Bronies And Religion?

[DR Leper Lupinstein 410]

I am an Orthodox Christian. And when i watch MLP:FiM it's message of friendship tends to correlate with the Orthodox Church's message of Agape (Greek: Love). I don't view MLP as satanic, luciferian, or part of the illuminati or crap like that. as far as atheists go, i don't care, because i'm not responsible for the actions or beliefs of my brother or sister. in other words, we answer for ourselves.

 

What i like about Orthodoxy is that you don't hear hate speech being paraded around like in other denominations in Christianity. Because, it's all about Christ's message of love and not some bigoted minister with his proverbial pen-knife bible, meaning they pick only what suits them rather than reading and living the bible as a whole. now, i know i'm not a "perfect" Christian; in fact, just like all of us, i'm still a piece of work.

 

in the end that's why i am a christian. not because i'm a good person, but because i'm not a good person. Orthodoxy teaches you that the church is supposed to be a hospital for the soul... not a court of law. one of the biggest things that really drew me to Orthodoxy was how it's not all LAW and LOGIC, but more based in Wisdom and Mystery. rather, they are more into seeking wisdom through God, helping those in need, sharing communion with Christ, witnessing (not judging), and just trying to live better despite our character defects and faults. 

 

then, there's the texts. they have preserved ancient books of the bible that were censored by the Pope and lost to other denominations. so, ancient secrets that shed more light on things that other churches have tried to hide for so long. that's my beliefs, everyone else's is their own.

[Shiki 5,857]

 

this is something i noticed that makes no sense to me. so many self proclaimed bronies spread the message of love and tolerance as if these things hold significance, yet scorn religion and the idea that the universe holds any significance beyond spontaneous existence. i think if you value these ideals you should at the very least be willing to hope in some objective significance in these ideals be it through a god or another spiritual belief.

 

 

on another level i suppose it does make some sense. maybe the show attracts atheists because they dont have anything else to believe in and on some level they do hope for some objective good.

Please tell me what love and tolerance have to do with hope and God.

 

 

Atheism IS a religion

 

re·li·gion  noun \ri-ˈli-jən\

 

 

Definition of RELIGION

1

a : the state of a religious <a nun in her 20th year ofreligion>

 

b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance

2

: a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices

3

archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness

4

: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

athe·ism  noun \ˈā-thē-ˌi-zəm\

 

 

Definition of ATHEISM

1

archaic : ungodliness, wickedness

2

a : a disbelief in the existence of deity

 

b : the doctrine that there is no deity

It's not a religion.

However, it is a belief.

People confuse these two things quite often.

 

 

maybe the show attracts atheists because they dont have anything else to believe in and on some level they do hope for some objective good.

Are you assuming that all atheists are bad or something? Not sure if that's what you meant or not, but it came across that way to me.

 

People don't need a religion to be good. They can be good because they just want to.

Have you ever heard of secular ethics? 

Edited April 6, 2013 by Plummeh

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,894]

Virtually none. 

Hence the reason I'm agnostic. I have no proof either way, so I stay out of the picture altogether. 

 

Speaking of something like a deity makes no sense to me to begin with, because such a concept hardly seems fully comprehensible whatsoever.

 

 

I know this. I thought about adding it to my post, but then it would ruin my point.

 

My point and argument are not about the belief of God or gods, but rather, the thought process behind them. More evidence proves towards a lack of a god. One would only assume that this would mean atheism is more "reasonable." The only way to believe in God is to assume things are legitimate. Hence the entire thing in faith. Want a definition of the word "faith?"

That is what I'm getting at. Whether God exists or not is a completely different topic, and one that I honestly really hate. 

But then you're not giving a fair assessment of this issue nor of your own position.

 

If you consider yourself an agnostic and concede that you have not gotten around to studying the issue in any depth then you shouldn't present your view as if you've found some sort of powerful argument against certain religious concepts.

 

Could you imagine me posting in a thread on ethics and denouncing utilitarianism as less reasonable than egoism if I had not done so much as read an introductory book on the topic?

 

Even your claim that the concept doesn't seem comprehensible is fatuous if you haven't taken the time to understand the concept. You surely wont understand what you don't try to understand!

 

I don't think an appeal to a dictionary does much good to the subject. You can't expect to understand religious concepts simply by looking at some conventional definitions from people who don't specialize in the matter. I also find it absolutely bizarre that you chose to appeal to that definition given of "faith" when there were other definitions in your very own source that so obviously are more likely to be related to the religious concept of "faith".

