|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:03 pm
 Okay, so I heard a discussion yesterday in which a lady believed that being anxious is a sin, based off the verse that starts off "be anxious for nothing." I'm not quite sure what to think of this, so I was hoping some of you could weigh in.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:05 pm
I would say that anxiety can be a sin. It depends on what type of anxiety it is. There is anxiety as in worry, where you are worrying and stressing over things and not turning them over to God; that shows a lack of faith. Having a lack of faith is a sin. It's not something most people consider horribly awful, but it is in fact a sin. It's something everyone does, but then again we're all sinners. However, anxiety can also be a medical condition. I suffer from it, but it's not conscious worrying about anything, it's feelings of awkwardness in certain situations that manifests itself in physical and emotional symptoms. There is anxiety where you are just high strung and jumpy. There are several forms of anxiety, and most of them are not someone worrying about things and not turning it over to God. It's a chemical imbalance that causes your body to respond with physical symptoms. It's a psychological/neurological condition, just like Schizophrenia, OCD, ADHD, Autism, ect. So when asking is being anxious a sin, the answer is both yes and no. There are things we do to cause anxiety and worry and those things are sin. But there are also medical conditions that are physical, treatable problems that have little or nothing to do with our sinful nature and human tendency to worry about things that are out of our control.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 12:11 am
Subliminal Aftermath Okay, so I heard a discussion yesterday in which a lady believed that being anxious is a sin, based off the verse that starts off "be anxious for nothing." I'm not quite sure what to think of this, so I was hoping some of you could weigh in. if it is i'm in trouble lol I have an anxity problem
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 12:50 am
Guardian of the Sky Subliminal Aftermath Okay, so I heard a discussion yesterday in which a lady believed that being anxious is a sin, based off the verse that starts off "be anxious for nothing." I'm not quite sure what to think of this, so I was hoping some of you could weigh in. if it is i'm in trouble lol I have an anxity problem I think that God will have mercy if you have an anxiety disorder. besides we are all guilty of sin, we cant be without it. I guess just keep praying about it and ask for strength.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
thrashmetaljunkie Captain
|
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 1:19 am
To be anxious, is to be human. We ALL get anxious about something. We all have stresses, especially this day and age. Whatever Jesus said was a "sin" is what I consider a sin. Even then, As Subliminal sai, we ALL sin, even when we try our best not to. I would say this: Being anxious isn't a sin, unless you sin in your anxiousness. Just like anger. Anger is a natural thing, it isn't a sin. It becomes a sin when you sin out of anger.
Ephesians 4:26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:09 am
Sometimes one can't help but experience anxiety. I get bad stage anxiety, and I can't help that. It just happens, haha.
And like Guardian of the Sky said, what about people with more severe anxiety problems? I have a friend who suffers from anxiety attacks to the point where her attacks almost feel like HEART attacks. She'll pass out from an attack, they get so bad. They can trigger at any moment for her.
I think God would rather us to not be anxious if we can help it. If we feel anxious, and we know that it'd probably go away if we take a moment to calm down, we should take that moment; pray, breathe, go somewhere quiet and talk to God. I find what calms me down and helps me focus is saying the Lord's Prayer. I love Jesus even more for having given it to us.
I think God would like us to choose peace over dwelling in our anxiety. But for people who suffer from severe anxiety, I think they should be prayed for, and I know God has mercy for those people because it's something they can't really control. Just my thoughts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 3:30 pm
There is a difference between Godly concern and worry.
Anxiety falls under "worry". If you're obsessing over something, which is what anxiety is by definition, then you are sinning. You are sinning because it is essentially a form of idolatry. The thing you are worrying over seems more powerful to you than God or what He can do. This is a form of idolatry, though it's a crooked one. It is also a sign of a lack of trust in God.
I realize that people probably won't like this answer, but that's the truth of it. Worry over nothing, for it cannot add a day to your life. Tomorrow has worries of its own. God will take care of all things.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:24 pm
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
I don't think being anxious in itself is a sin; though, fear of man over God is a sin. Or for example, compromising yourself as a Christian, and your Christian beliefs, for the world.
