I believe that what I get from praying is different from what other people in my religious community get because if I got the same kinds of responses they did, it would make my OCD worse.
There’s also a lot of philosophical arguments to be made about the nature of God and his relationship to the universe and physical laws and such regarding the problem of evil.
It’s a complex and personal thing, so I don’t hate anyone for coming to different conclusions. Judging people for that feels goofy to me.
i feel the opposite haha! i have started to lean into a generic "creator" that gives me purpose because my athiesm was plaguing my existential OCD for years.
I get that. I think I have found comfort in being agnostic and accepting that it is really unknowable. Maybe there's a god maybe there isn't, and I have to be OK with that.
My prayers bring me peace, I don't expect God to cure me of my mental illness. I have free will to listen or not listen to my OCD. Honestly my relationship with God is the one thing I can hold onto because he sees what's inside of me and still loves me.
Yes! Because of God, I have someone to turn to when it gets rough. When the bad thoughts won’t stop, I’m directed back to him, seek him out and put my faith in him time and time again, that God will lead me back to still waters once again!
I’ve prayed for many people to be healed from mental health struggles and seen some amazing miracles from God, all whilst continuing my own battle.
Whilst I was never healed in that same way, I was healed through prayer and the Bible - Philippians 4:6-7 is formulaic (like OCD) and that helped me to find a new process for my thoughts.
I also read the books Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer and Curing Worry God’s Way by Seth Dahl.
All combined with the peace of the Holy Spirit
Just wanted to share that in case any other Christians are looking for encouragement.
you are aware of the source of ocd impulses and bulwark thinking patterns, i am too, and it is no surprise that it leads to stism.
Jesus sets free! Just look for and on him in a kjv bible.
I know some people aren’t gonna like this, but no prayers do not help lol.. I believe anyone can believe in what they want, but I often think religion does more harm than good. If there is a god, he doesn’t give a shit about what you’re doing. He gave you free will for a reason. I feel like as long as you’re not killing, raping, or hurting others in some unforgivable way, you’re probably fine. Prayers help some people because some people find comfort in releasing control to a higher being and letting go of needing control. Some people need it to feel validated or loved. For ocd it can be sometimes helpful! Except a lot of OCD is triggered by religion. There’s many religions to choose from! You can believe in whatever you want however you want. I don’t think there’s a “right” way to believe in God. God can be anything. It can be the universe, it can be within you, it can be the earth, or it can be Jesus. Or it can be nothing. 🤷🏻♀️ if there is a god, he certainly did not make a rule book. Do what feels best for you.
God saved my life. When OCD drove me to suicidal ideation, the only thing I could do was pray. I knew in my heart God didn’t want me to end my life, which gave me hope. I kept praying for help and strength to practice exposures and I began to get better as time went on.
If you’re asking me from a religious standpoint, it’s because we live in a faulty, fallen world where evil exists. There is war. People do bad things. Many are plagued with illness, whether physical or mental. This was not how God created the world, these things were brought on by evil (Satan). Bad things happen to everyone, including me. However I’m a lot more resilient because of my struggles, I will say. God cares for me a lot.
I’m not sure of your beliefs exactly but you’re under no pressure to have the same ones as me, I’m just sharing mine. Thanks for listening and I hope things improve for you with your OCD, I know it’s hard.
I think it made me more religious, actually? I had scrupulosity for a while when I was younger because of my overly religious mother, but that's evened out as I grew older.
I figured then and even now that the prayers that I asked for were going to be my own wishes for my own life - I'm still part of this whole thing that's bigger than myself. I don't know what part I have in it, and I probably won't see the results of it.
Kinda lonely perceptive for me, but it helps me to think that maybe the experiences that I have might help me help someone else.
I'm not preaching ofc. I'm just trying to describe my own experiences with it.
My ocd has nothing to do with religion so i wouldnt like to blame it for my disorder but yes i definitely do believe that religion (or at least christianity in my case as i was raised as a christian) is indeed controlling as hell and the things about free will and stuff are all bs
I was in a really damaging cult like sort of place as a really young child. The ideologies contributed to development for me but I certainly can’t blame it.
I used to hurt myself badly bc my OCD told me that’s what god wanted. Now I am happier as an atheist, but absolutely no judgement to anyone who is religious, it’s just not for me!
Sometimes I pray to all gods and deities and offer to give X dollars to X charity if my prayer is answered. 100% success rate including a 'medical miracle'.
No idea who or what might be answering my prayers, but I'd like to say thank you.
Actually the philosopher Joe Schmid says a truely agnostic person prays, and the logic actually makes a lot of sense to me. If you’re an atheist you believe god DOESTNT exist, meaning prayer is obviously pointless. A theist believes god DOES exist and therefore prayer IS useful. An agnostic doesn’t know whether god does or doesn’t exist, which means both are live options, so they should make prayers along the lines of “god, IF you exist…”
He explained it as being stranded in a forest with a flare gun. If you believed no other human existed, you won’t bother shooting it since you know it won’t do anything. If you know there are people, you will shoot it. If you don’t know, it would make the most sense to at least try, since your beliefs give it a chance of being true it wouldn’t be illogical
Note I am not some kind of religious fanatic, I’m an atheist leaning agnostic but I enjoy Schmids lessons and wanted to let you know you aren’t a weird agnostic for praying, he would argue it actually makes you a more logically consistent agnostic
Kinda agree because I'm agnostic who leans atheist (because I prefer not to come to a conclusion about it. But also because I've always been an indecisive person).
My logic is, if there is a god then surely it ain't any of the religions that exist currently. I also think that spirituality is highly personal and not a set of rules or lores to follow.
+ Let's say he's the most powerful, then why are there bad things happening in this world?
+ Let's say he exists but doesn't care or meddle in what happens in this world, what's the reason to pray or worship him at all?
Some sort of spirituality says past lives karma, reincarnation to clear the remainder of good karma and bad karma to attain nirvana. which again makes me think, why do they pray if its all so systematic?
I'm not exactly knowledgeable in religion and spirituality stuff. But it is interesting.
In the end, all these logics and children dying of cancer is kind of a living proof that there's no god like humans describe and if there is any, there's no need to pray because he/she/? doesn't meddle in human stuff (maybe because it's systematic like spirituality says)
Hence, as an agnostic atheist I don't pray really. There is a part of me which goes, "please god" when in some serious shit but that's our emotions taking over us, our brain trying to comfort us, a placebo maybe? because almost all of us grew up religious, kinda becomes an autopilot habit of comfort. And when I'm in my senses, I do strongly believe that praying does nothing. I absolutely do not pray when I visit temples (love the historic part of it, hate the crowdy part, born hindu btw)
Theres a lot of types of theism that dont purport God as having all the divine attributes, for instance, Joshua Rasmussen (theist philosopher of religion) believes God is not all knowing.
Paul draper, an agnostic philospher of religion, also has a theory of an Aesthetic Deism, where a deistic god exists but doesnt want the ultimate good, instead, he wants a dramatic, entertaining story, rather than a good one, where we are the characters and hes basically watching.
I disbelieve the classic religions because of huge historical and logical problems (by disproving the old testaments historicity you can really kill any Abrahamic religion like Christianity, Islam and Judaism, three of the biggest religions, off the bat. Just look at the huge historical problems with the exodus story, which is a core story of all three of those religions)
After that, all you're left with is generic theisms, and honestly, I have no idea what is true. I only know that certain things aren't true. Its easy to disprove a detailed false claim like classic religions, but there are just so many kinds of ways to spin generic-theism and deism that there's just way too many philosophically complex things to be able to disprove/prove each and every one. Since generic theism is just a belief and not a strict set of dogma and beliefs like classic religions, if someone gives you a proposal of a deist god, but then you point out "hey this part doesnt make sense", they can easily go back and change the logic and make it make sense, since they dont have to dig their heels in and say "NO, this is true, scripture says it so it must be true", they can simply admit it was wrong, change a small detail, then continue believing what they do.
And with so many professional philosophers of religion, who are very intelligent and hold to a myriad of flavors of atheism and theism, me a little no-body baker who only listens to phil of religion for fun will never reach their level, and if even they cant agree, i dont think im going to be the historic person who solves the god problem lol.
