Religion

Anyone that has an opinion on religion, please write.
I was baptized catholic but i never really got to learn the whole thing. Most of my friends are Agnostic or atheist... my whole family is catholic. Please tell me about your religion so i know what everything is. Also, please no arguments.

One Love,
Dazed And Confused

 

I am Atheist.

I was born Catholic, but my parents are just as non-religious as I am. My dad considers himself to be Agnostic, and my mom doesn't really have any opinion on religion. I don't think any of us have set foot in a church for at least 15 years.

My feeling towards religion is more negative than anything. It's not really religion itself that bothers me, but rather the extremism it evokes in some people. I mean, for instance, look how the bible has been twisted by people to justify slavery and hatred towards gays, among other things. If there really was a god, is this what he would want?

Plus, look at all the wars that have been started in the name of religion - this includes the Iraq war. George Bush has said before that "god" told him to invade Iraq. Supposedly, god also told him to run for president. This god, I think, just might have horns, too.

I have to be honest, religion really scares me.

 

Im an atheist, and to me religion is pure bullshit. If religion were real we'd get more than a carpenter and a book to tell us it is. And to think that the carpenters existance, and the books existance has caused multiple wars and many many deaths, yet was made to help people live in peace? b-b-bullshit. Islam is a violent religion that says if you die for it, you'll go to heaven. Buddhism and Hinduism make sense, if your on a psychadelic drug especially. There are many many others but the point is they're too far fetched and unproven. We dont need to be ruled by religion, morals are fairly easy to learn and faith in yourself is sufficient in people with good self esteem.

thats my 2 cents, and I didnt mean to offend anyone while writing this.

 

I´m with Rat. My dads family is Jewish, my moms protestant and Irish catholic, but I was not raised in a religious way after I refused to go to sunday school anymore at an early age.

I think religion is fine when kept to oneself. This public, gang like metality that is as prevelant now as ever is really scary, and could realistically bring about the end of the world.

The hypocrisy of the christian religion in particular really gets to me, christians supporting the death penalty, war, etc. I would say it´s among my least favorite religions. All I really like about it are people who take the words to heart (not literalists though, those people are morons) and practice what they preach (kindness) and the amazing cathedrals of Europe.

I don´t care who I offend

 

Good point pressed rat! I am so for gay marriges and most people arent.I'm not gay whatso ever, but.. My friends mother is getting married to a woman.. and the are so much in love that it's really cool. but just as long as they don't try to harm me or hit on me im cool with them... bush is a coward and an uneducated hick. I used to be for him but now I'm so against him. I had to watch that guy getting his head cut off and that was the end of it... it might have been fake but who knows... they shouldnt have had a reason to make it in the 1st place.

 

I was raised very Catholic. My father is nothing in particular, but my mom is Catholic and she is the one that raised me. I used to be really into it too, but nowadays I am nothing in particular.

Religions fascinates me though. I love to learn about the different kinds. There are many negative aspects to all religions, but there are also positive things. Most people only seem to look at one side.

 

Very true!

 

I´ve had several converstaions with old black women who practice the kindest religion ever. In no way do I mean it cannot be a positive thing, when used as a political tool to control the masses is where I seed it being corrupted.

Another thing that really gets me is when people say you are going to hell if you don´t believe in Jesus, regardless of whether you are a good person or not.

 

My parents are christian. I was raised in a Christian home, but didn't practice (I guess that's the word) all my life until a few months ago. My parents never forced me to believe what they belive or make me go to church after the age of 5.
They just let me do my thing.
I love Jesus!

 

i was raised catholic. ive studied most religions and nmystical traditions, many pagan traditions too. now im a free-range christian. just me a bible, and the wonderful nature that god created for us. i dont know much about god, but i can tell you about the devil all day long.

