Religious discussion (Flamers, don't even think about it)

[AaronShadows]

Couldn't find this anywhere, so I decided to make a new one. =3

Right. You can Civilly and respectfully discuss beliefs of whether the big man upstairs exists, and the like. Any religion n@zis who start telling people they'll burn in hell... well, you may be right, but if our mods have anything to say about it, you'll burn in hell before you're even dead, rest assured.

As far as I'm concerned, religion is one huge conspiracy. Invented by greedy control freaks and pushed on through the centuries by lost and confused people who just want something to believe in; yes, it can be comforting, and strength-bolstering, and many of the principals that various religious teaches are good principals, but imnsho, the bad outweighs the good. Religious fanatics who go on killing sprees because 'God told me to' priests and other authority figures who abuse the trust put in them to commit sickening abuses on young children, things like that. In short, I don't think any god in his right mind would've allowed those things to happen.

[Silver_Wolf_Kitty]

I have issues with organized religions(as in--go to church, give money, etc etc). I feel the entire process is meant to enslave people mentally, either through loyalty to an individual(such as the Pope) or an institution, which never was the purpose of these religions. There is more of a focus there on being loyal to earthly things than there is in savoring the lessons that should be learned from religious texts. Also, I feel many religious institutions don't really represent the religion. I think its a place for people to gather together, gossip about each other, and pretend they are sorry for not obeying the laws of their religion(after which, they don't change a thing and go break more rules). I feel very bitterly that the entire process is corrupt and does not at all go to the underlying messages in many of these religions.

Now, as for religion itself, I consider myself a Universalist, in a sense. I believe all religions have the same basic underlying messages and it is these messages that I try to adhere to. I have no problem with identifying with any religion since I feel I am obeying their laws, even if I am not in the strictest sense a "Muslim" or a "Christian"(which, goes a step further since I don't believe Jesus is the savior; just a very wise man). I can't adhere to holy books, which I feel have been tainted by the desires of humans(for example, The Bible's apparent condemnation of being g.ay, which can be argued against and really has come up over a translation dispute), but I think those holy books still contain the basic messages, they just have to be ferreted out.

I believe there is a God and a Goddess(taking many forms throughout different religions) and that they would prefer us to love each other and to be giving and kind and respectful of their creation than cruel and warlike. I believe the Earth is to be cherished. I also believe in intelligent design--as in they placed the beginnings here, then allowed us to grow on our own. I do not believe in sins or Hell. I do believe in reincarnation until we reach spiritual perfection and have learned from all of our mistakes.

[Miranda_]

As far as I'm concerned, this is how it goes. We're born, we live and then we die. The end. Worms will eat you; there's no god and no afterlife. So you have to live life as best as you can, cuz that's yer lot.

[Catlover642]

I personally don't think that religon is one big "conspiracy". In spite of all the horrible things religon has caused it also has some positive points to it too.
Religon gives people a sanctuary to reside in. Yes, the thought of God gives people hope. I'm not saying religon isn't horrible and descructive at times but when practiced carefully it can be beautiful.

[prin367cess]

I was raised Roman Catholic, went to Catholic school for my entire education, and I don't believe in everything that I was taught. It is entirely too strict and condemning. I moreso believe that spirituality rests inside oneself and doesn't need to be proclaimed or proven. I'd rather keep my conversations with God private. IMO, any and all worshipping/praising/etc should be done in seclusion and not broadcast in front of crowds of people.

[LancasterPrincess]

I, too, was raised as a Roman Catholic, but I don't quite feel the same way about it as Amy does. That being so, I don't quite know what religious "type" I am atm. I do know I am a Christian. I also know that no matter which church I was in, whether it was the beautiful Sacred Heart Cathedral of my childhood, the massive Christian churches I attended in my teens, or the very homely Baptist churches I go to today, I always prayed to the same God. In short I'm a little confused at my "type".