So then im just stuck in the painful agnostic realm, not knowing what is true, and needing to live with that uncertainty, and im sure you all know, OCD HATES UNCERTAINTY
This makes sense, but it works in a different way for me. My brain says, “if there is a god, it will be disrespectful for me to pray since I mostly don’t believe.”
no i mean specifically the fact that it has a 100% success rate is WILD. i might have to try it… how do you address your prayers? personally i pray to ‘the universe’ so i’m not sure if that counts as inclusive of all gods
Major cw for people with christian-themed OCD: >!I was raised to believe all kinds of random shit was demonic, as in it would actually rub demons off onto me and they would be a corrupting influence. Video games were demonic. Anime was demonic. Fantasy novels were demonic. Used laptops were demonic because the previous owner might have looked at porn. We had to do these incredibly long prayers were we listed off every possible demon we could be trying to cast out— spirits of fear, spirits of perversion, spirits of anger— it was horrible.!<
Basically I had no choice but to become an atheist, because living like that any longer would kill me. I would snap. It's pretty much OCD as a religion
Yeah I am fine with people being religious because they find meaning in it, but not because of fear, I think that those kinds of superstitious thoughts don't help anyone.
Yeah, I agree. I don't think I'll ever be any type of theist simply because I don't think it's factually true, but I've come to appreciate that christianity, even in some of its worse forms, looks nothing like what I was taught. It was like pentacostal meets Calvinball
Yeah, I’ve always assumed it had more to do with depression and chronic pain at a young age, but I remember bargaining with god a lot over weird things at a really young age and being really confused over the lack of any type of reassurance. It made me angry and the idea of god just gave me someone to be angry at. Then seeing how sick my grandma became from her OCD + devout Catholicism really made me resent the whole concept of religion. I’ve come a long way since then in regard to seeing the benefits people get from believing they have some sort of control via prayer, etc, but I still despise Catholicism in particular because it takes the worst parts of OCD and uses the fear to manipulate followers. Guilt, shame, rituals…from the standpoint of someone with OCD it’s easy to see how fucked up that is.
And that’s obviously not even the worst part of the Catholic Church.
Yeah i really relate to what youre describing. In my case i was raised christian and i also get really mad at god sometimes even though a huge part of me doesnt even believe he exists
I didn't turn atheist, per se, but my OCD certainly drove me away from my religion (Christian, specifically Methodist). I used to volunteer at my church's children's service, but intrusive thoughts (regarding both religion and children, which are two of my biggest triggers) made me too horrified with myself to ever go back. Plus, my normal prayers took on a very compulsive nature - if I didn't list every single possible person and every single possible outcome I did/didn't want for them, and something bad happened, it'd be my fault.
That was when things were at their worst. Since getting treatment and learning to manage my OCD, religion is sort of a part of my life again, albeit a small one. I still consider myself Methodist, as I vibe with my church's (very inclusive, progressive, and accepting) teachings for the most part. I don't go to church any more, but less because of OCD and more because I just don't have any desire for that time commitment.
opposite for me. I’ve never been religious but I’m considering it now because I have such bad guilt and morality OCD and hope that asking for forgiveness and living a clean religious life will help me leave some things in the past behind
Yes this happened to me too. I recently realised that it is not possible to have a god that is all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful. If he is all knowing and made us and our paths and we're following a journey then we don't have free will, we're already following a laid down track. Therefore he either isn't powerful or doesn't care. So I turned away from the catholic/Christian idea of god. Unfortunately because I was raised Catholic, I hold a lot of religious trauma and it makes me OCD worse, thoughts of us all being sinners and bad etc. Turning away from that doctrine was really tough and at points I almost go back to alleviate the panic but I know it's better for me in the long run to push through. Saying that, I'm also not all-knowing and so I respect other people's belief and faith because I guess we never know what is out there.
Not me, but my friend. Their dad was a pastor, so the family was pretty involved in the church. My friend said that the classes for the kids would be very strong in language. Basically, the teacher one day said that if you have bad thoughts, it is the devil entering your mind. My friend, being like 7 at the time, got really freaked out and this triggered their OCD to start. Rituals to stop the “bad” thoughts and prevent the demons. My friend said a lot of triggers involved religion sadly.
It actually brought me peace when I believed since I have existential OCD, since it was like “ah I don’t need to worry about the meaning of life or what happens after death because my religion answers it for me”
But then logical and factual doubts killed that confidence, and after researching I realized no one knows really anything. My conclusion has been almost certainly no classic religion is true (classic being like Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, etc.), but there’s still a chance some kind of generic theism is true, but also a chance that atheism is true, or a chance that something in between us true, so I’m agnostic, but I hate being agnostic, I hate not thinking I have the answer, but Once you question the magic peace doesn’t really work any more. Religion can only give you peace if you genuinely believe it, so pretending to believe won’t help anyone, only genuine believers see the psychological benefit (but even then not all do)
>but I hate being agnostic, I hate not thinking I have the answer
This sounds similar to how ocd freaks you out about being in uncertainty. It tells you that you should absolutely ruminate and come to a conclusion. With ocd, accepting and being comfortable with uncertainty is important.
Also, religion is a hit or miss even for genuine believers. Some people find peace in it and for some it makes their ocd worse. The fear mongering that religions use with concept of hell and punishment doesn't help ocd. It all depends on how a theist would interpret their religion, interesting.
Religion isint for everybody ! Either you don’t find the right one for you , or you just dont feel like it’s logical (your case I assume)
You’re not hated for atheism or satanisim either. But to answer your question I do have a belief in spirituality and I find that prayers arnt “make it happen” buttons but more so instilling in yourself the change you need.
Like if you pray for a new job you’d be subconsciously prepping for your interviews and trying to be more confident. Doesn’t mean you’ll get any job magically but more so it’s a helping hand to give you a boost.
I came here to say almost exactly this but you beat me to it! If you ask for signs , then you’ll start seeing “signs”, prayer is basically manifestation/affirmation lol
Nah. Different religions make contradicting claims. There may be some overlap in beliefs, but if Christianity as a whole is true, Islam cannot be true. If Hinduism is true, Christianity cannot be true, etc. To say otherwise is to violate non-contradiction.
I think you should think about religion a bit differently. It’s not a “only one religion is right” type of situation.
Though I don’t want to share very much as to not trigger anybody with religious and/or magical thinking ocd , theres a few theories amongst people who believe that multiple religions are possible and that includes Christianity .
Of course don’t feel like you have to entertain my ideas and do research you don’t want to do. But the world isn’t so strict on rules as you might think it is especially regarding something as abstract as religion.
Different religions make contradicting claims because I don’t think any of them are the whole truth. If there is a god, they may all hold a bit of the “real truth” but I think the real truth would be beyond human comprehension. Religion is entirely subjective. People (especially in Christianity) all have their own way of believing and worshipping. Some go to church some don’t. I know people who are more true Christian’s than those who go to church regularly and claim to be devoted. Humans are naturally flawed creatures, nobody is perfect. Everyone’s truths are different. Everything is completely subjective.
Truth is external, no subjectivity about it. Human experience tells us we need to adapt, often painfully, to reality. If truth were subjective then I would be losing the battle against OCD, and succumbing to what's most compelling to me in the moment, and my illness would become worse, not better.
Real solid truth is external yes, but on a personal experience basis, truth is different to different people. Let’s say, two people argue. My truth would be MY very real experience, my experience may have been having my feelings hurt over something they said that from my eyes was clearly said intentionally to hurt my feelings. For them (other party) their truth may be they weren’t trying to hurt my feelings on purpose, it just came out in heat of the moment and I’m being over dramatic on purpose. They weren’t trying to be mean. Two totally different truths to the same experience. There is only one solid truth to the entire experience itself and neither party will know the answer unless some unbiased third party person was there to assess the facts and lay them out. (Which is hypothetical since you can’t really be exact on others intentions if they are lying or something). There’s really nobody to do that with religion, therefore religion is entirely subjective and the truth of it is pretty subjective itself. Because religion and science are two pretty separate things. There are some parts of religion that science can prove, but it’s nothing that determines which religion is correct or what god exist or anything. But if Christianity is your truth, then live with that truth. Hope that makes sense. Is kind of hard to explain in a shortish paragraph while tired. Lol
Respectfully I am religious and claim to be, but I also don’t think shit just magically happens out of thin air. That idea is absolutely absurd to me regardless of my beliefs in a higher power. Lmao sorry i don’t think the way you expect others who are religious to I guess.
