Religion

[lorddemolatron]

I have really once been christian as religion,but now my seeing of religion is neutral, beacuse I have painful memories of past what maded me reject my god.

[s0teric]

I am of the belief that we made Gods rather than them making us be it Christian, Hindu, Greek, Norse, whatever. We humans created each religion and have witnessed others claiming to have seen the divine, yet what makes their answer to the final end anymore valid than the rest? What makes their practices the ones all must follow? It is their faith that theirs is correct and thus we get to the heart of religion: faith. Without anybody believing it, then it is doomed to extinction like the worship of Greek Gods and Goddesses.

As for my personal beliefs about the universe and if there is a creator? Well there is the vastness of the universe and infinite possibilities. What we call karma or divine intervention may just be the ebb and flow of the universe through it's natural cycling. Or perhaps the complex system of stars amass to a giant thought complex that we cannot even begin to grasp.

every belief about anything is based upon faith. Shade recently spouted a bit of truth in a thread of mine, he said

In fact all sciences are based on axioms. Axioms don't have to be proven. They exist to serve as the first member of a logical chain. They have no base. Now you can either choose to accept your existence as an axiom and base your further thoughts on that, or not.

so no fact versus fiction claims

Essentially where you take the first step determines what you believe. We believe based upon evidence. That is what determines our faith. Some people put faith in Science, or their brains. So I ask them, what if your mind fails you, or what if you don't exist at all. Can you prove that? I believe it's nonsensical to put faith in something that doesn't exist or something that explains characteristics of something that doesn't exist. Therefore I choose a belief that legitimizes my own existence, gives my life meaning, gives the world order, and makes the most sense (to me) due to the evidence.

[Kamskun]

i know it might sound strange but i think nature is the only "God" id ever praise and i am so happy that i could experience life ofc im not an atheist or theist i do beleive there is some kind of superior "Unfathomable Force" theists give it a human form and praise it as god , scientists give it a form of theory but theyre both basically the same imo and no matter how u look at it i dont think that it can be comprehended by something as primitive as a human brain . . . yes i know humans are intelligent beings but ofc even the human brain has its limits and i would never want to "Research" about my origins because i do REALISE my limitations for example : take the visual range of humans its 400-800nm and all the waves beyond this range are invisible so with all this limitations within our systems we dare to question the unfathomable

[ghostlysunny11]

I respect your beliefs but never try to force them down my throat or it will be more painful for you in the end. I have read every bible I could while growing up, and studied lots of different religions, and none seemed the right one, they were the most hypocritical, incestuous, and most bloody book I have ever read (for people who like the idea of having sex with their sister, cousin, mother I recommend it)

But then those religions aren't the truthful ones.The truth is that The Bible,The Quran,and almost all other religions I know say that the things you mentioned above are not allowed, and should be severely punished.That's just plain stereotyping,you can't blame all the religions for what you read in a few books.Besides there are many fake sites and books out there that try and prove the other person's religions as fake or "evil'.And I'm not trying to shove this down your throat,my point is that if a religion is true then it will forbid evil.It's just that most people these days are not typically following there religion (People drink,have unmarried sex,kill other people,steal,gossip etc.).Basically if you look at it then almost 50% of the world should be severely punished.My point -most religion are good but people change the ways of the religion to suit themselves and so it's easy to misunderstand them.I was just trying to prove my point and my intention wasn't to offend someone or try and shove my thoughts into their brains...

[† Talena Mae]

Yet the bible still has them and mentions people doing them. I was not trying to start a fight with anyone, you go read the Christian bible and you will see it all in there.

If you had read all of my other comments you would have seen I have studied a fair few of the religions and know a a lot about them. I do not look on the net but talk about that I have read in all there "books of- " or the bible.

[PseudoSage]

every belief about anything is based upon faith. Shade recently spouted a bit of truth in a thread of mine, he said

Essentially where you take the first step determines what you believe. We believe based upon evidence. That is what determines our faith. Some people put faith in Science, or their brains. So I ask them, what if your mind fails you, or what if you don't exist at all. Can you prove that? I believe it's nonsensical to put faith in something that doesn't exist or something that explains characteristics of something that doesn't exist. Therefore I choose a belief that legitimizes my own existence, gives my life meaning, gives the world order, and makes the most sense (to me) due to the evidence.

Ah, Shade's comment was quite good. I agree with it to a certain extent as well. In rational thought an assumption must be made to begin anything with which is usually that the thing you are referring to exists or not. You could question if God exists scientifically, but you still have to have faith that the mere concept of God exists in the first place before you can question it. It would be like wondering if your cat you gave away is living comfortably somewhere, but that is assuming your cat is alive or even exists at all to even be considered alive or dead. ((Hope I am making sense and not misinterpreting what Shade said))

Thusly even science itself, which is supposedly a way in which to observe the world, needs a bit of faith in it for it to work as well. While you can see gravity the laws of physics mean nothing to an individual unless he had faith that gravity is there. We thinks our science has proven everything, but in the end we take our current observations as truth using a bit of faith that the theory of the atom won't be overturned in the next 5 minutes. That is why I believe the human mind can not yet truly conceptualize such grand concepts but instead find simplified truths about the small sphere we live in. That is how Gods are formed and how they end. In truth the expanse of our entire planet's intellect is not even a trillionth of the size of the universe and there is so much left to discover. So then the truth of the universe will be outside of our limited grasp.

