I'm curious as to what all you Dollars believe in or disbelieve in. So, if you could please share your thoughts on religion; on your own faith or on religion as an establishment. Why do you believe in what you do? Do your beliefs govern your way of life?How do you feel towards those who don't believe in what you believe in?

Let's have a discussion and possibly a friendly debate; let's not condemn or debunk or argue.

I do believe is some things and they even might be specific for one religion or two - I'm not interested though. Religion makes me feel uneasy and limited, make me feel that I'm supposed to follow some rules, or behave the way that's appropriate for this or that religion's followers. Because I hardly ever do what I'm expected to do, I'd feel so terribly alien-like with religion. And that's why when I'm asked questions concerning religion, I always say I don't believe in anything. Here, I made a small exception :) Basically, I believe in what I feel. Of course it can be something like love, frienship, but not just that. I seriously believe in karma. Don't know why, I just feel this is it.

Well, that's all I wanted to say, and I hope I won't ruin this debate with my silly statements ^.^;

Oh, I forgot to say: not being interested in religion doesn't mean I'm being arrogant towards its believers. If someone doesn't believe in what I do, I usually just think "Well, they might be right, but I'll still believe in what I do".

inb4 it turns into exactly what you don't want it to.
cause it will.


I'm not a big believer in anything 'supernatural'; ghosts, spirits, gods, and what have you. If you ask me, when you die, you rot in the ground, and that's about it. Although, I can't say I'm 100% right, and that's the only way it could be.
I think one of the reasons religion is so appealing, is, how can you even comprehend the idea of just not existing? I know I can't. I guess an afterlife provides an alternative to that.
I'm not a big supporter of it, but religion can and does have it's good sides. I mean, there are a lot of people who are just too stupid to decided what's right and what's wrong for themselves, and a lot of religions follow the same basic moral structure, which is a good thing. (Not saying everyone who is religious is 'too stupid to have a moral backbone'. God it's hard trying to not offend anyone, haha). Although, it sometimes does more harm than good. See; abortion laws, homophobia, the crusades, etc..

Anyways, pretty much, I'm not at all spiritual. I don't necessarily like, or support established religion, but it does have it's place.. I guess.

>>2
You kind of lost me about 2/3 of the way through that.

Jesus Christ is our one and only Savior. He is the Messiah, thou shalt kneel before His Holiness and-
I'm Agnostic.

I'm agnostic... The only reason I'm not atheist is because the idea of a 'beginning' without a higher power is...too confusing. So I just live my life the way i think it should be lived, driven solely by curiosity. I mean, we'll all find out whats right and whats wrong when we die, so why worry about it now? Just live life. :) Thats my outlook on religion.

I believe in the Spaghetti Monster. He does exist you know. He is always with us and never leaves us. He loves us! Open your heart and let his noodles touch your soul and lead you to enlightenment!

Mmmm, yes. Moving on.

I've been looking around and giving things some thought and so far haven't come across anything that indicates the existence of a god or anything of the sort. So as far as I can tell it's quite unlikely that there is one. I'm not gonna say it's 100% so since I have no proof, nor do I think it's a good idea to go and try to convince other people since we all reach our own conclusions. As long as people at least give it some thought I'm willing to accept their beliefs. And as >>4 was saying, religion still has its uses.

here's what i believe in! am i serious? that's for you to decide.

>>9 lol i hope your serious :D

I'm Agnostic for the most part
I kinda lean towards Pagan and Daoism though

I'm.. agnostic, I suppose. Leaning more towards the idea there isn't a god.

>>9 That just made my day; Haruhism ftw lol

Umm, guess I'd be somewhere between Atheist and Antitheist.

I believe that I'm my own god and that I am not bound to anything like the 10 commandements and stuff.
I believe in evolution.
and
I believe that the easiest way is never the best, but the most comforting ;P

I'm Catholic and all, I just don't like all the little things and ceremonies and classes you have to take in order to be and "adult in the church's eyes" I really don't like going to church and all that crap. I mean believe he's there is good enough for me. I don't need anymore stories that tell me it's true every freaking Sunday for about 2 hours long. Sorry... my mom is a hard-core believer and drags me through this stuff. It was fun at first but now I'm just sick of it.

Oh i forgot to say:
i do not eat unbaptized children, or baptized I do not have to do anything with sacrificial offering, black mess, murder or things like that, not even with the rituals.
Thats all just prejudice!
Church of satan isnt THAT bad...
BUt that stupid "I'm a satanist!!!muhahahaha" *eeeeevvviiill~* children ruin our name, and the press is just making it worse.

so don't think i'm a bad person, that pisses me off -____-

>>16

An actual Satanist? That's actually pretty cool. And yes, the Church of Satan does get a very bad reputation - Both from the media, and the people who never really look into it. Just as Satan itself actually only means "The Enemy", and is not in fact the entities name.

So in essence, it is The Church of the Enemy. Which, when taking into accounts its beliefs run completely against traditional judeo christian churches, makes a great deal of sense.

Nice to meet you, Blauherz.

>>2
I feel you. I was raised Catholic and I don't feel like I necessarily 'belong' to this faith. There isn't an established religion that I really can identify myself with and I can't say I'm Atheist or Agnostic either. I consider myself spiritual, but not religious.

>>4
Yes, I see what you mean. Religion makes something that is subjective, objective. Religion explains things that are unexplainable and provides comfort in slightly understanding the unknown. However, I don't think any religion should pass itself on as truth. This is going to turn into a tl;dr if I keep responding to you so I'll stop here.

>>7
I really like the way you see things! "So I just live my life the way I think it should be lived, driven solely by curiosity." If only it were that simple, you know? The only flaw in this is that other people care about how you live your life even though it has nothing to do with their own.

>>14
This is interesting. Could you please explain a bit more about your...faith? I'm not sure if that's the correct term to use; I apologize for possibly offending you.

As for my own beliefs:

Like Ashiko I am raised Catholic. My mom's side is very, very Catholic; hard-core wouldn't even begin to describe it! Anyways, they don't allow very much religious freedom. It's Catholic or disown. I wouldn't dare dream of declaring myself Atheist; that would most likely result in my family lynching me, haha. I don't dislike the Catholic faith though. Sure, there are teachings that I don't agree with in the slightest but I love Mass (when I can understand it)and I love the community at church and the volunteering for the church and the community.

When it comes to what I believe in I can't really define it. I don't believe in God and I believe in science, but in no way am I Atheist because I believe that there is God, but God is incomprehensible. I believe that everything is connected and we have to be able to coexist in this sense. I believe that regardless of what you believe in, your existence serves a purpose in some way or another. Even if you live what society deems a meaningless life when you die, your remains will feed worms who give the soil nutrients. And that soil will feed plants, that feed animals, that feed other animals, that serve a purpose in their niche. However, when it comes to the soul (which I do believe exists) I don't know what happens when our body's stop working.

