Religion... Why?
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
One would like to believe there is a point to all this. That's why religion exists. To give a meaning to what is a pretty random existance. To believe that after this brief time we exist is over we carry on somehow. It's fear of the unknown and of being unknown after you are gone. I'm not saying this is a good enough reason, but it is pretty much the best reason you will find for religion.
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
I believe from a philosophical bent. I was raised Christian and I have come to believe that God exists. Can I prove it, no. Can it be disproved, no. It can be reasoned both ways but currently there is no proof. I am not including "miracles". Explaining a believe is not easy. People who try to convert you will state many things but it boils down to belief. I need God in my life and I believe that He has made the world and is directing it to a final melt down (one world order). Granted this may or may not make sense, but it is how I am.
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One would like to believe there is a point to all this. That's why religion exists. To give a meaning to what is a pretty random existance. To believe that after this brief time we exist is over we carry on somehow. It's fear of the unknown and of being unknown after you are gone. I'm not saying this is a good enough reason, but it is pretty much the best reason you will find for religion.
That's generally been my assumption. Hoping to get some varied viewpoints.
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
Could I drag the 'why you don't believe' out of people here? Personally, I think I just never got it. Growing up religion was more or less a complete non-issue for me, didn't go to church, didn't read any texts, generally ignored it's presence as irrelevant to my life. Until of course some religious family members noticed, and I was quickly taught the basics of Christianity and why I should believe in and love god. So, having grown up based in a world where reason was all I had, I sat down and read the bible. I think this was my first mistake in believing, I've heard that the Koran is a work of beauty when read in it's original language, the bible is no where close. After dragging myself through the entire bible, I thought about it for a bit and just couldn't make sense out of half of it. It read like allegories and ancient tribal laws, Aesop's fables meets Hammurabi's code, only I was supposed to live by this in modern times? So, I looked into the historical context, only to find out I wasn't reading THE holy bible, I was reading one version of it(KJV of course), which sets it's own problems for me. But it was about here that my basis for continuing to exclude religious practice from my life came from: "I'm supposed to believe that this version of a bunch of tales compiled hundreds of years after the 'fact' after originally being written by men who claim to have divine inspiration is the one true word of god. That is the reason that I should believe in a being who I can not sense, measure or in anyway realize an impact on my own life outside of what I do myself based on my belief in it." I was a really annoying kid if you can't guess, asked way to many questions. To this day, I still don't get it.
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Could I drag the 'why you don't believe' out of people here? Personally, I think I just never got it. Growing up religion was more or less a complete non-issue for me, didn't go to church, didn't read any texts, generally ignored it's presence as irrelevant to my life. Until of course some religious family members noticed, and I was quickly taught the basics of Christianity and why I should believe in and love god. So, having grown up based in a world where reason was all I had, I sat down and read the bible. I think this was my first mistake in believing, I've heard that the Koran is a work of beauty when read in it's original language, the bible is no where close. After dragging myself through the entire bible, I thought about it for a bit and just couldn't make sense out of half of it. It read like allegories and ancient tribal laws, Aesop's fables meets Hammurabi's code, only I was supposed to live by this in modern times? So, I looked into the historical context, only to find out I wasn't reading THE holy bible, I was reading one version of it(KJV of course), which sets it's own problems for me. But it was about here that my basis for continuing to exclude religious practice from my life came from: "I'm supposed to believe that this version of a bunch of tales compiled hundreds of years after the 'fact' after originally being written by men who claim to have divine inspiration is the one true word of god. That is the reason that I should believe in a being who I can not sense, measure or in anyway realize an impact on my own life outside of what I do myself based on my belief in it." I was a really annoying kid if you can't guess, asked way to many questions. To this day, I still don't get it.
Interesting... Suppose I should chime in on this, to be fair. My family has been non-religious for 2-3 generations now. When I was growing up, my parents basically let me choose any religion I wanted, or none at all. Basically, they felt that it should be my choice, not theirs, and I respect that. My grandfather (And my mother from him) adopted an old quote: "I am a citizen of the world, and my religion is to do good." That seems sensible enough to me. As for theism/atheism... It just never made any sense to me. No one tried to force atheistic viewpoints down my throat, but then I've always been a logical thinker. As ragnaroknrol said above, belief in a deity seems, to me, a way of filling in a knowledge gap. People ask where the world/galaxy/universe came from, and eventually they get to a question they can't answer. That's where "god" comes in, but to me, it seems more logical to just say "No one knows." Sure, there's an answer somewhere, but we don't know it, and we may never know it.
