Constantly Afraid Of Going To Hell...

[rocklobster]

And pray that this guy isn't your therapist.

[Hiryu]

okay... i clearly pushed a few people's buttons. i''ma sign out of this conversation

Don't take it personally. We weren't trying to flame you, we just showed you that your opinion wasn't necessarily true.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

People are correct here. By ethical standards set by groups like the APA, ACA, etc. (Psychology groups), it is unethical to bring up religion and force religion onto people. In fact, if you therapist is an atheist and you bring up God, they will very likely encourage you to follow your beliefs because they help people. Their job is to help you heal, NOT talk about religion or truths.

Ethically, no therapist should EVER force their beliefs on you.

it REALLY depends, some are taught that religion is a crutch, and so someone could think that topaz's "religion" is hurting her. and encourage her to get away from it.... i don't want to start a debate, i'm just saying that is one possible thing that could happen.

Psychology as a field of study and counseling practice are not exactly the same. While they're both about people in general, the latter focuses more on therapy. While it is true that some psychology (like Freud) teach that religion is a crutch, even psychology has grown a lot (remember that nowadays a lot of Freud's beliefs have been debunked). And not every atheist therapist is pure Freudian. In fact very few, if any, are.

You go to an atheist therapist, and your chances of them affirming your religious values is very likely. It's what they have to do because most of them apply humanist practices.

[TopazRaven]

And pray that this guy isn't your therapist.

I love this commercial ever so much. <3 <3 <3

[Nate]

Ethically, no therapist should EVER force their beliefs on you.

This. And before anyone says "Well I had a friend that went to a therapist and they said religion was dumb and to give it up," no one here is saying no therapist ever does that. We're just saying the ones who do are BAD THERAPISTS and should not be taken to be indicative of the entire community. I hope I don't have to go into my "judging an entire group because of the actions of a select few" rant again.

[Lynna]

Ethically, no therapist should EVER force their beliefs on you.

Very right, and I should know, because my Dad is a therapist(and a christian)

[armeck]

Don't take it personally. We weren't trying to flame you, we just showed you that your opinion wasn't necessarily true.

yeah, but that would mean one person should correct me, but they are STILL going on and on about it.

[That Dude]

I would back up Armeck, you need to be careful with who you choose. Honestly even though many are good, you just need to be really careful with who you choose because though most won't tell you christianity is wrong, many are trained according to worldviews that undermind the basic christian teachings. So if you're thinking about it, choose carefully.

(Nate, Ryan, I know you guys are going to have a lot of objections and I'm pretty sure I know what you'll say, so if you have an issue with what I just said, lets keep this thread from being locked and take it up on PM.)

[Nate]

many are trained according to worldviews that undermind the basic christian teachings.

(Nate, Ryan, I know you guys are going to have a lot of objections and I'm pretty sure I know what you'll say, so if you have an issue with what I just said, lets keep this thread from being locked and take it up on PM.)

Yes, of course I will have objections to people saying things that are completely and absolutely false and made-up. That's all I will say, is that you're wrong. I don't see much else to discuss on that matter.

[armeck]

I would back up Armeck, you need to be careful with who you choose. Honestly even though many are good, you just need to be really careful with who you choose because though most won't tell you christianity is wrong, many are trained according to worldviews that undermind the basic christian teachings. So if you're thinking about it, choose carefully.

(Nate, Ryan, I know you guys are going to have a lot of objections and I'm pretty sure I know what you'll say, so if you have an issue with what I just said, lets keep this thread from being locked and take it up on PM.)

thank you!

[TopazRaven]

Yes, of course I will have objections to people saying things that are completely and absolutely false and made-up. That's all I will say, is that you're wrong. I don't see much else to discuss on that matter.

Now now, behave. He may not be entirly wrong after all and everyone's opinion is important in it's own way. Any other way I promise to be careful. xD

[Nate]

Oh I'm not accusing him of lying or anything. I didn't mean it that way! I'm sure he's repeating lies that were told to him by people he knew and trusted. And even that doesn't make those people liars, because they were probably told it by people they knew and trust too.

He's not purposely trying to mislead anyone. He's genuinely looking out for you, and that's good! He's not a liar, because he probably didn't know it was a lie. But it IS completely and absolutely false and made-up. I did want to stress that. I suppose saying "you're wrong" is a bit harsh and uncalled for (though it is true as well), but I could have phrased it better. I need to learn to stop jumping on people for things that aren't even necessarily their fault, I admit. :\

[Midori]

You know what, some therapists really are not good therapists. I don't know how many are anti-Christian (I'm sure you can find at least one; there's all kinds of people) but if, for instance, you meet a therapist and all they want to talk about is your hygeine...well, try finding someone else.

I speak from first-hand, personal experience here. Not all psychologists, even of those who are honestly trying their best, get everything right. Psychology, even though it has matured a little, is still a relatively young field. It has a lot of people who think "I have an idea so it must be right" and insist on advancing theories with shaky foundations as being "how the mind works". We just don't know all that much about ourselves. Ultimately religion should have more importance to us than any theories we like to entertain.

(EDIT: It is improper of me to post my opinion and then call the discussion off. It has been removed. Though if you do have a PM discussion, feel free to include me in it.)

I suppose I'm pushing this post to the very edge of ontopicness. That means it's time for my moderator speech. :| It seems there has been a disagreement that probably can't be reconciled well in a public forum, so if you would either take it to PMs or agree to disagree, I think it'd be a good idea. TopazRaven: Do you want to say anything more in this thread, or should we just close it for sanity's sake?

[Sammy Boy]

In all honesty this is why I got back into Christianity. I was reading stuff on a religious website and it scared the snickerdoodles out of me. I feel this is really selfish! I shouldn't be following Christ because I'm afraid!

Sometimes God uses certain things in our lives to get us back on track, before transforming us.

I wanted to become a Christian because I wanted to live forever. I hated the thought of having to die someday. So I didn't seek out the gospel because I wanted to be a righteous person before God, but because I felt that being alive, no matter how boring life may be, was infinitely better than being dead.

I'll openly admit I am a coward. I don't think I could ever give up my life for someone else. I really wish I could be a more open and courageous person, but I'm not. I disagree with certain things in the bible at times. I have a very crude sense of humor. I'm a bit of a pervert. I am so very terribly flawed. I don't even really do anything but sit around my house and do chores. I don't have a job at the moment and I don't go to school. I feel like I'm a waste of a life and I don't deserve to go to heaven.

Nobody deserves going to heaven, and in our honest moments, we'll admit that we all have some pretty deep-seated flaws. The wonder is that God is willing to shape and re-make us into something better.

[Rusty Claymore]

should we just close it for sanity's sake?

Aww, and I was just gonna post about forcing therapists on religeon. XD

[TopazRaven]

You can close the thread if you like Midori. My original concerns have been addressed and discussed sufficiently.

[goldenspines]

You can close the thread if you like Midori. My original concerns have been addressed and discussed sufficiently.

I'm glad to hear that. And if you do happen to have any further questions on the topic(s) that have been discussed in this thread, I'm fairly sure you can PM any of the people who posted their thoughts here about it. ^_^

With that, I'll lock this thread up.