There's a lot I believe in, I wish there was something I can call my beliefs but that's only because I want the comfort of there being a title and I want to belong to a community of people who share the same beliefs as me. You know, maybe that's why religion is an establishment in the first place --all humans want a definition for everything, even the impossible to define; and all humans have the innate desire to conform and belong to something.

look at all you little philosophers.

while i dont worship anyone, i do believe in a higher power. why? well because wouldn't that be a blast? gives us all someone to blame for screwing us over all our lives. you got to admit, having some supernatural entity behind the sense makes reality about 100x more interesting, and thats all that is really important to me. sure i'll probably be on his bad side, but then that gives me something to do with my eternity of afterlife. god will be all "not so fast king!" and i'll be all "foiled again god!" -shakes fist-.

now chances are he isn't all powerful and all knowing though. if you think about it, everything we know about him we took on his word, so chances are he is just trying to make himself look good. if anyone knows what group i belong to, please let me know. i'm dieing to find out if there is a name for how i think or if i'm some kind of pioneer.

now for my opinions on the rest of the philosophers:

>>2 i cant believe in karma. too many bad people live good lives and too many good people live in suffering.
>>16 thats cause most people see satanists as devil worshipers. people trying to curse you by summoning demons from hell to do their dark bidding. gotta say, even though it is much more interesting to have a demonic cult running around, we really shouldn't slander a group of people so much in the media.

>>16 Wow, that sounds cool :O Haha no worries this was started as a no judgement thread, not a slander thread :P besides i never judge people for having different beliefs than I do, I'm actually curious enough to look up your religion.
>>18 Yeah I know right? If only it were that simple lol, I put it lightly in my explanation but thats the hardest part, I wont give up though! Hell, I've got the rest of my life :D
>>19 You don't have to define it, your beliefs make you who you are, I agree with a lot of stuff you said but my beliefs remain the same ^_^ I also believe the soul exists..
>>20 RIGHT?! I totally agree with you! The idea of a higher power is so much more interesting than not. To the point where i don't wanna give up on the idea. :P

>>18
>I don't think any religion should pass itself on as truth
That's, like, the point of established religion.

>>20 Nuh-uh. I think that everything is more interesting without there being anything like that. Just a bunch of empty space and matter and the laws of physics binding everything together; and then us, all alone, without anyone watching over us, just an accident in evolution going on with our lives trying to find some sort of purpose. There's much more stuff for us to discover and explain this way, whithout the help of a higher being.

Your idea would be better only if god were such a cool guy, but he doesn't seem to want to have fun at all, always so strict with everything and he never wants to talk.

>>22
Well, yeah. It's just I don't understand why any religion would pass itself on as a universal truth. Nothing is universally true.
>>20; >>23
I strongly disagree.

King you said, "if you think about it, everything we know about him we took on his word, so chances are he is just trying to make himself look good." This is untrue because what we know about 'God' is not directly from God, but from people who claim to know God directly.

And Bang-bang when you say 'God' "doesn't seem to want to have fun at all," and is "always so strict with everything and he never wants to talk." I feel this is also untrue because God is just God.

These traits and characteristics that King and Bang-bang use to describe God are human in trait. Human traits are hard to understand, but they are understood. I disagree with these assertions because I believe that God is incomprehensible. There is no way of understanding God or describing God. God is just God. You know, maybe God isn't even called God. Maybe God is called aihefoauih, I don't know. I choose to call God, God though but that's just a preference of mine.

My point is that I don't believe what King and Bang said about God is true. We don't know God therefore I don't believe we can't say God is a 'he' and I don't believe that 'he' can be given characteristics and have these characteristics stated as fact. I don't believe that God can be given any sort of characteristics or titles that a human can have because God is incomprehensible on a universal level. God can be comprehended on an individual scale however, but that understanding of God for any individual is neither right nor is it wrong. When it comes to God I only understand that God cannot be understood universally.

To tie it back to religion: I don't know God, I only know my faith in God and my faith is true to me -not universally true- no matter how many people may share the same beliefs. Beliefs =/= truth, never ever.

>>23 no, its awesome because he is such a cosmic asshole. i wouldn't want the infinite being i chose as my eternal rival to be a nice guy. that would be truly boring. but not as boring as just being dead for the rest of time. something to understand about me, what makes something important to me is how well it inspires creativity, so im sure you can understand why im so fond of world religions. dont get me wrong, science is pretty bitchin too. in fact, im trying to bring the two together in something im working on. its basically the book of revelations in a sci fi setting. should be awesome.
>>24 i have absolutely nothing against people of faith, as long as they are educated in what they believe. rarely has any prophet ever met god directly. i think other than abraham, they were all met by his angels in his place.

about god being fun, he really isn't. at least not the old testament god. and since that came first thats what i count as canon.

sure god may not be describable, i'll give you that. would explain why he sends his angels to meet with us. because we'd probably loose our minds the moment we lay eyes on the infinite. but that said, he does have a name. its usually referred to as the tetragrammaton since it isn't completely agreed upon how it is pronounced, but i for one like yahweh as how to say it. of course i think saying it is supposed to be slightly blasphemous.

i guess they just dont teach people like they should in bible studies. i do like how you want to defend your beliefs though. far too few people do that now a days. but if im not allowed to have fun with the idea of god, then there goes half the reason i actually bother to think about it.

>>15 I've felt the same way. I believe in God and all, but I just don't see why I have to go to Catholic church to listen to an old guy who talks about stuff I can barely understand. I'm only 13, but I plan on becoming Protestant. Protestants believe in God just as much as Catholics do, but without all the extra stuff. Yeah sure you have to go to Church, but its waaaaaay different, trust me. I've been to a Protestant church.

Another reason I'm kinda sick of all that Catholic stuff is that they OVERDO IT. What is the Rosary to you? Will it really bring you to Heaven? I believe that the Rosary is just a bunch of stuff that the Church made up. I mean, do they even MENTION something called a Rosary in the Bible? No.

I'd be writing a freaking essay with the way I'm writing right now, but I've got some Spicy Korean Raamen waiting for me in the microwave. Peaceout, guys! :D

>>24 Well I was mostly trying to be funny with what I was saying. Personifying god can get you some interesting characteristics, but in the end he's supposed to be nothing like a human being. Even though, in that case, the idea of being created in his image, I wonder what that's supposed to mean exactly.

>>25 As far as stories go, the story of god is definitely a pretty good one and can get your imagination going. And the stories behind all the other religions of the world as well. Actually I'm starting to see the appeal in this more and more since I've always found mythology to be fascinating. But it's only interesting if god actually made his presence felt, but as things go in the real world that isn't really the case. So like this even if he is out there somewhere it doesn't add up to much since it's almost as if he didn't exist. But then again I guess it's the mystery that piques our interest in the first place.

Ah, and good luck with your scifi book of revelations. Theoretically at least it sounds pretty interesting.

Boy, did you guys have a finger exercise typing all that.

>>25
>about god being fun, he really isn't. at least not the old testament god. and since that came first thats what i count as canon.

Haha. New testament is not canon. I like that.

I guess I should try to actually add something to the conversation if I'm going to post. Although there isn't really much for me to say, considering you're getting into discussion god, and I don't think he/she/it even exists. Although, if it did, I don't think we'd get along. And as for the whole 'hell' thing; I don't see a problem with it. Hell would be a much more exciting place anyways. I'd rather party with Satan any day.

