What do you believe about religion?

[crosswarrior]

OK. Here is what is am going to happen here. I want to know what other people in this Forum believe religionwise. I want this thread to stay as nutral as possible So to that end there are going to be some rules to posting on this thread that I humbly ask everyone to observe.

1. Let your post consist of what you believe; why you believe it; and how it effects how you live.

2. DO NOT, repeat DO NOT bash another religion, or posting. Or try frantically to "Convert" the last poster. This goes for Atheist, Christians, Buddiest; Everyone.

3. Please put all that you wish to say in 1 post. Please only add another post if absolutly necessasary.

4. If what anyone says offends you...Then make your own posting and discuss that aspect, or contact that person by some other means other then this thread.

I understand that this is somewhat constrictive; but I am trying to keep this from turning into a senseless brawl. If everyone follows these guidelines there should be a much greater chance of being able to avoid meaningless verbal attacks.

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As for what I believe. I am a Christian; I do not belong to any denomination; nor do I believe that it matters whither or not a person is Catholic, Protestant, or Amish.. I belive that the only real requirment is believing hat Jesus Christ is Lord; and obeying Him in the way I live. I have not had this belief indoctrinated into me, but rather have come to it through circumstances in my life.

As for how it effects the way I live... I believe that I should Obey the Ten Commandments, and live honorably with all men. I believ that I should live peacably as much as possible; but that I also have a moral obligation to oppose evil; and that to this end I must sometimes fight. I do in fact believe Christianity is the only true way; but that is my personal belief.

Ok. Next poster?

[mowo]

Personally, I do not confine my religious beliefs to any heading, much like my political opinions.

I do not believe that the bible is factual, more a guide to keep people in order.

I believe that the concept of God is a result of the collective consciousness of millions of people of every ethnicity and religion.

God is a metaphor for goodness, and every time someone performs a selfless act, they are doing Gods work.

I dont care much for the history of it all, because even events that we know happened are always documented incorrectly depending on who recorded it.

In short, I believe God is like Christmastime. We all know it exists because we experience it. And because we all celebrate Christmas, it is greater that we are.

[Nxt2Hvn]

I am a Christian. I was raised baptist and pretty much follow the Baptist denomination. But I also visit a Methodist Church every once in a while. Like Crossworrior.. I do not think it matters what denomination you are...but that you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that he died for our sins and one day will rise again.. and all Christians who believe will be called up with him into heaven.

Not only was I raised in a Christian home and attended church regularly as a child and as a teenager, I have formed my own opinions as an adult.. and still have a really strong faith in God. I believe the bible and it's teachings.

These are my beliefs!

Okay Next Poster....

[Moonfairie]

I'm catholic but I sing in a Protestant Gospel group.

I belive in God and in Jesus. But I'm open to all kind of religions.

The most important thing is that we all belive in the same God whatever is his name.

For the bible, I don't belive in Adam and Eve, but the bible give me peace when I read it.

God bless you all !

[bathory]

I don't believe

[Blood Angel]

I'm not quite sure what i am,

I believe in magic, and the esoteric.

I do not however believe in a god or goddess.

I believe in some parts of the bible:

Eezekials wheel, being a ancient UFO encounter.

Noahs ark and Flood.

All the rest of the bible i think are just storys, fiction at best.

I think that god, is nothing more than a make believe father figure for the human race. Humans need something or someone to look up to, to have faith in, knowing that someones looking out for them. As for all the different religions, they are all one and the same, but with different names, they all give the same messages.

[Universal Absurdity]

i dont believe in any religion, i dont believe in worship of any kind, in my opinion worshiping anybody or anything (in your mind) places you beneath that person or thing. it makes you less than what you really are.

i believe that we all came from the source, and that we all had a hand in creating this universe. we put ourselves here on this planet, to experience what we created.

i think that we are all our own god, a part of the source. solely responsible for ourselves and our own actions.

religion in my opinion is for those who are not ready to be their own god. which is ok, life is an experience we all chose to go through, and whatever path you take is the one that is right for you. the most important thing is to be happy with yourself, and to be happy to be alive. experience as much as you can. life is short, dont let anything hold you back

[Consummate Deist]

As you can tell by my name, I am a Deist - in fact I am a 3rd generation Deist, believing in a Creator but following no dogma (Deists are not an organized religion, we have no creed, churches, scripture, etc). I pretty much let other religions go their way - at least until they start poking their mythology in my face or assuming that they and only their religion has the "Truth", then I get a little vexed.

