religion

[zach]

discuss, but make this a christianty vs. atheism debat. I want to include all religions, atheism, agnosticism(is that a real word)
I'm going to bed now so I'll give you my views tomorrow. If you can guess it before then, you win a prize.

[Expert_Monk]

I go to a Catholic University, but I'm not catholic. I never practiced any specific form of christianity, but the fact that I believe Jesus is the son of God that makes me one. I disagree with a lot of the things christians say though. The whole hell thing bothers me and that's probably my most torn issue.

[Alex Djaferis]

i have similar views to Monk there. but im Protestant.

[bossydacow]

I'm catholic by association. I believe that there are sacred truths in all religions, and that each religion deserves respect. Athieism confuses me, as does agnosticism. But I have no problem with people who are believers in that.

[yeat182]

i'm gonna have to go with agnostisism.

[zach]

I'm an athesit. Having said that I belive that religion has alot of merrit to it, i just don't belive in any sort of higher power

[Expert_Monk]

Originally posted by zach
I'm an athesit. Having said that I belive that religion has alot of merrit to it, i just don't belive in any sort of higher power

Do you believe in life after death though?

[Atomic Punk]

im definately christian. i have some friends who are athiests and when they ask me why i believe, i say because i just do. and when they ask why they should, i say cuz u just might as well. if it's the truth, u go to heaven. if it's not then what did u hurt? i guess i also need something to believe in. otherwise life just seems pointless. what's the point if there's nothing after death? it would just all be for nothing. i just have a hard time believing that we came from frickin apes (and if we did, why r there still apes?). i just do. i guess i'm not mature enought o explain why, i am only 14, but for sum reason i just feel it's right.

[zach]

Originally posted by Expert_Monk
Do you believe in life after death though?
no

[yeat182]

i'll agree that religion does do a lot of good, but at the same time, think of how many wars have been fought and lives have been taken in the name of religion, (crusades, spanish inquisition, etc.) there is something wrong about preaching peace and tolerance and then killing a bunch of people that don't agree with you.

[kidinthecorner]

I am Catholic because that's what I was brought up as, but I'm more of a mix of most Christian religions. I am sometimes very religious, but other times could care less, but I have certain "superstitions" that I always follow, although always in the back of my mind is the fact that I know religions were just formed to keep order in a way and give meaning to life, but just in case...I keep practicing...sorta.

[yeat182]

there is a famous philisophical idea, i believe its called Pascal's Wager ( i'm not sure if thats the name, its been awhile since i studied it) but the premise is that you should worship a god, because if there is no god, you lose nothing, but if there is a god then you got yourself covered. (nothing to lose, everything to gain). i don't know, it might be something that someone out there is down with so i thought i'd mention it.

[Reel Big Fish]

I believe in god and all but i'm not a big fan of christianity or any other organized religion for that matter they contradict themselves too much so hopefully i'll find a religion that fits my believes some day for now i'm just a believer in god lol

[kidinthecorner]

Originally posted by yeat182
there is a famous philisophical idea, i believe its called Pascal's Wager ( i'm not sure if thats the name, its been awhile since i studied it) but the premise is that you should worship a god, because if there is no god, you lose nothing, but if there is a god then you got yourself covered. (nothing to lose, everything to gain). i don't know, it might be something that someone out there is down with so i thought i'd mention it.

Ya that's basically what I meant to say in my last post. That's perfect for why I believe.

[xnotedgex]

im a deist...i believe in a higher power, who created us and allows our lives to progress without interference...and the only way we can know anything about our creator is through observing his creation

[Kingskank]

well first of all i should say..that i think there is a clear distinction between faith and religion.

i definitely believe in God, and feel like i have a close personal relationship. While i am catholic, i consider religion to be a tool to help increase your faith, spirituality and relationship within God, family and community. If im content with my personal relationship i tend to not need religion as much, but in times of need i turn to it for help. I think that is why i dont swallow everything the catholic church gives me. As for going to church, i used to go, and i loved going, it helped me clear my head and i feel more comfortable with my sense of spirituality...but was I a good catholic? i dont think so.

In terms of not believing in a higher power...i think if i KNEW God didnt exist, id still need someone to talk to everynight when im pondering my thoughts of the days past and days to come. Perhaps this need for a sense of security is what created the idea of a higher power that has been passed on for ever...but in my heart I'll believe in my God, and respect anyone elses opinions about their own, and thats all that really matters to me.