I believe in Arceus. |D
Yeah...
....In all seriousness, I'm agnostic.
-doesn't have much else to say like everyone else and their big paragraphs- OTL

LOL. I'm a christian like soma and ashiko and i believe in this religion but since my friend showed me this book about philosophy (big bang theory, science vs God, who created God, Is God real and blahblahblah) I started to become curious.>>19>>15

Even though i say I kinda don't believe in Jesus, I still feel scared just by saying that.

I guess religion doesn't suck, you just have to understand it and try to believe in it coz u'll never know if its true or not. You just might go to hell.. :D

I'm gonna join in. :P
I don't believe in "God.", or any of that stuff. I don't need religion as a comfort blanket. I'm agnostic, but I'm leaning towards atheism...So, de facto atheist.
I'm not gonna live thinking that God does exist. If I'm going to hell or whatever for thinking that, then fine..

I also strongly believe that kids should not be brought up religious. They should wait until they're old enough to make their own decisions. Of course they should be taught about religion, all religions...
This whole brainwashing thing going on is awful. It annoys me when certain religions (I'm not even gonna name them:P) scare people, try to control them in a sort of "if you don't believe, you go to hell" way.

I respect other people's beliefs, obviously. (as long as you're not an extremist) Believe in what you want. Religion is personal.
One person I really agree with is Richard Dawkins. His book "The God Delusion" is great.

"Religion is poison." - well, not poison, it's a drug... :d

bumps.

I used to be christian.
I believed in God, and saw his hand in everything.
Now that I don't, I see it was all just my mind.
And being a nonchristian is way funner than being one, my life is much better after dropping my faith.

>>33 dont you think brainwashing is a bit intense? i mean, i think im pretty normal. i was raised christian and brought up with the hopes of being a good little boy, yet im the one spewing the most blasphemies aside from those who deny the existence of god all together. the way i see it, a smart person will choose for themselves and an idiot will do whatever they are told. sometimes smart people decide to believe what their parents had taught them and sometimes idiots are given so many choices they remain on the fence their whole lives. sure some people have ideas forced on them by some religions, but thats not to say that Richard Dawkins isn't forcing ideas onto people with his book. there are followers on either side of the fence.

and that bit about poison is pretty silly too. atheism might of not started any wars yet, but i can see it happening in the near future. one thing is for sure, an atheist defends their belief with just as much passion as any person of faith. as far as im considered, i count atheism as a religion. im sure i'll get lots of looks for that last comment...

I don't think brainwashing is too strong a word at all.
"Believe this or you're going to suffer for all eternity."
Sounds pretty brainwash-y to me.

>>36 the brainwashing bit is definitely not intense. I think it's actually an understatement.

Richard Dawkins is not forcing anything on anyone. Children aren't forced to read his book as soon as they can read. And he's not saying "if you don't follow this, you'll burn."

Also, the poison bit, it was a quote from Mao. But instead of calling it poison, I'd call it a drug. Religion has it's good sides too, it can make some people happy and it can comfort them. People are scared of death, even if they deny it, and the idea of a nice afterlife comforts them. However, religion has definitely caused a lot of bloodshed, a lot of wars, etc.

Atheism is not a religion... Religion is belief of a supernatural being (says google :P, although the definition of religion is..debatable.) Atheism is lack of belief.
A lot of things have defensive passion, like sports teams. People defend their favourite team, with passion, but that's not religion.

unless you want to praise me and the others like me on the extraordinary feat of breaking free from my programing, then the idea that threatening someone with eternal damnation if they don't believe and worship has that big of an effect on people doesn't hold up. sure its a neat idea. a brainwashing cult is always a good way to make a villain despicable, but its a tad dramatic for reality.

as for dawkins, im not picking on him specifically. i just think popular modern media is a much better way to get people to agree with your idea. an impressionable person will believe anything they read, whether it is dawkin's book or the new testament. so i guess this is just me complaining about people who dont think for themselves.

as for atheism, im sure its well on its way to being considered a religion by most. im just slightly ahead of the curve. just like it always has before, the english language will evolve and the definition of religion will change. atheism is just religion without any of the positive benefits: all of the arguing and forcing it on others, none of the moral guidance, imagination or hope. as for sports teams, im pretty sure devote catholics would see it as worshiping false idols. so yeah, its a religion to some.

As soon as you give yourself a label or a title, then you are no long holding on to your own beliefs...

I believe in ghosts as I've had experiences with stuff like that and people I hold dear to me have as well... And that's about it.

Oh, I heard about this today; kinda relevant:

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy tale for people afraid of the dark." -Stephen Hawking

Pretty strong words from arguably the smartest living man. Discuss?

>>41 Strong words indeed. Makes me think that if our brains really are computers, then we should be able to upgrade them like computers no?

>>41 oh ho ho, edgy haha

>>39 You can't underestimate the effect that the threat of "eternal damnation" has had on the spread of Christianity through the world, from the middle ages onwards. It promises salvation and an afterlife that potentially leaves people with a false hope. It has converted loads of people, successfully, in such a threatening way.

What Richard Dawkins is asking people to do is to engage with rational thought, which is not based on blind faith. He's not saying "believe what I tell you", he's encouraging people to think for themselves.
The people that read Dawkins book already have similar ideas. It's the concept of knowledge, and how labels, names and words work.
Christianity and religion ask you to not think for yourself... It's their way of controlling, herding sheep, preventing any individuality.

Maybe your definition of atheism is kinda narrow.. In it's strict sense, it means non belief in god or deity, most common usage it refers to non belief in the god of established religions. Many atheists would consider themselves logically agnostic.

You say that word's evolve, and you're playing with the word religion, basically saying it's blind faith. Word's do evolve, definitions evolve, language is never the same, it's constantly changing. But we're talking about now, not the future, and it's current definition. Don't think too ahead.
"God" could be seen as a crutch created by mankind for mankind, but now through the advancement of rational thought he is learning to walk for himself. In that way, everything changes and evolves - it's progression.

>>40 well, I'm gonna disagree... Titles, lables - they're all to make it easier for us to explain our beliefs. Someone from a similar belief named it, making it easier.
Just like a sofa is a sofa, a sofa is named a sofa, without it's name - what would we call it? We already have an idea of what it is, the name/label makes it easier to relate it. Labels when referring to identity do not need to be fixed.
This can also refer to ideas, like, you have an idea - and you read a book, the book explains your ideas in words. Just like Dawkins book did for me. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking for myself.

>>41 definitely a materialist, LOL. Kind of makes people feel insignificant and useless, that we're all made up of cells and that's it. It's what religious people are afraid of. Infact, it's what everyone's afraid of - the truth.

>>44

A sofa, by any other name, is still something that can be used to sit on. Once we call it a sofa, we start assigning things we can't do with it - So if it had no name or title, it then has a greater number of possibilities to it. By labelling something, like religion, you lose the majority of its function in favor of the function imparted to it by a name.

Titles, labels, the things you say make it easier to explain our beliefs are just things used to set things apart and limit their possibilities.

Eternal Damnation hasn't necessarily been converting anyone - Rather the tyrannical church that decided it was a better idea to kill the disbelievers and write them off as satan worshippers for, I don't know, hundreds of years. Any major expansion of religion has come at the business end of a weapon. Even the Al-Qaeda business now, before this war on terror that had guns and explosives clashing, I doubt many people in the US even knew about the Torah or Allah.

