Poll How Has Your Belief In A Higher Power Changed After Your Trauma?

[Britt.f7]

Hard to say. My trauma occurred at a very young age. I know I had a religious upbringing, and there are times my faith has wavered but I can not say it was because of the trauma.

 

[quic]

For many years after the trauma I gave up on any idea of there being a God. I was raised Christian but I was not acting as one for about 20 years.

When I started healing my PTSD I returned to a life of faith and belief in God. For me, God has played a big part in my recovery. However, I struggle to be a member of a church or follower of a particular minister or pastor. There have been too many religious leaders prove to us they are merely human, many have caused traumas like we have suffered. I think it is possible to have faith and a relationship with God and at the same time not subscribe to a particular religion.

I admire those who have stronger faith than I do, it gives them a strength I often lack.

 

[Zef]

Belief in a higher power was a fundamental part of the system that encouraged and protected my traumatizers. Belief in a higher power is what allowed the abusers to harm dozens more people. If belief in a higher power hadn't protected them, they would have been stopped long before they got to me and the other dozens.

I understand that lots of people find great comfort and peace with their faith/belief. I truly am happy for them. But that same faith/belief is easily used as an excuse for letting monsters roam, for ignoring the damage the faithful cause others, for moral blindness and supporting tyranny.

So. . .yeah. . .my belief in a higher power definitely changed. . .true believers, of any type, scare the hell out of me and make me fear for the world my kids will have to live in.

 

[Padfoot]

It's still the same. My faith in humanity has taken a beating.

 

[zaniara]

But that same faith/belief is easily used as an excuse for letting monsters roam, for ignoring the damage the faithful cause others, for moral blindness and supporting tyranny.

So. . .yeah. . .my belief in a higher power definitely changed. . .true believers, of any type, scare the hell out of me and make me fear for the world my kids will have to live in.

So sorry you went through all that, and that the religion and the group protected the abusers. But none, but one , of my abusers were religious or believers. (and some of them worked as a group- and protected each-others). I'm not religious and I fear all sects- but some groups are as dangerous as religious sects, despite being non-religious groups. I fear all kind of 'closed' and dangerous cultures. (and they can exist with or without the religious beliefs and be a small or very big groups)

I also know so many good religious people, so I can't blame the act of believing in a 'higher power' for the evilness done in the name of God.

 

[Zef]

Thanks, Zaniara.

Rationally, I agree with everything you posted. Emotionally. . .well, still got some issues to work out. :) One point I would like to explain further. . .'true belief' can take many forms, not just religious. I am equally as frightened of Social Darwinists who use their belief in psuedo-science to excuse horrific behavior. Scientific dogma is no worse or no better than religious dogma.

Your point about 'closed' cultures I think is a great way to describe these things. . .and I'm going to 'openly' steal that phrase and use it in the future. :)

 

[zaniara]

.and I'm going to 'openly' steal that phrase and use it in the future. :)

Go ahead! :) (I think it's a concept in Sweden, not sure.. I can get lost in translation sometimes! :D )

 

[zaniara]

I can't answer this question, since my first trauma must have happened even before I learned to stand up, much less speak or think about concepts like "God"/"Higher power" and such.

 

[Stanley Shi-Yume]

For me spirituality is a simple feeling, driven by the sensation that there is no me. I am those that came before.

This I believe is the final resolution to a path I walked from born/raised under a somewhat oppressive theistic system that essentially minimized me into a creature with zero inherent value, whose value was to be derived from some ultimate authority point. Russell Brand recently illustrated reasoning for this kind of spirituality when he interviewed WBC on his show.

Well, I do derive my value now from an ultimate origin point, but the difference is, that origin is an entire collective of the human species, deeply imperfect, that has led to my existence. Not one ultimate entity

 

[Deleted member 10686]

I used to be an atheist. Now I have spirituality in my life which helps me handle my PTSD symptoms as well

 

[NukaGirl]

For a long time after my trauma, I wanted to know why my Gods abandoned me that night. I was lost, I felt alone, I felt let down. I still don't know why, when I called out to my Gods to save me, to help me find the strength to fight back, they didn't. I don't blame them for what happened to me. I don't think any of them saw it coming. I know they tried to warn me, and I ignored the warning signs. But I don't think they were scorning me for not listening.

So, I do still believe, even if for a while after the trauma my connection with my Gods was severed.

 

[Deleted member 22607]

For most of my childhood and teenage years, I adhered to some sort of Paganism but didn't really define myself as religious or even spiritual. The Gods were there, that was all. To me, it was just a fact. In November 2011, I started to be more active in my faith and decided to study for a whole 13 months before dedicating myself to my Gods. It was during those 13 months that both traumatic events happened. Having something to believe in, some spiritual support, was extremely beneficial for me during that time. In fact, my faith got stronger. I started to pray every evening, to celebrate the festivals and to honour the Gods in all I did. Being thankful, and knowing that I'm not alone on this journey, has helped me so much. I'm so grateful that I have this spiritual connection. I don't know where I'd be without it.