 

Namely,

 

But again, dictionaries simply wont give you the information you're looking for. Most of the people you'll find using that definition of "faith" are atheists who like to appeal to it as a caricature of the religious concept of "faith".

 

Also, very few Christians who understand their beliefs [i mention Christians since "faith" probably has the largest role in Christianity than any other religion] would actually agree with that definition. The very small minority who would agree are known as "fideists". Now, tell me, do you really think every religious person or Christian is a fideist?

 

On the contrary, the largest Christian group in the world, the Catholic Church, considers fideism heretical!

 

So, really, there's a lot to be talked about in regards to this issue, but it needs to be done with care and understanding. That would entail grasping the problems at hand before pronouncing on them.

[Lionheart27 33]

I'm a Christian, but I don't believe that being a Brony does affect someone's religious choice, nor should it. I do admire the efforts of some bronies to help at soup kitchens or donating to charities, or other such things. I believe I should be doing these things as a Christian anyway, but that's certainly not a requirement to be nice to other people.

[Shiki 5,857]

-mass snip-

I'm not good at arguing or discussing things that need thought into it.

Just call me stupid/ignorant, say you win, and call it a day. 

[Titan Rising 2,156]

@, 
not necessarily god but some form of spirituality. without some hope and belief in love being objectively good it is subjective and holds no genuine significance. there would be no difference between love and hate. or killing or helping people survive

and im not gonna argue with you about there being real significance in subjectivity, because there isnt.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Titan Rising

[Scootalove 10,692]

I don't usually align myself with religion even though I believe in God. You can believe in god and not be in a religion. I don't really care about atheists if, they choose not to believe in god or any religion for that matter, let them.

[Shawn Parks 1,799]

Is there a religion that would allow for the ponies to be real in some way?  Maybe one that believes in spirit animals, or something like that.  I want to join that religion.  

[Lady Rarity Pony 4,894]

I'm not good at arguing or discussing things that need thought into it.

Just call me stupid/ignorant, say you win, and call it a day. 

I'm not up for trying to degrade you. :V

 

I don't really want to argue either. I'm just trying to keep things in proper perspective so we don't attribute, either to other people or ourselves, things that we haven't yet evaluated.

[Betez 1,735]

I'm Agnostic, but I still consider myself Christian.

 

I think like Evilshy said, most of us discovered the show from the Internet, and a lot of Internet-users tend to be Atheists.

[Unikitty 1,212]

I believe in the existence of the multiverse and parallel universes. Within one of these is a world populated by colourful equines of winged, horned and hooved variants. Ever watchful, these equines devoutly follow their two female deities.

Being both winged and horned, and full of immense magic power, these two deities - sisters of dark and light - bring forth the day and night, forever turning time forwards and giving continuous life to the world.

[Zygen 6,066]

I don't think there's much correlation overall in some ways directly brony related, it's just people on the Internet are a lot more densely atheists population wise then Christian.

 

I think it may also have to do with the fact that some religious people are I'm going to be honest conservative to the point where they'd never watch this show for fear of becoming homosexual or something.

 

I'm personally a Christian, and I'd say a pretty deep rooted one, however I hold nothing versus homosexuals, and even less versus ponies. I hate gender stereotypes, always have. So I don't have to many reasons to not watch mlp. I'm pretty sure God isn't going to just randomly hate and forsaken me for such a thing as a tv show .

 

It can also be people don't always reveal themselves christian right away. Heck I didn't know a lot of people here who I know are Christians now back a while ago, because normally its not brought up. Plus its not normally good to bring up because doing so challanges others beliefs and most people are strong rooted in whatever they believe, leading to some pretty ugly arguments at times.

 

So typically religion is avoided as a subject. Here is proably the most civil it's ever got to be discussed really, and even then it ocassionally gets ugly.

 

But I'm going off topic. Basically I don't think being a brony and not believeing have a whole lot to do each other as much as just the internet in general.

[Starswirl the Trixie 975]

Denizens of the internet, as one poster above me put it, are massively more likely to be irreligious than the general population.  As the Bronydom is centered on the web, it is no surprise that over half of us (according to a poll on this forum) are irreligious of some sort (atheist/agnostic/do not belong to a religion).

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 42,202]

Of course being a Brony has no bearings on religious beliefs, though the show does teach a lot more about kindness than any religious text and does not resort to an endless torture chamber to do so.

 

As other have said, quite a few bronies are on the Internet. A lot of atheists use the Internet, so there is a link there. There is also a ton of information that can make one abandon religious beliefs. I am an atheist by the way. I have no problem with your personal beliefs, but there are things about religion that bug me as a whole.