Historically speaking, the majority of religions are spread by violence. Especially the ones which contain this "eternal damnation" clause.

As for being afraid of being insignificant and useless? Everyone's afraid of that - even with religion. However, the Epic of Gilgamesh disagrees with you on that truth bit.

Even after you die, The memory of you sticks around. The bigger splash you made during life, the further out the ripples will seep. Immortality is not a pipe dream, its just different than what we think it is. We, as people, are not insignificant or useless unless we conscript ourselves to that fate. The fact that we only have a limited amount of time to do something we consider worth a damn only means that we have a window of opportunity to act - And if we miss that opportunity, then its no ones fault except your own for not seizing the day.

So before time runs out, I think the sentiment is actually rather simple.

Game On.

>>32
Whoa there parter, hold your horses now.

I would like to clarify with you that I am not Christian because I do not believe in the Christan God. I believe in God, but God and the Christian God are different to me.

"I guess religion doesn't suck, you just have to understand it and try to believe in it coz u'll never know if its true or not. You just might go to hell."

I don't think you have to try and believe in any religion. You just believe what you do because you believe it whatever reasons you may have. Whatever you believe in is true to you, when it comes to beliefs there is no universal truth (right Irk?).

I strongly dislike the belief that if you don't believe in a certain faith you are to be sent to Hell or it's equivalent. If anything you shouldn't be judged by what you believe, regardless if it's in life now or the supposed afterlife.

It's okay to have doubts about your God, there's nothing wrong with you believing that Jesus doesn't exist and you don't have anything to be afraid of. Even though I might not agree with what you have to say it doesn't mean you're wrong; it doesn't mean I'm right either. Just believe in what you believe to be true even if other's may not feel the same way; just don't make statements that should apply to everybody when really nothing applies to everybody.

As for everyone else I really wish I could reply to all of you since you guys make such interesting points, but I don't seem to have the time between school and such. I plan to though! Sooner or later :) All of this is such a great read and I think we can all learn from each other (while holding on to our own beliefs if we so wish to) by hearing each other out. If you have anything to contribute please don't be afraid to!

>>45 I kinda agree with you. What I was trying to say was... labels make it easier for us to communicate. So instead of saying "I don't believe in God" and then going on and on about why, you can say "I'm an atheist"
A really,really simple dumbed down view on it, would be it's like rounding numbers.
Loads of atheists have different views, and they'd still call themselves atheist. Loads of Christians have different views and they'd still call themselves Christian, etc.
I don't see how that limits possibilities. We have names, but we also have a personality. We're named to make it easier when in conversation. Instead of saying "Hi person with the long hair, brown eyes and a crazy obsession with cars" we can say "Hi ___"
Of course religion is complex (so are people and describing them...) so it's probably a bit different than that.
Labels/titles can be flexible. I said, labels when refering to identity do not need to be fixed.

>>39
Sorry, I just have to point out that the term 'atheism' itself dictates that it can't be a religion; it's synonymous with non-theism, or being religion-less.
And, as long as I'm replying to King
>>43
I don't know if I'd call Stephen Hawking edgy, per say. Or at all. It's just put rather bluntly. A big part or religious appeal is safety from things we don't know - or the biggest thing we don't know. Well, that and the fear and violence, like Aya said.

>>14 Satanist? LaVeyan I suppose..?

I came across this, here:
http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/BOT.html
wanted to see what people think of it..

bumping to get rid of that ridiculous thread.

>>50 Seconding this.

>>51>>50
Not sure which thread you're talking about; there's a couple to choose from.
But bumping anyways.

Hmm I'm an atheist however I'm quite spiritual.

I believe in Karma in the sense that if you a bad person you will probably hang around with bad people there for odds of bad things happening to you increase. The same the other way, if you’re a kind of person, kind people will probably hang out with you so the odds of nice things happening to you increase.

As for my beliefs on God, although I said I'm an atheist I believe in a kind of God. My God is the Universe. I believe although I may be wrong, that Jesus and other spiritual leaders probably saw God in the same way I do.

My reasoning for this is omnipotent and omniscience all powerful and always there just like the universe. I think they just explained it in a way that the people of that time could understand.

Or something like that =D

I'm personally Lutheran, a type of Christian. I believe that if you believe in God and repent, you'll go to heaven. The alternative for non-believers (so my religion believes) isn't very bright nor happy though...

http://dollars-bbs.org/random/src/1308785183833.jpg

Just saiyan

I believe in The Immortal God Emperor of Mankind.

joke aside... I'm a catholic.

>>56 Fuck yes.

I scroll down this thread and see some loooonnnggg ass posts so all i gotta say is...

I AM PROUD TO BE A BUDDHIST!!

I believe in Madoka

I'm Luthern but I don't believe in everything wikipedia says about it. I believe in redemption and different gods and goddesses and I believe in karma and superstition.
I don't care what other people's morales and beliefs are, only that they respect other people's.

Im a wiccan......... :3

Atheist.
Bumping because this topic is interesting.

Agnostic. I highly mistrust religion although I due see the benefits and goodness in it.....I do believe it would be pleasant for some higher power ...but the same thought scares me

Personally, I am one with the sauce. One day, I found myself being touched by a noodly appendage, and then I knew the truth. The Flying Spaghetti Monster (that flies) has offered me a spot on his holy Pirate Ship. A special pirate ship that sails the skies, and around the holy Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory. May his meaty sauce be forever abundant, RAmen.

I beleive in the christian god. But I think the bible is bull shit.

I don't think about religion. Does that make me athiest? I don't know. I just don't think about it. I believe there might be something out there, but I don't believe in going to church. Mostly because it is boring and I'd prefer to sleep.

I'm agnostic :L

>>68 same

I don't really know what religion yet but I've found Wicca to be the closest to what I actually believe

Personally, I hate it when people fight over what name they call God(s) by. It has been the single greatest cause of war in all of history.

Since I find fault with every religion(don't take it personally unless you're a Scientologist), I kinda made up my own. Fortunately I'm not asked about my religion to have been doused with holy water yet. My religion does have multiple gods, mainly because the original God, no matter how omnipotent, is a single conciousness and therefore cannot do everything on its own.

Back to the first paragraph, it really doesn't matter what name you call God by, because God is much like the Dollars. A colorless, faceless entity wi-

God's new name is Dara-Dara Man.

And he's in the Dollars.

Deal with it.

>>72 haha nice

Personally, I have no problems with other peoples' religions. There's a truth in every religion and each religion is very interesting to learn about. The only problem I might have is if someone tries to force their religion on you.

>>73 Agreed. (the fault I find with most religions IS that they try to force theirs on you.)

Personally, I dont believe in any "God", but I dont judge others on there own religions because I dont like when its done to me.

Personally i think this thread will end up going out of control.

>>76 lol 75 posts in it hasn't. But then again this thread is pretty old and the amount of idiot faggots to intellectual ratio has been increased, so maybe it will go out of control.

**75 posts discussing religion. That's what I meant if you didn't get me.

>>65 Damnit, you beat me to this. lol

Well, I go to a Unitarian Universalist congregation, and I'm agnostic. My father is a minister so I get a lot of his religious sense rubbed off on me.