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
Yes, I believe in God. You can't run away from the fact that humans will always gravitate toward a power greater than them, and will always have a faith based belief system. Whether you are a dangerous climate cultist, Luciferian, or a Christian, you have a faith based belief system.
Watch the Fall of the Republic (High Quality 2:24:19)[^] Sons Of Liberty - Free Album (They sound very much like Metallica, great lyrics too)[^]
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
Don't believe, don't plan on changing. But that doesn't mean I discount the role religion plays in the lives of some people. There are some tough questions everyone has to face up to and not everyone is psychologically molded so they can deal with leaving them unanswered. Or individuals may feel they have more to bear than they can take alone, and feel the need for some external solace. Or individuals are simply attracted to the idea that there is some underlying order beyond physics. Whatever the reason (and there are probably as many as there are individuals), some individuals are helped through difficulty by their beliefs, so in that respect I think it's good. Any religion that has helped even one person has been, at that time, at least, a good thing. Unfortunately, I can't think of a single organized religion in which these moments of good aren't outweighed by a history of prejudice, evil and bloodshed. And that's the real tragedy.
L u n a t i c F r i n g e
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
I believe in the force of nature, or natural balance. I don't believe so much in "one god" or anything. I do believe that the sun is the source of life, and we should respect the world around us for what it is. Believing in a higher power forces me to believe in fate, and I don't believe in fate. I believe I am capable of making my own decisions, consciously. That's pretty much the extent of my belief system. I was brought up to be a Christian, but I don't think that the hard core religious folk of that body of people really get what the Bible was trying to teach them. They backstab their own beliefs over and over again, therefore I had to come to my own beliefs. And I believe in the individual, and in nature. Call it paganism, call it pantheistic. I call it "my way of doing things" lol
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Yes, I believe in God. You can't run away from the fact that humans will always gravitate toward a power greater than them, and will always have a faith based belief system. Whether you are a dangerous climate cultist, Luciferian, or a Christian, you have a faith based belief system.
Watch the Fall of the Republic (High Quality 2:24:19)[^] Sons Of Liberty - Free Album (They sound very much like Metallica, great lyrics too)[^]
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
humans will always gravitate toward a power greater than them
I don't.
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
and will always have a faith based belief system
I don't.
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
Whether you are a dangerous climate cultist, Luciferian, or a Christian, you have a faith based belief system.
Twaddle.
Bob Emmett
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CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
humans will always gravitate toward a power greater than them
I don't.
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
and will always have a faith based belief system
I don't.
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
Whether you are a dangerous climate cultist, Luciferian, or a Christian, you have a faith based belief system.
Twaddle.
Bob Emmett
Bob Emmett wrote:
I don't.
You gravitate toward your governmental institutions, that is why you religiously defend them.
Bob Emmett wrote:
I don't.
You have faith in the institutions that tell you what to believe about the world around you.
Watch the Fall of the Republic (High Quality 2:24:19)[^] Sons Of Liberty - Free Album (They sound very much like Metallica, great lyrics too)[^]
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Bob Emmett wrote:
I don't.
You gravitate toward your governmental institutions, that is why you religiously defend them.
Bob Emmett wrote:
I don't.
You have faith in the institutions that tell you what to believe about the world around you.
Watch the Fall of the Republic (High Quality 2:24:19)[^] Sons Of Liberty - Free Album (They sound very much like Metallica, great lyrics too)[^]
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
You gravitate toward your governmental institutions, that is why you religiously defend them.
He doesn't. He just questions your idiocy.
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
You have faith in the institutions that tell you what to believe about the world around you.
I doubt it, he seems able to question people's motives and do research. Which you don't. Please stop projecting on other people. Oh, have you figured out black-propaganda or read the info from AP about how "Climategate" is a bunch of BS and the e-mails show nothing shady? (My guess is he will ignore this like he does whenever someone asks him an uncomfortable question) Uncle Alex has some kool aid, please make sure to drink it CSS.
