Inner and outer world as a Christian

[Rachie]

Does anyone else ever feel like they can have a rich inner world and a very difficult at times outer world as an autistic and also a Christian as well.

Sometimes so much can be going on in life it is like there can be an inner world and outside world. The outside can be blowing with things that are so difficult to deal with. It can be like calamity after calamity in the outside real world beyond your control. These are sometimes caused by other peoples actions coming to you and destabilising you which you have no control of. It can be caused by family members making you very distressed even and more of course. Moving it aside to the inner world. This is a special thing I think perhaps as an autistic and for me a Christian how I experience it.

I have several medical conditions and my life hasn’t been picture perfect far from it and whose is but still, and it times it can feel like a calamity with my one of my conditions and a disposal of others people rubbish as well. They may even be bringing you things and requests that clearly would undermine your faith which they know about.

Moving On

With an outer world that may seem a bit collapsed you have to admit that your inner world is strong with God and will remain so. It is an extension of God who always holds you up and supports you and provides laughs and comfort and knows how to speak to you.
So you feel it yes poorly in the outside but yes I couldn’t deny it myself today it is sweet in the inner world. I clapped and enough to be said I was thrilled with my inner world and have always been....well at 16 I didn’t get the height I was praying for but I still loved God. Let’s not unpack that one here. I wish the outer world would just leave me alone sometimes and I would be perfectly happy. In the inner world I am. It is strange how both can exist.

I think you may know mean I pretty much. This was written during a very heated moment and I had to pull out the truth, my inner world was intact.
Inner world versus outer world.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I am thinking this is what is meant by being "grounded". Something in your internal world is keeping your head on straight (perhaps your faith), your core values as a human being intact (perhaps your strong moral compass), while your outside world is trying to create influence or even chaos in an attempt to undermine this.

I'm not sure that one needs to be a Christian nor an autistic to experience this. I suspect, within this perspective, we all have our ways. Some successfully navigate their lives as if made from Teflon, all the the crap thrown at them never sticks, it just slides off and they continue to move forward. To me, this is the best case scenario. We cannot choose our family nor whatever mental or physical conditions we are stricken with. We cannot choose what horrible life events we may experience. The card player doesn't have control over the card deal, and as such, must play whatever is dealt to them to the best of their ability. Sometimes you get dealt a winning hand, and other times a losing hand, but regardless, you must stay grounded, keep your thoughts clear, and seek the best strategy for the best possible outcome, whatever that is for you.

 

[Streetwise]

The problem you have, is there isn't a forum for autistic neurology and being a follower of Yeshua (jesus) , the unsaved are simply unsaved ,Christians must seek the counsel of other mature Christians not unbelievers, I ain't mature

 

[Rachie]

Very interesting replies. Thank you to those who have replied.

This forum is where I post the most for autism. I like this forum for it has a religious section as well as being a neurodiverse forum. I am also joined to NAS which doesn't have a religious section and neither does Wrongplanet have its own religious forum as such mixing it up into three groups and it seems mostly political and I avoid politics. I have around 20 posts and don't intend to be any kind of poster. I am also joined to one Christian forum which I do like. Fling out the city data I don't really use it. I am also joined to one eating disorder forum which didn't fit at all.

An autism and neurology forum perhaps it might be useful to me. I had an MRI scan of my head and have to the images of the scan which I did send professionals who have treated people for autism and also eating disorder. There was something noted from the scan I would say that was more related to sensory issues though. That was in 2021 before my most severe incidents with my health in my lifetime. Things for me though haven't changed in the sense I experience them post 17.

So I have had experiences post 17 and pre 17.

I will tell you why not I thought this forum and this section was the best fit. I have read in a few places that autistics can have and live rich worlds. Also, with the sensory you can have increased sensory perceptions through the spirit. This however may not be relevant to those who do not experience this. This is necessary perhaps to have a rich world in the sense I was writing, it is led by spirit and the not the material of the world.
This is the clincer of course generally Christians can also experience this without autism. It is that the combination of the two I felt made this post more suited in this section and more likely to be understood.

 

[Xinyta]

Does anyone else ever feel like they can have a rich inner world and a very difficult at times outer world as an autistic and also a Christian as well.

Sometimes so much can be going on in life it is like there can be an inner world and outside world. The outside can be blowing with things that are so difficult to deal with. It can be like calamity after calamity in the outside real world beyond your control. These are sometimes caused by other peoples actions coming to you and destabilising you which you have no control of. It can be caused by family members making you very distressed even and more of course. Moving it aside to the inner world. This is a special thing I think perhaps as an autistic and for me a Christian how I experience it.

