mega thread Everypony's Religion And Why?

[MontagnaMagica 307]

Agnostic atheist here in good faith (no pun intended)

 

Haha! Nice one! I'll try and answer your questions from my perspective as a Bahá'í. Keep in mind that these are just my own interpretations, and aren't necessarily reflective of the religion (though I'd like to think they probably are). I am also open to being proven wrong. Thus, I consider myself an agnostic theist, and this religion is the one which I believe makes the most sense of those that exist.

 

 

1: This is an easy one, but many tend to provide widely different answers, and it helps to understand where people argue from. The age-old argument known as the "problem of evil" holds that if God is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful, then he would prevent, or otherwise disallow evil from befalling his children. Evil, in this case, coming in both the human (Stalin) and natural (bubonic plague) varieties. What is your personal reconciliation or counterpoint to the problem of evil?

 

I do not believe that God should be held responsible for evils, neither human nor natural. He created the world with the possibility of both, but does not force one or the other to prevail. Rather, the concept of free will indicates that humans may choose good or bad actions. The natural events are simply a part of the universe's happenings; the breaks and hazards of the game, if you will. To intervene would undermine fairness, as it would benefit some but not others. Thus, I do not believe God intervenes to cause natural evils nor human evils.

 

Darkness is the lack of light. Cold is the lack of heat. Evil is simply the lack of good.

 

 

2: You are no doubt aware that there are a great, great many denominations of religious belief in the world. Most are monotheistic, and Abrahamic in particular, yet even these can be as different as bread and salamander urine. Why do you choose the denomination that you do, and why do you believe that yours is the favorite of God?

 

In choosing the Bahá'í Faith, I also effectively chose at least seven other known religions (Bábism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Zoroatrianism), and believe that there have been countless other religions that were "right". Basically, I believe that I am following the most recent revelation of the many that have unfolded throughout history.

 

In researching these religions, I came to the conclusion that when it came down to core beliefs, they were more similar than different. From the little things, like the "Golden Rule" being in all of them, to bigger things like the belief in a supreme being. Even Hinduism actually lends fairly strong support to the concept of monotheism from its own scriptures.

 

It is my belief that all these religions were correct at some point, but have gone astray. For instance, Christianity was hijacked by the "Apostle Paul", who brought the concepts of the trinity and faith-based salvation to the religion. Islam began to morph into a political tool as Muslims mistakenly accepted the many hadith (extra-Qur'ánical writings which were written at the least 200 years after Muhammad walked the earth).

 

Bahá'ís like myself believe that the Manifestations of God (prophets like Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, or Muhammad) brought new religions to guide humanity as it developed. With them, they brought spiritual teachings and social teachings. The spiritual teachings remained the same at their core, only changing in terms of linguistics or storytelling methods. The social teachings often change quite significantly from one religion to another.

 

 

3: For this question, I am assuming that your God is a loving being, and primarily preaches love to their followers. With this in mind, is your God capable of feeling hatred; be it for a supernatural enemy (Satan), a particularly evil human being (Stalin again), or something else entirely? If so, then would God wish for you to hate them as well? If not, then does God understand why you would hate those that do evil, or is hatred a sin in itself?

 

Hatred is viewed as an affliction. See the end of the second paragraph here: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-132.html.utf8

 

I certainly do believe there is such a thing as righteous hatred. A hatred for injustice, for example. And religious literature is pretty uniform in the belief that God hates evil. However, to answer your follow-up question, I do not believe God would wish for us to also hate because we have shown ourselves to be incapable of properly handling this emotion.

 

 

4: This one is a bit trickier, so please read it carefully. I will assume that nobody here was personally visited by God, or Jesus, or one of their angels; and that their faith stems from, and is reinforced by, corporeal items and beings existing within the mortal realm. With this in mind, do you not fear that God's message, presence, or history have been compromised by mortal fallibility? Your church is headed by a mortal minister. He tells you to read your physical Bible which was written by mortal men, and whose accuracy is attested to by yet more mortal men. Some of these men claim to talk to God, most don't, none can prove that they do. Are you not afraid that these men may be mistaken in their teachings, or that some may speak with malicious intent?

 

This fear is actually one of the main reasons I converted to the Bahá'í Faith! As I noted above, I believe that mortal fallibility is the cause for a great many of the problems with religions today. I also believe there is plenty still to learn from the Bible, the Avesta, the Bhagavad Gita, etc... I simply am hesitant about some of those books' authenticity for one reason or another. Bábí and Bahá'í scriptures went straight from prophet to pen, so there is little doubt of authenticity.

 

 

5: Imagine yourself in the hypothetical year 2036. In this time, scientific discovery has discovered something which has, in your eyes, disproven the existence of God. What is this "something?" What is your goalpost for those who seek to prove non-existence?

