Okay guys,

Here is my thing. I have dealt with alot of my abuse. Abuse by the hands of guys who were suppossed to be men of God. I have lost my faith.

I cried out for God to help me over and over. If he truely sees everything and cares for everyone...then why did he let it happen?

Don't forget what Judas did. So why should some clergy be any different? Humans make choices and will be held accountable.

Faith in what? People, the institutions? Faith should indicate you believe in a Diety, but you are free to choose any institution that appeals to you. As stated before, you will find God in the goodness in others. Watch, then decide.

froggy

My faith that is lost is in a higher power that watches over us and protects us. How could he let this crap happen?

we spend so much time talking about and giving praise to a fairy tale,why? why is god so damn important if he cant or wont do anything ? whats has god done for you lately? and if the answer is surviving i bet lots of guys will debate if thats a good thing or not. as we grow up we leave the fairy tales behind right,are there any wars fought over the tooth fairy,or santa claus?

LOL...right on SK. I can not blindly beleive in something that was suppossed to be my "savior" where was he when I needed saving?

who told you he was supposed to save you in the first place? i thought everyone had free will and he wasn't going to intervene anyways.

Who said it is "He?" A bunch of wandering goat herders in the desert said that waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when. Just another mirage...or sipping on fermented date juice? 'tis a puzzlement.

froggy

i dont understand why people turn to god... first of all science has pretty well proven most of the bible wrong but second why do we spend our time looking for the good in somthing that we cant see touch or feel why do we search for god's love when realy if people cared a little bit more for the people around them we would be much better off.

Brian,

I feel with your dilemma. I was abused by a Scout leader, but he was also a deacon in our church and presented himself to me as a bigshot and very powerful man - all to get what he wanted of course. The way he used religion as one of his tools to manipulate and devastate me slowly wrecked me spiritually, and I cannot say with any confidence that this is an area of recovery in which I will succeed.

I don't think there are any easy answers to your question but I can recommend a book that helped me a lot: When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner. the author is a rabbi who lost his son at age 14 to a slow wasting disease. The book isn't a specifically Jewish view, and you can read it without getting bogged down in the theology. It was helpful to me because I felt I was in the company of someone else who was struggling with a similar question.

Have you considered attending a Weekend of Recovery dedicated to clergy abuse? This might be a decisive experience for you, and certainly it would be helpful to interact with other guys with similar issues.

Much love,
Larry

Larry,

I honestly have a problem, like Theatrekid, with blindly beleiving in something. I am very analytical...I work in computers...and I simply have a problem swallowing the whole thing like my entire family does.

Besides the obvious effect of being abused by clergy. I just wanna know where this suppossed God was??

Brian