Overcoming thoughts of Satan and Hell

[mandyky]

I was raised Protestant, mostly Methodist (not like GWB), Presbytarian, and Lutheran for Sunday school, vacation Bible school and such since kindergarten. But when I turned 15 or so I started attended a Bible Baptist church, and was introduced to the fire and brimstone of Satan and Hell. I was only in the BB for about 2 years max, but when I began studying mysticism, mediatation and out of body experiences I had to overcome the indoctrination on Satan and Hell.

It took a few years, of really considering whether a love God or Higher Power would doom anyone to Hell or allow Satan to harm us in other ways, especially when we were doing things trying to get closer to God.

Has anyone else had to deprogram themselves from supposedly "Christain" beliefs in order to fully explore a personal daily relationship with God or a Higher Power?

A Course in Miracles really helped me to put away fear, guilt and shame based belief systems, but so have books by John Bradshaw (the inner child guy), 12 step programs, and therapy.

I feel freer now than I ever have when it comes to Spirituality, where are you all on your search?

[wildflower]

1. This is a tough one for me

because I had felt that I, and all of us as a culture, were moving away from the punishing God idea toward a more open accepting idea of faith.

But it seems the fire and brimstone is making a return, and it's got me very nervous. It's made me start to question whether the age of Aquarius, the idea of continual progression toward enlightenment, was a myth and that we've turned back around again. If that makes sense.

For myself, I still have a very open personal approach. But I don't know what's going to happen in the culture and the world.

wildflower

[Maat]

2. Yes, I was raised in the Presbyterian church ... my beloved paternal

grandmother took me there ... I abandoned it at age 15.

Then 30 years of believing in God, but not in organized religion came about.

At age 45, I discovered a universalist-oriented, affirmed church called Religous Science ( www.rsintl.org ); prior to that, I HAD battled over the years, deprogramming myself, and gradually rejected Satan and Hell as ideas completely.

Religious Science (as well as Unity and Divine Science), ironically, are considered to be 'mystical.'

The last couple of years, I definitely have been exploring spirituality. "A Course in Miracles" is really popular at my church (a healing faith); I have not had the pleasure of reading it yet.

I definitely advocate (with anyone who will listen) firmly rejecting guilt- and shame-based belief systems, and have, although there is a small part of me that will struggle with guilt for just a bit now and again throughout my life (I kind of do an automatic mental adjustment whenever it starts creeping back into Mind).

I regularly attend Church of Religious Science, but also participate in interfaith groups; I'm really into both my daughter and I having a universalist orientation, honoring all paths, so-to-speak. What we avoid honoring is bigotry and discrimination; I teach her that we avoid guilt, shame, dictating to someone who they can love or commit to, and engaging in behavior that denies someone a job or educational opportunity. I'm teaching Beloved Daughter to be affirming, not just 'tolerant;' but we don't have to be around hateful behaviors. That's the goal, anyway.

So, that's where this 47-year-old ma is on her spiritual journey.