I don't think it is possible to disprove God, so this is a really hard one to fathom. I suppose you'd have to somehow prove that there is nothing that exists outside our universe. This is akin to feeling around a dark room and concluding that nothing exists in there because you felt nothing. I'd still be hesitant to believe it is conclusive, no matter what.

[TeeSix 116]

Agnostic myself. I make a point of respecting all religions - but I myself am of the opinion that there's nothing stopping a divine being of any form having created us, though I do believe in evolution and the like and hold that if there is a divine being, he/she/they caused the Big Bang rather than anything more recent. I just find all the different religions very interesting to read about 

[Lil Pip 775]

MontagnaMagica, on 26 May 2016 - 02:28 AM, said:MontagnaMagica, on 26 May 2016 - 02:28 AM, said:

Haha! Nice one! I'll try and answer your questions from my perspective as a Bahá'í. Keep in mind that these are just my own interpretations, and aren't necessarily reflective of the religion (though I'd like to think they probably are). I am also open to being proven wrong. Thus, I consider myself an agnostic theist, and this religion is the one which I believe makes the most sense of those that exist.

 

 

 

 

I do not believe that God should be held responsible for evils, neither human nor natural. He created the world with the possibility of both, but does not force one or the other to prevail. Rather, the concept of free will indicates that humans may choose good or bad actions. The natural events are simply a part of the universe's happenings; the breaks and hazards of the game, if you will. To intervene would undermine fairness, as it would benefit some but not others. Thus, I do not believe God intervenes to cause natural evils nor human evils.

 

Darkness is the lack of light. Cold is the lack of heat. Evil is simply the lack of good.

 

 

 

 

In choosing the Bahá'í Faith, I also effectively chose at least seven other known religions (Bábism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, and Zoroatrianism), and believe that there have been countless other religions that were "right". Basically, I believe that I am following the most recent revelation of the many that have unfolded throughout history.

 

In researching these religions, I came to the conclusion that when it came down to core beliefs, they were more similar than different. From the little things, like the "Golden Rule" being in all of them, to bigger things like the belief in a supreme being. Even Hinduism actually lends fairly strong support to the concept of monotheism from its own scriptures.

 

It is my belief that all these religions were correct at some point, but have gone astray. For instance, Christianity was hijacked by the "Apostle Paul", who brought the concepts of the trinity and faith-based salvation to the religion. Islam began to morph into a political tool as Muslims mistakenly accepted the many hadith (extra-Qur'ánical writings which were written at the least 200 years after Muhammad walked the earth).

 

Bahá'ís like myself believe that the Manifestations of God (prophets like Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, or Muhammad) brought new religions to guide humanity as it developed. With them, they brought spiritual teachings and social teachings. The spiritual teachings remained the same at their core, only changing in terms of linguistics or storytelling methods. The social teachings often change quite significantly from one religion to another.

 

 

 

 

Hatred is viewed as an affliction. See the end of the second paragraph here: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/GWB/gwb-132.html.utf8

 

I certainly do believe there is such a thing as righteous hatred. A hatred for injustice, for example. And religious literature is pretty uniform in the belief that God hates evil. However, to answer your follow-up question, I do not believe God would wish for us to also hate because we have shown ourselves to be incapable of properly handling this emotion.

 

 

 

 

This fear is actually one of the main reasons I converted to the Bahá'í Faith! As I noted above, I believe that mortal fallibility is the cause for a great many of the problems with religions today. I also believe there is plenty still to learn from the Bible, the Avesta, the Bhagavad Gita, etc... I simply am hesitant about some of those books' authenticity for one reason or another. Bábí and Bahá'í scriptures went straight from prophet to pen, so there is little doubt of authenticity.

 

 

 

I don't think it is possible to disprove God, so this is a really hard one to fathom. I suppose you'd have to somehow prove that there is nothing that exists outside our universe. This is akin to feeling around a dark room and concluding that nothing exists in there because you felt nothing. I'd still be hesitant to believe it is conclusive, no matter what.

I want you to see my replies so we can have a group discussion potentially. I will also reply to you some from the bottom up for you for sake of my convenience.

It is possible to disprove the claim of god based on said claim. Such as if I say I have a god and its only colored red no other colors, then I write a story where he is blue, doesn't that contradict. Therefore its self-disproving. Similarly the bible has many easy to google contradictions, ergo the bible is wrong. I got into a conversation with someone on youtube the other day and it was clear his opinion wasn't going to change, and he said he saw miracles bring joy to people's faces, and also he refused to consider all the evidence I was sharing. So I realized refusing is sort alike fear, and miracles are sorta like positive reinforcement. As such my more recent argument is they are being conditioned and were conditioned to accept the bible since a young age and that's not indicative of whether or not it is correct (faith isn't indicative of correctness). And the burden of proof lies on those making the claims anyways so its not even my job to disprove it technically.