That is why I don't knock people for their beliefs in God, or Gods, or other such religious things. While we cannot truly understand the whole of universe, we can try and put meaning to this mysterious thing and use it to give ourselves meaning in the grandness of it. Do I think life without God is a life without meaning? No. Do I believe those who do believe in a God are dependent upon this concept for an individual purpose? No. I think none of us can truly understand the ultimate answer, but we, as individuals, all have the capacity to have an opinion on it. What you do with your opinion on this what lies beyond the veil of existence is your own prerogative.

[Gringo1323]

I don't know what you would call my beliefs. I kinda pull from al sorts of religions,. My parents are Jewish, but I don't agree with or hold many of their beliefs. I do not believe in the Jewish God nor in the Christian devil. I believe each religion or belief system has something in it the is true, but that no religion in itself is TRUE. I beleive that the different attempts that religion makes to define right an wrong are just one apect, of the whole, and that each took one aspect of that Truth and based their belief system after it. It's kinda complicated but in the end I guess I believe that there is one TRUTH in the world/universe, , but that no one has reached it and that the different religions are just different aspects of that truth, nether right nor wrong.

[† Ferocia Coutura]

I'm buddhist, but only sort of. I think that it is a beautiful religion and I do perform the prayers and agree with its morals, but their are some things about it that I don't agree. Same thing with LaVeyan Satanism, only on a much lesser scale. (Laveyan Satanism, btw, is NOT when someone worships the christian satan. If you're curious, wikipedia it.)

[† Anras Rune]

Thusly even science itself, which is supposedly a way in which to observe the world, needs a bit of faith in it for it to work as well. While you can see gravity the laws of physics mean nothing to an individual unless he had faith that gravity is there. We thinks our science has proven everything, but in the end we take our current observations as truth using a bit of faith that the theory of the atom won't be overturned in the next 5 minutes. That is why I believe the human mind can not yet truly conceptualize such grand concepts but instead find simplified truths about the small sphere we live in. That is how Gods are formed and how they end. In truth the expanse of our entire planet's intellect is not even a trillionth of the size of the universe and there is so much left to discover. So then the truth of the universe will be outside of our limited grasp.

Science does not need faith for it to work...that is the fundamental difference between faith and science. You say that we have to have faith that gravity exists but unfortunatly without these laws of physics the computer you typed that comment with wouldnt work...niether would the building you live in or any other man made object of complexity. Also please note that there is a HUGE difference between laws and theories. The Laws of Physics have been refined over centuries and stand as laws until something breaks them, which doesnt happen often. Theories, like the Atomic Theory, are exactly what the name suggests...theories. A theory hasnt been irrefutably proven, yet hasnt been completely disproved. The only thing in that paragraph that made sense is that our planet's net intelligence doesnt compare to the vastness of space...but thats the point of science, to expand that understanding. (btw a trillion doesnt exist...XD)

Unfortunatly in my opinion religion is just a way of chaining people down...although some arent, Buddhism being an example. I have seen to many people suffer, too much pain been caused, for me to ever believe that there is or ever was an onmipresent being watching over us...complete and utter bulls**t in my opinion. Religion is bred from ignorance, or at least it originally was, just a convinent way to explain why the rain came, or why the crops died. I personally believe that deity based religions have NO place in the modern world, and that colletively they have probably been the root of most suffering in the world.

I'm sorry if I have offended anyone, but my opinions wont and cant change.

[DEATHxxx50bmg]

Im christian. but not those born again ones that persecute everyone that aint. on religion twisted WAAAYYY out of proportion is the muslim religion. the koran never says kill all infadels. but man thes people are hell bent on it. religion isnt for everyone. and its no ones job to push it on em.

[Chaos92]

Religion is a must, in my opinion it doesn't "chain anyone" down. Has religion been causes of some wars? Yes it has been the cause of many wars. However society would fail without it because it is a necessary component of society just as much as government and family (making more people). I am a christian, and with that i can not say there is not bias when it comes to me and religion but as far as science goes... Well it used to be known as natural theology. What i don't understand is all the misconceptions of the difference between an atheist and agnostic. Atheist take the null hypothesis basically that there is no proof to that there is a god/gods and agnostic still doesn't believe but doesn't deny it either. I just find that it is sad when people think they are what they are not. Science has no proof toward existence of anything supernatural thus there is a clash of science and religion, and yet many great scientist were very religious. Anyways everyone has there own right to believe what they want but i always went by Pascal's Wager. If one believes in God and there is no God that person has lost nothing, but if one does not believe in God and there is a God then that person will miss out on the rewards promised by so many religions. Anyways that is my take on it but like i said opinions will clash along with ideas but that is everyone's right. : )

[realmzmaster]

Religion does not cause wars. People cause wars and use religion as a guise for it. The problem is that people want to shove their particular beliefs upon other people who have their own beliefs. Sometimes the people resort to force to impose their beliefs instead of letting natural discussion and discourse occur.