I'm most likely an atheist, I haven't really explored much. I guess I think that whatever you believe to be real, is real, but only in your eyes, not necessarily the eyes of someone else.

Same in regards to the afterlife, but I believe that I, personally, will be reincarnated into a variety of different universes after I die. Is that a part of any religion?

atheist. i have nothing against religion, but where's the proof?

I think that every religion does or did have a logical purpose in human survival for specific regions. Also believe that some parts of the bible/koran/tora are actual fact, and some are Metaphors, ex: Adam and Eve bite into the fruit from the tree of knowledge, which destroys paradise: The lesson being that the more "Knowledge" we attain as a species, the more we destroy our environment:Rain forests/Exxon/Gulf Oil spill/etc.
Now, I choose to believe, because I have had a lot of stuff happen to me over the years, and I can't even count the number of times I should have died if I wasn't just a cm to the left! Not to mention I have tested the Karma theory, and it had proven true to me. Now that's just me though. Faith is something that is proven only to oneself through experience, and cannot/nor should not be shoved onto others, otherwise, it has the opposite effect.
But one true idea, regardless of whether or not one has belief, there is always balance. The idea that 2 opposites can not exist without each other, light/dark, up/down, good/evil, pain/pleasure, sadness/joy, YIN/YANG.
And it is unfortunate that it takes only 1 or 2 people to take advantage of an idea that people want to believe, and twist it to their own agenda. That makes normal people who believe look bad.
Closed minded people who just "Know" they're right without hearing anyone else is just irritating, (religious extremest and extreme atheists).....not all atheists, just the ones who get into people's faces and say that anything that resembles a cross is incredibly offensive.

......I got to work on minimizing my rants.....

Agnostic: There's no proof for a god, but there's no proof against one either.

As far as god goes, I don't believe there is one. But if you believe that there is a god, that's fine too. My beliefs are kinda Daoist, and somewhat Buddhist. I say kinda because I only have a partial understanding of Daoism, and so far, what I know makes sense to me. I believe that there is some kind of underlying ebb and flow to the universe. I'm not a fatalist though, like I don't think everybody's life is governed by it, in a predetermined way. I believe you should help others and take responsibility for yourself in the broadest sense of the word. I'm really awed by nature, and as a result I've come to view ALL life as precious, which is probably why I'm so strongly pacifistic. As silly as this probably sounds, I try to avoid walking on the grass as much as possible. It just seems like a logical thing to do if you hold all life as precious. >_>

I learned of daoism in 7th grade hist. I just felt like saying that.

no wait, i found a god. All Hail God Eneru

>>86 Derp, if a God's weakness is Rubber, then he is no God.

Gave it up in the 7th Grade

i think its awesome there are some fellow pastafarians here.
but i also follow dudeist principals, aka the tao of the dude. the teachings of dudeism.

on another note i am really into old norse paganism. and i like to study the history and teachings of all religions. so ive learned alot about theology. and now im interested in psychology and neurotheology.

>>89 what is neurotheology? o.o sounds complicated XD

I'm simply an atheist
Religion doesn't just make sense to me, so I just continue life as how science says though
But I totally respect religious people, and I don't mind telling them God loves them and stuff if it helps them

>>90 You're using an Internet-connected device, Google it >_>

I'm Catholic. That is all. (Christian -3- Catholic)

Ignostic christianity bump.

Atheist - There is no such thing as [a] "god(s)".
Agnostic - There could be such a thing as [a] "god(s)"[, but I don't know/care].
Ignostic - There is such a thing as [a] "god(s)" depending on what is meant by the term "god(s)".
Theist - There is such a thing as [a] "god(s)".

Be back later to actually read this thread. I'm kinda pumped!

Bump it.

I'm mostly catholic, I hate church, but I'm still catholic ^^
Im also a little bit of Shinto, though. i like the idea that all things in nature are sacred :D

This is a very ineresting (and long) thread...
RELIGOUS(or non religous or anything inbetween)BUMP!

OH..an im a christian!non-dinom
*i personally do see that believing in jesus and what he did for me as a relationship,and say even though i am christian,i dont see christianity as being somthing that is key for my life and what i truley stand for.RELATIONSHIP WITH MY CHRIST FIRST
THEN MY CHRISTIANITY...i PERSONALLY believe they're two TOTALLY DIFF THINGS!

>>91
Bump for this guy! You are all kinds of pro for what you said there, man. That takes a kind of maturity beyond what most people, regardless of age, have. Hats off to you.
>>91

Scratch what I said, bump for him and so many others of varying beliefs above. I'm amazing at the level of civility taking place while discussing religion. This is the Dollars shining bright.

>>99 I agree. I would have expected far more ranting, accusations, and denial in any other forum.

This is funny, a rant full of cussing and shit at the Occupy Wall Street thread in Missions while no type of faggotry in this thread.

Proof that politics are uglier than religion, or lack thereof?

>>101 God damns America! Everyone's going to hell! God Hates Fags and Fag Enablers! The only way to save yourself is to preach at funerals and tell everyone they're horrible people!

amidoinitrite.jpg?

>>101 Honestly surprised... usually I stay out of conversations involving politics and religion, for the reason that both tend to be uncomfortable, controversial, and get ugly fast.

100+ posts strong and this one doesn't seem to have any sort of ass-backwards dumbshi-

>>104

:I goddammitMKOLLER.

bump

I'm technically a Catholic, but I don't have faith. I'm not religious, but I'm not completely Atheist either.

I see Science as the better option out of the two for understanding life and the world.

I see Religion as a magnificent source of morality and ethnicity except, of course, the "bad" ones.

That pretty much sums up my beliefs. But sometimes, poking fun on Religion's stupidity is quite fun. I don't hate religion as a whole though. I just find it stupid to "devote" your life to some imaginary dude in the skies, and to believe that "he" created everything in this world. Other than that, I'm cool with religion and the great things it has done for humanity and the world as a whole.

"That moment when you forget why you entered the room? That's God playing The Sims. He just cancelled your action."

One of my favorite things to think about are "What if"s, and one day someone presented me with this one. I lol'd.

I'm an agnostic in the sense that I don't find any point in debating about it.
I can form my own opinions from facts and reasoning, I don't need to have an internet shoutfest with a bunch of teenagers.

I do admire how religion has been used to control people, though.
Can't have a functioning religion based upon simple ideas, you've got to be smart about it.

personally i am an agnostic, but i don't shoot down religion itself, i believe that religion if taken in moderation teaches you humility, spirituality, kindness, but it cannot solve your problems, you have to figure things out for your self, to experience the world, learn things that will change your view, and further your experience in the world... sorry to go all philosophical on you guys but this is what i believe.

Will write it short. The first religion i have been introduced to was through anger, instilling fear of exclusion and by pointing out the impact on my survival should I refuse to submit myself to bondage. I have never truly believed in the sentimental parts of the holy scriptures and dogmas this religion represented, nor could I ever in true certainty determine weither I can truly identify myself as an actual believer. So I didn't really *quit* any "religion" because i have never really was a part of any. Identifying yourself (of being identified) with a group or idea doesn't really make you part of it if you are not completely convinced. Most of the time the dogmas of many religions really openly present the fact that it's not your decision if you are a believer or not.