Hm bahai never heard of it. Prolly easy enough to google x3 and upon googling the bahai faith seems to claim all religions are basically influenced by the same deity, idk if that's your version of it though. But that claim would need evidence for it. Its like a theory, which just assumes the evidence is fine because it was worded in a certain manner to suppose its already safe. And it seems a little logical to make such a claim so people of all faiths have a chance of considering that faith but that's an even larger claim than normal religions it'd be even harder to prove. I mean you could try and use NDEs as evidence how based on culture each NDE is different, but that's explainable through psychology simply enough where people's positive and negative reinforcement gets ahead of them because their consciousness dwindles and thus the prefrontal cortex cant restrict it immediately upon the loss and regaining of consciousness in that way. Sorta like a computer that's never been turned off blue-screening and because it was made to never be turned off, only set to hibernate or rest mode, you get some non-permanent altered experiences. For instance the white light is explainable that the visual cortex is turned off then turned on again and brain scans do reveal well just before sleeping a small bump of gamma brainwave activity which they say could explain why they have heightened but disoriented senses during an NDE. I mean to prove it was a deity showing itself you would need to prove somehow a deity is always in interaction with our minds and we are subconsciously blocking it out, and only when we die would we find out (but then that contradicts NDEs as different form cultures when one would assume itd be supporting evidence, because you supposedly leave your body not carrying whatever social brain habits with you, brain=/=soul) as such its actually evidence falsely interpreted as supportive when its contradictory. Also http://www.angelfire.com/journal/miscwebbw/errcont.html  are some contradictions others have found within the faith, generally disproving it. Also upon googling for such, which is harder because its less popular mind you, I came across some other site which points out that the organization of bahai something or other tried to force certain types of bahai to not call themselves bahai, which apparently contradicts with itself. Also it says 'Every subject presented to a thoughtful audience must be supported by

rational proofs and logical arguments.

-- Abdu'l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 86' but of course evidence is the most logical. rational proofs are similar to say the philosophical meditations which were made to prove god was real or reinforce the fact he is real, biased in nature. If there is a god giving influence to so many religions well, why has he not appeared since apparently he is as active as all religions combined, surely the origin of new religions would be inspired by such a thing as well. But that means all new religions would automatically be bahai. But they are not. And I don't see you even having evidence beyond a false presumption of some sort and it being reinforced by the bahai faith, so I'm not going to press that much because I can't expect you to actually do anything with it. But we are a thoughtful audience, surely you have logical arguments that are not fallible.

 

Oh the uniformity of gods hating evil. Maybe its because people hate evil so its an easy bias to appeal to when trying to control people. I mean oh look at all the injustices of the world, its so terrible, people starving in Africa, conflict, greedy corporations, what evils have brought this about? Oh the humanity, surely all our problems are form the source of evil. Not because of problems we can solve. And as such through my powerlessness I submit myself to you who knows so much more than me. Please guide me on the ways of god to conquer this evil and injustice. But you see, everyone already does dislike evil its only natural people would like someone who dislikes evil. Especially parents, evil is what plagues their children. Evil evil evil, nothing logical, its just society is out to get my precious child. So someone comes along and is like oh yeah I know right evil is bad  lets join together against this atrocity. Like everyone thinks 9/11 is evil, or well stupid for one. I am a firm believer stupid exists more than evil but eh what do I know. Also in courts, in the news, in tv shows, everyone always fighting evil. Gee its not like its a human bias or anything a human predisposition, why would suddenly a cult enforce evil or promote it? Everyone would say eh this is wrong, we need to put an end to this injustice.

But if you ask me hatred is an emotional response not a well thought out plan or anything, so you believing in hatred against evil things just perpetuates confirmation bias of the assumption of evil, which lets be honest some people think of differently than others. What would an anarchist think is evil, what would a governor think is evil, what would a mom, or a teen, or a bum or a rich man all think are evil. If you ask it it is spreading ignorance and division to even believe hate is ever appropriate.

 

Understanding is always far more worthy. Ha the golden rule only existed in Christianity once they couldn't conquer sumeria to try and look nice and not tick them off because they feared they'd be genocided like they tried genociding so many others. Which obviously shows they are wrong about god because their genocidal god, if existed, would've helped them kill sumeria because its  a jealous god and wants all others to die that differ from it. Gee sounds so much like a god that knows it inspired all other religions don't it? Also a lot of religions have sacrifice of living things, and promotion of war for territory gaining. Does this mean we should sacrifice our pets, livestock, and friends or family, and we should try buying up all the land like the banks or corporations are doing? I mean where do you draw the line, and also did you even research the origin of those religions, or did you presume the modern interpretation was good enough? I researched at least 14 religions and its quite apparent they have similarities, because they are all religions obviously, and because the transition from nomadicism into sedentary farming lifestyle is going to have similarity based on human responses alone. There is literally no reason to suppose you are right other than for yourself which is 'I noted similarities thus they must be identical in origin'. It doesn't even have proof that's just the hypothesis. And fact is nomadicism wasn't really religious and didn't have humanized gods, and had tall tales sorta mythologies not humanized gods with a random investment in modern problems. Assuming all gods were originally of one then either all religions lead back to the same religion, which isn't true, or ancient societies were supposed to sacrifice people. I mean where does culture and your god's influence even differentiate? Its explainable all through culture already why tack a god onto it?

