Choosing a Religion

[BroDeal]

It is a pretty simple process here:

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2009/10/a_flowchart_to_determine_what.php

 

[scribe]

Good stuff.

 

[Anonymous]

just as i thought, im an atheist... there should be a further breakdown on kind of atheist though, a couldnt care less atheist, or a hate religion with a passion atheist..

no offence to the religious.. i understand why certain people need it to help them through their sad, desperate lives (joking, i understand why some people need it) but for me it preaches cruelty, racism, sexism, prejudice and hate, with a smattering of fear, and a touch of hypocrisy

a religion thread is probably a bad idea.. :/

 

[scribe]

Having magical underwear should definitely be thought of as a crutch.

 

[Hugh Januss]

just as i thought, im an atheist... there should be a further breakdown on kind of atheist though, a couldnt care less atheist, or a hate religion with a passion atheist..

no offence to the religious.. i understand why certain people need it to help them through their sad, desperate lives (joking, i understand why some people need it) but for me it preaches cruelty, racism, sexism, prejudice and hate, with a smattering of fear, and a touch of hypocrisy

a religion thread is probably a bad idea.. :/

Agreed.....on all counts.

 

[BroDeal]

 

[CentralCaliBike]

just as i thought, im an atheist... there should be a further breakdown on kind of atheist though, a couldnt care less atheist, or a hate religion with a passion atheist..

no offence to the religious.. i understand why certain people need it to help them through their sad, desperate lives (joking, i understand why some people need it) but for me it preaches cruelty, racism, sexism, prejudice and hate, with a smattering of fear, and a touch of hypocrisy

a religion thread is probably a bad idea.. :/

If following the "Christian" principles you do not get the above negatives (love your enemy, do good to those who hate you, turn the other cheek, do to others as you want them to do to you). What I wonder is how the "Christian" followers went off track so quickly.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't "need" religion. I sincerely believe that the most logical conclusion, looking at the universe and life, is that there is a God. I am a Christian, but not like most picture. I actually don't believe that God put those dinosaur bones in the ground to test my faith. I don't believe that anyone is the judge of the another's life but God. I believe that prayer should be taught in church and not school. I believe God should be a practical part of someone's life and not some guy that keeps a list of sins so that he can justify you burning in hell for eternity. I believe that to think anyone is going to hell is to assume a deity of self that clearly does not exist. I believe the surest sign of Gods love for us is the absolute free will we have, and I believe free will to be absolute in the strictest sense of the word.

But I don't "need" religion. It is just what happened. I was an atheist at 16. I have personally experienced a life in which God has clearly taken part. I can no more deny what has happened to me as I can deny that I have feet, but that is my life. My true struggle is that many days I live an agnostic existence though I am a believer. Faith is a difficult thing, and anyone who says differently isn't looking at the world hard enough.

Now, I respect your beliefs or lack thereof. All I ask is that you not do what many religious people do and put anyone who differs from you in the same basket.

 

[Anonymous]

If following the "Christian" principles you do not get the above negatives (love your enemy, do good to those who hate you, turn the other cheek, do to others as you want them to do to you). What I wonder is how the "Christian" followers went off track so quickly.

We ALL go off track with those things at some point. It has nothing to do with being a Christian, and everything to do with being human.

I always laugh a bit when it is pointed out that most of the wars have been fought over religion as if humans wouldn't find another reason to act out their personal hate and kill others if they didn't believe in God.

 

[Anonymous]

ok.. my thoughts, but i really should keep them to myself...

i have no problem with religion when used effectively.. the positives in the bible, the khoran and other books (many of which i have read) do offer positive guidance on how to be a good person, live a positive life..

i also understand why some people need religion.. we where only talking this evening that in some ways i wish i was religious.. one of the things i struggle with is calm, and perhaps if i had faith, calmness would be something i can find..

however, on the flip side, and certainly in this country i know many people, and many of them of the older generation, who seem nice people.. but, are racist, homophobic, bigoted, and consider that the christian way.. my grandfather for one who went completely nuts when he discovered i shared a house with a young man from africa.. in his opinion if they are not christian, they are evil and damned, and in his opinion a black man from africa obviously did voodoo, and was a witch doctor.. (he was actually a christian)..

people who are naturally hateful, will use any excuse to spread hate.. unfortunately too many for me use religion as an excuse..

however, i do think religion in the uk is very different to that in the us and elsewhere.. religion in the uk is pretty much dominated by the elderly, the racists and the biggots who think immigration has destroyed the country..

anyway.. im best kept out of here now..

 

[Anonymous]

edit: no... not a good idea.. im keeping out..

Yea, I thought about doing that...but then I realized it was me, and well...

 

[pedaling squares]

Hmmm... looks like I'm an atheist with a tendency to believe in the magic inherent in underwear. I need a label.

 

[Anonymous]

Yea, I thought about doing that...but then I realized it was me, and well...

and as you will see from me edit.. i realised who i was....

(has realised really got a Z in it, or has my web browser got an American dictionary...?)

 

[Hugh Januss]

We ALL go off track with those things at some point. It has nothing to do with being a Christian, and everything to do with being human.

I always laugh a bit when it is pointed out that most of the wars have been fought over religion as if humans wouldn't find another reason to act out their personal hate and kill others if they didn't believe in God.

Yes, but you still have to admit that almost all organized religions preach hatred and intollerance of other ways of thinking. Terms like "infidel", "heathen", "unbeliever" (I could go on) spring to my mind.
I have no problem with anybody believing whatever they want to in their own home, only when they come outside and start using it as a justafication for telling me (or anyone else) how I/we should live our lives. As far as I am concerned organized religion is the bane of the human race.