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Don't believe, don't plan on changing. But that doesn't mean I discount the role religion plays in the lives of some people. There are some tough questions everyone has to face up to and not everyone is psychologically molded so they can deal with leaving them unanswered. Or individuals may feel they have more to bear than they can take alone, and feel the need for some external solace. Or individuals are simply attracted to the idea that there is some underlying order beyond physics. Whatever the reason (and there are probably as many as there are individuals), some individuals are helped through difficulty by their beliefs, so in that respect I think it's good. Any religion that has helped even one person has been, at that time, at least, a good thing. Unfortunately, I can't think of a single organized religion in which these moments of good aren't outweighed by a history of prejudice, evil and bloodshed. And that's the real tragedy.
L u n a t i c F r i n g e
LunaticFringe wrote:
Whatever the reason (and there are probably as many as there are individuals), some individuals are helped through difficulty by their beliefs, so in that respect I think it's good. Any religion that has helped even one person has been, at that time, at least, a good thing.
Spirituality is different than organized religion. One is nice and allows a person to grow and develop a balance with their world. The other tells you what to think and is often too concerned with that control.
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Bob Emmett wrote:
I don't.
You gravitate toward your governmental institutions, that is why you religiously defend them.
Bob Emmett wrote:
I don't.
You have faith in the institutions that tell you what to believe about the world around you.
Watch the Fall of the Republic (High Quality 2:24:19)[^] Sons Of Liberty - Free Album (They sound very much like Metallica, great lyrics too)[^]
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
You gravitate toward your governmental institutions
In what way 'gravitate towards governmental institutions'? I have successfully walked past the Houses of Parliament on my way to work for years without the slightest deviation in my trajectory.
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
that is why you religiously defend them.
No. I tolerate them because they are 'Mostly Harmless'.
CaptainSeeSharp wrote:
You have faith in the institutions that tell you what to believe about the world around you.
And which institutions would those be?
Bob Emmett
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
I don't believe in religion. Why? My mum is a Christian. When I was young I was taken to Sunday School and told how God created the Earth in 7 days, Adam and Eve and all that jazz. But at the same time I had a massive fascination with space and dinosaurs - and the books I was reading had information about the Big Bang, constellations, comets and whatnot. This confused me somewhat. On the one hand I was being told that we knew everything and it was 'God that done it'. And on the other I was learning about all the stuff that we don't know and the are research that is still ongoing. It's only as I got older and had the sheer bloody mindedness to think for myself that I realised that the religion stuff just doesn't make sense. And my mum, well, how do I say it...well she's a nutter. I love her to bits - but she believes what she's told by the 'Church'. For instance, she's against women preists, she's against homosexuals (they are "disgusting"), she believes that all living things (including plants etc) are made up of a soul 3 other things (can't remember what they were, I was trying not to laugh), she's against other religions (even though she pretends to do that "I love everyone" crap, she believes the Earth was created a short while ago - 6 thousand years or something? To me Religion gives people who don't/can't understand a reason to be alive. Sorry, did I say alive? I meant a reason to stick it out and wait for death. I grew up religious, and now I'm not. And there is no way I'll ever ever go back. (Sorry if this offends anyone - I'm not having a dig, or looking to pick a fight - this is just what I think on the subject). :)
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" ~ Albert Einstein "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." ~ Paul Neal "Red" Adair Now reading: 'The Third Reich', by Michael Burleigh
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In the past, though not so much in recent years (The times, they are a-changin'), I've been asked why I don't believe in "god," or some other higher power. For most of the world, it seems to be the default, and us atheists are the oddballs. That seems to be changing, albeit slowly (Recent studies show more and people people identifying as "non-religious," though not necessarily "atheist"), but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state. Now normally this is a bit of a taboo subject, but this is, after all, the Back Room. Given that the general audience here is comprised of geeks of various types, not the stereotypical mindless masses, I'm going to pose the forbidden question. Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)? Why do you follow your particular religion? Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it? How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe? NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from anything. This is pure curiosity, as I've never been able to truly understand the religious perspective. (Oh, and if CSS chimes in with his garbage, let's just ignore him - Alex Jones and Ron Paul are not welcome here)
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in? Author of Guardians of Xen (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel)
Ian Shlasko wrote:
but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state
In America, yes. But it's mostly lip service and blind tradition. In Australia, it's not the case, people say what they think.
Ian Shlasko wrote:
Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)?