Science at its core is also based on faith and belief. We believe that the scientists who conducted the experiments that lead to the theories and laws of science did not fabricate the results. We believe that other scientists have verfied the results by repeating the experiments and coming to the same conclusions.

Theories are plausible explanations for phenomena. A theory is not a law. A law is a generalization based on consistent experience or results: The law of gravity or the laws of thermodynamics.

The law of gravity is irrefutable. What goes up must come down unless the object can achieve escape velocity and overcome gravity.

The Big Bang is a theory because at its core it cannot yet be proven.

The mistake that many Christians and others make is trying to prove the existence of God. It is a matter of belief. I choose to believe there is a God. Therefore to me God is real. I lose nothing in my belief.

If God exists I reap the rewards. If God does not exist then I am dust. I choose to live my life in a Christ-like manner.

I am happy to discuss my outlook with anyone. I will not argue with you. I prefer a civil discussion.

Everyone has the right to believe what they want, but if you ask me what I believe I will tell you.

[Icefyre]

Im an agnostic, i know its kind of weak sitting on the fence, i really dont like religion as a general rue personally i have been to several christian church masses and to me they preached willful ignorance and tyranny, two things i find to be abhorrent. Im sure there are others facets too it however those were the main points that i seemed to be given.

However on the other hand aethism can be just as ignorant, to say your an aethiest is to say even if a religious group presented you with irrefutable evidence you would still disbelieve them, and thats simply hypocritical. At the moment i can honestly say that i lean far more toward science but im still watching this one to see which will finally be right, i suppose odds are ill only find out when im dead so its kind of moot anyway but those are my views.

[Mr_Owl]

I'm a born and raised christian. Are you? If so, post. If not, post your opinion of christians. And, for the sake of not turning this into a burn thread, I am not talking about the Westboro Baptist Church (the ones who protested at funerals). Whether or not the people within that church are Christians, their actions aren't, nor should their actions be the only thing you base your opinions of Christians on. Also, keep it civil, please.

[Hōtarō]

I'm not a christian, nor will I ever be. I have opinion on Christians. They're free to believe what they want. It's only when they try and shove their religion down my throat and believe everyone that doesn't believe in god should be whipped from society. So, extremists. They ruin the fun for everything.

[Matsukin]

I too am a Christian, specifically of the Baptist faith. Most people would consider me pretty devout, and I'm active in my church.

[idl12]

I'm a Christian, a Roman Catholic, I used to be pretty devout, until I actually did some research on their history, relations to science etc and took notice to some of the less intelligent aspects of our beliefs, such as not allowing divorce, so you're supposed to stick with your spouse till death, even if he's kicking your ass and coming home drunk everyday and if you end the marriage through the legal system, you are barred from taking communion, as a result of all of this, my mother can't marry my stepfather in the church or take communion unless my father dies.

I know every group has it's dark days and flaws, but not every group claims to be the sole messengers of God. So I'm no longer devout nor do I care about religion in general anymore, I still believe there is a God though. As for my opinions on other Christians, The overly active ones that show up by your doorstep(won't call names), demanding attention annoy me, the overly loud ones also annoy me, the ones who tend to turn services into a big show annoy me a whole lot, though the large amount of Christians who classify things that are different as demonic eg, The Harry Potter Books, Black clothes, Music, certain behaviour, Pokemon hell anything that's not laced in crosses, who judge everything as though it's their place to do so they're the ones who get to me the most, In my opinion no one has the right to classify anything as demonic, especially if it's the work of another individual who obviously has the creativity, intelligence and open mindness that you do not have. No disrespect was intended here.

[KimTec]

I don't believe in god, I think its something made up by ppl to explain the things they couldn't understand.

[Chaos92]

I don't believe in god, I think its something made up by ppl to explain the things they couldn't understand.

But in general religion is one of the basis of society, or at least that is what i believe and maybe even sociology can back that up. Whether it is on basis that god exist or not does not truly matter from that aspect. I am a Christian, definitely not the best and i have ideas of my own that are not exactly Christian. As for explaining things that you cannot understand that is what science is based on doing. Religion has been used to explain the unexplainable, that science can't explain at the moment or maybe ever. I don't think its about choosing a moral high ground whatever that high ground may be but more trying to find a deeper understanding and finding if there is more to everything is you live and then you die and all else does not matter. I think i chose to be a Christian because i want to believe there is more meaning. I think thats why a lot of people choose the religion they have chosen.

[Mr_Owl]

well, it's good to know that there are a few Christians here, and that there isn't any blatant ill will, even from those who don't like Christianity (or religion in general)