 

One negative thing that I never thought about before in relation to Hinduism, are some of the things that come from believing in Karma and reincarnation. It was used to keep the poor and lower class down. They were told, and most probably believed, that they should not try to rise above what they were born into, because they were born into it for a reason. Which, and this may sound bad, does kind of make sense, but also, it is pretty bad for the idea of social justice. But rumor has it that many modern Hindus no longer believe in this. But since I am not a Hindu, I can't be sure of course. But it's just something that had never occured to me until recently.

And don't think I am putting down Hinduism or anything, I think it is a marvelous religion, I am just in one of those moods were I feel like writing long drawn out things that probably no one but myself is interested in

I've also been drinking sake, so that might have something to do with it too

 

Religion isn't what matters. Faith and religion are two very different things. I have faith that there is a God, although I do not agree with a lot of the different approaches that different "religions" take. In my opinion, there should have never been a sanctioning of all these religions, i.e. Catholic, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Baptist, ect. It just puts a bunch of different spins on what should be a pretty easy thing to grasp. Religion has turned a lot of people off, and I think that is truly horrible. If people would only have faith instead of a certain boxed-in list of what they can and can not do based on their religion, then I think we would be much better off. But again, that is merely my opinion.

 

Christianity was forced upon me and my siblings. But the blame doesn't go to my folks. It goes to their folks, and their folks folks...etc... Too bad their desired outcome for us was the complete opposite of what they were expecting.

I think the internet has broadened peoples horizons by exposing sources that were not conventionally available to the masses. It's great to have (what seems like) an infinite amount of alternative opinions that aren't covered by the media giants. Growing up, all we had was NBC, ABC, CBS to know what was happening in the outside world. Now that I look back, that was such a narrow and 1-track viewpoint of what's really happening.
If you haven't figured it out yet, I don't have (nor need) to belong to any religion or label for that matter.

 

I was not raised in a religous home. But, my mother does believe in GOD. My dad never discussed his beliefs not even to my mother.

As for me now, the more science discovers how things work and begun the more I believe in an intelligence behind it. It's too structured to be random, dumb luck.

 

I agree Ol hippy, something we don´t understand is behind it all, thats seems certain to me. I just feel no need to make a guess about it, and then condemn others who guess differently.


But if I had to make a guess, I´d say we are an alien ant farm, or perhaps our solar system exists in one tiny atom inside a giants toe nail

I can´t see how it´s possible that there is nothing at all.

 

I could see that.

 

Bottom's up christine - glad you are amusing yourself

 

This is an interesting thread!

I was born Catholic, and baptized, but it was more something that my parents did so that my dad's family would shut up... they are crazy with religion and by now we only stay in touch with my dad's mother.

Anyways, I agree with Pressed_Rat and all the other people who have said similar things about the bad sides of religion. I don't really see what else to add... and I also agree that there is some good to it too.

Personally, I believe in some "God" - but calling that a "God" would be wrong... I don't believe in any guru ruling the universe or anything like that, but let's say that what most people call "nature" is "God" to me. I believe it's something in us, and in everything, some force or something, but it's hard for me to explain... anyways, I think that believing in some God shouldn't be associated with a religion.

 

Thanks Ryan, I am definitely amusing myself, and I am feeling quite silly at the moment

I also believe that there has to be something behind the universe that caused it to be this way. I can't believe that it is all random. There is something bigger than us out there. I usually think of it as some kind of energy. But there is just no way to know.

 

i kinda thought of our world inside another world while stoned, like our universe makes up an electron floating around a giant atom of oxygen in another world, only our time is somehow greatly slowed and the sun in the bigger world hasnt risen yet. maybe 1 day their time = 20billion years in ours? ok makes no sense but its fun to think about lol.

and to whoever said most people look at religions in either a negative way or only a positive way, i look at them negatively just like i look at a convicted criminal negatively, christianity has killed ALOT of people, same with judaism, and islam. look at the middle east right now, israel and palestine are fighting over "holy" land. its pretty pathetic.