god the less fear I feel...
Thirdly, knowing that god totally understands me....he knows exactly how I feel and what I need better than I know myself and he wants the best for me.....and I can pray and talk to him anytime I want...that comforts me a lot.
Fourthly, another thing I've learnt is that EVERYBODY is insecure....everybody's got crap in their life they're ashamed of or would rather others not see....and there's two responses to this....some people go quiet and run away or hide, and others get louder and crack jokes and act over confident to hide their insecurities. But the truth is we all want love but we're all scared of being rejected....I find this understanding helps me a lot too.
and lastly the other thing I find the bible always provides is hope....the potentiality that the truth to the whole universe is held within the pages of the bible...all the answers to my problems are in there....I love it! it blows me away!
yea I'm a christian and would be happy to talk to you about anything concerning my faith and SA.
God has helped me loads with SA....Firstly, through church....a community full of all kinds of other messed up people that unconditionally accept each other is a really great help.
Secondly, through perspective.....when you study the bible and begin to see the world as god see's it, it changes a lot. Like the bible teaches that fear of man is actually idolatry which I wasn't so sure about at first, but we're called to fear god which translated means to revere god...and I find that the more I meditate on god's awesomness the more ridiculous being scared of a few peoples opinions seems. Only gods opinion matters and he loves me and has made me perfectly and has assigned me a specific job to do in life....which gives me soo much purpose and meaning in life. Also there's that verse in 1 John 4:18 "perfect love drives out fear"...which I find to be true....the more I fill my life with god's word and focus on god the less fear I feel...
Thirdly, knowing that god totally understands me....he knows exactly how I feel and what I need better than I know myself and he wants the best for me.....and I can pray and talk to him anytime I want...that comforts me a lot.
Fourthly, another thing I've learnt is that EVERYBODY is insecure....everybody's got crap in their life they're ashamed of or would rather others not see....and there's two responses to this....some people go quiet and run away or hide, and others get louder and crack jokes and act over confident to hide their insecurities. But the truth is we all want love but we're all scared of being rejected....I find this understanding helps me a lot too.
and lastly the other thing I find the bible always provides is hope....the potentiality that the truth to the whole universe is held within the pages of the bible...all the answers to my problems are in there....I love it! it blows me away!
random
Well-known member
Welcome!
I am Christian...have been since I was 10 years old. When I was younger I wound up in some churches that seem to tear people down on a weekly basis with the intention of helping them - the thing that kept me there was glimpses of God that would slip into the sermons preaching fire and damnation. Then I went to some churches (around college age) where people seemed more positive and happier and I was relieved because it was a better place to learn how faith in God can help. About 4 years ago I wound up in a church that helps change lives, loves everybody no matter where they are at, and it has really made a difference and now I am much more inclined to seek God on my own (at home, at work etc. turning my thoughts to him).
For me - my SA has a few different causes (as far I have learned) and they have taken alot of time to address - one after the other.
When "The Purpose Driven Life" was making the rounds in churches in California (where I live) I participated but I wasn't expecting much.
Reading the book - I came across a section that described how people can have a silent rift with God (now there are people who are aware of their rift with God but this is when you think you understand and trust him when you secretly don't). That section of the book led me, along with prayer, revealed to me some old pain in my life that I blamed God for. That part of me healed and then it was on to other painful pieces of my past that contributed to my social anxiety. I started going to counseling (psychologist) and tuned into sermons on the web at my church website (tlc.org) and I kept encoutnering my problems (guilt, blame, trauma) , working through each peice with counseling and church. Basically God has been answering my prayers to "show me things I am not willing to face, help me face it no matter how bad or painful it is." When I pray that prayer and review past pain in my life - I am able to face things, resolve things, and heal; it seems that life as I know it is actually different than I always believed it was and all these years I didn't understand or thought it was just me. After about 3.5 years of this (I had so much dysfunction in my life it takes me this long) I have begun to notice quite accidentally that my SA is getting better. It hasn't been the result of any one action but the support God gives me to face things, the counselor, and going to church where new topics about how to overcome things etc. are presented.