But in any case... It is in your choice to follow the self-humiliation by disrespecting what is there for you to utilize. Most importantly your doubts. This is my personal verdict now. I will not try to contain any anger, fury, mockery and anything unpleasant "flying" at the people who disregard and disrespect their own feeling of doubt. If you do it, you deserve it. It's the first and foremost thing that protects us (because preventing/evading > enduring in self protection) from true harm: the one caused to our consciousness (if one believes it exists and has potential in being permanent... think soul)

Should any power/entity/idea/whatever manifest and try to convince me it has absolute authority over my existence, has created me in my whole and whatever other things but happens to fail by being unable to confront and resolve my doubts, it's false. I believe that if our species and our consciousnesses/souls were created by, are governed/influenced by that, it will be the one power transcending your doubts, not trying to force you to ignore/disregard them. I so far, have not witnessed/experienced the *absolute/incontrovertible*

As for now, i have no doubts in my self honesty. And with all the honesty that I have, I can say that i don't really care what happens, what we are, or what will become of us but if the opportunity presents for us to obtain the truth, I won't mind experiencing it in whatever form it really is.

Not agnostic. But there should be a god. How he looks like...no idea. What he does and how he does it... no idea. No idea.

But I believe that there is a god. maybe in the form of a community or the world itself. But there should be a god.
Nevertheless,it isn't wrong to have your own principles as long as it doesn't kill.

Im Christian but ive bean thinking about dropping rligion completely, i what i do wise. i will allways beleive jesus is our saviour.
i just think the bible is unfare in many ways.
not to slander but i feel like religion holds people back, for me at least.

It depends on the situation I'm in. Sometimes, I know theres a ghost in my room because my body shocks or something... And I believe that God can save me from this evil creature.. :l But I don't use his name just for that, I pray at night too.

I strongly believe that when we die, we don't go to heaven or hell, but our souls will go to another planet or universe. This is what I think...

I was raised Jewish, but I guess the best way to describe myself is a hopeful agnostic =D

im more of a philosopher of many religions just because they are all so facinating. so i guess im Pagan/Catholic/cultist/buddhist lol im alot

well im cristian but that dosn't really affect the way i live much, and when it comes to other peoples faiths i dont really care much. as long as ur a nice guy to me ill be a friend to u.

Personally, I don't have any problem with religion, and I do consider Atheist a religion. Really no problem, It's just that when people shove it in other's face that it becomes a problem for me. "Remember, it's not enough that you know you're 100% right, you also have to be a dick to anyone who thinks differently from you!" -southpark

>>119 Mind elaborating why you consider Atheism a religion?

I think I may be the only person who says this. I don't really know skipped most of the threads, But I am a muslim =D anybody else out there like me?
The only thing is I'm not hardcore must do everything to the books' way, have to convert people. No I'm just a normal person, just going to school and trying to make a living.

Personally, I consider Atheism a religion just because it's a belief/life style that is commonly brought up in relation to the question "what religion are you?"

But since the answer varies between "I'm an Atheist" and "I'm not religious, I'm an Atheist", it makes things vague. So, I change my definition of "Religion" to be "philosophical life style" - So Atheism then fits into that definition.

>>120 I consider Atheism a religion because it is the belief that there is no god. Also, it (like other religions) has it's extremists who try to shove it down everyone's throat. Not all, mind you, just a handful that get more media attention that give others of the same group a bad name..... It's pretty much a religion.

>>123
Except without doctrine or creed. >_>

bump!

Idk bout you guys but my creed kicks ass

Well I believe in a thing called deism. If ya'll don't kow what it means here: Deism in the philosophy of religion is the standpoint that reason and observation of the natural world, without the need for organized religion, can determine t...hat a supreme being created the universe. Further the term often implies that this supreme being does not intervene in human affairs or suspend the natural laws of the universe. Deists typically reject supernatural events such as prophecy and miracles, tending to assert that God (or "The Supreme Architect") has a plan for the universe that is not to be altered by intervention in the affairs of human life. Deists believe in the existence of God without any reliance on revealed religion, religious authority or holy books. This idea is also known as the Clockwork universe theory, in which God designs and builds the universe, but steps aside to let it run on its own. So yep. There's my answer. :)

Posted threads before About my opinion, I met so many people who are of so many different religions/religious sects, and they treated me so well and were great humans.. I dont think god will send them to hell for worshipping him wrong. I actually dont know if there is a god.. I have to hope there is one because I dont want people like hitler to end up on the same plane as people like my friends and family. There has to be a reason to stay good, and when Shit hits the fan and i have no power to do shit who do i ask for help if everyone i know cant help me.. I dont know i guess i just believe in a god so i can keep smiling :), i wonder who feels the same.

>>119 Well by your definition PETA is a religion.

Oh random thought, the Philippines needs to fix this shit and how the catholic church are interfering with legislature.. Separation of Church and state sadly is a phrase that is nonexistent in Philippines

>>127
Amen, or something like that.

>>123 Uh... That's not what Atheism is. Being an Atheist means taht you believe in a higher power or are spiritual in some way, but you do not fit into any official religion. I believe you're referring to Agnosticism.

>>130 that*

I am a sort of Atheist, although I suppose I would be referred to as a "Cult Leader". I have my own system of beliefs that I created and shared with my friends, many of whom have agreed to follow the same creed and beliefs that it introduces. Just because it's technically a cult, though, doesn't mean that it's something bad. I detest the bad rep anything that isn't some form of major religion receives from the public.

Still, I have nothing against believers of other religions or anything. I only dislike those who try to shove their beliefs down your throat. I don't care what a person believes -- it'll all work itself out in the end, right?

>>130 "atheism, in general, the critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or spiritual beings."

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/40634/atheism

"Agnosticism is the position of believing that knowledge of the existence or non-existence of god is impossible. It is often put forth as a middle ground between theism and atheism."

http://skepdic.com/agnosticism.html

Whoops, forgot the wikipedia entries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism

Well, insertneme cleared it up but I have my post ready so whatever:P

>>130 No that's really not what atheism means. If you take into account its origin, 'theos' meaning 'god' in greek, then 'atheos' means 'godless' and that's where you get atheism from, which basically means you reject the existence of any kind of deity. Agnosticism means you're not sure or that you believe it can't be known. For cases in which you believe in a higher being out there but not a conventionally defined one I don't really know what you would call it. Just theism?

While on the subject I'd like to say I don't thin atheism could be classified as a religion. As a belief maybe, even if it's the belief in the absence of something rather than in a thing itself, but a religion I think implies some sort of structure or dogma that atheism just doesn't have.

Damn getting roots up in here.
What i always thought agnosticism(?) was is just a way of says i dont believe in a god, but im not fully denying the possiblity of one. I could be wrong, but i dont really care.

>>136 That's pretty much what I think it is too. Kind of a middle ground.

I'm just plugging this again because it is the forgotten love child of this type of discussion; Ignosticism.

"Ignosticism is a theological position that the subject of debate (god or gods) has not been coherently defined. This goes one step further than agnosticism. Whereas agnosticism states that 'you can't really know either way' regarding the existence or non-existence of God, ignosticism posits that 'you haven't even agreed on what you're discussing.'"


