Hi all,
I'm not sure if anyone here is familiar with scrupulosity but it is something I have struggled with on and off for a good deal of my life. I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and scrupulosity is simply a form of OCD in which you worry and obsess over going to hell or doing things that displease God. Here is a definition I got of it online:
"Scrupulosity, a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), is an over-concern for doing things correctly or perfectly in order to follow religious practices, to please God, or to avoid disrespect from others or from one's own self. This form of over-concern and over-responsibility leads to excessive anxiety and guilt. It has been referred to by some as having an excessively tender conscience. There are historical references to scrupulosity among monastic priests as they struggled to please God."
Although I am very relieved to have found about Christian Universalism, it is very difficult to totally defeat my scrupulosity. OCD is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and while it can be helped with medicine and therapy, it is very hard to completely get rid of it...it tends to come and go with varying degrees of intensity. Also, the fact that I grew up in a church that preached eternal damnation, makes it harder as well. I have been having some problems with my scrupulosity lately, especially if I come across some evangelical webpage describing the horrors of hell. I'm sure this is something that a ton of people around the world deal with but that alot of people may not necessarily know about. Anyway, I just felt like sharing my thoughts. I believe that if the message of God restoring all people to Himself could get out to more people, it would be a big help to those suffering with scrupulosity.
Pretty much every day, brother, every day. I have to work on "what is God" and "what is me just stressing, worrying, struggling, overdoing..." in your words, scrupulosity. Thanks for sharing this.
To me, it sounds more like a gift than a curse.
But, that said, since you know the truth of the restitution of all things — maybe you're still clinging to the spirit of the action rather than the fear of the Lord.
Remember, God is well pleased with us. He sees us through the eyes of Christ redeemed.
He is not mad at anybody.
Continue your good works — just be aware of your motive.
Magnificent Obsession
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cel_O-qy0i0&feature=related
Thanks for sharing Iceman. My prayers are with you.
Grace and peace.
Brandon
I.m sorry your having this torment of mind and heart,Iceman
I use to have trouble with anxiety attacks years ago, and if
severely stressed..still have to deal with it, from time to time.
The root of both are fear-based.People have literally been
frightened to death. These conditions flood our body with
adrenaline and other hormones, the fight or flight reflex.
I want to run away generaly.
Physical exrcise will help 'burn up' some of these hormones to
keep them from raising blood pressure etc..While dwelling on
the good things God has done for you, and the love He has for
you and all His creation will help restore some peace to your
mind.
It's still not easy,I know :sigh:
to be still and KNOW HE IS GOD
Your in my prayers,
Sheila
Iceman, let me try to help you. If it helps, great, if not, it was worth a try.
You have probably heard most of what i am about to say before, but here is my tuppence worth.
Iceman you have to understand that your perception of the world is ONE persons perception out of BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of peoples perceptions!
That said, your overall perception of the world is...Probably wrong, so you have to realize that the way life is to you, is probably NOT the way life REALLY is. (In reality).
So bear that in mind when you feel bad and realize that the way you are feeling is not necessary because your feelings are probably (99.99999% certainly) wrong and 'muddled'...So don't dwell on them to much.
Once you do that, establish in your mind what God is.
The Scriptures define God as 'LOVE'.
Then realize that you have Him ALL wrong when you think of Him as anything aside from love, and focus on his love...
Once you KNOW what love is (as im sure you do but you just forget when you get in a panic), realize that love does no harm to anyone, but seeks the ultimate good.
Realise that love (Remember God is love) doesnt send people to eternal hell!! The mere thought of love sending someone to eternal suffering is RIDICOULOUS!!!!!! Always remember that!
And anyway; hell doesnt exist and eternal was translated and really means 'a limited period of time'. (As im sure you already know).
You know what you should do, and i think that God just gave me this idea?
You should write down on a sheet of paper lots of positive thoughts for when you feel bad and read them through, and you should read that paper every morning and get it SET HARD in your mind that God loves you and he made us, he understands us when we sin, he still loves us when we sin, and God sent his son Jesus to die for our sins because he KNEW that none of us were ever going to reach perfection to save ourselves from sin and its penalty (death).
God isn't expecting Iceman84 to be perfect, he loves Iceman84 and he wants him to be happy and to share that joy and love with others in his own time and when he feels he can and is ready too.
Love in Christ my dear brother, i'll be praying for you.
Just had to say that most of everything you described in the heading of this thread sounded like the 3 Baptist Churches I am so sorry I ever belonged too.
Stick with us and the word Perfect will have a new meaning of
Complete in HIM...
Lee Damboise II
The way I tend to look at the topic of eternal torment is like this:
1. If eternal torment is false, then there's no problem.
2. If eternal torment is true, then I want to receive it, as there is no reason why I ought to be spared if others are not.
Why, then, would I worry about hell? I view the act of being concerned with one's own salvation while not being equally concerned about everyone else's to be exceptionally selfish in nature, really. If there is no hell, then I have nothing to worry about; and if there is hell, then I have nothing to worry about. Hence, nothing to worry about.
Thanks for all the positive comments everyone, especially your very well thought-out post jesushandsarekindhands. And Gab, that is one thing I have never understood about people that believe in ET...they seem to be fine and happy as long as they believe they will be saved but don't seem to have much of a problem with the fact that so many people around them will end up in hell forever (according to what they believe that is). But anyway, thanks everybody.
"Nothing wrong with being meticulous, although it can be painstaking at times."
:cloud9: Just my opinion, but here is what I would do (and I'm not saying you don't/haven't already some or all of it)........renew your mind with the washing of the Word (specifically love and healing scriptures), ask for baptism of the HG, fast (ask Him how long).
This is pretty much my standard answer for ANYTHING, with some adjustments made on what scriptures, based on the need. He's healed me of terminal cancer, 4 ruptured discs, lung damage, a crushed elbow joint, and a heart attack.
If He formed us inside our mother's womb as He says He did, then it is no big thing for Him to re-form us outside the womb.......just remember that. My :2c: Blessings....