My Faith has always been an off and on sort of thing. I was a devoted Catholic in my childhood, I even specifically recall wanting to be a Nun. About the time my parents split up is when it got shakey. I remember not believing in anything during middle school, it was an on off thing of Fate, astrology and reincarnation. Eventually, in high school I started to believe in Christianity again, becomming a devoted Christian. I was also more open to other Churches once I was out of the Catholic 'mindset'. When I moved to Tennessee four years ago I started going to a Baptist Church with my then boyfriend. We hit a rough spot shortly after being married financially and eventually we lost Faith. It wasn't until this Christmas that I had a sudden urge to go to a Catholic cathedral that I felt somehow drawn to Church again. Shortly after that midnight mass on Christmas morning my husband's 3 years of bad "luck" had suddenly turned around. He recieved a phone call one morning from a staffing agency wanting him to to take a position that paid a lot more. I was blessed. I had cried while praying that Christmas morning, asking for forgiveness, and mercy, and for help. We'd been broke for 3 years, and it was only getting worse. When all of a sudden a fantastic job presented itself to us I was in complete awe. We went back to the Catholic church, but when the sign up process got shakey I began to wonder which church I was 'supposed' to go to. We were running late one morning while going to the Catholic church, so we decided to go to the closer church, which was a Baptist church. There were no more kinks after that. Every service we went to thereafter seemed to speak to us directly. Talking about how those who ask for mercy and help shall recieve it, how debt and suffering will one day be turned around for He is Lord, just so many different things that spoke directly to us. We often cried while praying from then on.

About a month ago I started having urges to do something. Something I felt I was 'supposed' to do. One day in church it occured to me just how powerful it would be to help other people in their faith. I somehow connected that with book marks for Bibles, but my urges stopped at that thought.

So our life had started back up, and it was now time to get out of debt. Our bggest debt was owed to Aaron's parents. I one day had an urge to pay her a large sum of money, and how handy to have an extra paycheck show up from Aarons previous job? When we decided to use the unexpected money to pay his mother she was absolutely stunned. It turns out that she had prayed, not 24 hours previously to when we decided to pay her that she begged God for his mercy and for a 'Mana from Heaven' (great gift from heaven, mostly referred to as food or money), and then all of a sudden we're there with her Mana.

Shortly after that incident, maybe 3-5 days my MIL started planning a family meeting to discuss her cancer and future bone marrow transplant. She was extremely concerned about the very likely possibility of being out of work for 4+ months. An absence that long will lose her job.

Now my urge is back, but it's now in the form of a fund raiser and Faith reminder. I believe it's my calling to help my MIL. This woman rescued me from an abusive stepfather, from a life that would have been cut very short. How convinient that we owe her money in her time of need? How convienient that a check shows up in the mail that we weren't expecting? And how convienient that I had a plan ready on the spot to help her out again?

I am most definately a devoted Christian. Too many things have happened to us that couldn't possibly lead to anything but.

As for corruption in the religious system, I can definately see some evils at work. Just because a priest is a priest, does not make him a true priest of God. They are not hand picked by God, and like all humans they too are sinners. I don't hold my Faith to them or any other priest or preacher. I hold it to God, so just because one of them fails, that does not mean that me or my Faith will.

And to the church being only about money, I can see where you're comming from, but I see it differently. We live in a human world, a world that does revolve around money. Mercy and Mana can be given with money or produced with money. A church, like anything has to run off of something, donations from it's members keep it going and it is by no means mandatory. A church will not kick you out if you do not pay, so saying it's all to to with money hardly makes sense.

I hope I didn't offend anyone, or single anyone out, those were not my intentions. I too am simply stating what I believe and I by no means think any less of someone who doesn't believe as I do.

P.s. Sorry about any typos, this was written up on my phone xD

[jellydino]

I'm a proud atheist, and realist. I believe in the big bang. Period.
I find religion, a way out of consequence. Some believe that if they go to confessional all is forgiven. Well, not if you are a homicidal maniac. Many hide behind religion and use it as a excuse for being judgmental. IDGAF if gud or jeebus told you that ***s or non-virgins are supposedly against god's word, who cares.
People have stop following those orders. Everyone is an individual. I also don't like when people go 'disability is due to the parents sins'. Now, THAT infuriates me. I believe religion was "invented" to bring the people into order at the time, so that they were scared into doing the right thing, otherwise they'll burn in hell with some horned dude. I am fine with religion, don't get me wrong but I can't stand judgemental folk or atheist/other religion bashers.

[Silent_Wolf]

I can't believe I didn't post in here. *hm*

There's something out there with a very scary sense of humor. That's what I think. If there is a supreme being out there, why would they punish us for just being human?

[AaronShadows]

Originally Posted by Silent_Wolf

I can't believe I didn't post in here. *hm*

There's something out there with a very scary sense of humor. That's what I think. If there is a supreme being out there, why would they punish us for just being human?

Because they have no lives?

[NotYourPrincess]

I am agnostic.

I use to be atheist, but then I started to hate my own kind. I found that as a majority, atheist were pretty much on the same table as Christians. They believed Christians to be stupid. And Christians believed Atheists to be stupid.
They were on the same table, just opposite ends.

I believe that religion is very good for some people. Some people need to believe that they're not alone no matter what they do.


I believe that there's a higher intelligence than us. The universe is such a vast thing, there HAS to be something out there besides us.