Here is the wikipedia article to get you started; but you should really research elsewhere: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignosticism

I tried reading all the answers, but there are far too many! So... I have just given up on it.
P.S.: I'm pagan

DAMNIT. Sorry. I got the two mixed up again XD

I believe in God. I believe he's looking out for me. There's just been too much "coincidence" in my life that I can't NOT believe in Him.

That's my take on it anyway.

I'm not sure what I believe in. Maybe just living a good life. :/

>>142 Amen
>>141 Then the ones who are begging the streets 2 blocks away that i cant help, and they are 8 years old... who is looking after them. Things like that make me not believe in the looking out for me stuff people say.. what did those kids do to not deserve being looked after.. and many other social depravity issues

My opinion about religion is that it is a manmade thing that was made in a primitive time to help control the actions of primitive people through fear. I think that it's time to give up on such things and live life as it is intended to be lived. To the fullest and for people you know exist and can interact with.

The reason I believe what I do is because well for one, I'm not an idiot and I don't believe everything I'm told. Especially not if what I'm being told is to worship an invisible man in the sky who is supposedly protecting our world that the more you look at it appears to be decaying slowly because of human greed.
My beliefs seem to allow me to have more freedom in life. I don't have to get up every Sunday and apologize for being born, and I don't have to worry about whether or not what I do pleases the invisible man in the sky.
I hold no scorn towards the people who don't think like I do because if everyone thought as I did life would be dull. I like how different everyone sees their time on this giant rock we call Earth. I also like how easy it is to make extremely religious people do EXACTLY what you want. It's AWESOME.


Also, I'd appreciate it if religious old women would stop accusing me of being a manipulative homosexual man indoctrinating younger boys into joining me in my sinful ways. Shit's not cool.

I'm a Catholic. I dedicate all of my life to God. From Him, I came. To Him, I shall return.

I respect others for what they believe in simply because I don't have any right to tell them what or who to believe in. And I believe that I don't have to spread Christianity but the Word of God. Let the hearers do the rest.

Get the fuck out. Seriously. Get out right now.

i follow my own.

Theravadan Buddhist

Whats that thing where you have no proof there is a god but there is also no proof that there isn't?

>>149 Agnostic

I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormon). I am a strong believer in the concept that the commandments of God are not restrictions but instead is the secret to happiness as now I am not bound by the inevitable burden of sin with obedience to those commandments.

I'm an atheist. I dislike religion because it seems a bit primitive to me; we aren't cavemen, bedazzled by the rain or awestruck by fire, and needing explanations for such. We have the explanations!

However, I'm cool with letting people believe whatever lets them sleep at night and wake up happy.

I'm Christian, Lutheran to be more specific. I'm not very religious at all, but I don't appreciate it when people mock Christianity.

Agnostic Atheist.

I don't mind religion. I think it's unfair people blame religion for so many world problems. To be honest, I'm pretty sure humans would find some other way to create wars and discriminate against one another without it.

im also agnostic. anyways...

>>155 I agree with this for wars taking place NOW and over the past couple hundred years, but without religion and therefore popular support for many of the wars many centuries and millenia ago would not have happened. some of them MAY still have happened for different reasons,but a lot of them, i think, would not have happened at all.

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormon). I am a strong believer in the concept that following the commandments of God is not restricting, because obeying the commandments allows me to be free from the inevitable consequences and burdens of sin.

I have a testimony in my religion because of the Book of Mormon and my belief in modern day revelation. Both of these factors are really what makes being a Mormon so unique because both The
Book of Mormon, and modern day revelation from a living prophet strengthen and compliment the testimonies written in the Bible, as well as correcting what was lost in translating the Bible.

Although I have had a lot of doubts and arguments with myself on this issue, I do have a strong faith in God. I am a Seventh Day Advantist. I have only one goal in my faith: to believe only what is correct.

To complete this goal means I have to learn and know a lot, and really be open minded. I know people can be "good" and "evil" but that is a matter of choice and circumstance.

I am very saddened by how terrible people are at seeing things for what they are. They more often try to find any other explination for it, be it for convinace or stubborness, or anything else. They create new ideas, sometimes religions even, because they won't look at both the big and small picture for what it is.

I am wrong a lot. I don't agree with everything my own church says. I know I have a lot to learn. The thing is, it is perspective that determines who and how you are.

If we don't look at eveything, if we don't question it, then we will never understand life, and never be able to make great improvements and advancements; to help, to understand.

My faith is only one thing in the end: I believe what is true. I believe that reality is worth seeing at face value, because if we can understand it, we can change it for the best.

I have faith in most science. There is at least a bit of truth in everything. And, most importantly, I believe and have faith in the fact that I am wrong, a lot. But not about this.

Yo, just gonna bump this and change my position.

Right now I am a Pastafarian, part of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and I follow two variations of the Jedi code, the original, and the one established by Grand Master Luke Skywalker. I believe that what I believe in is true, and that whatever someone else believes in is also true.

Although, in regards to the afterlife, I now believe I'll turn into an inter dimensional time traveller and go through the multiverse like Professor Paradox. Maybe even make a brief appearance in the Pastafarian heaven to peruse the Beer Volcano and Stripper Factory. Also, I'll dress like a pirate the entire time. Ah, pirates.

well akward to say but im a satinist or i worship the devil also does my older brother but my little brother, mom, dad and sister are catholics or how ever you spell it anyways me and my brother worship the devil so when we go to church we sit outside on the curb untill its over and the priest always frowns when he see's me so i feel left out that no one really likes me is that ture that me and my brother are the only satinists

well akward to say but im a satinist or i worship the devil also does my older brother but my little brother, mom, dad and sister are catholics or how ever you spell it anyways me and my brother worship the devil so when we go to church we sit outside on the curb untill its over and the priest always frowns when he see's me so i feel left out that no one really likes me is that ture that me and my brother are the only satinists

>>161
I'm very curious. If it doesn't bother you could you explain your beliefs in some detail?

Satanists dont worship the devil they worship nature, the actual worship of the devil is Luciferianism.

My thinking changed since I posted in here. So just updating. I don't know why I feel the need to do so.

I dislike religion. For different reasons.

Also just a full-blown atheist now.

I am a non-practicing Christian.
I believe Christ died for our sins, and that the stories that come from the Bible are true, not only through faith, but also because science has proven many of them true.
I hate organized religion however, but do think there is something in spirituality instead.

Atheist. That's it.

I`m an Athiest. I`m yet to see any proof of "God", so I don`t buy into that religion stuff.

>>168 I've **

The day Sleepology corrects someone on grammar.

Mother of God.

Loljk :'D

Well, I'm Christian. I have my reasons, but I'm not going to try to explain them and get in a fight with someone. I promise not to try to ram my religion down your throat if you promise to not ram yours down mine.

>>168 Have you noticed the difference?

