Relying on Protestantism to Ease Loneliness

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I suffer because of the verbal violence from my classmates and the pressure caused by my studies.On-campus psychological counseling doesn’t work and hospital psychological consultation costs are a bit high.So I went to the local church.

I don't know how to translate the name of this church(maybe Mongan Church/Grace Church).Communism regards religion as a spiritual opium,so I can’t fully agree with their discussion about God.But their kindness really rubbed off on me.

The first time I went there, they were doing corporate prayer and it was amazing.Everyone sang together and crooned "Amen".All this is going on just like the flag-raising patriotic ceremony in my elementary school.Participating in group activities makes me feel a sense of belonging and relaxation.Most of the believers are old ladies who preach to me with simple kindness.
I participated in their Bible study that night and it was very, very comfortable. There were no exercises or standard answers.The young man studying traditional Chinese medicine next to me said: The reason why patients do not improve after treatment is because they do not trust traditional Chinese medicine. This is similar to the fact that people who do not believe in God cannot receive God’s love. People around him echoed him. I feel a little crazy.

I like the atmosphere in the church. I heard that there will be Bible study every night before March 31st, so I plan to attend as long as I have time, not for the Bible but for the sense of collective belonging.

China has had a profound tradition of highly sophisticated philosophies and religions which have entered the collective consciousness of the world. Yet it sadly chose to deny its own culture and religion(s). I find it sad that Chinese people think now the West, which was lagging behind China for a thousand years, and destroyed it in the Opium wars and all that followed, think it can offer them more. But whatever works for you. Hope they won't ask something of you in return.

Christianity in general, and Protestantism in particular are spreading like wildfire in China.

But China's traditional Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, are also reviving in this post Communist era as well.

And new cults are catching on as well...notably the Falun Gong movement (which like the earlier Moonies)now even have an American newspaper of their own.

belijojo -
If it brings you comfort, stick with it.

Today is Wednesday. The pastor said that Jesus chose to rest instead of preaching the gospel on the Wednesday before his crucifixion. We should also rest and pay attention to work-life balance.
I cried in the prayer that followed, releasing the pressure I had been under for so long.

I'd have been annoyed myself. I'm wary of the "it doesn't work for skeptics" defense, and see it as a clever way of blaming unbelievers for miracles not working on them, and misdirecting people from thinking that maybe if the miracle doesn't happen, then it's because there's no such thing as miracles.


I saw a piece by an online pastor that started with a few scriptural quote about God resting on the 7th day etc., and went on to teach the followers that they too ought to rest occasionally and that overworking is a bad thing. The only comments the pastor got were highly complimentary. I just felt that there was no need to use scripture to back up the blindingly obvious, and that his take-home message smacked very strongly of "you can't progress without scripture, and you need me as your leader to interpret it for you and tell you what to do."

Still, if it gets you through the night like nothing else has been able to, then I suppose that's good enough, so I hope you don't let my comments disillusion you. I just recognised those two assertions for what I think they are, and as they so graphically represent why I'd go down like a lead balloon at a spiritual gathering if didn't keep uncomfortably quiet, I couldn't resist airing my views here. No harm intended.

I guess it's pretty obvious from what I've written here that relying on Protestantism to ease loneliness wouldn't work in my own case, though yours seem friendly enough people while nobody rocks the boat. My own solution for loneliness is very different. It involves trying to relate to people but remaining genuine, which means that I argue against their assertions sometimes, because if I have to keep pretending to buy what they're saying when I don't buy it, I feel that intimacy is impossible.

Not that I'm saying you're not being genuine with those people you've found, if you truly believe their claims. I wonder how welcome in that church I'd be if I said what I've written here to them? If I ever find a church that does welcome such criticism, that would be great, but I think all churches have a doctrine that refuses to embrace any such thing, so I have to remain unchurched. I wonder if unquestioned core beliefs are compulsory in all groups?

Unquestioning is the basis of monotheism. All Biblical debates are based on the premise that the Bible is the Word of God.

Last night, the pastor explained the Bible and said that Jesus wants us to expand the church.Then she mentioned that one of her former followers defected to another faction and took some of them with her.During the prayer that followed, four people prayed loudly for the church.I see greed for power in their faces.