Also you say you believe they were all right at some point but have gone astray, you know why don't you actually find supportive evidence of the  ancient origins of the religions then instead of blatantly assuming.

 

And finally of course if you believe that god is omniscient, and omnipotent, and believe in evil (as opposed to alternate behaviors which are actually understandable lets give it this superstitious element to stigmatize understanding it) then god allows evil when he has literally infinite other possible methods that aren't evil to go about solving it (Omni, remember?) which implies obviously god made evil to stigmatize it to get people to believe in him because theres obviously no other way for a deity to behave than to say hey starving in Africa bad, ww2 bad, believ ein me alright? I make bad go away, I punch it in the face. (classic good cop bad cop)

Mand'alor Dash, on 06 May 2016 - 01:49 AM, said:Mand'alor Dash, on 06 May 2016 - 01:49 AM, said:

Hi, all.

 

Agnostic atheist here in good faith (no pun intended) with a few questions intended to provoke civilized discussion.

 

1: This is an easy one, but many tend to provide widely different answers, and it helps to understand where people argue from. The age-old argument known as the "problem of evil" holds that if God is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful, then he would prevent, or otherwise disallow evil from befalling his children. Evil, in this case, coming in both the human (Stalin) and natural (bubonic plague) varieties. What is your personal reconciliation or counterpoint to the problem of evil?

 

2: You are no doubt aware that there are a great, great many denominations of religious belief in the world. Most are monotheistic, and Abrahamic in particular, yet even these can be as different as bread and salamander urine. Why do you choose the denomination that you do, and why do you believe that yours is the favorite of God?

 

3: For this question, I am assuming that your God is a loving being, and primarily preaches love to their followers. With this in mind, is your God capable of feeling hatred; be it for a supernatural enemy (Satan), a particularly evil human being (Stalin again), or something else entirely? If so, then would God wish for you to hate them as well? If not, then does God understand why you would hate those that do evil, or is hatred a sin in itself?

 

4: This one is a bit trickier, so please read it carefully. I will assume that nobody here was personally visited by God, or Jesus, or one of their angels; and that their faith stems from, and is reinforced by, corporeal items and beings existing within the mortal realm. With this in mind, do you not fear that God's message, presence, or history have been compromised by mortal fallibility? Your church is headed by a mortal minister. He tells you to read your physical Bible which was written by mortal men, and whose accuracy is attested to by yet more mortal men. Some of these men claim to talk to God, most don't, none can prove that they do. Are you not afraid that these men may be mistaken in their teachings, or that some may speak with malicious intent?

 

5: Imagine yourself in the hypothetical year 2036. In this time, scientific discovery has discovered something which has, in your eyes, disproven the existence of God. What is this "something?" What is your goalpost for those who seek to prove non-existence?

 

5.5: To any atheists reading, I ask the opposite. Scientific discovery has proven existence in the year 2036. What is the evidence that will convince you? What is the goalpost for proving existence?

 

6: What are your views on scriptural literalism? Does scripture merely tell stories with deeper meanings, or does it convey a literal account of world history?

1. If god is a designer such as a book writer or videogame programmer, or even simulation producer, god is all knowing, and as such knows all outcomes and not just knowing all outcomes he knows which ones would occur. Thus he invented evil and didn't remove it and is allowing its perpetuation, its easier to think a god so opposed to the devil would simply snap his fingers if omnipotent and make the devil as if he never existed, thus its easier to believe its not true.

2. n/a but a good argument to get people thinking, but overall just reinforces confirmation bias, then again 99% of things do for the religious.

5.5 To prove god we need the being in person, and it to demonstrate it isn't some amazingly advanced alien which reproduced a big bang, because just because something could've made the universe doesn't mean it was god it could've been highly advanced aliens, and as such I would need extremely high standards in order for it to prove god is real.

6. I see stories distorted over time like Chinese whispers when oral tradition was a thing before sedentary society, such as during nomadicism, thus the account of genesis is mostly oral tradition of the uneducated and hinting at the transition of nomadicism to sedentary farming lifestyles. So it literally cannot be right. Also revelations has been shown to actually be a metaphor hidden message to prevent Christians from getting persecuted by Rome, or Nero of Rome. His name added equals six hundred sixty six for whatever language's alphanumerical system. As such literalism is like for the uneducated, also being closer to fundamentalism I would say its poor to believe.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Lil Pip

[A Black Circle 1,586]

Used to be general Christian, just converted to atheism. Currently feel better than ever, to be honest. Okaaaaaaaay, blatant lies, I still feel horrible, but some weight is off my back.