Edited April 6, 2013 by Kyoshi

[Sheogorath 1,155]

If science ever discovers a god of some sort from some dimension or state of being, I am 100% sure it will be none of the gods mankind has imagined up to the date.

And if that god will demand tribute, science will ask "where were you all that time?".

[Mister G 101]

I, for one, am a Christian.

I ain't like those WBC who protest at funerals and say that God hates gay people.

As for me, being a Brony DOES NOT affect your religion.

[The Leafeon Pinkeh 3,603]

I never actually thought about it before, really.
Never asked either so that's one reason why xD
I'm a Christian and strong in my faith too. I have nothing against other believes though, don't get me wrong. 
I don't really know why it seems like all the bronies are non-believers, atheists, whatever but then again, im not the best with coming up with smart ideas and stuff. 
 

[00Pony 286]

Personally, I am a Chrstian Conservative Brony. I personally don't think that liking the how affects your religion or vice versa. Watching the show, there are some things that I ca take from the show and incorporate them into my eveday life

[NightOwl 912]

I'm more spiritual then religious I'm not a fan of anything religious but I love god. I don't think being a brony should effect your religious views at all.  

[Acoustic Cloud 2,202]

I dunno, I personally am a Christian.  And of my understanding, the bible doesn't say, "you can't like mlp." I know you have to have your priorities in order, which I struggle with, but it's not a sin.  As for the non-believing crowd.  I think it's just because it is a human need to have a religious side. Whether you fill that need with technology, money, ponies, or God.  You will sate that side of your needs whether you believe it or not.

That is why you can follow something religiously or "with fervor" 

So I believe that ponies is just something to fill that void in people's lives.

[Klick-Klack 299]

Atheism is identifying yourself with a specific group that has a religious non-belief....Atheism IS a religion...but not how you would normally see one....

 

I dont identify with any group really, Im just a non Believer...

Non Believer? Of what? The christian god? any god? if so, you are atheist. You don't beleive or accept a god. That's the core definition. Many people dislike being called atheist because the "group" has quite the reputation, and in social situations, where belief is questioned, people who actually don't beleive in a god will not say they're atheist, because they don't want to be placed in an extreme position around others who are not. This is conformity, a survival instinct. If the majority of an interacting social group is christian, then an individual when asked will probably not admit to being in the complete opposite view, but rather claim to be to be in an ensurance area, a safe point where he/she is safe from potential flames initially aimed at atheists, such as saying "I'm not a believer, but I'm not athiest". But you see the problem here right? "I'm not a theist, but I'm a devout catholic". 

[Tank the tortoise 262]

Personally I think it is a shift away from religion in today's youth rather than the crowd the show draws.  I don't have any issues with the show in regards to my religion.  I myself am a Christian and while I do feel that it is bad that society as a whole is shifting away from God I don't condemn anyone for their beliefs.  At the end of the day it is about faith in my opinion.  You have as much support of your views as I do mine so why should I judge?  But yeah getting back to the show, I don't think there is anything that particularly draws one viewpoint over the other.  It is simply a reflection of the sources the viewers are being drawn from.

 

That being said if anyone wants to know more about Christianity feel free to PM me!

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

I don't think there's much correlation overall in some ways directly brony related, it's just people on the Internet are a lot more densely atheists population wise then Christian.

 

I think you're on to something here, but the implications might be a bit different.  The brony part probably doesn't enter into the equation all that much.  It might have more to do with the anonymity that the internet allows.

 

Plenty of people are jerks on the internet, but remain civil in real life.  That doesn't mean that they only have jerky thoughts while online; it just means that they suppress that jerky behavior in situations where they can be held accountable (like...pretty much all of real life).

 

Similarly, plenty of people are skeptical, or even outright disdainful of religion and religious people.  Obviously many of them won't express that in real life, because they would immediately alienate themselves from a huge chunk of society.  Anyways, it's easy to say that denizens of the internet are massively more likely to be atheist.  But I don't think that's true.  I don't think denizens of the internet are significantly less religious than the general population...they're just more likely to be open about their disbelief while online than they would be in a similar real-life discussion.

[Shawn Parks 1,799]

 I don't think being a brony should effect your religious views at all.  

 

There have been times in my life that I have been completely anti-anything that was spiritual, supernatural, or whatever.  But being a Brony has made me want to believe that something "magical" exists somewhere.

[NightOwl 912]

There have been times in my life that I have been completely anti-anything that was spiritual, supernatural, or whatever.  But being a Brony has made me want to believe that something "magical" exists somewhere.

Yeah, That's cool I don't mind if the show has changed your views on things it's just my opinion your free to believe what you want to believe .