Your Religion

[Guest Gun Preacher]

I just wanted to know what other people belived in so i could learn more.

I am a christian so i belive in god and hevan and the whole sha bang a bang of things that go with it.

[Stark]

[SIZE=1]Eh...curiosity killed the cat...

For starters, I'll just say that my religion can be classified as 'undefined'.That is to say, I tried organized religion at one point and discovered that it wasn't for me. They say one thing and do another; go to church, then run each other over in the parking lot. I didn't want to be associated with such hypocrisy.

That was when I was in middle school, exploring a lot of different options for my life. It was at that time that I discovered my mother's copy of Tao de Ching, and at that time that I became interested in Buddhism. It got so bad that my souvenir from Washington D.C. is a little booklet that contains various quotes that express an air of Zen Buddhism.

Heaven and Hell mean nothing to me. If God loves everyone, then there should be no reason for Hell. Also, if God loves everyone then there is no reason to convert to another religion.

In my mind, everything is about choice. People can choose to be religious, and they can choose to be nonreligious. Myself, I'm probably one of the most nonreligious people you'll meet--IRL, I lack a certain sensitivity to other people, I'm rather harsh, I say what I think and say what I mean. Not many people can handle that.

However, one should always be respectful to their fellow people. And, above all else, they should believe in themselves. You don't need to believe in God to do that. Even if there is nothing else that I believe in, I believe in myself. That is enough to last me through the trials of life.

(P.S. I've literally been trying to live up to the ideal expressed in my sig since middle school. The quote from Saiyuki merely serves as a means to convey that ideal in a way that I never was able to before.)[/SIZE]

[Transtic Nerve]

All hail Xenu! Ruler of the Galaxy!

[Retribution]

[quote name='Stark][SIZE=1']Heaven and Hell mean nothing to me. If God loves everyone, then there should be no reason for Hell. Also, if God loves everyone then there is no reason to convert to another religion.[/SIZE][/quote]
[size=1]So you're saying that since God loves everyone, there should be no reason for punishment? I mean, your parents love you and all, but they also punish you. Somehow, I think it works like that. Do you honestly think that someone like Hitler could go to Heaven on the grounds that "God loves everyone"? Sounds ridiculous to me.

However, I agree with you on your second point. I think that the religion on a person is completely irrelevant, and that God judges you based on your life and how you lived it.[/size]

[Hanabishi Recca]

I am a Christian (as most of you know) *coughsigcough*

Stark-

You are right that it is about choice.
God is Love.
The Word says, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).
So, I think that if you havn't called on the name of the Lord, then you won't be saved.
There is instruction. Like the word also says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

So I hope I helped you. Thanks for your time,

~ David

[John]

I'm also a Christian. I've got more than my share of problems with Christians today (well, not like the past has been any better, I guess), but I can't see that affecting my view of Christianity as a whole. Most today are so scared shitless of being looked down on by the rest of the church that as soon as any issue comes up, they jump on the conclusion that looks prettiest at an immediate glance, and defend it zealously. =(

[Hanabishi Recca]

[quote name='John']I'm also a Christian. I've got more than my share of problems with Christians today (well, not like the past has been any better, I guess), but I can't see that affecting my view of Christianity as a whole. Most today are so scared shitless of being looked down on by the rest of the church that as soon as any issue comes up, they jump on the conclusion that looks prettiest at an immediate glance, and defend it zealously. =([/quote]

You could have said that nicer.

Not all christians are like that. I am not. But I don't go off telling people what they are doing wrong unless I feel I need to. I am just saying maybe be abit nicer about it, okay?

Christians are supposed to repersent God. I am hoping since it is 2006 they will change.

Thanks for your time,

~ David

[Sandy]

[QUOTE=Hanabishi Recca]You could have said that nicer.

Not all christians are like that. I am not. But I don't go off telling people what they are doing wrong unless I feel I need to. I am just saying maybe be abit nicer about it, okay?

Christians are supposed to repersent God. I am hoping since it is 2006 they will change.

Thanks for your time,

~ David[/QUOTE]


I'm sorry, but you sound like some cheap salesperson, or a poorly-made ad campaign. :/ Are you even a human?! *gasp*

Just kidding. ;P But seriously, with a topic like this at discussion, I think you should go into more details about your opinions,maybe give your reasons for believing like that.