I have several medical conditions and my life hasn’t been picture perfect far from it and whose is but still, and it times it can feel like a calamity with my one of my conditions and a disposal of others people rubbish as well. They may even be bringing you things and requests that clearly would undermine your faith which they know about.

Moving On

With an outer world that may seem a bit collapsed you have to admit that your inner world is strong with God and will remain so. It is an extension of God who always holds you up and supports you and provides laughs and comfort and knows how to speak to you.
So you feel it yes poorly in the outside but yes I couldn’t deny it myself today it is sweet in the inner world. I clapped and enough to be said I was thrilled with my inner world and have always been....well at 16 I didn’t get the height I was praying for but I still loved God. Let’s not unpack that one here. I wish the outer world would just leave me alone sometimes and I would be perfectly happy. In the inner world I am. It is strange how both can exist.

I think you may know mean I pretty much. This was written during a very heated moment and I had to pull out the truth, my inner world was intact.
Inner world versus outer world.

If you are secure in your personal relationship with God. Hell, nor high water, can shake you.

As far as the 'outer world'. Consider that humans are flawed. They are creatures of habit and free will. We all are. Chaos is sown into the DNA of the societies, laws, and principles forged by man.

But another thing to consider, is that we all have scars. Many hide them. Scars that make us act in nasty ways. Hearts hardened by grief and inner torment.

"Do onto others, that you wish done to you."

"And Jesus said "peace be with you", then showing his hands and his side to his disciples. That those who fondle the holes of his hands and touch his side shall believe."

 

[Rachie]

Thank you for your reply Xinyta. You understand my thoughts and provided me some further thought as well.

Nobody and certainly not me is perfect. The following doesn't need to be discussed. as I am not here to judge a situation. I am just explaining.

I do not ask wrong things for people to do. I am the one who would have to do it. Some people I can find them just very difficult to work out at times. I can express warmth to them and they may come the next day or so with not right requests at times from me, baffling.
Too much was happening at the same and the above sent me over the edge like it was traumatic thoughts and I was just heading towards a bad situation and was saying it was difficult life was this and that. Full knowing that I was smiling secretly for my inner world and it was a mismatch. I had to step aside from my outside happenings and tell it how it is. that my inner world has always delighted and I just fell into a hush after clapping.

It is needed sometimes.

 

[Rachie]

This could go in any direction of course, it is a thread on a forum lol.

I want to say this-I think we need at some point to have a discussion on something else as well. I won't myself for now at least create that post. I have been seeing a lot about the topic. Theory of mind religion and autism. It is been argued in the past that with theory of mind some autistics will struggle with mentalising and perceiving others thoughts and this is about faith I will also add agents or God's and God. Of course I am a Christian as I have mentioned and I believe in the Trinity, God incarnate. However, this is not about that but about a wider discussion. Although the paperwork I know the logistics how can we put ourselves in someone else's shoes so well when you have your own faith. Perhaps with autism it can be a double empathy for some autistics.

That is theory of mind and perhaps some of us here are not immune for most of us seem to be neurodivergent and autistic.The theory of mind and the new slant on it about spirituality needs to be untangled and properly understood. A couple of links have been posted in this forum. Autism and Religion 2023 and Increaded Somasensory Perceptions in autism Ingela Visuri 2018. This is another which seems interesting to me. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/defa...-religious-understanding.pdf?sfvrsn=178e931_2

So ok-I posted on Judaism a thread about a man who I felt was insprational for holding onto his faith dispite his own personal challenges. He has a strong faith. You see this-this is perhaps a broken mirror theory-I am looking around and seeing clues. It was mentioned in a programme I watched about Jewish children not be permitted to use using online for computers-another forum member clarified this is only for some of the Jewish community. Ok, with an enhrinced life of little or no distractions that can lead to an enhrinced faith as well, taking out a lot of the world and remaining at their base. It can be different but I cannot personalise it. Someone else on this broken mirror theory that relates to autism may look at the world and see evidence of God and use that-the sky, the beauty of animals etc etc. Of course I was speaking at my base and we have ours and of course it is good to see other people from their traditions speak for themselves.

Another topic the whole theory of mind and where it is going today-we all know what has been said in the past. It is some of the replies that have led me to me to think of this as well.

 

[Rachie]

All that aside above, am I nailing it for myself a bit better today and learning more, perhaps.

Me-Ok, i'm having a tough ride with this one (one of my conditions this time) but I have to admit that my faith spirituality is ok instead like just sounding like i'm rubbishing life by perhaps saying this and that terrible terrible then hum not really. It will be good if I can stay like that. It is ok to say I am having a tough ride with something as well, it can be hard especially in the heat of the moment of things but rephrasing thoughts and what may come out of your mouth. If you can as well, deep breathes and tell yourself it is of course not the end of the world etc.