[sonofkrypton]

I think that god, is nothing more than a make believe father figure for the human race. Humans need something or someone to look up to, to have faith in, knowing that someones looking out for them.

I dont believe in god, Religion is a worser evil than anything else If people need that extra something in their life than i have no problem with that i have a son of two years and religion is going to be something he can find for himself if he does then i'm happy for him but hopefully he will be stronger of character that if he makes mistakes he can dust himself off and look to the future and fix his own problems

i'd like to also add that Americans appear to be stronger of faith and follow religion to a much stronger degree

[wunarmdscissor]

son of krypton i would agree with you about the american thing, but i think maybe its just on T.V. more. Youd probably be surprised how many people are deeply religious here.

Personally i just amnt sure what to believe, i hope theres a god and if there is i hope that whatever religion you follow he treats us all the same

I dont like the idea of just dying much

[X~File_Agent]

I'm with UniversalAbsurdity. I'm a firm believer of technology, science, and mental human progress. We shouldn't be tied down to one thing, just because it gives hope. What makes me happy, is that fact that I can think for myself. For people who always say, "that's something we just don't understand". Then TRY to understand, try to go beyond your beliefs. How far would Hawking and Einstein have gone if they didn't open their eyes to try and understand something greater.

[wunarmdscissor]

X file

Whilst albert einstein did not believe in a personal god as the christian bible teaches he did believe in a supreme being type of god and was in that way religious.

[X~File_Agent]

Oh I knew that. I was referring to the fact that they had an open mind about life in general, and I believe that's how they accomplished some of their greatest discoveries and theories. Hey at least someone read what I had to say

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Ok, maybe I didn't explain myself better. I didn't say anything about believing in GOD or Not believing in GOD. As for my original posts, I was referring to religions that try to control your thinking.

I agree with you nxt2hvn, that people will believe what they want to believe. Yes the truth will come out one day, and I can't wait.

Sorry Crosswarrior, if I violated any rules!

Edited January 14, 2004 by X~File_Agent

[wunarmdscissor]

oh cool just thought id mention it lol. U made a decent point neway.

[Nxt2Hvn]

Oh I knew that. I was referring to the fact that they had an open mind about life in general, and I believe that's how they accomplished some of their greatest discoveries and theories. Hey at least someone read what I had to say

Just because I have faith in God, or just because anybody has faith in God ... does not mean that they are not open minded.

I for one am a very open minded person. But I am also one to come to my own decisions and personal beliefs .. whether religious or political or just every day... on my own... I am not really influenced one way or the other by what other people say.

I am always open to hearing other peoples ideas and beliefs.. and I don't ridicule anyone for what they believe or believe in or not believe in.

But I am also headstrong and stand fast on what I believe and believe and am not one to change my beliefs ... just because someone thinks it is silly, wrong, not what they believe... etc.....

I will believe what I believe... you believe what you believe... and they (others) can believe what they believe..... one thing is for sure... we will all know the truth one day! (one way or another)

[wunarmdscissor]

nxt2hvn

we will all know the truth one day!  (one way or another)

Thats what scares me

[Blood Angel]

Its not death that makes you scared, its fear of the unknown, because no one knows the answer of what lies beyond. Religion in some ways helps comfort the believer, giving you the image of a afterlife. I believe that the afterlife is what you make it, the concienceness lives on but the body dies. I beleive that the body is but a shell for our minds, and we are released from the burden and restrictions of this body.

[wunarmdscissor]

Totally agree B.A.

We are all full of energy, energy doesnt die it just changes form, so in theory we dont die we just move onto something else.

[doink]

I attend the Iniipi ceremony, or sweatlodge. I also attend the Sun Dance once a year. There is another ceremony that I have attended once and will again once the oppurtunity arises. These are Native American ceremonies, particularly from the Sioux people. They are used by all kinds of different tribes, however, who've had their own form for a very long time. It's just that the people who run the ones I go to are Sioux, so that is the way it is run.

The basis of the ceremonies is that all things are related, and all things deserve respect. We pray to Creator, who goes by different names all over the world. We believe that the Earth is our mother, the sky is our father. There are also the Grandfathers and Grandmothers, beings or spirits who work for and with Creator to guide us and protect us. These can be human, but are not limited to human as all things have a spirit. Even the stones and trees have a spirit. The water is the water of life, we are made up of water. I've seen these spirits at certain ceremonies, also visions. I've never taken anything mind altering at these ceremonies.

We also believe that all races are related. There are Four directions (East, South, West, North) that we acknowledge, and is represented by the four colors of humans. The colors are within the Sacred Circle.

