Let's talk about fear

[hasbeen99]

Fears. We all have them. Fear of death. Fear of rejection. Fear of pain. Fear of loss. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown.

How do your personal beliefs help you deal with the fears you face in your everyday life?

[jbghostrat]

i have fear all the time. I pray a lot and talk to God all the time and that's how i make it through it. And i read bible verses about fear and that really helps. Also i think about the fear Jesus had to go through and it makes my fears go away.

For small fears like stage fright or something, i think about my dad and all the stuff i have been through and whatever my fear is is small stuff compared to that, so i cowboy up and Just Do it!

[CFBall]

CAROLINA
Females
Earning
Athletic
Respect.....................................:D

[spud]

Don't you find with age you "fear less" I mean the more crap that happens to you in life, the more you realize you can handle. There are some things I still fear. I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder about my personal future (finances etc) then I tell God, I can't handle it, He will have to and I go back to sleep.
After you faced a few deaths, cancer, etc. You fear less and less. You finally realize that you really control nothing! So quit trying and ride the wave so to speak.

[Miss tery]

I have no fear. I am concerned for my parents as they age and hope they do not experience too much discomfort. I hope my pilot sister never has any problems she cannot handle. I hope my teenage nephew handles all the tribulations of that age ok. As for myself, I'll muddle through, I always have. All animals die, it is a part of life. Mine has been good.

[hasbeen99]

I used to have a lot more fear than I do now, and my trust in God has been the main factor in overcoming those fears.

I have no fear of death, but I do fear pain. I'm no longer afraid to lose my wife, but I'm afraid of winding up as a single parent someday.

I believe that God has things He wants to do through my life and I trust that those things will be good -- and well worth whatever price must be paid. But sometimes I'm still afraid to pay it.

I think the battle against fear is at least in some part borne from a struggle of focus. If we allow ourselves to focus on pain, evil, hardship, heartache, then we lose sight of what is good and comforting.

[charmed]

My mother-in-law, who is very religious, was once talking to my oldest daughter,Jami. Jami was about 4 at the time(she is 6 now). She was telling her grandmother about waking up in the middle of the night and being afraid. Jami told her that even though she had a night light and some times the television was on in her room, she was still scared. My mother-in-law smiled and told her that if she was ever afraid, for any reason, she should say this out loud " For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind." I was shocked and amazed that after repeating it to her 3 times, Jami had remembered it.

Later that week, as I was watching TV, I heard mumbling coming from her room. I snuck in there to check on her and found her wide awake and reciting that bible verse. :)

I have heard her repeat it to herself several times in the last few years. She used it on the first day of Kindergarten and on the first day of First grade.

[spud]

My mother-in-law, who is very religious, was once talking to my oldest daughter,Jami. Jami was about 4 at the time(she is 6 now). She was telling her grandmother about waking up in the middle of the night and being afraid. Jami told her that even though she had a night light and some times the television was on in her room, she was still scared. My mother-in-law smiled and told her that if she was ever afraid, for any reason, she should say this out loud " For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind." I was shocked and amazed that after repeating it to her 3 times, Jami had remembered it.

Later that week, as I was watching TV, I heard mumbling coming from her room. I snuck in there to check on her and found her wide awake and reciting that bible verse. :)

I have heard her repeat it to herself several times in the last few years. She used it on the first day of Kindergarten and on the first day of First grade.

That's AWESOME. What a great grandmother for your child.

[Southern_Yankee]

I dont fear much. I've been through quite a bit for 33 yrs. and things ALWAYS have a way of working themselves out. If things dont work out there is always another avenue to explore. I watch these indians (or whatever they are) tribes/groups on TV and see how they dont subscribe to the same higher power as we do and it makes me wonder who is right? Is there a higher power or is it all in your mind and there is no life after death? I dont know and am not worried about it. I live one day at a time and try to make the most/least out of it so as I am happy. I dont have any kids...that eliminates a lot of worries I suspect... and am not afraid of dieing. Sometimes life can seem like hell on earth...maybe it is.

[Cornflake_Girl8]

Fears. We all have them. Fear of death. Fear of rejection. Fear of pain. Fear of loss. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown.

How do your personal beliefs help you deal with the fears you face in your everyday life?
My goddesses are abundant. I have 3 of their kin living with me, so they serve as a daily reminder that magick is alive and well and I'm still living.

The only fear I have is not being successful and rich, however, I'm well on my way on the good path towards that. Sometimes I get down, but I just think of my goddesses and realize that anything is possible and fear has no grasp on me.

I also don't fear my goddesses. It's an uppity attitude I have, but if I didn't believe in them, they simply wouldn't exist for me. They need me like I need them. It's comforting to believe in a higher power.

[builder]

I also don't fear my goddesses. It's an uppity attitude I have, but if I didn't believe in them, they simply wouldn't exist for me. They need me like I need them. It's comforting to believe in a higher power.
WOW. That's what I've thought all along about God and Christianity. Without Christianity, there would be no God. There are higher powers for sure, but I don't think it is a thinking, rational being of any sort or manner. More like electrical pulses of "good" and "evil" - names given by man to categorize things neatly.