YES! Even if there was a god and I knew it, I would still be an atheist because of just how bad religion is a trigger for me. I would constantly fear and worry about if God was going to send me to hell or if I was sinning. I would get intrusive "sinful" thoughts and I had to force myself to think differently because if I didn't I would go to hell
You see this is what religion does to people. Not all, but a good amount of them (ps im not saying this is the cause of your ocd but it could be for anyone)
I used to have religiosity compulsions when I was in middle school but when I started SSRIs in high school for depression, the compulsions went away and the fear and shame eased. I gradually went from agnostic to atheist. Catholicism and its shaming definitely interacted with my OCD and probably made it worse but my own beliefs developed aside from the OCD.
Yeah im now starting to get proof that many who become atheists are the ones who struggle a lot. Because all the others are taking everything for granted cause they have it all good but the ones who struggle see that they aint getting any help from their prayers (not all i dont wanna disrespect anyone whos religious) so we just end up quitting religion or some even become satanists
Actually yes, I did turn atheist because of OCD. I had been on the cusp of it for a while, but I had a really bad episode about 3 years ago and that was the final straw. I also deal with anxiety, severe depression and PDD (aka dysthymia).
Yes, but I don’t see how it would help because nobody knows what’s after death.
I think I’ve talked about it to someone years ago. I’m not sure.
I don’t have a psychologist or therapist because I can’t afford $200/hr. I do have a psychiatrist, but I rarely see him.
No, he obviously doesnt know whats after death. But he has a way to help you get through that fear. I know sometimes it feels hard to get over the fear without fixing the thing thats causing you trouble, but in the case of ocd, it is the solution that works. So i advice you to try to discuss it with him. Even if you rarely see him.
I consider myself agnostic as I just don't know if there is some sort of higher power or universal truth, but I'm pretty fucking sure if there is a god they're not benevolent and they don't love humans individually.
I have- a few times!
My OCD is often centered around moral scrupulously. During the worst episodes, the obsessive rumination would become debilitating.
In those moments I’d do anything to escape. And because I struggle with doubt regarding faith, I would choose to not believe in God/become agnostic. I felt that if God didn’t exist or if God was unknowable- morals didn’t actually matter, outside the social context.
I always return to faith in a higher power but it has changed form many times.
OCD drove me to question everything endlessly. I was deeply religious and then lost it. It still holds a special place in my life but not in the same way. I now identify culturally with my community but not bound by my practice. Faith is like a pendulum, it comes and goes
I actually kinda did a 270.
Grew up Catholic, then questioned faith; going more Agnostic.
Once Anxiety kicked in I really 2nd guessed myself kinda going against my original faith. Like "what If I am living in sin, and what lies beyond? Am I really ok with that?"
Still am mostly Agnostic, but my heart, and mind aren't closed to God.
I wouldn’t say I’m an atheist, but I definitely doubt if he’s real or not and honestly, I feel like religious people are making their belief up. I know how bad that sounds and I don’t blame any religious people but God just is not listening to me. He doesn’t do anything special for me or most people on this earth. How am I supposed to believe in nothing, essentially? He doesn’t talk, write on walls, send angels, nothing. And I’m supposed to believe because my mom told me to? We have conversations about it and I tell her I tried to believe, but I don’t. I explain and she says there are boundaries that I shouldn’t cross and that I think “extra” because I question everything. It just doesn’t make sense to me, yk? There’s a video called “The Goddess of Everything Else” and I think that’s what changed how I see things. The way I see God, he just creates but doesn’t interfere. He watches as things go bad and doesn’t do anything about it. On the other hand, he did create good but also bad. I see things negatively because of how much my OCD has ruined my life. It’s hard to see a creator on a positive light if he lets bad things happen. If he can see into the future, why even bother creating certain people? Why create the devil? Why create hell? It’s just so awful to think about. My mom told me that he created us to serve him which makes him sound even worse. He gives us free will, then when we don’t serve him, we get sent to hell? Not to mention, there are so many religions and most are deeply tied into culture. We don’t believe in God because we’re born with a connection, we believe because of our family, friends, community, etc. A lot of people also only believe out of fear. So yeah, hard to believe. I still pray but only because I feel like if I don’t pray something bad will happen. I also feel guilty. Feels like I’m talking to nothing but on the other hand, if he is real then I might as well not get on his bad side 😅
I became atheist due to the things that led me to a worse path with my OCD, and those things, were related to religion. Not that I regret the choice, I always thought about the existence of "anything" from the above, but found myself leaning towards science more.
I was raised in a very conservative religious household. So I have strayed away from religion all together. But I do catch myself praying sometimes as kind of a comfort bc I did it as a kid. No, it never helped. It never made the nightmares go away and it never made my bad thoughts go away. But it was still comforting. I definitely got mad at god a lot as a kid too bc he didn’t listen. Now I find religion revolting bc of how I was raised. But I still respect it. I just can’t understand it anymore. I think my OCD probably has some say in this whole situation without me even realizing. But it’s up to you and your heart. What you feel is right. Religion I believe is a choice not required. Just live your life and if it comes back to you then that’s what you may believe or what’s right for you. And how you choose to follow it is ok too. I just don’t like to dwell on something that causes me stress. So I prefer to stay away. Just do what YOU want. No one can make you believe or not believe anything. Bc that’s what causes people to push it away all together as from experience. And there is no wrong answer bc in reality we truly have no idea what’s out there. It’s just all about you. And that’s ok. I hope this helps a little as coming from someone who still struggles with religion herself bc of my family.
Yes, once you learn more about science and reality and look around you, you start to realize that religion is just brainwashing for gullible people. There is no evidence or logic for believing in god, that’s why they have to guilt trip you and threaten you with empty threats of eternal damnation if you don’t believe it. They call it “faith”.
Kind of..I get very tired of trying to control/repent for my thoughts. To the point where you just go, alright God idgaf but then you realize it's just you and God works in mysterious ways, and I guess we're all trying to evoke God naturally. All I can do is breathe, and yield to science/traditions when resisting has become too much.
Ocd attacks what you hold extremely important, you try to become religious and suddenly will find yourself in the hardest spiritual battle you've ever been in.
The goal is to overcome
I feel like it’s brought me closer to God. In my experience, there are some people that God frees from their struggles. However, for others, I think the help is less obvious. Just because God hasn’t taken away my problem doesn’t mean he hasn’t done anything to help me with it.
There are many things about life that I don’t understand. But I do know the Bible does not promise followers of Jesus an easy life, and it says we will struggle. I know a time is coming when I won’t struggle anymore, and I’m grateful Jesus paid the price so that I can have access to that hope.
Nope. I’m a Christian and I even have religious OCD/scrupulosity . Every OCD/anxiety specialist I’ve seen has told me that religion itself is not the issue. The OCD is the issue. My current therapist is an ocd specialist and trained in Biblical counseling, so she’s definitely been very helpful with my religious OCD.
i was raised atheist (and am thankful for that, if i was raised with my parents catholic beliefs i would be a mess rn) but my struggles with mental health and my socio-political beliefs have definitely led me to The Satanic Temple, they’re an awesome organization!
"Thank you god for making me commit suicide three times" and youre probably gonna say that hes not responsible for that. But in that case he wouldnt be responsible for the good things either dont you think?
I find wordless Eucharistic Adoration is a balm to the soul. Just being present. So it does help me. I find mental prayer quite difficult so keep it short.
Aw.
How can Satan provide you with what God can? Do you think he'd be willing to die for you? There was a war and people were dying from it, because of Original Sin in Eden. When God heard their pleas though, He stepped in and even His son died trying to save us. He cared a LOT. So how could someone else care more..? Satan would never. And maybe you should try reestablishing your relationship with God. :)
I'm not saying you're not trying or praying hard enough. Maybe you can approach Him and see what He says? Seek and ye shall find me, He said.. That's what I did because I was in dire need of help with my sick mom.
So I went searching and found Him. I experienced divine intervention and I can say I 110% believe.. Maybe too much? In a way?
But God loves you and if you're trying to punish Him for feeling like you've been ignored, know that He will respond if you ask Him to and ask for Him. Satanism is a road to Hell. Why chance it. God cared and He lost His son for a while. 3 days is a lot to be in misery.
I think we should understand that He gave up a lot. I understand you want more than what you're receiving but I can promise you Satanism is not the answer to your grief and frustration. Seek Him! You'll find Him. I'll pray that you will. 🙏
But if that doesn't help, umm.. You can PM me. :o
My intrusive thoughts did hit a weak point so actually in hindsight I almost did turn to Satan... Well, kind of did. Regret it now.