I can honestly say I don't have a religion. I don't believe in any definite, individual higher power, I don't have any sacred rituals, I live by the moral codes set to me by the modern Finnish society, and I find nothing holy about priests of any religion. Might sound crude to some people, or even unbelievable, but this is my life and I'm happy living it right now. :)

Oftentimes religion is focusing on the life after death (rather than the life you're living), which I find more than a bit ridiculous. Why waste your life wondering "what if", when it is obvious that the answer won't come to you until you're dead?

In many religion's point-of-view, I've sinned (by being a homosexual, for example), yet I don't repent. This means to some that I'm going to Hell. I don't personally fear that, since - simply put - I don't believe in Hell. I believe that life ends to death (and before anybody says that it is my religion, I must remind that a single belief doesn't make a whole religion - it takes much more than that).

But come what may, I say. If it's Hell I'm going to, I will go there with peace of mind for in my opinion I have done nothing wrong. Again, you may disagree, but I'm entitled to my own opinions.

Those are some of my views on religion, which I won't start debating about with anybody (because we've seen plenty of [I]that[/I] kind of threads here). I'm just answering the question of the topic as best as I can being a person without a religion.

[Guest Gun Preacher]

Yes yes yes
after looking at what you all say and think i see what other people belive i would like to confess i am am not the best christian but as long as i belive in god and live a good life then i'm ok.

[NekoSama101]

WHOO! fellow christain power! i'm also chirstain, but i don't go to church anymore. I got tired of all the ******* that the poeple do there. they're such fakes, not all, but most. I also got tired hearing the same thing over and over again. I got the basic idea heaven good, hell bad. god good. satan/devil bad. i wanted to learn something more so i quit going.

[Claire]

[FONT=Arial]I prefer to think of myself as not having a religion. Yes, I do go to church, and I believe in and love God, and I do my best to follow what the bible tells me to do (such as "taming the tongue") but somethings I just don't want to do. Church bores me inconcievably, which makes me sad. I don't want to dislike going, but the people of my generation there are not all good Christians. They even go to church more than I do, and they participate in many more church activities than I do, but they only do this because they're social teenagers with lots of friends who are also doing the activities. I see these kids everyday, being rude, obnoxious, cussing, and many things that non-Christian kids do. Then they go to church on Sunday and act like it never happened, and restart their whole week the same way. If people think all Christians are like that, they're very wrong. At least, I'm not like that, and I know the older, more mature and less prone to giving into peer pressure Christians aren't. So...I suppose I don't have a religion, but a relationship.[/FONT]

[Albert Flasher]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=Sienna]I classify myself as 'anti-theist.' Esentially, extremist athiesm - not only do I not believe in the notion of god, I [I]hate[/I] the notion of god. Keep in mind that I don't hate Christians themselves (For the most part), as some are very nice people, I simply hate the fact that some people listen to the lies and propogandga that Constantine the Great (Note: Constantine was an avid Pagan, who was only babtised on his death-bed because he was too weak to resist) used to control his people.

Christianity (Note: not Christians!) have a special area of my hate reserved for them. Not because Christianity is any more corrupt and untrue than any other religions, but simply because I can't stand the millions of people who go around preaching that their religion is a religion of love and peace when their own holy book contradictes them. It's the contradictions that get me the most. Catholicism especially.

PLEASE do not flame me for this post, as I don't really care how many of you add me to gods hitlist after this. It's just my opinion that religion is a cancer to this world and has been since the don of time (Ok, it might have helped the prehistoric men cope with the world, but that was then this is now). As I said, do not flame me for my opinion. My view on Christians is that they are generally nice people, please don't change that view.

EDIT: I'd also like to say I find Christianity, a religion essentially built for the purpose of slandering other religions, hilarious, and I'll leave it at that.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Justin]

The question of faith has become oh-so-very important in this post-modern world where the modernistic idea that "education(not God) will solve all society's problems" has been shown to be void. In fact, mass education only made smarter criminals.

We now have a world hungry for the answer to the question, "What/who then, can solve our problems?"

The largest fault that exists, though, in humans is humanism. We believe in ourselves, so why should we need God? This is nothing new, it's existed ever since man existed; whenever you believe that was.

So, my questions are these: Why have a religion, when you already worship yourself? Why invent something you claim to be bigger than you, but at the same time, it conforms to your wants? Who is this God that you say loves everyone? If he exists and has the power to truly love everyone (a miracle far greater than that of creation or anything else) why then do you expect him to be what you want from him?

Love requires action. No, more than that; love requires self-sacrifice. A perfect God who gives of his perfection for even one among us humans is worth a bit more than "religion." If he truly exists, he's worth looking for, most definately. My probing mind can't even imagine the depth of an entity such as that.