Fearing someone else, or the world, more than God is a sin. For example: Your Husband asks you to kill your neighbor, you know it's wrong, you do it out of fear your husband will leave you. (Meaning you feared your husband, or being lonely, more than you feared God). That's why you did what your husband said, and did not follow what your God said first. "You Shall Not Murder" Exodus 20:13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:44 am
I don't think being anxious in and of itself is a sin. I think that scripture is being taken pretty extremely out of context.
I have a panic disorder, as well as PTSD, which causes me a great deal of anxiety in certain situations. Last I checked, mental illnesses were not inherently sinful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:51 am
AmeixaNeko “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). I don't think being anxious in itself is a sin; though, fear of man over God is a sin. Or for example, compromising yourself as a Christian, and your Christian beliefs, for the world. Fearing someone else, or the world, more than God is a sin. For example: Your Husband asks you to kill your neighbor, you know it's wrong, you do it out of fear your husband will leave you. (Meaning you feared your husband, or being lonely, more than you feared God). That's why you did what your husband said, and did not follow what your God said first. "You Shall Not Murder" Exodus 20:13 What about people who have suffered horrible abuse at the hands of awful people? The reality is that the world, and other people, can be very, very scary. As a survivor of abuse and as someone who has faced some very scary people and some very scary situations, I find this post vaguely offensive. The God I worship understands that people, and the world, can be very deserving of fear, and wouldn't possibly hold a natural survival instinct against a person.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:04 am
Scarlet_Teardrops
There is a difference between Godly concern and worry.
Anxiety falls under "worry". If you're obsessing over something, which is what anxiety is by definition, then you are sinning. You are sinning because it is essentially a form of idolatry. The thing you are worrying over seems more powerful to you than God or what He can do. This is a form of idolatry, though it's a crooked one. It is also a sign of a lack of trust in God.
I realize that people probably won't like this answer, but that's the truth of it. Worry over nothing, for it cannot add a day to your life. Tomorrow has worries of its own. God will take care of all things.
It's also a natural, automatic survival response to threatening situations, as well as a symptom of any number of mental illnesses. You can't just live your life trusting that God will take care of you without you making some effort to look after yourself. You can trust in God while still fearing for you life, or fearing pain, or fearing people or situations that would harm you. If we didn't have that fear response, we'd be like lemmings plunging off cliffs left and right. Being all-trusting, having absolutely no fear, isn't really being a fully actualised person, in my opinion. If you have no fear, you have no survival instinct, which effectively leaves you with not a very strong will to survive. Do you think God wants us walking right off the edge of a sheer cliff and trusting that He'll save us as we fall, or did He perhaps instill a healthy fear of heights in us so that we don't do that and have some idea of how to keep ourselves alive?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 9:02 am
SinfulGuillotine AmeixaNeko “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). I don't think being anxious in itself is a sin; though, fear of man over God is a sin. Or for example, compromising yourself as a Christian, and your Christian beliefs, for the world. Fearing someone else, or the world, more than God is a sin. For example: Your Husband asks you to kill your neighbor, you know it's wrong, you do it out of fear your husband will leave you. (Meaning you feared your husband, or being lonely, more than you feared God). That's why you did what your husband said, and did not follow what your God said first. "You Shall Not Murder" Exodus 20:13 What about people who have suffered horrible abuse at the hands of awful people? The reality is that the world, and other people, can be very, very scary. As a survivor of abuse and as someone who has faced some very scary people and some very scary situations, I find this post vaguely offensive. The God I worship understands that people, and the world, can be very deserving of fear, and wouldn't possibly hold a natural survival instinct against a person. The basic idea of that example, in the skit above, is that you're supposed to fear God, before man. Killing someone in self-defense? Hmm..Maybe God would understand that. Exodus 22:2-3 If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. Here are some more quotes related to Killing in Self-Defense: Bible verses based on killing in self-defense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:07 am