[yeat182]

"Pray, v.: To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled on behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy."
- Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

[LeftCoastEnvius]

Originally posted by zach
I'm an athesit. Having said that I belive that religion has alot of merrit to it, i just don't belive in any sort of higher power
I have a friend who is athiest and all he tries to do is tell me that cathlolisism is bullshit and superstition, its refreshing to see an athiest without bad things to say about religion.

[The Nephilm]

I am an athiest who used to be agnostic.

I have a problem with the belief in God, that is quite a common one. If he/she/it loves the human race, why did he/she/it create war/poverty/muder/etc.

Certain religions try to answer this in different ways. Some believe that you have broken your covenant with god, others believe that you shouldn't question Gods decree (Job etc.)

That is my problem with the belief in a deity.

As well, I have problems with certain religions. The bible is incredibly sexist for instance. At the time it was written certain things were acceptable and women had a certain role in society, but times have changed yet people still preach the same beliefs. Muslims also have this male dominance expressed in their religions, as do most other major religions.

On top of that religion has been used on so many negative ways that any good teachings it has have been negated by peoples actions in accordance with it. Crusades, manifest destiny, tribal massacres, sacrafices, etc. have all resulted from religion.

As well religion has been turned into a controlling power. It was used and is still used today as a means to controll people and bend them to do the wishes of certain individuals who "controll" the religion.

I do believe that religions teach practical good messaged, however they have been warped and missused so many times that I can't follow them.

[xnotedgex]

Originally posted by The Nephilm
I am an athiest who used to be agnostic.

I have a problem with the belief in God, that is quite a common one. If he/she/it loves the human race, why did he/she/it create war/poverty/muder/etc.

Certain religions try to answer this in different ways. Some believe that you have broken your covenant with god, others believe that you shouldn't question Gods decree (Job etc.)



i believe that god created us and let's us do what we wish...which would account for poverty,wars, and everything else negative that happens in this world

research deism...i think you would agree with almost all of its beliefs...you're a very logical person and i find it to be the most logical explanation of our existence and a higher power

[yeat182]

wouldn't evolution be the most logical way to explain our existence?

i'm not trying to sound like a jerk, i don't know much about deism and i don't know where evolution fits in to all that...

[xnotedgex]

Originally posted by yeat182
wouldn't evolution be the most logical way to explain our existence?

i'm not trying to sound like a jerk, i don't know much about deism and i don't know where evolution fits in to all that...

a molecule evolving out of absolutely nothing isn't very logical...deists believe that a higher power created everything but allowed his initial creation to progress naturally, without interference, which allots for a substantial amount of evolution (includign the development of prehistoric man to where we are today and such)

[blaarg]

i'm an athiest. many people have told me "but relisions are good because they create charities" but the way i see it a good deed done to score points with your god doesn't really count, if you want to donate money to a charity or give food to a homeless person, etc. it should be done on one's own will because it's the right thing to do, not so you could go to heaven.

then there's the missionaries who brainwash people to believe in their god. they act all high and mighty and go to third world countries, giving starving people a bible and a loaf of bread, suggesting "god=food, no god=death by starvation." cathollic schools are just as bad, they tell kids in kindergarten "believe in god and obey these rules or go to hell" at this time the kids are too young to comprehend what exactly (if anything) god is. all they know is: hell is bad, the bible will keep you out of it. so they initially believe in god out of fear of hell and continue to out of habbit.

the fcc and other groups of right wing bible fucking "patriots" also distort and mangle the bible's teachings as to create a toltalitarianist society. they wipe their ass with the constitution and use god as an excuse.

i do believe though that every religion has some valuable insights on some of the biggest questions of life: how one should live, etc. but i also believe no religion can answer these questions and that everyone must come to terms with what is right for them. buddhism says following the 8 fold path will lead one to inner peace, and though i agree with most of it, i believe the only way to inner peace is making your own path.

[yeat182]

here's a philisophical question for all you reigious types...

If god is all powerful, can he create a stone so heavy that even he could not lift it?

[Stompemplay]

I used to be a jew, now I'm an athiest.
I guess I listened to too much George Carlin, because the idea of an invisible man who lives in the sky who watches every thing everyone does at all times seems totally dumb to me.
The people who constantly say: well it teaches good morals to children and you can learn a lot from it, I say look how many wars have broken out and how many millions have died because of religion. Religion is just another thing to cause hatred and difference.
I think some people need god to make them feel like they have a purpose. I think that if that is what you need believe in it; I dont. Ithink that we are too dumb to understand where were from, and to ignorant to admit it.

[xnotedgex]

Originally posted by yeat182
here's a philisophical question for all you reigious types...