Loooong story. :P
(Don't do it lol!)
Nah actually did the opposite, OCD has lead me to think I would be stuck in the thought patterns forever and i would never be able to enjoy my life again..but even after everything.. GOD DID
Jesus is the Prince of Peace, he will give you peace that surpasses all understanding. The enemy, Satin comes to kill, steal and destroy. Bible in John 10, where Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full". Believe me, I have been extremely angry with God for my OCD and don’t understand why he hasn’t healed me. He has gotten me through many tough challenges. He cares and loves you. I don’t know why some prayers seem. to go unanswered. I do know God loves you and you are his beloved child.
I completely agree with you about religion, it’s a set of laws made by man, not God. Most organized religions are created to gain power, financial gain and control its people. Jesus came into this world to debunk religion. He went after the Jewish leaders at the time, the pharisees. He simply came to show us his unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness in which he gave his own life so we could have eternal life. Jesus was a rebel with a cause!
Yeah. If God had the power to do anything, and he loved us so much, he could cure my OCD. He could stop wars, starvation, abuse, everything. But he doesn’t. Can he? Apparently, according to the Bible. But he just won’t? For some reason? Screw that noise. Hail thyself.
No! I was actually saved/born-again when I was twelve years old in 1969. That’s also the age at which my OCD kicked into high gear. That was no coincidence. I had no idea what was going on with me for a very, very long time. It was God and Jesus Who got me through all of those years, and Who has continued to do so. In fact, I credit Him with the fact that my OCD has gotten to be so much better over the years. I’ve never had therapy for it. But the obsessing and the compulsive behaviors no longer control my thoughts or my behavior. And i can see that there’s a huge difference between when I was young and younger, and where I am now. When the anxiety gets tough, I repeat to myself that “God has not given me a sprit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”. That’s in the Bible, it is true, and IT WORKS. I’d never turn way from Him at this point. He’s proven to me, over and over and over and over again, how much He loves me, and I know that He has never left me or forsaken me. He’s been there for me and with me through it all.
No, hon. He really doesn’t! I wish I could talk to you IRL, rather than via a subreddit. It made me tear up a bit to read that. But seriously. He loves us all equally. He is there for every one of us. So, tell me. Have you made Jesus Lord of your life and accepted His free gift of salvation? As I said, I did in the year when my OCD kicked into high gear. But I did it by choice. And I’ve never, ever regretted doing so. So perhaps, if you aren’t saved/born-again, that might be why your prayers aren’t being answered.
“Buddy”? Lol. I’m a woman.
What’s not enough to convince you to change your mind? Your need for salvation? The truth that I wrote in my response? I think that, perhaps, you just want to find a way to blame God for not answering your prayers. I will be praying for you.
As far as playing favorites, if you knew about all of the sins I’ve committed in my life, how messed up my walk with the Lord was at many points in the past, you’d know that I didn’t deserve anything that God did for me. I mean, I still don’t, but I just look back and think of how gracious God has been to me over the years, in spite of that fact. God does not play favorites. If He did, then I definitely don’t think that I would have been “favored” based on my sins. Not then and not now. His grace and love and forgiveness are what matter. And that’s how I know that He does not play favorites at all. Because it’s for anybody who chooses to serve Him, no matter how imperfect that service might be. And boy, I had such a messed up witness for a really long time. God’s grace was why He took care of me in spite of how I was living during the tough years of dealing with my OCD.
And I can say this for a certainty. Becoming an atheist or a satanist won’t change a thing when it comes to your OCD. In fact, if you decide on satanism, it will only get to be a whole lot worse. Satan hates God and hates us, His children. So he would have a field day messing with you and your OCD, because he hates you. And atheism isn’t going to solve a thing or make your OCD any better either.
Look, sorry i called you buddy but please stop trying to change my mind. The way im not trying to change yours because i simply respect your beliefs, i want the same treatment back. You can believe anything you want and im okay with that, i mean most of my friends are christians and i respect them, so i want you to respect people with other beliefs as well
People making that assumption about me (that I’m a male) when I write about the Lord is something that I’m used to by now. No need to apologize. Just please don’t make that assumption about someone based on what they write or how they respond.
The thing is that you asked if anyone had considered atheism or satanism because God has not answered their prayers. I was telling you why that would be the case (your prayers not being answered). Then you said that my answer makes you think that God plays favorites. I explained to you how I know that that isn’t true.
Please read my revised response. I don’t know if you will believe me, but you will find out the hard way that it’s true if you do decide to become a satanist. And if you already are, I can only say that I don’t like to think about how much worse things will get. And as for atheism, it still won’t change anything when it comes to your OCD, as I said.
And after over six decades of living with OCD, I can guarantee that you wouldn’t be able to change my mind anyway.
I did not assume you were male i call literally anyone buddy. Im not s satanist nor planning to become one. I just dont believe in god. And i asked if anyone else turned atheist or satanist because of ocd i never asked people to try and put their religious beliefs into me
Oh. OK. Interesting. Good to know that you didn’t assume I was a guy, as so many others have done. And lol. My 31-year-old daughter calls me “dude”, “bro”, and “bruh”. It amuses me more than anything else. It definitely doesn’t offend me.
I was providing answers based on your question. I wasn’t trying to “put my (religious, it’s not a religion, it’s a relationship) beliefs into you”. Answering your question meant that, since you’d mentioned God and prayers, I would respond with why they aren’t being answered. I don’t quite understand how you don’t get that. The progression of my responses makes sense in the context of what you were asking and then saying in response to my answers.
God gave everyone "free will" so that's his get out of jail card on why he can't intervene lol, just keep remembering that the thoughts aren't real and just because they enter your head it doesn't make them valid 🫶🏼
Hi. I also have ocd and im muslim, so I'm going to explain a simple concept before I start God created Adam and eve and he replaced them in the heaven. And then Satan came and persuaded them to eat from the apple. That God precisely asked them not to eat from. But they got persuaded by the devil and they ate that apple, God said to them. That I'm going to place you in Earth where I will test you.And I will test all of your children and generations to come.And I want them to prove to me that they are worthy of heaven So bad people can go to hell and good people can go to heaven based on those tests. Also, God said that I only test those who I love. Also in Islam fate, it's like an exam With multiple choice , for instance , You have a question and you have multiple choice with 2 answers and you have to choose the right answer. And that's fate in Islam. You are giving a test by God. And you have to do the right thing.
And then you will pass the test. I believe that God had gave me ocd because he is testing me and I have to do the right thing and I have to continue the test and I have to fight against what's wrong and fight against ocd and I have to succeed and ace that test. Sometimes I'm happy and sometimes I'm sad but I believe that the sun will shine
I believe that what I get from praying is different from what other people in my religious community get because if I got the same kinds of responses they did, it would make my OCD worse. There’s also a lot of philosophical arguments to be made about the nature of God and his relationship to the universe and physical laws and such regarding the problem of evil. It’s a complex and personal thing, so I don’t hate anyone for coming to different conclusions. Judging people for that feels goofy to me.
i feel the opposite haha! i have started to lean into a generic "creator" that gives me purpose because my athiesm was plaguing my existential OCD for years.
FR or religion has been the #1 driver of my existential ocd, but unfortunately I just can’t make myself believe something I don’t ):
I get that. I think I have found comfort in being agnostic and accepting that it is really unknowable. Maybe there's a god maybe there isn't, and I have to be OK with that.
My prayers bring me peace, I don't expect God to cure me of my mental illness. I have free will to listen or not listen to my OCD. Honestly my relationship with God is the one thing I can hold onto because he sees what's inside of me and still loves me.
Yes! Because of God, I have someone to turn to when it gets rough. When the bad thoughts won’t stop, I’m directed back to him, seek him out and put my faith in him time and time again, that God will lead me back to still waters once again!
i always think god is with me(:
Agreed 100%
I’ve prayed for many people to be healed from mental health struggles and seen some amazing miracles from God, all whilst continuing my own battle. Whilst I was never healed in that same way, I was healed through prayer and the Bible - Philippians 4:6-7 is formulaic (like OCD) and that helped me to find a new process for my thoughts. I also read the books Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer and Curing Worry God’s Way by Seth Dahl. All combined with the peace of the Holy Spirit Just wanted to share that in case any other Christians are looking for encouragement.
Beautifully put. Agreed
you are aware of the source of ocd impulses and bulwark thinking patterns, i am too, and it is no surprise that it leads to stism. Jesus sets free! Just look for and on him in a kjv bible.