[ARagY 1,152]

Used to be general Christian, just converted to atheism. Currently feel better than ever, to be honest. Okaaaaaaaay, blatant lies, I still feel horrible, but some weight is off my back.

Do you want to talk about it at all? I am deeply interested in some of the stories of those who grew up in Christian households. Was it easy to do for you? How did it all happen? Do your parents know? A lot of questions but all relevant

[A Black Circle 1,586]

Do you want to talk about it at all? I am deeply interested in some of the stories of those who grew up in Christian households. Was it easy to do for you? How did it all happen? Do your parents know? A lot of questions but all relevant

 

Yeah!

 

Was it easy to do for you?

 

Ehh. I was gradually fading away from Christianity as more and more of it got exposed as horrible. I think the Atheist Bible Study is what tipped the scales. I've actually been feeling just as good as most people when converted TO Christianity, and this is with my abundance of problems completely unaddressed by this change.

 

How did it all happen?

 

Accidentally answered above.

 

Do your parents know?

 

I don't know. It's clear that I was caring less and less over time, so perhaps that's what they already think. In fact, I'm going to tell them right now...

 

 

        ...yep, legit just did. My mom's reaction was that I've just been listening to the wrong side and that I haven't had balance (wrong) and that God saved her life (wrong). Our family was never extreme Christians, but still against most of the things that are standard (LGBT, abortion, free thought, etc.)

[Lil Pip 775]

ARagY, on 29 May 2016 - 11:01 PM, said:

Do you want to talk about it at all? I am deeply interested in some of the stories of those who grew up in Christian households. Was it easy to do for you? How did it all happen? Do your parents know? A lot of questions but all relevant

I can answer too. Fam wasn't very Christian, step dad/moms b friend was an atheist who was upset at god for letting his parents die to lung cancer despite them smoking all their lives so I don't think he is a real atheist just one outta spite considering the emotional reason. But maybe I'm wrong about him. But he had no say at all when it came to how me and my twin brother were raised because mom wore the pants. She basically talked to some Jehovah's witnesses because she presumes they know more and because free bibles are better than no bibles (she falls for stuff like discounts at stores too for stuff she wouldn't normally buy sometimes). I remember reading a bible book of stories with pictures and more aimed at children. She let me try reading the bible when I was as young as 6 but didn't really try reading it more til I was 9. I realized how serious god seemed in the bible so thought religion should be taken seriously. When I was in high school I heard a story about how an atheist English teacher from the middle/junior high school got fired because she said god wasn't real before to a class of students. What I thought about atheists was just that they were mistaken I suppose, and didn't put much thought into it, also because judge not I suppose. Fam never really went to church. When I became an atheist I had a melt down which resulted in a hospital visit and what triggered it was learning the hypocrisy of the catholic church and it just hit me that the only way to be such hypocrites is to not fear going to hell which means they don't think god is real and they are in the most-know-how of it since being at the top of the religious chain.

 

Long story short I tell my mom and she doesn't seem to have an issue with it but she disagrees. Of course she would disagree though she believes some spiritual propaganda/conspiracy theories online sometimes. And she was dumb enough to think oil is the blood of the planet because in school one teacher used it as a comparison before. And she isn't strict about it. When I talk to her about bible errancy she dismisses it as humans altering the bible. Yet she still will believe some of the bible quotes anyways, typical. But I don't press it only if she randomly says something suggesting Christianity is real a little more than I feel comfortable with. But she refuses to discuss it mostly, prolly because she knows I'm smart and she can't argue it either way so its a losing battle. Then again dishonest tactics she does try to use sometimes in conversations.

[Guest90210 3,568]

I remember seeing a post in a thread on these forums in which a user described their idea of God. They described God as "the footprints in the sand", if you will. You can't see Him, but you can feel that somehow someway, His Presence is there. To me, that's a beautiful way to put it. That really resonates with me, and it got me thinking further.

 

"God" is the Force that you can feel in the wind, the soul that guides Mother Nature's swift call, your conscious effort to strive towards greatness, love, and peace. The voice of reason, the winds of change, the hope you suddenly feel after or during a bout of severe desperation, depression, and pain. God is always there, like footprints in the sand, and a whisper in the wind, following you and everything else along life's endless road

 

This is my religion - that God is the embodiment and driving force of inherent Good, and that our differences can ultimately bring us closer together as people. I don't know if there is an afterlife, or if there is what will happen. Whether He sent down books, or prophets, or any of that jazz, I don't know, nor do I think humanity will ever know for sure. I simply believe there is something out there playing the cards, something greater than us that laid the foundation for this vast universe's blueprints.