-Justin

[Retribution]

[quote name='Ziggy Stardust][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=Sienna]EDIT: I'd also like to say I find Christianity, a religion essentially built for the purpose of slandering other religions, hilarious, and I'll leave it at that.[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote]
[size=1]I'm not certain what you're talking about at all. The followers of the religion might slander other religions, but that is not what Jesus' message was, and that is the most important part of it all. Forget what the religion itself says, forget what the followers say. To grasp what is essentially Christian, one must understand Jesus' [i]message.[/i] It's not about going to church, or praying everyday, or getting the sacriments. It's about loving thy neighbor and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.

[quote name='Kam']So, my questions are these: Why have a religion, when you already worship yourself? Why invent something you claim to be bigger than you, but at the same time, it conforms to your wants? Who is this God that you say loves everyone? If he exists and has the power to truly love everyone (a miracle far greater than that of creation or anything else) why then do you expect him to be what you want from him?[/quote]
You don't need religion at all. All you need from religion is the message to love your neighbor, to help your neighbor, and to live a good life yourself. What's so wrong in believing that humans can solve their own problems through making progress (which is what humanism boils down to, essentially)? Humanists don't believe in an [i]actual[/i] God that loves everyone -- they believe that a figurative 'God' is within all of us, and that we can all be agents of change. The whole point of humanism is that you shouldn't expect anything, you shouldn't believe in anything outside of what (collectively) you can do.[/size]

[Sayuri-sama]

well actually i dont really like discussing my religion because of the different views and some people may not exactly agree with me but im christian. im not exactly a maniac in religion but i know where i stand and what my values are :catgirl:

[EVA Unit 100]

[quote name='Ziggy Stardust][FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=Sienna]I classify myself as 'anti-theist.' Esentially, extremist athiesm - not only do I not believe in the notion of god, I [I]hate[/I] the notion of god.[/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote]

What's so wrong with the idea of there being a god? I'd be pretty damn annoyed if I found out that there was no purpose in the universe and in order for there to be a purpose to the universe that automatically means that there is some sort of higher power. What that higher power wants I don't exactly know, and I'm not some crazy religious zealot who thinks that he/she knows, but to me at least it seems impossible for human beings to not believe in something.

The whole corruption of religion isn't because of religious ideology itself but because of ignorance. Most of the differences between different religions is all symantics really. God, Allah, Shiva, Ra, Zeus, Kami, whatever you call it, it's all some sort of supernatural power that wants people to do good deeds. And what's wrong with that? Some people (myself included) would say that the US government has been corrupted in some ways, but does that mean that democracy is a bad form of government? No, it's probably the best concept for a type of government ever concieved, but people aren't perfect, and thus people are bound to bring imperfections into their work. If you can keep your religious beliefs to yourself and don't enforce them on others, there's nothing wrong with religion.

Oh, I'm Jewish by the way. It doesn't seem there's a lot of Jews on this board. I wish I could meet some more.

[Fasteriskhead]

When I first started seriously reading and thinking about religion a couple of years ago, I wondered a lot if all the stuff I was studying was really mine to study (since I hadn't been brought up in those traditions or "converted" at all). I don't really worry about this anymore, although of course there's always the danger of doing violence to what I'm reading. For me religion speaks to [i]how the world is[/i], not just in the modern sense of what's factually true but as what the world [i]means[/i]. It speaks to how it is that human beings live in the world. As I study religion more and more, I always get the feeling that I'm increasingly uncovering what it fundamentally means to be human.

And if that sounds too abstract, don't be fooled: it's not.

[Albert Flasher]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]I'm not certain what you're talking about at all. The followers of the religion might slander other religions, but that is not what Jesus' message was, and that is the most important part of it all. Forget what the religion itself says, forget what the followers say. To grasp what is essentially Christian, one must understand Jesus' [i]message.[/i] It's not about going to church, or praying everyday, or getting the sacriments. It's about loving thy neighbor and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.
[/size][/QUOTE][FONT=Times New Roman]
[COLOR=Sienna]
Like I said many times, it's not the followers of Christianity that irk me, it's Christianity itself. Christianity was a religion largely built for the purpose of slandering other religions that existed around the time of Constantine. Ever wonder why the Dead Sea Scrolls (Pre-Constantine) are so completely different from the commonly accepted bible (Post-Constantine)? It's because they were heavily edited so that Constantine could control the population. In order to NOT write a novel on the subject, I'll simply state that, in my opinion, Christians believe in propogandga that some ancient Roman ruler used as political leverage.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[saru-miha]

