To all, Religion is one of the most dangerous topics to discuss, and there is a great deal of passion (no double meaning inntended, those of Christian alignment) associated with it. Please, please be careful that in offering your perspectives that you remain sensitive to other people's equally strong beliefs. This can be a powerful discussion if we are careful to keep respect for one another. Thank you.
why do you think you need one?... before you take the leap in any direction, check out the material in my 'in whose name?' collection that you'll find in 'other works' section of 'writings' on my website... love and hugs, maia
Don't you mean "love and plugs, maia"? Heh... I think it's somewhat of an instinctual thing, wanting to know what your life means, what's waiting for you after death, being able to have a foundation for hope in the rough times, and whatnot. It would be no different from a child playing with toy and eventually wanting to know what makes it work the way that it does. Regardless of our ability to confirm many of the mysteries, humans are going to try until their hearts are content - curious little bastards. My own views are that god is a creation of wo/man's... at least, the one's in all the books. Life was a hell of its own, ignorance ran rampant (inconclusive causation leading to superstitions, following the beliefs of the elite, not much time to worry about philosophical questions, etc.) -- wouldn't it be nice to believe that someone would take you away from that hand-to-mouth existence after you had died? Another aspect tied to that would enforcing a moral code, allowing you to gain access to heaven if you had followed it as humanly possible. So it's a bit of a social construction view I suppose. There is more to my 'religion', but I'll get to it at some other point... if I feel I should.
Well I don't want to die and turn to dust- end of story -and I imagine most feel this way and it's a hard thing to accept, but you don't have to accept it you can believe there is a heaven, that all the unfairness that you met in life will be eradicated in heaven etc etc basically that it will all work out in the end - Hooray!!! Sadly I can't believe this, I like to think things over and research etc and so that makes it impossible to believe such -in my opinion- fantasy. I think it must be nice though to truely believe in a religion, i'd probably have less anxiety. Also please no one bring up 'don't be so closed minded' - that's the problem with religion you have to be closed minded, you can't believe in God and be open to the possibility that there isn't a God, or be Christian and be open to the possibility that islam could be the 'correct' religion.
Again, I'm going to have to disagree. With all due respect of course. Im fully aware that God may not exist; I've questioned it many times. Im also aware that religion causes as many problems as it solves. You can be open-minded, it's just a matter of wanting to be.
i myself do not believe in god. that is my choice and i do not look down upon any who do. i dont really have a religion, but i must say i find budhism quite interesting, its a nice peacful religion.
Seriously though, why bother with philosophies that were only effective thousands of years ago? People as a species grow and adapt and when something no longer works new ideas are made and followed until they are literally spent. It's called progression and what worked those thousand or so years ago helped the human mind out of the gutter into a more evolved plane. To carry on with the same thing will either lend itself to regression or to what we see nowadays in that what people practice today as Christianity is not what JC created when it first originated. And by today's standards it would be impossible to do that anyway. It's more of a hybrid than anything else and that's due to the "chinese whispers" method in the way that the mind works. Personally, I am of no religion. I do however have a fond fascination with many forms of philosophical thinking, such as existentialism, etc. Mind-boggling stuff. And on another personal point, anything that is mainstream or doesn't allow to be questioned is suspect and needs to be kept at a firm arms length.
Curious mainstream things such as Scientology. From what I've read, some of them believe that therapists plotted the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Lovely. It really just seems like an anachronism. Maybe certain things weren't that safe for the population: having sex, eating certain meats, et cetera. However, things have changed, and many things just don't seem all that necessary. Why are most religions any different from the creation 'myths' of the Greeks, Romans, Norse, and countless others. Is it possible that one day, these will fall by the wayside? Will there one day be a comic book featuring Jesus as a superhero?! What would be his weapon?! What Would Jesus Do?! Okay... so I got a little carried away, but I believe you see the point. ...some aspects of religion were taken from others (which seems to mitigate its own integrity), books have been altered, amendments to the establishments have taken place... it's been trying to stay alive and evolve, dare say I
[SIZE=-1]Consistent with fact or reality; not false. Something that is correct or actual and absolute regardless of one's perspective.[/SIZE]
But we're talking religion here and that doesn't deal with reality. You're talking about scientific theories which religion doesn't have any claim over. The truth is, Jesus walked on water. The fact is that it is impossible. Truth cannot be contained in a vacuum. Two people witness the same murder, but both have different truths towards that event.
Thanks for your advice everyone. It's making me think a lot more on the subject that I have been doing. Whoever asked if I am looking for a religion without God, there are so many different Gods that I have come to the conclusion that there is ones supreme entity that we call God. This is the life and soul of every living thing on this Earth.... sort of... D= Whoever said that a pagan mother attempted to kill her child, Someone who followed the pagan religion wouldn't do this as there is a rule that states harm to someone will return to the sender threefold. Also, pagans and wiccans are nature worshipers. It was possible this woman was a satanist?
If the doctrine of one religion is true then it does deal with reality. If Jesus really did walk on water, that is true, regardless. No. They have different perspectives or opinions. They noticed different things. If one thought the murderer was a black man and the other thought the murderer was a white man, they both cannot be correct. Both of those cannot be true. If the person who committed the murder was actually the white man, then the white man is the murderer. That is true.
There are several supposed Gods. But the cannot all be true. Paganism and followers of Wicca don't really have a set standard of beliefs. They oftentimes get to define much of what they believe. Moreover, the most common definition of a satanist is one who, more or less, worships and glorifies oneself. They make themself their own god.
The key point here is your use of the word IF. So therefore religion does not deal with facts as you say it does. So therefore they have their own personal truths. see my comment above. Not if the other person saw a black man. You're taking the omniscient point of view and not the one of the "witnesses".
Something does not have to be proven to be true. That's my only point. But if the other person saw a black man and the person wasn't black, then that person would be wrong. Just because someone believes in something doesn't make it true. What the "witnesses" saw or believe is irrelevant to what is.
Common sense and logic. You're saying whatever you say is true for you is true for you. But that doesn't effect reality. It simply doesn't make sense. My only point is that if something is true, it is true regardless of what someone believes.