I am not sure. I believed from a small child, but the reason I continued to believe into adult hood, was that I was told that the Bible specifies how to become a Christian, and that it involves proof from God. Having proven that to be true in my life, no matter how I feel, I can't deny my experience, and so I believe in God.
Ian Shlasko wrote:
Why do you follow your particular religion?
Because my belief in God is tied to my experience of what the Bible says, I believe what the Bible says, and so I seek to do it.
Ian Shlasko wrote:
Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it?
LOL - I wonder how many people will say upbringing or habit, I doubt many people would admit this, even to themselves. I was brought up Lutheran, but I certainly don't agree with the Lutheran church today. My mother, who is a lapsed Lutheran, has never believed what I believe, and argued with me about it many times. So, I guess I've found my own path, insofar as my upbringing is concerned. I'd like to think my faith informs every aspect of my life, although I know too well I don't always live up to it, I certainly try.
Ian Shlasko wrote:
How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe?
I don't think in terms of my 'religion'. I do believe the things my church preaches, and am actively involved in preaching at my church. But, at the end of the day, I'd leave the organisation I belong to, if I felt they did not live up to what the Bible says. I believe everything the Bible tells me, with the caveat that I also understand how the Bible is written, so that I understand the place of hte Old Testament and who it was written to ( usually when I say that, someone who knows nothing of the Bible starts reminding me of the requirements given to Israel in the Old Testament, and asks me why I don't follow them )
Ian Shlasko wrote:
NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from
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LunaticFringe wrote:
Whatever the reason (and there are probably as many as there are individuals), some individuals are helped through difficulty by their beliefs, so in that respect I think it's good. Any religion that has helped even one person has been, at that time, at least, a good thing.
Spirituality is different than organized religion. One is nice and allows a person to grow and develop a balance with their world. The other tells you what to think and is often too concerned with that control.
ragnaroknrol wrote:
Spirituality is different than organized religion.
I agree. "spirituality" is often "I make up something that makes me feel good". Organised religion is often "we tell you want to do, so you give us money and we can control you". God is different to both of those things.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
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I don't believe in religion. Why? My mum is a Christian. When I was young I was taken to Sunday School and told how God created the Earth in 7 days, Adam and Eve and all that jazz. But at the same time I had a massive fascination with space and dinosaurs - and the books I was reading had information about the Big Bang, constellations, comets and whatnot. This confused me somewhat. On the one hand I was being told that we knew everything and it was 'God that done it'. And on the other I was learning about all the stuff that we don't know and the are research that is still ongoing. It's only as I got older and had the sheer bloody mindedness to think for myself that I realised that the religion stuff just doesn't make sense. And my mum, well, how do I say it...well she's a nutter. I love her to bits - but she believes what she's told by the 'Church'. For instance, she's against women preists, she's against homosexuals (they are "disgusting"), she believes that all living things (including plants etc) are made up of a soul 3 other things (can't remember what they were, I was trying not to laugh), she's against other religions (even though she pretends to do that "I love everyone" crap, she believes the Earth was created a short while ago - 6 thousand years or something? To me Religion gives people who don't/can't understand a reason to be alive. Sorry, did I say alive? I meant a reason to stick it out and wait for death. I grew up religious, and now I'm not. And there is no way I'll ever ever go back. (Sorry if this offends anyone - I'm not having a dig, or looking to pick a fight - this is just what I think on the subject). :)
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" ~ Albert Einstein "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." ~ Paul Neal "Red" Adair Now reading: 'The Third Reich', by Michael Burleigh
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
she believes that all living things (including plants etc) are made up of a soul 3 other things (can't remember what they were, I was trying not to laugh),
Weird - the Bible doesn't say anything like that. Sounds like the church she goes to is insane.
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
she's against other religions
Well, interestingly, if I believe in Jesus, it's kind of impossible for me to believe in Mohommed. The modern call for tolerance is really a call for athiesm. I'd defend anyone's right to believe what they want to, I am all for freedom of religion. But if that freedom exists, it means those people are free to explain their beliefs to me, and I am free to discuss mine with them.
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
she believes the Earth was created a short while ago - 6 thousand years or something?
Funny, the bible doesn't say that, either.
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
To me Religion gives people who don't/can't understand a reason to be alive.
Funny, that was also my conclusion about the Lutheran Church. It's often true, I think. Especially when it's wrong. When there's no power in it, blind hope is all that's left, really.