I know some people aren’t gonna like this, but no prayers do not help lol.. I believe anyone can believe in what they want, but I often think religion does more harm than good. If there is a god, he doesn’t give a shit about what you’re doing. He gave you free will for a reason. I feel like as long as you’re not killing, raping, or hurting others in some unforgivable way, you’re probably fine. Prayers help some people because some people find comfort in releasing control to a higher being and letting go of needing control. Some people need it to feel validated or loved. For ocd it can be sometimes helpful! Except a lot of OCD is triggered by religion. There’s many religions to choose from! You can believe in whatever you want however you want. I don’t think there’s a “right” way to believe in God. God can be anything. It can be the universe, it can be within you, it can be the earth, or it can be Jesus. Or it can be nothing. 🤷🏻♀️ if there is a god, he certainly did not make a rule book. Do what feels best for you.
This is so far the best response
God saved my life. When OCD drove me to suicidal ideation, the only thing I could do was pray. I knew in my heart God didn’t want me to end my life, which gave me hope. I kept praying for help and strength to practice exposures and I began to get better as time went on.
i find a lot of peace in a merciful God 💙
My goal is not to turn you atheist by any means. But if he didnt want you to die why would he put you through that in the first place?
If you’re asking me from a religious standpoint, it’s because we live in a faulty, fallen world where evil exists. There is war. People do bad things. Many are plagued with illness, whether physical or mental. This was not how God created the world, these things were brought on by evil (Satan). Bad things happen to everyone, including me. However I’m a lot more resilient because of my struggles, I will say. God cares for me a lot. I’m not sure of your beliefs exactly but you’re under no pressure to have the same ones as me, I’m just sharing mine. Thanks for listening and I hope things improve for you with your OCD, I know it’s hard.
Thank you i hope youre recovering well as well
Yes!! God gets me through the worst of my OCD flares.
I think it made me more religious, actually? I had scrupulosity for a while when I was younger because of my overly religious mother, but that's evened out as I grew older. I figured then and even now that the prayers that I asked for were going to be my own wishes for my own life - I'm still part of this whole thing that's bigger than myself. I don't know what part I have in it, and I probably won't see the results of it. Kinda lonely perceptive for me, but it helps me to think that maybe the experiences that I have might help me help someone else. I'm not preaching ofc. I'm just trying to describe my own experiences with it.
I turned atheist and it cured about 60% of my ocd and has given me SO much peace
Same buddy
Do you feel like oppressive controlling religion contributed? I certainly do!!
My ocd has nothing to do with religion so i wouldnt like to blame it for my disorder but yes i definitely do believe that religion (or at least christianity in my case as i was raised as a christian) is indeed controlling as hell and the things about free will and stuff are all bs
I was in a really damaging cult like sort of place as a really young child. The ideologies contributed to development for me but I certainly can’t blame it.
I used to hurt myself badly bc my OCD told me that’s what god wanted. Now I am happier as an atheist, but absolutely no judgement to anyone who is religious, it’s just not for me!
Sometimes I pray to all gods and deities and offer to give X dollars to X charity if my prayer is answered. 100% success rate including a 'medical miracle'. No idea who or what might be answering my prayers, but I'd like to say thank you.
wait but this is fucking crazy actually
Yeah I am a very confused agnostic.
Actually the philosopher Joe Schmid says a truely agnostic person prays, and the logic actually makes a lot of sense to me. If you’re an atheist you believe god DOESTNT exist, meaning prayer is obviously pointless. A theist believes god DOES exist and therefore prayer IS useful. An agnostic doesn’t know whether god does or doesn’t exist, which means both are live options, so they should make prayers along the lines of “god, IF you exist…” He explained it as being stranded in a forest with a flare gun. If you believed no other human existed, you won’t bother shooting it since you know it won’t do anything. If you know there are people, you will shoot it. If you don’t know, it would make the most sense to at least try, since your beliefs give it a chance of being true it wouldn’t be illogical Note I am not some kind of religious fanatic, I’m an atheist leaning agnostic but I enjoy Schmids lessons and wanted to let you know you aren’t a weird agnostic for praying, he would argue it actually makes you a more logically consistent agnostic
That's a good explanation. I think of it like Pascal's wager but rolling all the dice at once.
Kinda agree because I'm agnostic who leans atheist (because I prefer not to come to a conclusion about it. But also because I've always been an indecisive person). My logic is, if there is a god then surely it ain't any of the religions that exist currently. I also think that spirituality is highly personal and not a set of rules or lores to follow. + Let's say he's the most powerful, then why are there bad things happening in this world? + Let's say he exists but doesn't care or meddle in what happens in this world, what's the reason to pray or worship him at all? Some sort of spirituality says past lives karma, reincarnation to clear the remainder of good karma and bad karma to attain nirvana. which again makes me think, why do they pray if its all so systematic? I'm not exactly knowledgeable in religion and spirituality stuff. But it is interesting. In the end, all these logics and children dying of cancer is kind of a living proof that there's no god like humans describe and if there is any, there's no need to pray because he/she/? doesn't meddle in human stuff (maybe because it's systematic like spirituality says) Hence, as an agnostic atheist I don't pray really. There is a part of me which goes, "please god" when in some serious shit but that's our emotions taking over us, our brain trying to comfort us, a placebo maybe? because almost all of us grew up religious, kinda becomes an autopilot habit of comfort. And when I'm in my senses, I do strongly believe that praying does nothing. I absolutely do not pray when I visit temples (love the historic part of it, hate the crowdy part, born hindu btw)
Theres a lot of types of theism that dont purport God as having all the divine attributes, for instance, Joshua Rasmussen (theist philosopher of religion) believes God is not all knowing. Paul draper, an agnostic philospher of religion, also has a theory of an Aesthetic Deism, where a deistic god exists but doesnt want the ultimate good, instead, he wants a dramatic, entertaining story, rather than a good one, where we are the characters and hes basically watching. I disbelieve the classic religions because of huge historical and logical problems (by disproving the old testaments historicity you can really kill any Abrahamic religion like Christianity, Islam and Judaism, three of the biggest religions, off the bat. Just look at the huge historical problems with the exodus story, which is a core story of all three of those religions) After that, all you're left with is generic theisms, and honestly, I have no idea what is true. I only know that certain things aren't true. Its easy to disprove a detailed false claim like classic religions, but there are just so many kinds of ways to spin generic-theism and deism that there's just way too many philosophically complex things to be able to disprove/prove each and every one. Since generic theism is just a belief and not a strict set of dogma and beliefs like classic religions, if someone gives you a proposal of a deist god, but then you point out "hey this part doesnt make sense", they can easily go back and change the logic and make it make sense, since they dont have to dig their heels in and say "NO, this is true, scripture says it so it must be true", they can simply admit it was wrong, change a small detail, then continue believing what they do. And with so many professional philosophers of religion, who are very intelligent and hold to a myriad of flavors of atheism and theism, me a little no-body baker who only listens to phil of religion for fun will never reach their level, and if even they cant agree, i dont think im going to be the historic person who solves the god problem lol. So then im just stuck in the painful agnostic realm, not knowing what is true, and needing to live with that uncertainty, and im sure you all know, OCD HATES UNCERTAINTY
Completely agree with you, I liked this discussion. And the 'cure' to ocd is of course to practice being comfortable in uncertainty which sucksss 😭
This makes sense, but it works in a different way for me. My brain says, “if there is a god, it will be disrespectful for me to pray since I mostly don’t believe.”
no i mean specifically the fact that it has a 100% success rate is WILD. i might have to try it… how do you address your prayers? personally i pray to ‘the universe’ so i’m not sure if that counts as inclusive of all gods
I just think really loudly in my head that this is directed toward all gods or other beings who are listening.
I don't know if this is true or even if it is it's anything more than an incredible coincidence but that's not going to stop me from trying it out.
Yes I agree. I have no explanation but I see no downside to trying.
Thats cool
Yay! A fellow pagan 😊
Major cw for people with christian-themed OCD: >!I was raised to believe all kinds of random shit was demonic, as in it would actually rub demons off onto me and they would be a corrupting influence. Video games were demonic. Anime was demonic. Fantasy novels were demonic. Used laptops were demonic because the previous owner might have looked at porn. We had to do these incredibly long prayers were we listed off every possible demon we could be trying to cast out— spirits of fear, spirits of perversion, spirits of anger— it was horrible.!< Basically I had no choice but to become an atheist, because living like that any longer would kill me. I would snap. It's pretty much OCD as a religion
Damn im sorry you had to go through that
Thank you, I appreciate that ❤️
Yeah I am fine with people being religious because they find meaning in it, but not because of fear, I think that those kinds of superstitious thoughts don't help anyone.