If god is all powerful, can he create a stone so heavy that even he could not lift it?

ooh, never heard that one before

here's a question for all you evolutionists...where did the very first atom come from?

[The Nephilm]

Originally posted by xnotedgex
ooh, never heard that one before

here's a question for all you evolutionists...where did the very first atom come from?

what came first? the chicken or the egg?

[yeat182]

Originally posted by xnotedgex
ooh, never heard that one before

here's a question for all you evolutionists...where did the very first atom come from?

well, i'm no physist, but i know matter cannot be created or destroyed, so it wouldn't have started with one atom, every atom in the universe would have existed at the same time....so to answer your question....i have no idea.

[evil zach]

Originally posted by xnotedgex
ooh, never heard that one before

here's a question for all you evolutionists...where did the very first atom come from?
on the same token I could ask where did god from?

[yeat182]

yeah, and if something made god, could it then destroy god?

[xnotedgex]

Originally posted by evil zach
on the same token I could ask where did god from?

thats beyond our comprehension, as is everything else that's being discussed in this thread pretty much

[kidinthecorner]

God and religion is also an excuse to solve the unknowns, such as where the first ___ came from.

[yeat182]

yeah, and to explain things like thunder, lightning and earthquakes

[xnotedgex]

Originally posted by kidinthecorner
God and religion is also an excuse to solve the unknowns, such as where the first ___ came from.

or an attempt by the curious to find where they came from, however futile it may be

and god and religion aren't synonyms, trying to use them as such makes you look retarded

[xnotedgex]

Originally posted by yeat182
yeah, and to explain things like thunder, lightning and earthquakes

yea because intelligent individuals, if they believe in god, automatically attribute these things to god....idiot

[yeat182]

Originally posted by xnotedgex
yea because intelligent individuals, if they believe in god, automatically attribute these things to god....idiot

what i meant is that the theories of god and religion sprung from a need to explain the unknown, such as thunder and lightning and earthquakes, back with early man. i obvioulsy didn't mean today...fool.

[xnotedgex]

Originally posted by yeat182
yeah, and to explain things like thunder, lightning and earthquakes

how is it obvious you didnt mean today..please show me where you made that obvious in this statement??

[yeat182]

sorry bro, i thought you were smart enough to figure it out...

[Shatter590]

I made much of my college experience a chance to study religion and came to the following conclusions.

First: The human brain is physiologically and psychologically predisposed to the ideal of religion, though not to any specific doctrine. There is a part of out brains that is only active when we are engaged either in ritual or meditation, which seems to rationalize the ideal of religion at that moment.

Second: Religion, like all things, is a personal matter, and should not be dictated by others. Simply put, your religion is what makes sense to you. Take me for example: I was raised very Christian, but found after careful reexamination of my beliefs that Eastern concepts of thought (particularly Theravada Buddhism) made a lot more sense. I do believe in the existence of greater power, I tend to belive in sanctity of Jesus (tho fer different reasons) and I do not belive in the ideals of a creator god per se (read the theory of the conscious universe to understand what I feel, this is a new concept many astrophysicists now subscribe to) and most directly the concept of reincarnation (which makes sense both on a spiritual and scientific level).

This system of belief may sound ludicrous, like I am mixing many religions together. But inside, this is how I feel, and I know other that do as well. This is my sense of religion, and it does not conform to any established doctrine. But does that not make it religion? For all who may question this, I direct you to Paul Tillich's Theology of Culture, particularly chapter 1 "Religion as a dimension of depth in man's spiritual life"

there, I think I'm done lol

[Shatter590]

Also, I forgot to mention this

Evolution is another great way to explain how man appeared. But it leads to a few other holes.

One: Science cannot give an exact timeframe of when man appeared, because anatomically modern Homo sapiens were living at the same time as both Neanderthals and archaic sapiens. It's kind of like we appeared out of nowhere (this can be abused by religion folk)

Two: It also does not explain why man and man alone evolved when other species could have in turn

And now for all you science guys out there (which I must confess I am as well)

Before you place all your faith and ideals in scientific thought, remember these two constants:

1- All scientific laws, theories and beliefs are eventually disproved as science itself progresses (Thomas Kuhn wrote of this in Structure of Scientific Revolutions and history backs it up)

2- Everything present in Science Fiction (*especially Star Trek) is eventually made into Science Fact.

