Religous Anxiety

[Tyler]

Hey everybody, I just wanted to see if some of you have thought about this or had experiences or input on the topic.

I'm a 21 year old college student and have only recently begun experiencing generalized anxiety and panic over the last few months. Currently, I'm having horrible thoughts concerning religion.

I grew up to parents whom one was for the most part agnostic and the other an open-minded who considers herself spiritual. Now, I grew up in the bible belt of north carolina in the midst of a baptist crowd and with parents as such. Growing up I have always considered myself a non-denominational christian who believes in the message of the bible, god, and the ideas of Jesus. Though, I have a hard time accepting each story in the bible as literal... more allegorical towards the cause of god. I have always felt that if someone is a good person and accepting of ideals to make themselves good people, follow their good intuition, and do the best they can in their environments all over the world then god will be accepting of them just as I do.

However, now that I have been having anxiety and panic attacks, my mind takes the worst possible scenario. Thus, I have been having crazy panic attacks as of recent that there is a chance that because my amazing little sisters, brother, close friends, and other family who are AMAZING people are not 'by-the-book' strict christians as are many of the people in my area that they will go to hell. Now, I know in my head that this is what I DONT believe and I DONT want it to happen... I simply feel a huge loss of control and I feel I can only see the worst possible scenario.

It also puts me in hypothetical situations as such:

Lets say I wanted to accept every literal translation in the bible as told by people from around here then that would theoretically be good for me as I would go to heaven, but then I would have to accept that people I love will go to hell.

AND

If I accept literal translations and be subject to my anxiety, then people all over the world who simply have been brought up other religions or have had no access to christianity are all in a sense screwed to go to hell.

Do you see this paradox?

I see it, and I have feelings that this is now how it is to me... but under generalized anxiety disorder I have such a hard time thinking good scenarios for it! I feel if I do I'm only tricking myself to think so, when in reality there is no hope for these people or even myself and that is in a sense a threat to my mind and well being and triggering constant panic.

Has anybody else had similar experience?

[Tyler]

On the welcome page I have a thread on how I came into having GAD in case anybody finds that helpful in understanding whats going on... I just can't post links yet because I only have 2 posts.

[sadinsa]

Have you been reading your Bible and asking God to direct you? If you earnestly seek Him and ask Him to show you the truth, He will. Remember He loves you more than you could ever imagine. I know it is easier said than done but it is a start. I think if you are actively doing something to help yourself it is better than just playing these scenarios in your head that you can't control. I hope this helps. I will be praying for you.

[quest4peace]

Tyler-

I have often wondered if my religious views are at the root of my anxiety, but it is the anxiety itself that creates these thoughts. The anxiety will always find a way into your mind, despite what religion you choose to follow. The Christian religion does a great job of capturing this anxiety by instilling an overpowering sense of guilt and fear in its followers, in an attempt to maintain a sense of public order, according to the ideals of certain dictators from our past. I think my opinion over religion differs from yours, as I would consider myself an open-minded spiritual person.. so I will tell you my beliefs and what I have struggled with in those beliefs given my GAD, and although you may not agree maybe it will somehow help. I was raised by a mother who very strictly follows the Roman Catholic religion. From an early age I questioned this religion and it's preachings have never coincided with my own experiences and opinions in the real world. It was only a few years ago that I verbally began denouncing Catholicism and proclaiming myself an atheist.. although I wouldn't say this is accurate. I believe in something similar to what Jessed03 described.. there is a force or energy in the universe that is in all things. I believe that it's important to be compassionate towards all living things on our planet, and I can't really explain why I think this is important, but it's certainly not from a fear of going to hell. It's kind of a Karma thing. We are all united and when you put good energy out into the world I believe it will come back to you.

Anyway when I was pushed into the catholic religion when I was young I worried all the time about going to hell and family members going to hell. Eventually I grew out of this. MY opinion: lets be honest, if the bible were literal every single person on this planet would go to hell. NOW my anxiety comes from the idea that I don't KNOW what happens after we die. It sure would be nice if I could believe there is a place in the sky where we all go and reunite and there is no sin/suffering for all eternity, but I just can't bring myself to believe this. So now I have anxiety about the unknown, about the possibility that this is all the time we have doing the things we love with the people we care about most. Which should be all the more reason to try to live life to the fullest and not waste time worrying and obsessing about silly things we can't control. We are living in the here and now. We all die.. 99% of the human beings that have walked this Earth are buried in the ground. I strongly believe that all human anxiety revolves around the fact that we know we will one day die, and wether we believe in a certain religion or not, no one knows FOR SURE what happens when that day comes. Many humans lived and died before Christianity was created, along with thousands of other religons/supersitions. Who's to say what's right or wrong. Focus on living your life for today, on loving your family with all your heart now and aknowledging that each day is a gift and not a guarantee.

[Sunny Days]

Interesting topic. I agree with quest4peace in that the anxiety revolves around death. I know for a fact that it's the main underlying cause of my anxiety. I was raised Catholic and I am religious. I know I need to gain more faith. It's hard not to question what happens after we die but I find it comforting to think that we will be going to heaven.

[she_dont_sleep]

Christianity can cause religious anxiety. A good help for this is to realize that there is no good evidence for any supernatural belief. Study arguments for and against belief in a god. Maybe you will decide that there is no such thing as God after all.

I won't press the argument further than that, simply because it is controversial. I just think that if your religion is causing you anxiety, it might be worthwhile to do some research and decide whether you think there is a good reason to believe in any of it at all. If you decide you want to believe in it, okay- you're good. If you decide you don't believe in it, then you won't worry about hell any more.

Just a thought.

[shanrocks8]

Did something happen to you when you were a small child that triggers a post traumatic stress syndrome? Or have you ever been diagnosed with Bi-Polar? It is hard to know why your behavior is like this, many things trigger us in many different ways. You are not alone in what you are going through, most people don't want to admit it. I've had similar episodes throughout my life too. Who knows why they happen but they do. You get through them and move on and become stronger. I am almost 59 so I am a little more experienced than you. Keep strong and take charge of your life.