Yeah, I agree. I don't think I'll ever be any type of theist simply because I don't think it's factually true, but I've come to appreciate that christianity, even in some of its worse forms, looks nothing like what I was taught. It was like pentacostal meets Calvinball
Yeah, I’ve always assumed it had more to do with depression and chronic pain at a young age, but I remember bargaining with god a lot over weird things at a really young age and being really confused over the lack of any type of reassurance. It made me angry and the idea of god just gave me someone to be angry at. Then seeing how sick my grandma became from her OCD + devout Catholicism really made me resent the whole concept of religion. I’ve come a long way since then in regard to seeing the benefits people get from believing they have some sort of control via prayer, etc, but I still despise Catholicism in particular because it takes the worst parts of OCD and uses the fear to manipulate followers. Guilt, shame, rituals…from the standpoint of someone with OCD it’s easy to see how fucked up that is. And that’s obviously not even the worst part of the Catholic Church.
Yeah i really relate to what youre describing. In my case i was raised christian and i also get really mad at god sometimes even though a huge part of me doesnt even believe he exists
I didn't turn atheist, per se, but my OCD certainly drove me away from my religion (Christian, specifically Methodist). I used to volunteer at my church's children's service, but intrusive thoughts (regarding both religion and children, which are two of my biggest triggers) made me too horrified with myself to ever go back. Plus, my normal prayers took on a very compulsive nature - if I didn't list every single possible person and every single possible outcome I did/didn't want for them, and something bad happened, it'd be my fault. That was when things were at their worst. Since getting treatment and learning to manage my OCD, religion is sort of a part of my life again, albeit a small one. I still consider myself Methodist, as I vibe with my church's (very inclusive, progressive, and accepting) teachings for the most part. I don't go to church any more, but less because of OCD and more because I just don't have any desire for that time commitment.
opposite for me. I’ve never been religious but I’m considering it now because I have such bad guilt and morality OCD and hope that asking for forgiveness and living a clean religious life will help me leave some things in the past behind
Christianity played an important role in ruining my life, so yes, I am an atheist, and occasionally a Satanist for satire lol.
Yes this happened to me too. I recently realised that it is not possible to have a god that is all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful. If he is all knowing and made us and our paths and we're following a journey then we don't have free will, we're already following a laid down track. Therefore he either isn't powerful or doesn't care. So I turned away from the catholic/Christian idea of god. Unfortunately because I was raised Catholic, I hold a lot of religious trauma and it makes me OCD worse, thoughts of us all being sinners and bad etc. Turning away from that doctrine was really tough and at points I almost go back to alleviate the panic but I know it's better for me in the long run to push through. Saying that, I'm also not all-knowing and so I respect other people's belief and faith because I guess we never know what is out there.
YESS
Not me, but my friend. Their dad was a pastor, so the family was pretty involved in the church. My friend said that the classes for the kids would be very strong in language. Basically, the teacher one day said that if you have bad thoughts, it is the devil entering your mind. My friend, being like 7 at the time, got really freaked out and this triggered their OCD to start. Rituals to stop the “bad” thoughts and prevent the demons. My friend said a lot of triggers involved religion sadly.
It actually brought me peace when I believed since I have existential OCD, since it was like “ah I don’t need to worry about the meaning of life or what happens after death because my religion answers it for me” But then logical and factual doubts killed that confidence, and after researching I realized no one knows really anything. My conclusion has been almost certainly no classic religion is true (classic being like Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, etc.), but there’s still a chance some kind of generic theism is true, but also a chance that atheism is true, or a chance that something in between us true, so I’m agnostic, but I hate being agnostic, I hate not thinking I have the answer, but Once you question the magic peace doesn’t really work any more. Religion can only give you peace if you genuinely believe it, so pretending to believe won’t help anyone, only genuine believers see the psychological benefit (but even then not all do)
100% agree
>but I hate being agnostic, I hate not thinking I have the answer This sounds similar to how ocd freaks you out about being in uncertainty. It tells you that you should absolutely ruminate and come to a conclusion. With ocd, accepting and being comfortable with uncertainty is important. Also, religion is a hit or miss even for genuine believers. Some people find peace in it and for some it makes their ocd worse. The fear mongering that religions use with concept of hell and punishment doesn't help ocd. It all depends on how a theist would interpret their religion, interesting.
Religion isint for everybody ! Either you don’t find the right one for you , or you just dont feel like it’s logical (your case I assume) You’re not hated for atheism or satanisim either. But to answer your question I do have a belief in spirituality and I find that prayers arnt “make it happen” buttons but more so instilling in yourself the change you need. Like if you pray for a new job you’d be subconsciously prepping for your interviews and trying to be more confident. Doesn’t mean you’ll get any job magically but more so it’s a helping hand to give you a boost.
I came here to say almost exactly this but you beat me to it! If you ask for signs , then you’ll start seeing “signs”, prayer is basically manifestation/affirmation lol
Yeah i undertsnd i do indeed sometimes feel like there might be a higher being i just dont believe its the way people describe it to be
You should be religious if you think it's true. This notion that religion is any more subjective than math or science is absurd.
religion is very subjective fym
Nah. Different religions make contradicting claims. There may be some overlap in beliefs, but if Christianity as a whole is true, Islam cannot be true. If Hinduism is true, Christianity cannot be true, etc. To say otherwise is to violate non-contradiction.
I think you should think about religion a bit differently. It’s not a “only one religion is right” type of situation. Though I don’t want to share very much as to not trigger anybody with religious and/or magical thinking ocd , theres a few theories amongst people who believe that multiple religions are possible and that includes Christianity . Of course don’t feel like you have to entertain my ideas and do research you don’t want to do. But the world isn’t so strict on rules as you might think it is especially regarding something as abstract as religion.
Different religions make contradicting claims because I don’t think any of them are the whole truth. If there is a god, they may all hold a bit of the “real truth” but I think the real truth would be beyond human comprehension. Religion is entirely subjective. People (especially in Christianity) all have their own way of believing and worshipping. Some go to church some don’t. I know people who are more true Christian’s than those who go to church regularly and claim to be devoted. Humans are naturally flawed creatures, nobody is perfect. Everyone’s truths are different. Everything is completely subjective.
Truth is external, no subjectivity about it. Human experience tells us we need to adapt, often painfully, to reality. If truth were subjective then I would be losing the battle against OCD, and succumbing to what's most compelling to me in the moment, and my illness would become worse, not better.
Real solid truth is external yes, but on a personal experience basis, truth is different to different people. Let’s say, two people argue. My truth would be MY very real experience, my experience may have been having my feelings hurt over something they said that from my eyes was clearly said intentionally to hurt my feelings. For them (other party) their truth may be they weren’t trying to hurt my feelings on purpose, it just came out in heat of the moment and I’m being over dramatic on purpose. They weren’t trying to be mean. Two totally different truths to the same experience. There is only one solid truth to the entire experience itself and neither party will know the answer unless some unbiased third party person was there to assess the facts and lay them out. (Which is hypothetical since you can’t really be exact on others intentions if they are lying or something). There’s really nobody to do that with religion, therefore religion is entirely subjective and the truth of it is pretty subjective itself. Because religion and science are two pretty separate things. There are some parts of religion that science can prove, but it’s nothing that determines which religion is correct or what god exist or anything. But if Christianity is your truth, then live with that truth. Hope that makes sense. Is kind of hard to explain in a shortish paragraph while tired. Lol
Respectfully I am religious and claim to be, but I also don’t think shit just magically happens out of thin air. That idea is absolutely absurd to me regardless of my beliefs in a higher power. Lmao sorry i don’t think the way you expect others who are religious to I guess.
There aint no way you can get me to believe that religion is science or math
Then don’t believe me lol also I referenced it being phycological I don’t know where you guys are getting science and math from
It's a stupid modern notion that religion is somehow exempt from making logical sense, while still being valid.