AmeixaNeko The basic idea of that example, in the skit above, is that you're supposed to fear God, before man. Killing someone in self-defense? Hmm..Maybe God would understand that. Exodus 22:2-3 If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. Here are some more quotes related to Killing in Self-Defense: Bible verses based on killing in self-defenseI'm not really sure where killing in self-defense came in. I'm talking about fear. Panic. Anxiety. These are normal human emotions, and indeed necessary for us to survive in many cases. If a man is holding a gun to my head, I'm honestly probably going to fear that man and that gun more than I fear God at that exact moment in time. I don't see how that's possibly sinful. That's normal, healthy, survival-instinct fear.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:20 pm
SinfulGuillotine AmeixaNeko The basic idea of that example, in the skit above, is that you're supposed to fear God, before man. Killing someone in self-defense? Hmm..Maybe God would understand that. Exodus 22:2-3 If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. Here are some more quotes related to Killing in Self-Defense: Bible verses based on killing in self-defenseI'm not really sure where killing in self-defense came in. I'm talking about fear. Panic. Anxiety. These are normal human emotions, and indeed necessary for us to survive in many cases. If a man is holding a gun to my head, I'm honestly probably going to fear that man and that gun more than I fear God at that exact moment in time. I don't see how that's possibly sinful. That's normal, healthy, survival-instinct fear. Well, I wouldn't call it all that sinful; though, it kind of implies that you don't fully trust God. I mean, truthfully, anyone would be scared to die in that moment because we're only human. Plus sometimes people get shot in the head, and live with disabilities, which a lot of people fear. I believe even at death's door you should have faith and trust in God. (Who knows, the gun may not go off, or mysteriously run out of bullets.) Have faith. Maybe you'll live with no disabilities, full recoveries. Plus, God never said you could not fight back (considering the circumstances). Do you believe in the afterlife? If someone is beating you up, or, trying to kill you, and you respond with violence because you have an adrenaline rush, or panic attack, while trying to protect yourself, is that not self-defense? If you actually manage to kill someone in self-defense...would God not understand that you were just trying to defend yourself?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 3:15 pm
AmeixaNeko SinfulGuillotine AmeixaNeko The basic idea of that example, in the skit above, is that you're supposed to fear God, before man. Killing someone in self-defense? Hmm..Maybe God would understand that. Exodus 22:2-3 If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. Here are some more quotes related to Killing in Self-Defense: Bible verses based on killing in self-defenseI'm not really sure where killing in self-defense came in. I'm talking about fear. Panic. Anxiety. These are normal human emotions, and indeed necessary for us to survive in many cases. If a man is holding a gun to my head, I'm honestly probably going to fear that man and that gun more than I fear God at that exact moment in time. I don't see how that's possibly sinful. That's normal, healthy, survival-instinct fear. Well, I wouldn't call it all that sinful; though, it kind of implies that you don't fully trust God. I mean, truthfully, anyone would be scared to die in that moment because we're only human. Plus sometimes people get shot in the head, and live with disabilities, which a lot of people fear. I believe even at death's door you should have faith and trust in God. (Who knows, the gun may not go off, or mysteriously run out of bullets.) Have faith. Maybe you'll live with no disabilities, full recoveries. Plus, God never said you could not fight back (considering the circumstances). Do you believe in the afterlife? If someone is beating you up, or, trying to kill you, and you respond with violence because you have an adrenaline rush, or panic attack, while trying to protect yourself, is that not self-defense? If you actually manage to kill someone in self-defense...would God not understand that you were just trying to defend yourself? That's more or less what I've been driving at here. It's pretty unreasonable to say that it's sinful to fear men or things in the world, because some men and things in the world should be feared. It's normal, it's natural, and it helps us to survive. And yes, I believe in an afterlife, and I'm not even especially afraid to die, at least not on a philosophical level, but I've definitely been in some situations where, at least in the moment, I've feared some earthly men a heck of a lot more than I've feared God because they were an immediate threat to my well-being. And my point is that I don't possibly see how God could fault someone for that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
