It's possible that there might be some confusion here as to the nature of the experience. Sometimes in a moment of intense prayer and soul-searching, it's possible to experience something that's kind of like a moment of clarity: you know with full conviction that something is correct. I'm somewhere between an agnostic and a deist myself but I have experienced this a few times at some of my most spiritually and emotionally raw moments. I believe it is an experience like this that people interpret as a message from God, although I also believe there's a perfectly plausible psychological explanation as well. I suspect your friend had one of these moments of conviction that he took to be a spiritual message. Might be true, might not. I wouldn't worry about it as a sign of psychological imbalance, it just means that, based on his world view, he interpreted something in a certain way that is different from yours. As for the message that Christ is in your heart, I agree with the others in saying that it partly just means he cares about you. There is a degree of putting his beliefs onto you here but, then again, that's the nature of a belief. Your religious friend sees the world in a certain way and so do you, the only thing to do is accept it, respect it without judging, and move on.
Is my friend delusional? Advice needed
- Thread starter chrispaps
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It is not delusional to think that God, the creator, can communicate with his creation. That being said, just because someone thinks they hear from God doesn't necessarily mean they are correct.
You said that you are an atheist and that your friend said that Jesus told him/her to tell you, "That even though you dont go to church or pray, Jesus is in your heart." Now if your friend meant by "Jesus is in your heart" that you have received salvation (the biblical definition of salvation) then that is biblically incorrect. Romans 10:9-10 says that "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved ifyou confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
Urgo, I don't think that Jesus would tell us to communicate a message that is biblically/theologically incorrect. For example, the ten commandments say that adultery is wrong. Therefore I don't think that Jesus would tell me to sleep with my neighbor's husband.
Perhaps as others said, he meant well, but didn't say things quite right. Perhaps he meant, even though you don't go to church or pray, Jesus still loves you. There is nothing wrong with saying that- I think God could tell your friend to tell you that God loves you!
You said that you are an atheist and that your friend said that Jesus told him/her to tell you, "That even though you dont go to church or pray, Jesus is in your heart." Now if your friend meant by "Jesus is in your heart" that you have received salvation (the biblical definition of salvation) then that is biblically incorrect. Romans 10:9-10 says that "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved ifyou confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
Urgo, I don't think that Jesus would tell us to communicate a message that is biblically/theologically incorrect. For example, the ten commandments say that adultery is wrong. Therefore I don't think that Jesus would tell me to sleep with my neighbor's husband.
Perhaps as others said, he meant well, but didn't say things quite right. Perhaps he meant, even though you don't go to church or pray, Jesus still loves you. There is nothing wrong with saying that- I think God could tell your friend to tell you that God loves you!
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You could tell him "god" spoke to you last night and said: "Last night when I spoke to your friend, I crossed heavenly wires and meant that message for somebody else" and say it with convictio nand assuredness.
To an atheist, yes. He is delusional. I, however, have no experience with the mental and emotional experiences that intense religious belief can cause. He certainly sounds stable and kind. There's not much you can do with people like that except agree to disagree. You COULD try to change his beliefs through intense debate and factual bombardment, but that kind of thing can strain a friendship. I've only succeeded with it a handful of times.
Or tell him the Flying Speghetti Monster loves him and that would never lie about that.
Smile, say thanks and move on.
You can't argue with faith.. faith is beyond arguments because of its theme in itself so it is pointless to approach it with arguments or logic.
Now your friend isn't delusional.. at least not clinicial. If he claimed he saw Jesus directly standing in his room and talking to him then i would get concerned but otherwise it's ok.
If he however begins to push his beliefs on you then you need to have a serious talk about preachiness and your atheism. If that fails you need to think hard about your friendship.
You can't argue with faith.. faith is beyond arguments because of its theme in itself so it is pointless to approach it with arguments or logic.
Now your friend isn't delusional.. at least not clinicial. If he claimed he saw Jesus directly standing in his room and talking to him then i would get concerned but otherwise it's ok.
If he however begins to push his beliefs on you then you need to have a serious talk about preachiness and your atheism. If that fails you need to think hard about your friendship.
This.
McCoy said:
And this.
I don't for a minute believe that Jesus actually spoke to your friend (especially considering I'm not entirely convinced Jesus ever existed), but it sounds like your friend, due to his intense religious faith, has willed himself to believe that he did.
It does seem like your friend is just genuinely concerned for you, but all the same, I would politely ask him to butt out and respect your decision not to be religious. If he fails to do so, I would re-think your friendship with him (or perhaps tell him that Satan spoke to you last night, and he told you something completely different
).