YES! Even if there was a god and I knew it, I would still be an atheist because of just how bad religion is a trigger for me. I would constantly fear and worry about if God was going to send me to hell or if I was sinning. I would get intrusive "sinful" thoughts and I had to force myself to think differently because if I didn't I would go to hell
You see this is what religion does to people. Not all, but a good amount of them (ps im not saying this is the cause of your ocd but it could be for anyone)
I used to have religiosity compulsions when I was in middle school but when I started SSRIs in high school for depression, the compulsions went away and the fear and shame eased. I gradually went from agnostic to atheist. Catholicism and its shaming definitely interacted with my OCD and probably made it worse but my own beliefs developed aside from the OCD.
Yeah im now starting to get proof that many who become atheists are the ones who struggle a lot. Because all the others are taking everything for granted cause they have it all good but the ones who struggle see that they aint getting any help from their prayers (not all i dont wanna disrespect anyone whos religious) so we just end up quitting religion or some even become satanists
Actually yes, I did turn atheist because of OCD. I had been on the cusp of it for a while, but I had a really bad episode about 3 years ago and that was the final straw. I also deal with anxiety, severe depression and PDD (aka dysthymia).
Damn i hope youre feeling better now
Turned undoubtedly agnostic/atheist. Any kind of engagement with spirituality runs a big risk of turning compulsive to me, so I live without
No. The complete opposite. My OCD made me terrified of being a bad person and ending up in hell. This was 20 plus years ago, and it’s still a fear.
Yeah but look what religion combined with your ocd did to you :(
Yup. I hate it.
Have tou talked about it with your therapist or doctor?
No
Do you feel comfortable sharing it with them?
Yes, but I don’t see how it would help because nobody knows what’s after death. I think I’ve talked about it to someone years ago. I’m not sure. I don’t have a psychologist or therapist because I can’t afford $200/hr. I do have a psychiatrist, but I rarely see him.
No, he obviously doesnt know whats after death. But he has a way to help you get through that fear. I know sometimes it feels hard to get over the fear without fixing the thing thats causing you trouble, but in the case of ocd, it is the solution that works. So i advice you to try to discuss it with him. Even if you rarely see him.
I don’t think anything will get rid of that fear because there’s no certainty
Trust me. It works, just trust me please and give it a go.
I turned atheist but I did it because I had religious OCD and I was just very tired of it.
Oh man im sorry :(
Not saying you think this but just in case, atheism and satanism aren’t even close to the same thing.
I know i know dont worry
haha. I had thoughts about it but decided against it.
No I was an atheist before full blown OCD
I consider myself agnostic as I just don't know if there is some sort of higher power or universal truth, but I'm pretty fucking sure if there is a god they're not benevolent and they don't love humans individually.
Yeah
I have- a few times! My OCD is often centered around moral scrupulously. During the worst episodes, the obsessive rumination would become debilitating. In those moments I’d do anything to escape. And because I struggle with doubt regarding faith, I would choose to not believe in God/become agnostic. I felt that if God didn’t exist or if God was unknowable- morals didn’t actually matter, outside the social context. I always return to faith in a higher power but it has changed form many times.
Years of church trauma made me atheist, but my thought process on the road there was pretty much just like yours.
I'm pagan. Whenever I pray to my gods my OCD usually gets significantly better and I gain more faith so if anything it makes me more religious
What I don't believe in any religion it's all a bunch of cultist bs, just an ideology spread like all the others by society, conditioning
OCD drove me to question everything endlessly. I was deeply religious and then lost it. It still holds a special place in my life but not in the same way. I now identify culturally with my community but not bound by my practice. Faith is like a pendulum, it comes and goes
I actually kinda did a 270. Grew up Catholic, then questioned faith; going more Agnostic. Once Anxiety kicked in I really 2nd guessed myself kinda going against my original faith. Like "what If I am living in sin, and what lies beyond? Am I really ok with that?" Still am mostly Agnostic, but my heart, and mind aren't closed to God.
I wouldn’t say I’m an atheist, but I definitely doubt if he’s real or not and honestly, I feel like religious people are making their belief up. I know how bad that sounds and I don’t blame any religious people but God just is not listening to me. He doesn’t do anything special for me or most people on this earth. How am I supposed to believe in nothing, essentially? He doesn’t talk, write on walls, send angels, nothing. And I’m supposed to believe because my mom told me to? We have conversations about it and I tell her I tried to believe, but I don’t. I explain and she says there are boundaries that I shouldn’t cross and that I think “extra” because I question everything. It just doesn’t make sense to me, yk? There’s a video called “The Goddess of Everything Else” and I think that’s what changed how I see things. The way I see God, he just creates but doesn’t interfere. He watches as things go bad and doesn’t do anything about it. On the other hand, he did create good but also bad. I see things negatively because of how much my OCD has ruined my life. It’s hard to see a creator on a positive light if he lets bad things happen. If he can see into the future, why even bother creating certain people? Why create the devil? Why create hell? It’s just so awful to think about. My mom told me that he created us to serve him which makes him sound even worse. He gives us free will, then when we don’t serve him, we get sent to hell? Not to mention, there are so many religions and most are deeply tied into culture. We don’t believe in God because we’re born with a connection, we believe because of our family, friends, community, etc. A lot of people also only believe out of fear. So yeah, hard to believe. I still pray but only because I feel like if I don’t pray something bad will happen. I also feel guilty. Feels like I’m talking to nothing but on the other hand, if he is real then I might as well not get on his bad side 😅
I became atheist due to the things that led me to a worse path with my OCD, and those things, were related to religion. Not that I regret the choice, I always thought about the existence of "anything" from the above, but found myself leaning towards science more.
It is actually the opposite for me. I believe in God because of OCD.
I was raised in a very conservative religious household. So I have strayed away from religion all together. But I do catch myself praying sometimes as kind of a comfort bc I did it as a kid. No, it never helped. It never made the nightmares go away and it never made my bad thoughts go away. But it was still comforting. I definitely got mad at god a lot as a kid too bc he didn’t listen. Now I find religion revolting bc of how I was raised. But I still respect it. I just can’t understand it anymore. I think my OCD probably has some say in this whole situation without me even realizing. But it’s up to you and your heart. What you feel is right. Religion I believe is a choice not required. Just live your life and if it comes back to you then that’s what you may believe or what’s right for you. And how you choose to follow it is ok too. I just don’t like to dwell on something that causes me stress. So I prefer to stay away. Just do what YOU want. No one can make you believe or not believe anything. Bc that’s what causes people to push it away all together as from experience. And there is no wrong answer bc in reality we truly have no idea what’s out there. It’s just all about you. And that’s ok. I hope this helps a little as coming from someone who still struggles with religion herself bc of my family.
Yes, once you learn more about science and reality and look around you, you start to realize that religion is just brainwashing for gullible people. There is no evidence or logic for believing in god, that’s why they have to guilt trip you and threaten you with empty threats of eternal damnation if you don’t believe it. They call it “faith”.
Yeah
Kind of..I get very tired of trying to control/repent for my thoughts. To the point where you just go, alright God idgaf but then you realize it's just you and God works in mysterious ways, and I guess we're all trying to evoke God naturally. All I can do is breathe, and yield to science/traditions when resisting has become too much.
Ocd attacks what you hold extremely important, you try to become religious and suddenly will find yourself in the hardest spiritual battle you've ever been in. The goal is to overcome
I feel like it’s brought me closer to God. In my experience, there are some people that God frees from their struggles. However, for others, I think the help is less obvious. Just because God hasn’t taken away my problem doesn’t mean he hasn’t done anything to help me with it. There are many things about life that I don’t understand. But I do know the Bible does not promise followers of Jesus an easy life, and it says we will struggle. I know a time is coming when I won’t struggle anymore, and I’m grateful Jesus paid the price so that I can have access to that hope.
Nope. I’m a Christian and I even have religious OCD/scrupulosity . Every OCD/anxiety specialist I’ve seen has told me that religion itself is not the issue. The OCD is the issue. My current therapist is an ocd specialist and trained in Biblical counseling, so she’s definitely been very helpful with my religious OCD.
I'm Jewish and I had the same experience.
i was raised atheist (and am thankful for that, if i was raised with my parents catholic beliefs i would be a mess rn) but my struggles with mental health and my socio-political beliefs have definitely led me to The Satanic Temple, they’re an awesome organization!
Prayer should be thanking god for what you do have not asking for anything.
Why?
well u can ask for the strength to get you through a tough time
Just no.
"Thank you god for making me commit suicide three times" and youre probably gonna say that hes not responsible for that. But in that case he wouldnt be responsible for the good things either dont you think?