I guess you'd consider me a Christian...
I believe in God and Jesus and the like...
I don't really believe in hell though. Because if God is so merciful and loving, why would there be a place for just eternal misery?
I do believe in a really long time in purgatory.
And basically the only thing keeping me believing in God to begin with is how I can't seem to grasp how the complexity of the human mind and the universe..etc...just came to be.
I DO believe in evolution.
But where'd the apes come from?
Started off with a single celled organism..where'd that come from?
To me the whole idea that ONE being has been around forever and created others to be more logical than just "Everything came to be on it's own."
But I wouldn't call myself religious.
Mainly, what bugs me about Christianity is the whole "against gay marriage" deal.
I don't see a thing wrong with it, and yes I see several different views on the subject.
And I do keep in mind that Christianity isn't against homosexuals..but "homosexual acts"..which I find just stupid. Who's to tell you what you can do with who you love in your own private time?
But...basically..with the MAINLY known arguments where Christianity comes into play.
I support same sex marriage
I'm completely against abortion.
I don't believe in hell.
And personally I have no clue if the end of existence will ever even come.
Keep in mind, these are just MY views. Everyone has their own.

[Esther]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]I'm going to live up the tradition of what this thread was started for: sharing what my religion is. Not geting into a heated debate...

I am a Christian. I do believe in Jesus Christ, and I choose NOT to go to church on every single Sunday of my free time. And there are a few reasons for those of you who are die-hard Christians.

The first reason why I do not attend church is mainly because I am way too busy to go. I simply do not have the free time to go and worship. Sorry if I have offended any of you by saying this.

I also think that by believing in God is the only thing you need. I choose to read the Bible, and prayer at home. I don't find this as a sin, as there is no part anywhere saying that I must attend church or I will go to Hell, or something outrageous like that.

But so far that is what I believe in. Thanks for reading.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[The13thMan]

I'm of an interesting religion that i believe very few of you have heard of. It's sorta christianity. It's called Unificationism, the Unification Church.

Let me give you a basic breakdown of how this thing goes, also just so you guys know i'm not a true believer of this religion and in all honesty i might get something backwards. I don't think i will, but i might:
Christians believe that Jesus came down to die for our sins. We do not believe that. We believe that Jesus came down to start a family, a pure family that can connect with god. I'm not saying Jesus wasn't our messiah, he was, it's just that his initial mission was a failure. He did die for our sins, and that's great, but it was a sort of plan B.
Having multiple sexual partners is unforgiveable, and you will go to hell, bottom line. Sex is a sacred thing that a person should only have with one and only one other person.
In our church we usually have arranged marriages. It's common that an American would marry an Asian. And also we have mass marriages. Of course this is all a bit more ocmplicated than i'm saying, but i'd rather not go into it. These arranged marriages have always been the biggest thing i disagree with in the religion, and if i were to leave it it'd probably be because of that.
Also we have a blessing. I suppose it's kinda like getting baptised. A married couple will get blessed, and we will be closer to god. I'm part of the 2nd generation, which means my parents were both blessed so i was born connected to God as apose to everybody else who was born connected to Satan.
We also believe that Satan works through a lot of dirty ways to corrupt everybody, like our culture. It's not a big deal to have multiple sexual partners in our culture, which is a big no no in our religion.

Ooooookaaaaaay. If you guys wanna learn more, then you've got the internet, go find something.

Those are my parent's beliefs and not necessarily my own, although i was raised that way so they are partially my own. I still have to decide whether it's my religion or not...and it's a very tough decision. I deal with it everyday unfortunately.

Well, that's all i got to say, later.

[kalon]

Religion is a great thing to have if you are willing to accept that all people do not think the same way.
I live in the Bible Belt of Tennessee. People rarely like it when you live here without having religion. Some of my friends treat me differently because I do not have a religion. Christianity gives me the depressing feeling that God greatly dislikes me and that I am going to Hell, and it shouldn't be like that.
I am agnostic, which translates to sitting on the fence. I like different ideas from different religions. If there isn't a God, then I will be dead and won't be able to care anymore. If there is a God, I hope he chooses to judge me on my life instead of my ideals.
I wish people could learn to accept each other, but with all the prejudice that people have for other religions, races, and lifestyles, I doubt that everyone can learn to tolerate each other's differences. Hope is still a good feeling, though.
If you are religious, I am sincerely glad that you have beliefs you choose to stand by. I have my own morals and values, too, and I do not need to be converted. Let's just be friends, okay?