When attending these ceremonies, it was made very clear to me that I nor anybody else would have to change their beliefs. If you pray to God or Jesus, do so. If you pray to Allah, do so. Same with any other religion, you don't have to change how you know to pray because we feel it is the same. There is the good, which we seek, and the bad, which hurts us. Many people go to these ceremonies to seek healing for themselves or loved ones. This can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. I've also known atheists who've attended, who've walked away with a change in their beliefs. They were given all the proof they sought for so long.

But the further I go, I find that there is something called the Great Mystery. This is the unknown. And as I learn my lessons in life it seems I'm prepared to learn a little bit more about this Great Mystery. And what I do learn is not as far away as I thought, it seems it was right there in front of me the whole time. I am being vague but there is only so much I am allowed to tell. As I've said before, it is all about the experience. I cannot expect someone to understand or believe what I say because of the chance they might not have had a similar experience.

Thank you for listening to me, and as we say, to all my relations!

[sabretooth]

well im weary of religion and religous people i believe in god but wonder why many people do the evil they do im guilty myself , im only human i only hope to be forgiven here and in the next life and an sorry i do the bad stuff i do and hope that people forgive me for it even if they wont talk or write me do what you think is right

[kreestar]

I have grown up in a Christian family, and have always went to church. However, I really don't agree with a lot of what the church teaches. I favor a mixture of religions I suppose.

[Novo]

The "Great mystery" Sounds like a gimmik to get people to come But if its true then Im pretty sure I know what it is.

[Xenojjin]

I looked over a lot of religions a while back and I eneded up choosing christianity , which I based entirely on reading the bible . I liked a lot of the teachings in their mainly including the teachings of Jesus Christ ... it saddens me so many people constantly try to turn it specifically down ( great thread Idea crosswarrior ) .

I also looked at other religions as well , I even had runner ups . My #2 choice was buddhism , and my #3 choice was simply believing in the afterlife ( kind of like BA )

[shirini]

I don’t believe in organized religion. I am sure that once it they all had a beautiful and a clear message, but this is no longer true. Let me put it this way, you know how everyone is talking about the illuminati and how there are trying to control us; I believe that clergy from all of the religion are the illuminati. And they have been controlling for so long, maybe in the beginning it was great, but no it is pointless and ridicules. It has caused nothing but death and destruction. The selfishness of these groups, in their regular life, shows us just a glimmer of the horror they are spreading on humankind. My friends and forum mates, we will not die of an earthquake or a nuclear war, we will die because of them, never knowing why or for whom.

I absolutely believe in god, it IS there a single strand that connects us all. I believe that most “holy books” and all mythology show us proof that we have been visited and even perhaps that we did not originated here on earth.

[doink]

The "Great mystery" Sounds like a gimmik to get people to come    But if its true then Im pretty sure I know what it is.

No, the Great Mystery is not a gimmick, it is not advertised to get people to come. For the people who run the ceremonies there is nothing to gain but helping people. Let me put it this way. Every week these people go to find wood (which takes all day as we live in Arizona and there are barely any trees) haul it back to their home, get the fire ready (this takes an hour to heat the stones), have the ceremony which may last up to three hours, then everybody eats the food the family prepared that day. All this and they don't get paid a dime! It is totally free.

The great mystery is the unknown, the very things that people ask about here. Death, the afterlife, the spirit world, Sasquatch, other beings that are today considered myth, why people pass on (which is the toughest to face, those who've lost your loved ones you have my prayers) all the things we all wonder about from time to time, and sometimes they are the mysteries that haunt us. What I meant from this in my post is that at one time I was not ready to face the parts of the unknown, but as I became prepared it became known to me (only small parts, it is not one little secret of life, there are many mysteries that I don't know). No person at the ceremony told me, it was an experience with the Creator and the spirit world, one on one. This is my experience, the one that cemented my faith. I don't wish to share it with others here because I don't wish to have it dissected and explained away. It is and was something very deeply personal to me. Just like I respect your experience, even though it is not mine.

For you, Student&Alive, the Great Mystery would be what you don't know. It is only through your own spiritual and personal journey that you will find the answers to the questions you seek.

I believe I have followed the rules of this thread. I am not out to convert anybody, I have no gimmick to sell the beliefs I follow. I also am not insulting anybody elses belief, as I said in my post it is all the same. Good we seek and Bad will hurt us. I hope that the rule about posting more than once is overlooked as I am explaining that my beliefs are not a scheme.