Cognitive Dissonance--What Would You Do?

[Tarquin]

What if there is no God, what am I even doing?

Anyway, my question is if you were having such a problem, what would YOU do? Not necessarily what should I do, but what would you do?

My idea of cognitive dissonance is a little different, but not incompatible with yours, Edarlitrix. The cognitive dissonance I and many of my friends experienced was to hold mutually contradictory beliefs. That is very common.

To answer frankly and pragmatically - and by the way, I have been and may not be completely out of, the situation you are in - is: Trust.

Yes. Whatever exists “out there,” whatever “caused” the universe to exist, whatever keeps the universe from imploding, exploding, running down, and going totally wacko unpredictable no earth under my feet wacko, has something. Things exist the way they do for a reason. I may not ever figure that reason completely out while I am in a physical body. By the way, my body has changed so much over the years, yet my identity is the exact same, so I figure my Identity is not equal to my body; it is something other than, more permanent than, more stable than, my body, and unlike my body, my Identity is indivisible - emotions, thoughts, memories, past experiences, all rolled up into one indissoluble “Me”.

From that - this is me, you might have a different way to deal with it - I figure, well if it was important to know the Big Answers in this life, they would be here and they would be obvious. So maybe they aren’t so important. “It rains on the just and on the unjust.” Maybe this life has a purpose, a necessary purpose, but i just can’t understand what it is. And if that is the case, and if we’re supposed to be here and live this life, then somehow, afterwards, it’ll have to be explained. Or not. Maybe in the next life, it won’t be much more important than it is here. Maybe the Originator of the Universe simply wants us to live, appreciate one another, and learn to love nature. And in the next part of our eternal lives, we’ll be able to do that perfectly, based on our experiences here in this part of our eternal lives.

I realize my answer isn’t 100% Catholic, but your questions sounded like it needed a little bit of a non-Catholic idea, too. By the way, the “search for God” or “search for Truth” - that’s just a thing people say. Some searches never end. How can we possibly know all truth! We can’t. So don’t expect a full, miraculous, convincing answer after a couple of days, weeks, or years. If God is as great as the Creator of the Universe would have to be, then even though we can eternally “approach” Him, it is unlikely that we could ever completely get our arms around him.

 

[edarlitrix]

Let me just say peeps (short for people), that you’ve all been amazingly helpful.

I would be more specific on my issues with Christianity, but I think that belongs more in the philosophy section, so I will post a follow-up thread there for anyone interested.

Thanks for praying jmjconder; I intend to practice your three disciplines.

In reply to ProdglArchitect, I’m not a biblical literalist. Thanks to you and sealoch for engaging in a discussion that ended on a charitable note.

 

[Roscoe_Turner]

Anyway, my question is if you were having such a problem, what would YOU do? Not necessarily what should I do, but what would you do?

Lighten up. Have faith that your journey is valid for you whatever twists and turns it takes. Life is a gift you don’t have to understand it to enjoy it. Be patient. Be kind. Be thankful.

 

[Deana83]

I have tried to search for truth AND be Christian at the same time, but praying/reading the Bible begin to feel like wasted efforts… What if there is no God, what am I even doing?
Anyway, my question is if you were having such a problem, what would YOU do? Not necessarily what should I do, but what would you do?

Have you ever read any C.S. Lewis? " Mere Christianity" is especially good for someone who’s questioning their beliefs. What would I do if I were having doubts? That’s easy, I’d stop going to church. I’d stop praying. I’d stop reading the Bible or any other Christian literature. I would probably explore other religions, spiritual beliefs, philosophies, etc., and hopefully something would prop me up enough that I could deal with life’s challenges. I’ve spent most of my life searching and Catholicism seems to be a nice fit for me. It appeals to me intellectually as well as spiritually, which was something I never would have expected. I thought I was just learning the rudiments of the faith because I agreed to raise our daughter Catholic, I didn’t plan to become one. I realize being a convert that I have a whole different perspective than someone who was raised in the faith and or forced to go to church when they were a child. I would probably be rebelling against it all as well. My son is in college and there is no way right now I can convince him there is a God. I’ll pray for him but I’m not going to argue with him about it. I believe God wants us to be authentic, if you’re not feeling it-go do your own thing, that’s why we have free will. Maybe someday if your other ideologies aren’t working for you and you’re battered and bruised by circumstance you’ll be desperate enough to kneel at the foot of his Cross. At least that’s how it happened for me. I was spiritually bankrupt enough to know that my way wasn’t working, I didn’t understand everything about God but I believed there had to be one and I wasn’t it.

 

[edarlitrix]

Deana, thanks for your post. I do have Mere Christianity and I’d like to read it someday. I have to disagree with your statement that “I believe God wants us to be authentic, if you’re not feeling it-go do your own thing, that’s why we have free will.” Based on Mother Teresa’s experience, just because you don’t “feel it” doesn’t mean you may walk away.

In a letter estimated to be from 1961, Teresa wrote: “Darkness is such that I really do not see—neither with my mind nor with my reason—the place of God in my soul is blank—There is no God in me—when the pain of longing is so great—I just long & long for God. … The torture and pain I can’t explain.”
christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/augustweb-only/135-43.0.html