No other interpretation of the Bible is allowed in this church.

I suspect the unquestionable core values / beliefs are very common in secular groups too. I suppose the idea is that if the group has nothing of that kind in common, there's no binding force between them and the group will get smaller. But I'm not sure how true that is. A common purpose will unite a group, but it doesn't have to be a belief, except for the belief that the purpose is worth striving for. Quite what the purpose of a religion is, I'm not sure. I'm sure it has at least one purpose, but it's not a matter I've thought over very thoroughly yet.

I'm not sure it's such a bad thing for a group to get smaller unless there's a war going on. I do know that leaders can be very hostile towards anybody who encourages a splinter group that would shrink the main group. I guess that's to do with that greed for power that you sensed, and maybe an irrational fear of being small.

As for the Bible being the Word Of God, that notion seems to vary in intensity from church to church. The C of E doesn't insist that it's the absolute, perfect literal truth from cover to cover, so they'd have no problem if for example it was proved that Adam and Eve never literally existed as described. They'd probably say it was beside the point. OTOH such churches as the Pentecostals tend to be completely literalist and so there are a lot more ideas that would be anathema to them.

I have an immature understanding of the purposes of religion.

Religion must have had its own reasons for being born, surviving and even growing, but a purpose is not necessary.To put it another way, no one wants to do this, but when everyone gathers， its purpose/impact is to maintain the existing social system.

Once I simply thought that Americans had a common purpose-to destroy Asia, Africa and Latin America and then suck the blood out of them through free trade.But one user on this site taught me that there is a game of different interest groups in the United States, and they do what they are doing now in compromise, with different purposes.

Likewise, poor people need religion for comfort and warmth, and rich people need religion to maintain status.When the poor have no money to eat or see a doctor, religion makes them pray instead of revolution.When rich people own a lot of land, religion teaches them not to harvest all the food and not to delay the wages of workers.Because of these different needs and purposes, different people are united by religion.

Religion is the opposite of law. Without it, the angry poor would destabilize society. That's why I mentioned in the thread: Religion is a spiritual opium.

This is the true way,instand of relying on God.If I knew the right way to make friends

Like me, and everyone else, your a product of your society. You have the typical Marxist view that "religion is the opiate of the masses" to keep working class down. The official pov of Communist China that you grew up being indoctrinated with.

Trouble is Marxism itself is a kind of religion...a utopian "opiate".

Americans often "shop around" different churches to find the one they like the most. So ...just look at it as Protestantism and Marxism are just two competing churches. So you dont have to feel so ashamed that you might be ...succumbing to Protestantism...at the expense of the creed of Marxism. Marxism is just the state-backed religion of your country. Just view them as competing creeds (brands of opium maybe).

Thank you, your post inspired me.

In fact, what I am believing is an early version of Chinese Marxism that is highly offensive to all other isms. I'm now going to "shop around" and check out the latest version of The official pov of Communist China.My ideology might be softened by it.

As a former bible boy myself, if participating in protestant mass brings comfort then I would advise not thinking too deeply on the politics or philosophical reasons for your decision.

Prayer has the same value regardless whether you are buddhist, christian, muslim or even an athiest who participates in group meditation.

All humans seek self-actualisation (according to Abraham Maslow)

The early gnostic chritistans emphasised the importance of looking beyond superficial meaning in the words of the bible and focusing on hidden meaning in scripture that is designed to lead you to spiritual enlightenment. Protestantism is just another road you can take, if you are comfortable then just ride with it and not think too hard.

Today, I added the Wechat of the clergy, and she told me that I could send her questions about the Bible as much as I wanted.That's nice,

The pastor here graduated from the North America Bible Institute and his theoretical level is insufficient. Whether he defends the Bible or refutes the theory of evolution, most of his words are based on wrong facts. It makes me suspect that the believers they want to attract are rural people who have not experienced scientific education, and have not considered how to persuade college students.

I thought I could accept another set of perfect ways to explain the world that was independent of my current thoughts, but I failed.

Prayer and gatherings still make me feel comfortable, Amen.