u/JustKnockk

Hey all!

I have recently been diagnosed with POTS. I have had symptoms and problems for years, but never quite knew what was going on. I’ve had some scary instances happen to me on longer day trips and have been hesitant to get back out there. My last occurrence was at 3,000 feet after 5.5 miles. I legitimately thought I was going to die, and it took over a hour to get back to normal before I could turn around and head back down.

I am working with my doctors to learn management techniques, but I am wondering if anyone has POTS and has any advice for me, or if anyone has successfully thru hiked with a POTS diagnosis. From what I’m experiencing now…. It seems my PCT dream could be over. Thanks in advance.

This last week, my girlfriend (who is also born again) was talking to me about what she had read in the Bible that night. She is currently undergoing a year through Bible reading with the help of a devotional. She has read about Eve in the garden and told me about how Eve made the decision to give into the serpents temptation and eat the fruit. I, like all Christians, know this story and have gone throughout my whole life never questioning anything. I have never thought, nor expressed the thoughts I am about to type here. I responded to my girlfriend “No she didn’t. She didn’t make that decision” I couldn’t believe what I saying, but I continued.

I am a Christian. I believe the creator (my God) is all powerful and all knowing. If He’s the creator, He has to be all knowing and all powerful. No Christian will ever deny that. Literally no Christian. If he were to not be all powerful and all knowing, then he’s not God, as a “restraint” has been put on Him.

That means that everything before time existed even (God has always been and always will be and does not exist in space, time, or the same continuum that we do) He has known. He knows every person, action, thought before it has happened. Before creation was, He knew. Nothing in life happens without God’s knowledge beforehand. That means that no matter what I say or do, there has been a certain “pre determination” in place before it’s said or done.

I have free will in the sense that, yes, I make my own decisions. I’m using free will right now by sending you this text. Or using my free will to type these random characters: @-$,!/910’£_<[#{+, But, God knew and has always known I was going to do that. God knows who will be in heaven and who will ultimately be in Hell.

The only way free will can exist is— if there was a “mechanism” to God that forbid His knowledge of what his creation was going to do in their lives and what decisions they would make. There are verses in the Bible that disprove this and a Christian’s common sense disproves this as well.

After the conversation boiled down, I did some googling and found “Calvinism” I had no idea what Calvinism was before this conversation, but everything I was saying corresponded with Calvinism. I did some more digging and I am skeptical as this goes against the theology I have known to be true throughout my life. I have added some questions below I want to eventually ask a Calvinist:

If God predetermines people for hell, how does this not make God the author of evil?
2.Is it possible that God has a “mechanism” to Him that does not allow for predetermination or knowledge of his creations outcome?
Why does God not extend his grace to everyone?
Talk to me about “Evanescent Grace” How can a Calvinist ensure they are not or have not experienced evanescent grace? Why would God give a taste of the spirit if it were not true grace? Does this not make God a deceiver?
Show me verses in the bible that directly contradict Calvinism
Show me verses that directly support Calvinism
What are the dangers of believing Calvinism if it were to turn out during judgement that it was incorrect?

Any thru hikers with POTS? (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

Any thru hikers with POTS? (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia)

If God is omniscient, free will cannot exist.