[therealhebm]

i believe in God. however, i stay as far away from church as possible. one of the priests recently convicted for molesting a teenage kid was a priest in MY parish! in fact one night, maybe two weeks before he was arrested, he started talking to me and my friends late one night outside the church where we were skating. he didnt do anything weird, but God only knows what he could have been thinking... also i believe that being a good Christian and being a good person are two separate things, although some Christians have done amazing charity work. If you look through history, some of the most heartless and evil men have claimed to be Chrisitans. Some horrible things have been done in the name of God, but i do believe those responsible were in for a rude awakening when their judgement days came.

[yeat182]

Originally posted by Shatter590


Two: It also does not explain why man and man alone evolved when other species could have in turn


i'm was pretty sure that all species have evolved from something else, could you explain this a little more?, i'm curious.

[Shatter590]

ok. this is just a judgement call. Many anthropological philosophers often wonder why man, and primates in general have reached higher evolution when other races have not. WHy are we so special when in reality we all started from essentially the same small rodent. (which is true, all mammals possess a primitive rodent brain, including us)

Given the mutual sense of time we had, and the same oppurtunities, why did man evolve the way it did and other races did not. This question is purely a philosophical one, for all races evolved in some way from something else.

The term evolution i used there was meant for Higher cranial evolution, as in the type found in Great Apes and Man, as opposed to survivalist evolution, like that found in most mammals.

A wonderful resource fer this is the Discovery channel/bbc documentary Walking with prehistoric beasts. it gives you a ton of info in easy to understand language while not sacrificing it's scientific merit.

[yeat182]

oh i get it, so you aren't saying that evolution was restricted only to man, rather, how is it that man is the only one to evolve to such an intelligent level. that makes sense, its a good question

[Shatter590]

yeah, it gets very far into the scientific philosophy set. boggles the mind, it does.

[n1asfan]

on the same token I could ask where did god from?


touche

[sdbrown]

http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/images/movie/small/Blast_from_the_past.gif

[open mind]

quite the bump.

[Burning Star IV]

Good lord.

[nfggc10]

Wow. Interesting move bumping a 5 year old thread on a subject that has seen more recent, extensive discussion.

[open mind]

i like the title of this thread, the era in which it was born, most of the people who have posted in it and since vanished....and therefore wish it would become the official thread.

to truly start off this threads resurrection i'll take the stand that most religions have more in common with eachother then they'd like to admit and hope someone wants to debate that.

[theliftedlorax8]

i like the title of this thread, the era in which it was born, most of the people who have posted in it and since vanished....and therefore wish it would become the official thread.

to truly start off this threads resurrection i'll take the stand that most religions have more in common with eachother then they'd like to admit and hope someone wants to debate that.

I know you're looking for a debate, but I actually really agree with you - even when you branch outside of the Judeo-Christian variations, there are still a lot of similarities between different religions.

[berskyjr]

hahahaha 03 wow

[hooligan_r1]

A guy walks down the street and says "there's a man up in the sky, watching my every move. His name is god." Nobody thinks much of this guy and his ramblings.

The same guy walks down the street and says "there's a man up in the sky, watching my every move. His name is Bob."

He would be locked up in a padded room.

What's the difference between this god and Bob? Both are a delusion to me.

I am an Athiest.

[Burn That Shit]

A guy walks down the street and says "there's a man up in the sky, watching my every move. His name is god." Nobody thinks much of this guy and his ramblings.

The same guy walks down the street and says "there's a man up in the sky, watching my every move. His name is Bob."

He would be locked up in a padded room.

What's the difference between this god and Bob? Both are a delusion to me.

I am an Athiest.

His name is Richard, you dick.

[TheComeBackKid]

im definately christian. i have some friends who are athiests and when they ask me why i believe, i say because i just do. and when they ask why they should, i say cuz u just might as well. if it's the truth, u go to heaven. if it's not then what did u hurt? i guess i also need something to believe in. otherwise life just seems pointless. what's the point if there's nothing after death? it would just all be for nothing. i just have a hard time believing that we came from frickin apes (and if we did, why r there still apes?). i just do. i guess i'm not mature enought o explain why, i am only 14, but for sum reason i just feel it's right.

I have to say, that's a terrible reason to "believe," if you'd even call that "belief."

[memento_mori]

Why do most people on this site presuppose the existence of God being intertwined with religion? The two are completely different matters of discussion.

[samsara]

I think that there is a Higher power

Whether or not its God is a mystery

maybe its my religious upbringing or Catholic school but i thnk that there is something out there

[Burn That Shit]

I think that there is a Higher power

Whether or not its God is a mystery

maybe its my religious upbringing or Catholic school but i thnk that there is something out there

A herd of goblins?!?!

[samsara]

A herd of goblins?!?!

yeah...or aliens!!!