In the past month I have been 'able' to attend two events that I normally could never attend. One was the 18th birthday party of my friends daughter. Unfortunately my SA was so strong in the past that I had never attended the other 17 birthdays the girl had - but I got to go to the 18th and it wasn't hard (how strange!)- it was confusing to me because I couldn't figure out what was missing (hey-where is the sheer panic?) and I kept looking around wondering what was different and why attending this party would have been impossible all those years. I am not cured (I've only had two small wins) but the bonds are begining to come off and, while I had to struggle and grieve etc with God and through counseling, the actual going to the party portion was strangely ok. My faith is stronger and more honest now - I talk to God when I am hurt and angry and I let him know just how I feel - and I am healed. I still have farther to go but after decades of trying to overcome SA with zero improvement - these past few years have encouraged me so much.
I am Christian...have been since I was 10 years old. When I was younger I wound up in some churches that seem to tear people down on a weekly basis with the intention of helping them - the thing that kept me there was glimpses of God that would slip into the sermons preaching fire and damnation. Then I went to some churches (around college age) where people seemed more positive and happier and I was relieved because it was a better place to learn how faith in God can help. About 4 years ago I wound up in a church that helps change lives, loves everybody no matter where they are at, and it has really made a difference and now I am much more inclined to seek God on my own (at home, at work etc. turning my thoughts to him).
For me - my SA has a few different causes (as far I have learned) and they have taken alot of time to address - one after the other.
When "The Purpose Driven Life" was making the rounds in churches in California (where I live) I participated but I wasn't expecting much.
Reading the book - I came across a section that described how people can have a silent rift with God (now there are people who are aware of their rift with God but this is when you think you understand and trust him when you secretly don't). That section of the book led me, along with prayer, revealed to me some old pain in my life that I blamed God for. That part of me healed and then it was on to other painful pieces of my past that contributed to my social anxiety. I started going to counseling (psychologist) and tuned into sermons on the web at my church website (tlc.org) and I kept encoutnering my problems (guilt, blame, trauma) , working through each peice with counseling and church. Basically God has been answering my prayers to "show me things I am not willing to face, help me face it no matter how bad or painful it is." When I pray that prayer and review past pain in my life - I am able to face things, resolve things, and heal; it seems that life as I know it is actually different than I always believed it was and all these years I didn't understand or thought it was just me. After about 3.5 years of this (I had so much dysfunction in my life it takes me this long) I have begun to notice quite accidentally that my SA is getting better. It hasn't been the result of any one action but the support God gives me to face things, the counselor, and going to church where new topics about how to overcome things etc. are presented.
In the past month I have been 'able' to attend two events that I normally could never attend. One was the 18th birthday party of my friends daughter. Unfortunately my SA was so strong in the past that I had never attended the other 17 birthdays the girl had - but I got to go to the 18th and it wasn't hard (how strange!)- it was confusing to me because I couldn't figure out what was missing (hey-where is the sheer panic?) and I kept looking around wondering what was different and why attending this party would have been impossible all those years. I am not cured (I've only had two small wins) but the bonds are begining to come off and, while I had to struggle and grieve etc with God and through counseling, the actual going to the party portion was strangely ok. My faith is stronger and more honest now - I talk to God when I am hurt and angry and I let him know just how I feel - and I am healed. I still have farther to go but after decades of trying to overcome SA with zero improvement - these past few years have encouraged me so much.
Lonelythinker
Member
Anyone who might want to chat via Msn Messenger can send me a PM. I don't want to exclude non-christians, but I'm just posting this here because christians are perhaps more likely to have something in common with me. I'm male and 28 if that matters to someone.
Lotrsfan
Well-known member
I'm a confused sorta christian lol i dunno if i am and i sorta believe in god...sorta. But i feel even if i do believe in god that i shouldn't be a christian because i feel christian people should be social people, always going to church and these christian youth groups things and going away on holiday with them and do bible study lessons and stuff. I would probably join a church but all the social things you have to do, put me off incase i can't fit in.