 

[BroDeal]

Hmmm... looks like I'm an atheist with a tendency to believe in the magic inherent in underwear. I need a label.

Maybe you just need to have a pair of these guys set you back on the righteous path.

 

[Anonymous]

and as you will see from me edit.. i realised who i was....

(has realised really got a Z in it, or has my web browser got an American dictionary...?)

I don't know if it is American, but we do spell it with a Z.

Here is something I was shocked to discover: I was listening to a woman from GB today and she pronounced Thesaurus- thiserus where we pronounce it thesaurus with the sau sounding almost like soar, but not quite.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, but you still have to admit that almost all organized religions preach hatred and intollerance of other ways of thinking. Terms like "infidel", "heathen", "unbeliever" (I could go on) spring to my mind.
I have no problem with anybody believing whatever they want to in their own home, only when they come outside and start using it as a justafication for telling me (or anyone else) how I/we should live our lives. As far as I am concerned organized religion is the bane of the human race.

I wouldn't say they teach hate. I would say that in their teaching of exclusivity, many people internalize that belief and act in hatred because of it. I actually believe that hatred is a human characteristic and will find an outlet regardless of the beliefs of the practitioner. I think religion is organized because people tend to organize for various reasons, but mostly to help create a self identity using shared values that validate ones idea that they are not alone and are correct in their beliefs and thoughts. Me, I don't really need that too much.

I believe what I actually believe, and don't need anyone to tell me how to believe it. I enjoy hearing the path others take and their experiences on that path, but I don't need anyone to act as a go between.

 

[BroDeal]

and as you will see from me edit.. i realised who i was....

(has realised really got a Z in it, or has my web browser got an American dictionary...?)

We have much more logical spelling here in the Colonies. No centres, colours, or cweens. I might have made that last one up. Unfortunately it leads many to assume things like lose is spelled loose.

 

[Anonymous]

I actually went to a baptism once, was the scariest thing id ever seen...

we all had to shout in chorus that we would defend the child, if evil came, we would stand up, destroy evil, strike it down, was all a bit aggressive for my liking..

that said i got married in a church (to placate the mother in law who is very religious).. vicar was actually a dude... knew i didnt believe in god, and made sure for me that none of my lines had anything godlike in them, and overruled the mother in law when she wanted "onward Christian soldiers" as a hymn as i had already put that on my veto list...

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know if it is American, but we do spell it with a Z.

Here is something I was shocked to discover: I was listening to a woman from GB today and she pronounced Thesaurus- thiserus where we pronounce it thesaurus with the sau sounding almost like soar, but not quite.

the-sore-us

the "the part" is like in thud, with a expulsion of air as you pronounce it..
but there are parts of britain where the accent would make it sound like thisaurus..

same as some of us say raspberry (as in wrAp, or hAt), some rar-sberry as in, car, bar etc..

annoyingly many people i know have started pronouncing tomato the american way... as opposed to tom-art-o

 

[Anonymous]

I actually went to a baptism once, was the scariest thing id ever seen...

we all had to shout in chorus that we would defend the child, if evil came, we would stand up, destroy evil, strike it down, was all a bit aggressive for my liking..

that said i got married in a church (to placate the mother in law who is very religious).. vicar was actually a dude... knew i didnt believe in god, and made sure for me that none of my lines had anything godlike in them, and overruled the mother in law when she wanted "onward Christian soldiers" as a hymn as i had already put that on my veto list...

I am truly happy that the vicar handled it that way. I find trying to shove ones beliefs down the throat of another to be a despicable form of violence.

I will say that I have seen things in churches that make that baptism look like child's play though. I actually enjoy all of that stuff from an anthropological standpoint. Hell, there are churches pretty close to here that still handle rattle snakes.

 

[Anonymous]

the-sore-us

the "the part" is like in thud, with a expulsion of air as you pronounce it..
but there are parts of britain where the accent would make it sound like thisaurus..

same as some of us say raspberry (as in wrAp, or hAt), some rar-sberry as in, car, bar etc..

annoyingly many people i know have started pronouncing tomato the american way... as opposed to tom-art-o

Where I live, we do it the lazy way, we just say 'mater

 

[Anonymous]

Where I live, we do it the lazy way, we just say 'mater

that could cause some confusion... its not often i eat my mother in a salad..

 

[Anonymous]

Night dim, and in case I have never written this, you appear to be a really cool person. I enjoy your contributions here quite a bit.

 

[Hugh Januss]

I wouldn't say they teach hate. I would say that in their teaching of exclusivity, many people internalize that belief and act in hatred because of it. I actually believe that hatred is a human characteristic and will find an outlet regardless of the beliefs of the practitioner. I think religion is organized because people tend to organize for various reasons, but mostly to help create a self identity using shared values that validate ones idea that they are not alone and are correct in their beliefs and thoughts. Me, I don't really need that too much.

I believe what I actually believe, and don't need anyone to tell me how to believe it. I enjoy hearing the path others take and their experiences on that path, but I don't need anyone to act as a go between.

A lot of what you say is true, and if religion could just give people the tools that they need to live good lives and not have to become multibillion dollar competing corporations I would have no problem with them.
It is unfortunate that organized religions of all kinds have strayed so far from their original intent that the mere mention raises my hackles, but that is the way I see it. Doesn't mean I don't thing everyone deserves the choice to believe whatever they want but I think all churches should be converted to homeless shelters and those guys with the nametags running around trying to sign everybody up should be made to get real jobs.