Countrygirl, do you know what you are doing? You are using the common sense that God has given you. Not some priest or man-made church has given you these brains to doubt and to question; but God. These God given instincts are there to help you find your own way.

I can only imagine how overpowering such churches and their rules are. You must be an intelligent women to not just succumb because you have been told to do so. I applaud you and have the greatest respect for anyone who “questions”.

If you can, try to take a break from all churches, retreats, preaching and soul searching. Just live, smell the flowers and give your brain and heart a rest.

I had an extremely strict Catholic upbringing. I left the church to find peace in nature. I believe that living our lives to the fullest and appreciating the gift of life within itself is the best thing we can do.

Imagine you give a child a present. And the child keeps questioning if he is worthy of it. Wouldn’t that upset you? Seeing the child cherish and enjoy the gift is what you had wished.

And so I have found an inner peace. I have stopped questioning man-made religious institutions or teachings. I simply believe what my instincts tell me. I believe in God and the power of nature. I cherish and am thankful to God for the gift of life; my life, within this vast incompressible universe, that I, as a simple human being, not even dare try to understand.