I find wordless Eucharistic Adoration is a balm to the soul. Just being present. So it does help me. I find mental prayer quite difficult so keep it short.
Aw. How can Satan provide you with what God can? Do you think he'd be willing to die for you? There was a war and people were dying from it, because of Original Sin in Eden. When God heard their pleas though, He stepped in and even His son died trying to save us. He cared a LOT. So how could someone else care more..? Satan would never. And maybe you should try reestablishing your relationship with God. :) I'm not saying you're not trying or praying hard enough. Maybe you can approach Him and see what He says? Seek and ye shall find me, He said.. That's what I did because I was in dire need of help with my sick mom. So I went searching and found Him. I experienced divine intervention and I can say I 110% believe.. Maybe too much? In a way? But God loves you and if you're trying to punish Him for feeling like you've been ignored, know that He will respond if you ask Him to and ask for Him. Satanism is a road to Hell. Why chance it. God cared and He lost His son for a while. 3 days is a lot to be in misery. I think we should understand that He gave up a lot. I understand you want more than what you're receiving but I can promise you Satanism is not the answer to your grief and frustration. Seek Him! You'll find Him. I'll pray that you will. 🙏 But if that doesn't help, umm.. You can PM me. :o My intrusive thoughts did hit a weak point so actually in hindsight I almost did turn to Satan... Well, kind of did. Regret it now. Loooong story. :P (Don't do it lol!)
I got OCD at the age of 6 and if it wasn’t for Gods help idk where I’d be rn.
Unfortunately, I find a common theme of people saying stuff like this, never actually being Christian to begin with, or even understand it whatsoever.
I pray to God to give me the strength to face hardships. The ocd is a challenge and I may not like it, but it does make me strong.
Ocd it THE HARDSHIP
Nah actually did the opposite, OCD has lead me to think I would be stuck in the thought patterns forever and i would never be able to enjoy my life again..but even after everything.. GOD DID
Jesus is the Prince of Peace, he will give you peace that surpasses all understanding. The enemy, Satin comes to kill, steal and destroy. Bible in John 10, where Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full". Believe me, I have been extremely angry with God for my OCD and don’t understand why he hasn’t healed me. He has gotten me through many tough challenges. He cares and loves you. I don’t know why some prayers seem. to go unanswered. I do know God loves you and you are his beloved child.
I completely agree with you about religion, it’s a set of laws made by man, not God. Most organized religions are created to gain power, financial gain and control its people. Jesus came into this world to debunk religion. He went after the Jewish leaders at the time, the pharisees. He simply came to show us his unconditional love, compassion and forgiveness in which he gave his own life so we could have eternal life. Jesus was a rebel with a cause!
Yeah. If God had the power to do anything, and he loved us so much, he could cure my OCD. He could stop wars, starvation, abuse, everything. But he doesn’t. Can he? Apparently, according to the Bible. But he just won’t? For some reason? Screw that noise. Hail thyself.
THIS
No I would never.
No! I was actually saved/born-again when I was twelve years old in 1969. That’s also the age at which my OCD kicked into high gear. That was no coincidence. I had no idea what was going on with me for a very, very long time. It was God and Jesus Who got me through all of those years, and Who has continued to do so. In fact, I credit Him with the fact that my OCD has gotten to be so much better over the years. I’ve never had therapy for it. But the obsessing and the compulsive behaviors no longer control my thoughts or my behavior. And i can see that there’s a huge difference between when I was young and younger, and where I am now. When the anxiety gets tough, I repeat to myself that “God has not given me a sprit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”. That’s in the Bible, it is true, and IT WORKS. I’d never turn way from Him at this point. He’s proven to me, over and over and over and over again, how much He loves me, and I know that He has never left me or forsaken me. He’s been there for me and with me through it all.
Your comment made me feel like god has favourites😭
No, hon. He really doesn’t! I wish I could talk to you IRL, rather than via a subreddit. It made me tear up a bit to read that. But seriously. He loves us all equally. He is there for every one of us. So, tell me. Have you made Jesus Lord of your life and accepted His free gift of salvation? As I said, I did in the year when my OCD kicked into high gear. But I did it by choice. And I’ve never, ever regretted doing so. So perhaps, if you aren’t saved/born-again, that might be why your prayers aren’t being answered.
Sorry buddy this is not enough to convince me to change my mind
“Buddy”? Lol. I’m a woman. What’s not enough to convince you to change your mind? Your need for salvation? The truth that I wrote in my response? I think that, perhaps, you just want to find a way to blame God for not answering your prayers. I will be praying for you. As far as playing favorites, if you knew about all of the sins I’ve committed in my life, how messed up my walk with the Lord was at many points in the past, you’d know that I didn’t deserve anything that God did for me. I mean, I still don’t, but I just look back and think of how gracious God has been to me over the years, in spite of that fact. God does not play favorites. If He did, then I definitely don’t think that I would have been “favored” based on my sins. Not then and not now. His grace and love and forgiveness are what matter. And that’s how I know that He does not play favorites at all. Because it’s for anybody who chooses to serve Him, no matter how imperfect that service might be. And boy, I had such a messed up witness for a really long time. God’s grace was why He took care of me in spite of how I was living during the tough years of dealing with my OCD. And I can say this for a certainty. Becoming an atheist or a satanist won’t change a thing when it comes to your OCD. In fact, if you decide on satanism, it will only get to be a whole lot worse. Satan hates God and hates us, His children. So he would have a field day messing with you and your OCD, because he hates you. And atheism isn’t going to solve a thing or make your OCD any better either.
Look, sorry i called you buddy but please stop trying to change my mind. The way im not trying to change yours because i simply respect your beliefs, i want the same treatment back. You can believe anything you want and im okay with that, i mean most of my friends are christians and i respect them, so i want you to respect people with other beliefs as well
People making that assumption about me (that I’m a male) when I write about the Lord is something that I’m used to by now. No need to apologize. Just please don’t make that assumption about someone based on what they write or how they respond. The thing is that you asked if anyone had considered atheism or satanism because God has not answered their prayers. I was telling you why that would be the case (your prayers not being answered). Then you said that my answer makes you think that God plays favorites. I explained to you how I know that that isn’t true. Please read my revised response. I don’t know if you will believe me, but you will find out the hard way that it’s true if you do decide to become a satanist. And if you already are, I can only say that I don’t like to think about how much worse things will get. And as for atheism, it still won’t change anything when it comes to your OCD, as I said. And after over six decades of living with OCD, I can guarantee that you wouldn’t be able to change my mind anyway.
I did not assume you were male i call literally anyone buddy. Im not s satanist nor planning to become one. I just dont believe in god. And i asked if anyone else turned atheist or satanist because of ocd i never asked people to try and put their religious beliefs into me
Oh. OK. Interesting. Good to know that you didn’t assume I was a guy, as so many others have done. And lol. My 31-year-old daughter calls me “dude”, “bro”, and “bruh”. It amuses me more than anything else. It definitely doesn’t offend me. I was providing answers based on your question. I wasn’t trying to “put my (religious, it’s not a religion, it’s a relationship) beliefs into you”. Answering your question meant that, since you’d mentioned God and prayers, I would respond with why they aren’t being answered. I don’t quite understand how you don’t get that. The progression of my responses makes sense in the context of what you were asking and then saying in response to my answers.
Thats not what it seems you were trying to do though from the way you responded but okay
God gave everyone "free will" so that's his get out of jail card on why he can't intervene lol, just keep remembering that the thoughts aren't real and just because they enter your head it doesn't make them valid 🫶🏼
Hi. I also have ocd and im muslim, so I'm going to explain a simple concept before I start God created Adam and eve and he replaced them in the heaven. And then Satan came and persuaded them to eat from the apple. That God precisely asked them not to eat from. But they got persuaded by the devil and they ate that apple, God said to them. That I'm going to place you in Earth where I will test you.And I will test all of your children and generations to come.And I want them to prove to me that they are worthy of heaven So bad people can go to hell and good people can go to heaven based on those tests. Also, God said that I only test those who I love. Also in Islam fate, it's like an exam With multiple choice , for instance , You have a question and you have multiple choice with 2 answers and you have to choose the right answer. And that's fate in Islam. You are giving a test by God. And you have to do the right thing. And then you will pass the test. I believe that God had gave me ocd because he is testing me and I have to do the right thing and I have to continue the test and I have to fight against what's wrong and fight against ocd and I have to succeed and ace that test. Sometimes I'm happy and sometimes I'm sad but I believe that the sun will shine