Edited June 8, 2016 by Rivendare

[Leere 8,291]

Atheist

There is little to no evidence that God exists and I am the kind of person who only believe in things when there is concrete proof of its existence.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Your best friend

[Fluttere 71]

Well i am evangelical lutheran christian. I guess its because i like feeling close to Jesus and pray for my sins. Although i feel bad sometimes because i dont feel yet complete yet. I am still studying the theological stuff, although its boring because i dont wanna read too much but i wanna read the stuff i need to read. I will be reading rest of catholic catechism after summer then catholic compendium and likely try to read book form of volumes of sahih muslim and if it works then the rest of the collections. Was a nightmare reading sahih al-bukhari on PC and it felt forever, so i am not doing that again, and although its boring it can be useful. But i am glad its summer so that i can take my mind of it.

 

How to sum it up, i sin but i pray for forgiveness. I guess that is what i am just sticking with. But i'll try to be helpful and good to people.

Edited June 18, 2016 by Fluttere

[Member Berry 1,217]

I'm Atheist. The idea of a God creating the universe all seems far-fetched to me. I believe the universe is far more amazing and bizarre than that simplified view.

[Guest]

I am an individual. I do not have a specific belief set or a labeled one. I believe based upon what I know and what I can understand. I do not base everything on faith or science. I am against organized belief because I believe belief should be a personal thing. So I am for all intensive purposes: unknown.

[Sugar Cube 4,843]

Non-denominational Christian. I grew up a Christian, and there were times when my faith grew shaky, but it's grown stronger now than ever before. I'm a Christian because I can feel a connection to God, I believe in the morals promoted in the Bible, and it gives me hope and faith. But beyond that I just think I've watched and read a lot of information and done so much research on the Bible, the past and present, the occult, and just the corruption in the world that goes on. I honestly think there's a ton of prophecies in the Bible that have already been fulfilled or are being fulfilled. It's not something that's easy to describe in just one short post, but being a Christian has given me strength and wisdom and peace.

[ThatOneComrade 1,091]

Alright, I change my mind. I'm voting myself as an agnostic, now, No more devout Catholic stuffs for me, thanks. I'll just sit here and let time give me the answers.

[Sunwalker 981]

I am a Catholic, no adjectives. Sometimes people use the adjective "devout" or "staunch" to differentiate from those who are just nominally Catholic, but doesn't actually live the faith.

 

Well, you are not a teacher and don't teach people. You are not a medic and refuse to heal people. You are not a firefighter and sit still when there is fire. You aren't a soldier, and pick up which commands you want to obey or not. An so on... In the same way, I cannot see how one would describe himself as a Catholic and yet don't follow the Catholic faith (the same applies to other faiths).

 

Yes, I accept the authority of the Pope. I subscribe to everything in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I abide by all statements of the Apostolic Creed. And I accept all the doctrines and morals of the Church.

 

I am 32 years now, I was never an atheist or an agnostic, but I didn't start taking the faith more seriously until around 8 years ago. It wasn't a single overnight event that led to that, but rather an process that happened little by little over the years.

 

I had a somewhat rebellious phase on my teens, and I had a disdain for the Church back then. I kept that to myself, however, this is a case in which being shy is helpful, hah!

 

Over the time, I came across with information about the faith (books, TV shows, internet, etc), and I also got in touch with Christians (notice, again, no adjectives) which helped me to understand the faith. which is interesting, considering that some of these stuff and people are not even Catholic. Looks like God can use the most unexpected means to reach people.

 

Anyways, little by little, the Catholic faith ended up making sense for me. At first sight Catholic Theology might looks overly technical and even legalistic sounding, but at a deeper look it is coherent, it makes sense for me. Even the most controversial positions could be explained in a very logical way, which surprised me. I have an analytical mind, so that sort of thing apleals to me.

 

The reason of why someone is Catholic can hardly be expressed in a single sentence, it is rather a combination of pretty much everything that makes up the Catholic faith. But if have to summarize in a few lines my reasons, I can say that I am Catholic because I got convinced of the following things:

- The life, death, and resurrection if Jesus Christ, as described in the Gospels, is an historical fact.

- Jesus founded the Catholic Church.

- Jesus left the Pope as being his vicar, that is, his representative on Earth until he returns.

- Peter was the first Pope, followed by Pope Linus, and so on until Pope Francis in our days.

 

On a related note. Since I started taking my faith more seriously, there weren't a single week in which I missed the Mass. I don't have to be forced to go there, it happens naturally, by my own free will.

 

---

I'm Catholic. I'm not sure if it's the same as Christian but I do believe in God alot. I just wish most people are the same as I am. Make more people believe in the Catholic faith not that I will force you.