[TheShinje]

[quote name='Amelia][font=Arial'] So...I suppose I don't have a religion, but a relationship.[/font][/quote]
[color=crimson] I am a Christian, and like you, I have more of a relationship with God than a religion in particular. I attend a church that promotes relationship over religion and rules, (like Jesus himself did when speaking about Pharisees) Worships to God in rock music, has a different angle and teching each night, and is the most alive, non-boring church. I was bored to tears with church until I changed my angle and attended a different, youth-oriented congregation.

[quote name='Ziggy Stardust][font=Times New Roman][color=Sienna'] Like I said many times, it's not the followers of Christianity that irk me, it's Christianity itself. Christianity was a religion largely built for the purpose of slandering other religions that existed around the time of Constantine. Ever wonder why the Dead Sea Scrolls (Pre-Constantine) are so completely different from the commonly accepted bible (Post-Constantine)? It's because they were heavily edited so that Constantine could control the population. In order to NOT write a novel on the subject, I'll simply state that, in my opinion, Christians believe in propogandga that some ancient Roman ruler used as political leverage.[/quote]
The dead sea scrolls, as far as I'm aware, are scrolls of the book of Isaiah that mirror, word-for-word, the modern Bible. In fact, I've heard teachings that use them to convey the message that the Bible has not been altered one bit since 90BC. [/color]
[/color][/font]

[Stark]

[QUOTE=Retribution]So you're saying that since God loves everyone, there should be no reason for punishment? I mean, your parents love you and all, but they also punish you. Somehow, I think it works like that. Do you honestly think that someone like Hitler could go to Heaven on the grounds that "God loves everyone"? Sounds ridiculous to me.

However, I agree with you on your second point. I think that the religion on a person is completely irrelevant, and that God judges you based on your life and how you lived it.[/QUOTE]

Actually, there should be some form of punishment; it's just not for me, or anyone, to know how.

-Hanabishi Recca

You don't seem to understand my point. I don't want to be saved. I'm a firm believer in the phrase "people can't hope for salvation. They have to save themselves".

I did try that route when I was a kid. I was baptised a methodist at the age of 8, due to strange circumstances in my life that I won't even get into. I called for the Lord when I was 9, thinking that maybe He would help me find happiness. What I noticed was no apparent change in my life in any way. My mother was too ill to go to church most of the time, so I lack the Sunday School connection that a lot of Christians my age seem to have. I tried reading the Bible, and I didn't understand it in the way it was written.

In middle school I grew up a bit. I stopped being so naive, and my High School I was outright fed up with the people I met. The quotations from Zen Buddhism helped me more than any preacher did, that's for sure.

Forgive my rant. I just don't like the idea of people converting others.

[Hanabishi Recca]

[QUOTE=Sandy][B]I'm sorry, but you sound like some cheap salesperson, or a poorly-made ad campaign. :/ Are you even a human?! *gasp*

[U][B]Just kidding. ;P But seriously[/B][/U], with a topic like this at discussion, I think you should go into more details about your opinions,maybe give your reasons for believing like that.[/B][/QUOTE]

[U][b]Yeah, okay. Your kidding, but also serious.[/b][/U][b]I will go in detail. Sorry about that. I am human ;)[/b]


[QUOTE] WHOO! fellow christain power! i'm also chirstain, but i don't go to church anymore. I got tired of all the ******* that the poeple do there. they're such fakes, not all, but most. I also got tired hearing the same thing over and over again. I got the basic idea heaven good, hell bad. god good. satan/devil bad. i wanted to learn something more so i quit going.[/QUOTE]

If you don't go to church then how do you get minesterd to?
Now I do understand that... YOUR CHURCH IS REDUNDANT!!!

You could come to TCC in Oklahoma ;) Seriously, they aren't redundant.
If you are interested, here you go, [url]http://www.thechristian-center.org/index.html[/url]


But there is alot more to learn besides that. There is Faith, Hope, Love, etc.
They are a big part of Christian living. I have gotten flamed on other sites for this, but there is a thread about it that I didn't make so I should be fine ;)


[QUOTE]Yes yes yes
after looking at what you all say and think i see what other people belive i would like to confess i am am not the best christian but as long as i belive in god and [B]live a good life then i'm ok.[/B][/QUOTE]

[b]Did you know that living a good life isn't your responsibility?
You have to get in faith.
___________________________________________________________________

I want to say that if I didn't explain something, I was minesterd it.
Therefore I know it.