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
(Sorry if this offends anyone - I'm not having a dig, or looking to pick a fight - this is just what I think on the subject).
*grin* anyone who is scared of being offended should have run at the sight of the first post.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
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Ian Shlasko wrote:
but belief in a deity is still the generally-accepted normal state
In America, yes. But it's mostly lip service and blind tradition. In Australia, it's not the case, people say what they think.
Ian Shlasko wrote:
Why do you believe in "god" (Or other deity)?
I am not sure. I believed from a small child, but the reason I continued to believe into adult hood, was that I was told that the Bible specifies how to become a Christian, and that it involves proof from God. Having proven that to be true in my life, no matter how I feel, I can't deny my experience, and so I believe in God.
Ian Shlasko wrote:
Why do you follow your particular religion?
Because my belief in God is tied to my experience of what the Bible says, I believe what the Bible says, and so I seek to do it.
Ian Shlasko wrote:
Is it because of upbringing or habit, or do you really believe it?
LOL - I wonder how many people will say upbringing or habit, I doubt many people would admit this, even to themselves. I was brought up Lutheran, but I certainly don't agree with the Lutheran church today. My mother, who is a lapsed Lutheran, has never believed what I believe, and argued with me about it many times. So, I guess I've found my own path, insofar as my upbringing is concerned. I'd like to think my faith informs every aspect of my life, although I know too well I don't always live up to it, I certainly try.
Ian Shlasko wrote:
How much of your religion's teachings do you actually believe?
I don't think in terms of my 'religion'. I do believe the things my church preaches, and am actively involved in preaching at my church. But, at the end of the day, I'd leave the organisation I belong to, if I felt they did not live up to what the Bible says. I believe everything the Bible tells me, with the caveat that I also understand how the Bible is written, so that I understand the place of hte Old Testament and who it was written to ( usually when I say that, someone who knows nothing of the Bible starts reminding me of the requirements given to Israel in the Old Testament, and asks me why I don't follow them )
Ian Shlasko wrote:
NOTE: I'm not trying to convert anyone to/from
Christian Graus wrote:
Because my belief in God is tied to my experience of what the Bible says, I believe what the Bible says, and so I seek to do it.
Thank you, that is what I was trying to say.
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1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
she believes that all living things (including plants etc) are made up of a soul 3 other things (can't remember what they were, I was trying not to laugh),
Weird - the Bible doesn't say anything like that. Sounds like the church she goes to is insane.
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
she's against other religions
Well, interestingly, if I believe in Jesus, it's kind of impossible for me to believe in Mohommed. The modern call for tolerance is really a call for athiesm. I'd defend anyone's right to believe what they want to, I am all for freedom of religion. But if that freedom exists, it means those people are free to explain their beliefs to me, and I am free to discuss mine with them.
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
she believes the Earth was created a short while ago - 6 thousand years or something?
Funny, the bible doesn't say that, either.
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
To me Religion gives people who don't/can't understand a reason to be alive.
Funny, that was also my conclusion about the Lutheran Church. It's often true, I think. Especially when it's wrong. When there's no power in it, blind hope is all that's left, really.
1.21 Gigawatts wrote:
(Sorry if this offends anyone - I'm not having a dig, or looking to pick a fight - this is just what I think on the subject).
*grin* anyone who is scared of being offended should have run at the sight of the first post.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
Christian Graus wrote:
Well, interestingly, if I believe in Jesus, it's kind of impossible for me to believe in Mohommed. The modern call for tolerance is really a call for athiesm. I'd defend anyone's right to believe what they want to, I am all for freedom of religion. But if that freedom exists, it means those people are free to explain their beliefs to me, and I am free to discuss mine with them.
Not totally true. Muslims believe in Jesus. He is considered a prophet and an important one. And at least one religion has been demolished by christianity and wants some tolerance. Paganism has had most of its major holidays usurped and is still regaining its feet.
Christian Graus wrote:
1.21 Gigawatts wrote: she believes the Earth was created a short while ago - 6 thousand years or something? Funny, the bible doesn't say that, either.
It sort of does. Adam + Eve = year 0. Bible has ages for a lot of generations. They just added the ages and came up with a general timeline. (Not saying I agree, but I read about this from some folks) In any case you have some good points.