Short answer is that Catholics are Christians, but not all Christians are Catholic. The three main forms of Christianity are Catholicism, which comes from the first century; Eastern Orthodox, which came from the Eastern Schism that happened in the 11th century; and Protestantism, which came from the Protestant Reformation that began at the 16th century. There are quite a few other smaller churches, and also those Christians who describe themselves as nondenominational, but usually Christianity remounts back to one of those 3 forms.

 

Simply put, the Catholic Church does see those other groups (Orthodox, Protestants, nondenominational, etc) as also being Christians. This doesn't mean being in agreement with anything they do or believe, however. The Catholic Church sees them as Christians living just part of the Truth, as separated brothers, but still brothers in Christ.

 

The debate of what qualifies as a Christian can go for quite awhile. But in my opinion, this is the bare minimum in order for someone has to think in order to be Christian:

- that Jesus is God made man

- that he is the Messiah

- that he have died and resurrected in order to save us from sin

 

It is perfectly OK to just admire Jesus and think that he is a very wise man, but that alone doesn't necessarily makes someone a Christian.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Sunwalker

[Midnight Scribbler 1,705]

I have a complicated view which combines science with spirituality. I accept all scientific research and discovery as current truth, but I am also aware that science is an uncertain field, subject to change, and that there are fringes to the knowledge we have, that have yet to be understood by means of experimentation. Some of which may never be known due to our physical limitations as beings.

 

Beyond the realms of science, that is where spirituality takes its place. The realm of dreams and the infinite vastness of the universe come to play in my head. I believe all religions are the same basic story, striving for the same ultimate end. All major deities take the form of the one path that you are best suited to, and they choose you, you do not choose them.

 

I believe that ignorance of spiritual possibility is just the same as ignorance of science. Taking one without the other is short sighted, even if you don't believe in certain things, ignoring possibility is not a scientific thing to do. That said, nor is accepting without adequate evidence. For me, there has been evidence enough of my beliefs for me to be quite certain of them. I follow an old deity, in the form of an older man whose right eye is missing. I see him in my dreams as a recurring figure however. He has put me through trials I didn't know I was in until the end of the dreams.

My chapel is the forest and the lakes and rivers, and my home is Earth. My kingdom is the ever growing dreamscape that I build behind closed eyelids each night. (Avid Luna enthusiast!)

"Nil sa saol ach ceo. Is na bheimid beo, ach seal beag gearr."
*It's a misty old world, and we're only here for a short, sharp while.*

[Celli 4,337]

I am agnostic. For me, seeing is believing, and if there's no proof of something, I refuse to believe in it. 

When I was younger, though, I was raised Catholic, and went to church all the time, but after a few years, we stopped going.

I am not religious in the slightest, however, I will not insult other's beliefs or religions, so long as they don't force it down my throat.

[Jeric 46,850]

I may not have posted this previously, but I am technically Catholic. That said, I have some ... curious views on the Church and my own Faith that calls into question the Catechism and specific passages of the Bible. I saw Mand'alor's post ... and figured that may be a good way to explain. 

 

 

 

he age-old argument known as the "problem of evil" holds that if God is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful, then he would prevent, or otherwise disallow evil from befalling his children. Evil, in this case, coming in both the human (Stalin) and natural (bubonic plague) varieties. What is your personal reconciliation or counterpoint to the problem of evil?

 

 

I actually do not believe that God is omnibenevolent, nor do I think that our corporeal existence is some sort of 'preparation' for the afterlife. 

 

 

 

Why do you choose the denomination that you do

 

Because it feels right to me. It doesn't make much sense to me either and this, at least to me, is the greatest question about my faith. My decisions and opinions are usually informed by experience and knowledge. I'm a science guy. Some pray for health ... others for financial security ... I pray for the answer to this question.  

 

 

 

and why do you believe that yours is the favorite of God?

 

I don't. I'm not entirely sure there is a favorite, or even any 'One True Faith' as my fellow Catholics might say. I truthfully do not spend much time focusing on this specific element of my belief system. 

 

 

 

is your God capable of feeling hatred

 

Yes. One of the tenets of my religion is that God became man for a reason. I infer from my reading that as a human God felt what we feel. That includes hatred. Is God capable of hatred ... yes. 

 

 

 

If so, then would God wish for you to hate them as well?

 

 

In the abstract, I would suspect so. 

 

 

 

With this in mind, do you not fear that God's message, presence, or history have been compromised by mortal fallibility?

 

100% yes. I reject the notion of Papal Infallibility for similar reasons, and do not feel that the Gospel not the Church is free from our meddling.  

 

 

 

Are you not afraid that these men may be mistaken in their teachings, or that some may speak with malicious intent?

 

 

Again, 100% yes. See my comment about the Catechism. 

 

 

 

What is this "something?

 

Tricky question. There is one possibility since I tend to be such a strong believer in the natural world first and foremost. If we can prove that consciousness continues to exist in some form of energy after death, and can make even rudimentary communication with said consciousness - to me that would disprove the God from my Faith.  