I don't fear not having the Christian God in my life any more than I fear not knowing Allah, Buddha, Zues, Poseidon, or Athena. I have my own inner being to handle my fears. Rational thinking is more opportunistic to me than the idea of something I can't see, touch, or experience is there to take care of everything if I speak to it on bent knees.

[Cornflake_Girl8]

WOW. That's what I've thought all along about God and Christianity. Without Christianity, there would be no God. There are higher powers for sure, but I don't think it is a thinking, rational being of any sort or manner. More like electrical pulses of "good" and "evil" - names given by man to categorize things neatly.

I don't fear not having the Christian God in my life any more than I fear not knowing Allah, Buddha, Zues, Poseidon, or Athena. I have my own inner being to handle my fears. Rational thinking is more opportunistic to me than the idea of something I can't see, touch, or experience is there to take care of everything if I speak to it on bent knees.
Men are driven by a need to worship something higher than themselves. When things get out of control, they want to point the finger at someone other than their brothers. Not all people need to feel a higher power and that's where atheism fits into the whole picture.

You sound like an atheist. Believing in your own power over some fictional character. =)

[hasbeen99]

I also don't fear my goddesses. It's an uppity attitude I have, but if I didn't believe in them, they simply wouldn't exist for me. They need me like I need them. It's comforting to believe in a higher power.
I'm confused -- can you explain to me how your goddesses can be higher powers if they're dependent on you to exist? :thinking:

[Cornflake_Girl8]

I'm confused -- can you explain to me how your goddesses can be higher powers if they're dependent on you to exist? :thinking:
I never said they were higher powers.

[hasbeen99]

I never said they were higher powers.
Sorry -- my bad. So you believe in higher power other than your goddesses?

[Cornflake_Girl8]

Sorry -- my bad. So you believe in higher power other than your goddesses?
Absolutely.......NOT. =)

[hasbeen99]

Absolutely.......NOT. =)
Then why did you say it was comforting to believe in a higher power? :thinking:

[Cornflake_Girl8]

Then why did you say it was comforting to believe in a higher power? :thinking:
To some people it is comforting. To me, it's comforting, but I don't believe that a higher power exists and works the Wheel of Life (greek) for me. I believe in my own decisions.....in a way, I'm a pagan atheist.

[Village Idiot]

My goddesses are abundant. I have 3 of their kin living with me, so they serve as a daily reminder that magick is alive and well and I'm still living.please define your understanding of the word goddess.

[Cornflake_Girl8]

Goddess = a female deity

[Village Idiot]

and deity meaning?

[Cornflake_Girl8]

and deity meaning?
To me it means a lesser god.

However, my goddesses are not deities in the sense that one thinks of it.

[Village Idiot]

To me it means a lesser god.

However, my goddesses are not deities in the sense that one thinks of it.please tell me

[Cornflake_Girl8]

please tell me
My goddesses are what other people call familiars. To me, they are interchangeable.

[Village Idiot]

My goddesses are what other people call familiars. To me, they are interchangeable.i dont understand

[hasbeen99]

To some people it is comforting. To me, it's comforting, but I don't believe that a higher power exists and works the Wheel of Life (greek) for me. I believe in my own decisions.....in a way, I'm a pagan atheist.
Okay, I understand now. Thanks. :)

I'm sorry, I've forgotten already -- did you describe yourself as a pagan or a Wiccan, or both?

[hasbeen99]

i dont understand
Familiars, as I've researched them are usually referred to in Wicca. They're like spiritual consultants, and can be companions. They're also sometimes referred to as "guides".

[Cornflake_Girl8]

Okay, I understand now. Thanks. :)

I'm sorry, I've forgotten already -- did you describe yourself as a pagan or a Wiccan, or both?
Pagan since I believe in a certain pantheon of deities, whereas Wiccans worship the Moon Goddess and the Horned God.

[Cornflake_Girl8]

Familiars, as I've researched them are usually referred to in Wicca. They're like spiritual consultants, and can be companions. They're also sometimes referred to as "guides".
Yeah....Native American lore has them penned as spirit guides or totem guides (hence totem poles).

[Village Idiot]

Familiars, as I've researched them are usually referred to in Wicca. They're like spiritual consultants, and can be companions. They're also sometimes referred to as "guides".thanks for not talking in circles, you da man.

[Cornflake_Girl8]

thanks for not talking in circles, you da man.
Awww.....I was trying to learn ya'........you were supposed to read a dozen books on the subject first. =D

[hasbeen99]

Pagan since I believe in a certain pantheon of deities, whereas Wiccans worship the Moon Goddess and the Horned God.
Gotcha. :)

Articulatekitten is a self-described pagan, too.

[Village Idiot]

Awww.....I was trying to learn ya'........you were supposed to read a dozen books on the subject first. =Dsame here, but there is only one book for me.....friends?