 

 

 

Does scripture merely tell stories with deeper meanings, or does it convey a literal account of world history?

 

Mostly stories with deeper meanings, but occasionally I take specific accounts literally. For me, the Old Testament is merely a roadmap of how we got to the New Testament. Some of the New Testament I actually take literally - notably Divinity, Transfiguration, Resurrection and Ascension. 

 

---

 

 

I often do not discuss my views on my own faith openly, and freely admit I very well could be wrong. I also find far more comfort in oblivion than the afterlife .... since I have a frame of reference for one and not the other. How I interpret scripture has changed much of the decades too. 

[Justin_Case001 4,881]

I am an agnostic atheist simply because I do not believe things on insufficient evidence.  There's really no more to it than that.  I am also vehemently opposed to religions that organize themselves around divisive, dogmatic books because it has split our world into competing tribes and has bred an incomprehensible amount of violence.  Moreover, all of the good things that people claim to get from religion can be had in other, secular ways that are compatible with a joint project of global peace and tolerance.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Jeric,

 

Agree with some parts, not with others. I will say that I don't think you are exactly alone in your "odd" views of the Church. I mean it's a church of over a billion people, of course we are not all going to think the exact same thing even in the context of a shared belief system. 

[captainborgue 343]

Simple. Just post in your religion. If its not included, quote this post and tell me what it is. I'll add it.

 

Discussion Time Everypony!

Secular Humanism. Not a religion really (though neither is Atheism, but let's not quibble right?), but rather a philosophy that puts humanity as the highest aim. Meaning, nobody is going to save us, as a species. We have to save ourselves, and that which betters all of us should be pursued so long as it doesn't diminish the fundamental aspect of humanity, which is our diversity and adaptability. Humans can, and do, live freaking EVERYWHERE. We can, and do, accomplish amazing things.

 

It is in dividing ourselves: by gender, race, class, orientation, nationality, etc, that we hold ourselves back. We are amazing creatures, and if we can move past our differences- while also appreciating that they exist- we can realize our potential.

 

Now, some people who gives themselves this same label have different views of what it means. But for me, it means to try my best not to fuck over anyone, and live my life under the assumption that nobody is trying to fuck me over.

[Guest]

Went from being a christian to an atheist. Some things that happened in my life made me not only hate, but also deny any sort of existence of a "higher being". 

[Lisa 5,553]

I've grown up in an Anglican household, and I'd say I'm a member of the Anglican Church. I like the sense of community that Christianity brings to not only my local parish, but the entire world. I also like the lifestyle values it teaches, giving me some direction of how to live as a kind person, and giving me some direction on how to deal with life in general. In actuality I'm more of just a Christian, there's not much that ties me specifically to Anglicanism other than attending an Anglican church and living with an Anglican family. Although, that said I do prefer some of the values and changes the Anglican Church withholds against other denominations, such as not having the Pope as the leader of the Church, and allowing both male and female priests and not having an obligation for those priests to remain celibate. 

 

The Anglican Church has no single authority, it's managed almost entirely democratically with the Anglican Communion which aims to disperse power across all parishes around the world. Meaning Anglicanism is very diverse in its teachings, it's flexible and suits the needs of whatever location it is in. I personally like this, and it's the main reason why I prefer this denomination over others, there's no power in one person.

 

As for why I'm Christian, and not Buddhist or Hindu or whatever else, that's due to my location really. I live in Australia where the two most dominant religions are Catholic and Anglican. Why follow Hinduism when I have an Anglican church near me? There's no reason for me to follow another religion, I'm perfectly content with my current one. That's not to say I'm not interested in other religions though; I'd love to learn about Buddhism and maybe even try its teachings, but for the time being I enjoy being an Anglican. Simply because I like how it generates unity between others, teaches me good values to live by, and has suitable changes compared to other denominations.

[Kel_Grym 1,917]

My God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. He raised up a root of Jesse, the Son of Man, to die for our sins. He died and preached the Gospel in Sheol, then rose from the dead on the third day. He will return very soon by the looks of things and will rule on Earth for 1000 years and after this He will judge all they dead, then throw death and Hades into the lake of fire.

 

I believe in this because He revealed His truth to me while I was in jail. I drew close seeking him and He showed me his truth, a truth I rejected nearly a decade ago.

[Snow 6,992]

i don't follow any religion. i will not speak against "god" nor in favour of one as i don't have sufficient evidence for either argument.
i choose to live in a state of utter religious neutrality and i personally don't care what the beliefs of others are up until they become reason for a conflict.... which i'm sorry to say but a good quote to sum it all up is "religion and greed cause millions to bleed" i am against the pain that religion causes but if someone wants to believe something i wont oppose them
(unless it is negative towards me or a friend, than i'll freaking destroy you)