'''''''''''''''''''''
`````````````````````

One is an apostraphe. The other isn't. Can you guess which is which? DING, YOU GOT IT: NOT THE ONE YOU'RE USING! Please use the right apostraphe key. (Pssst it's next to your right pinky!)

Sorry. Just, pet peeve. It's really annoying to try to read your posts. Everything just flows wrong o=o

>>172 Like I said in my E-Mail for the code, the ` is the grave accent.

The only people who are religious are idiots because none of them have had it truly hard in life like they've always had it OK or easy in life.

What kind of god would such bad things happen? A horrible one. If there was a god I believe he's not god but just a higher power and he created us weaker than him so he looked almighty.

Also he would have created us because he's so fucking bored he wants to create something then just play with the fuck out of it and throw it a way.

That's how I think the supposed "God" sees us just as a used up fucking toy.

>>174 I don't know about the part with the only people into religion being the ones who've never had it bad in life.

I thought it was the other way around. That people who have been through a lot of shit tend to cling to religion as their last resort to somehow make sense of life and have something to hold onto.

How they reconcile the supposed kindness of god with all the misfortune they've been through I don't really know, but there's a lot of people that after recovering from addiction, various serious diseases and such find themselves with a renewed faith in god and claim that believing got them through it. Religion works really well on people in suffering.

>>174 what if it's all(life) a test to see who has blind faith and follows god till death?
sure he just watches, but if it is just a "test" per se we could all just be failing misserably.
and this is just my opinion of course.

I'm Wiccan. I believe in it because it's what I was raised around. My mom and her mom were both Wiccan, so I've been around it my entire life. Honestly, I don't care what you are, as long as you don't try and convert me~ And aye, it does indeed govern my life to some extent. I don't want bad Karma~ Bad Karma is bad. And scary. owo

>>176 But what's the fucking point? A god that creates souls just to damn them to hell?

That's horrible. He creates this hell to damn people for an eternity, but he says he loves everyone.

The thing is the supposed free-will bullshit preachers try to pull about us having free will is stupid. So if we have free will then apparently we choose to do bad things.

But they say god plans our life from the start so that means he plans or at least knows, that his children are going to be raped, murdered or something just plain evil happen to them.

That's why I can't look at religion right because a god who plans for that or even just lets that happen is horrible and I would never follow such a god.

Then, there is the subject of the devil. They say the devil "created" evil. That can't be true because god created everything apparently so he created evil then or at least knew it was coming because he apparently so fucking omnipotent.

>>175 That's because they have nothing to hold onto and are either under huge stress and in turmoil with their heads not on right or they're dying.

Because religion is free, so people do this because in the ways of the world it is said everyone turns to religion in times of crisis is that is buried into their subconscious, so when they have a crisis they don't even think about it's been etched into their brain by the religious jackasses and then their like "Oh well everyone else is doing it in times of crisis so why don't I?"

Then they turn to the closest religion say their previous, childhood, or the religion their close friends believe in.

That's why people in crisis turn to religion and when they get out of crisis they've already had the religion so far etched into their brain they somehow become stupid enough to see their turmoil as a present from god and go on with their life as that religion, unless they realized what a huge dipshit they are.

Also I'm an atheist but I believe in peace with ones mind and soul, you know like meditation and what not..

>>178 Since you seem to be all out attacking Christianiy, i'll try to defend it with what little i know about the religeon... Correct me on this stuff if im wrong, guys.

Youre the type of person that gives athiesm a bad name... Youre shoving it down everybody's throat. And also, going all out against the Christian religeon doesnt much help prove your point.

First off, God didnt create hell. Hell was created when God cast Lucifer out of heaven for being a usurping SOB.

Secondly, God doesnt exactly plan our lives. He gives them a vague outline. And, maybe these peoples souls need to go through that hardship, just to learn from it?

Thirdly, We have the free will to be good, to be bad, or to be neutral. We're born with our souls being completely neutral, having both the ability to be bad or be good. If a good person does bad things, that doesnt necisarily make him bad and means hes going to hell, and if a bad person does good things, that doesnt necisarily mean hes good.

God didnt create evil. Its just ying/yang. WIthought evil, our existance couldnt be. To have everything be light and good and happy isnt possible. How would we learn?

>>181 now, im not Christian at all. I dont think much of what they say in the Bible is right, but... Its loathesome to attack another persons beliefs, just because youre against them.

>>180

Your name and opinions lead me to believe you're in the stereotypical "very philosophical teen" age bracket, but that's neither here nor there.

Religion isn't just christianity/catholicism, or any of the judeo-christian bases. You have Sat-sans, satanists (it would do one well to educate themselves regarding this before denouncing it), hinduism, buddhism, spiritualization through meditation, etc.

You have seem to have a major problem with christianity - Fine, that is entirely your choice. But saying "I hate religion" while only being knowledgeable regarding a single branch of it is akin to saying "I hate asians" when the only asian you know just happens to be a jackass.

There are a lot of religions out there, and they practice and believe in various things. Religion doesn't equate to god, it's just a practiced way of life - Some use it for social networking, other use it for an excuse to bring some form of spirituality in their life.

Condemning the different facets of this because of you take issue with a single side of a single branch of religion out of countless is extremely short-sighted.

>>183 I said religion? Fuck. I meant Christianity. Sorry if I offended others.

>>181 But still I'm not out right attacking a am I?

No. I'm not, I'm stating the things I believe, and your attacking me for stating these things? I believe the christian god is a horrible son of a bitch? Well that's what I believe.

Don't be a fucking stupid hypocrite who says they want peace but your saying right out against what I believe, I'm all good and well for what others believe trust me but they need to be informed of the other things not just attached to Christianity.

So next time you see something that's against Christianity, like say someone who is "hating" on it, say well (state your facts) and let them state theirs and be on your way, they will take in the info you've given them and as should you take in the info they gave you.

>>183 Oh also to pretty much all of the dollars my name is meaningless, literally. It was the name of one of my friends on some game when I was like 8.. I just what I used to use on online games and such a couple years later because well it's an alright name, I don't give a shit about what it seems like it means. So when I joined the dollars last year I just thought about how this was something online, and I was like " Eh, it's not like ti means something, it's a stupid name, only a title, not many people actually start a basis of my actual character off of it."

Also no I'm not one of those "Philosophical teens". I don't believe in god, I do believe in a more Buddhist way of life, but not a nirvana like some kind of spiritual bliss just a spiritual peace with everything. I have believed in this way of life for quite a while.

>>185 I don't think Ayanavi made a single comment about.... Well, any of those things. Are you typing just so you can hear the noises your keyboard makes?

I'm sure there are better places to do that.

>>186 Well I got sort of pissed that I was judged on by my name and called a philosophical teen, so I started to rant and wasn't really thinking about what I was typing at the moment..

>>187 And I simply passed right over her first sentence, apparently.

But really, if it pissed you off that much... Perhaps you should consider a name change, and be less trigger-happy. You'll look less like a kid in the "very philosophical teen age bracket," as Ayanavi put it.

And you'll sound less like a douche. Just take a deep breathe and chill before you go writing responses out of anger.

/derail. I'll put my own views/answers up here... Eventually. I'm far too lazy to try and explain it all in a single post right now.

>>184 Im not attacking you, nor bring a hypocrite. Im just irritated that youre attacking peoples religeon. And attacking you are. I wasnt attacking you, i was defending Christianity.

I'm wiccan, personally. The main reason is because I've always believed in the things that it mentions, so when I saw that it was a religion, I decided to join it.The other reason is because it doesn't really go against science, unlike christianity, I was atheist (Hell, I still act atheist) before, so, yeah.

I don't really believe in anything, I just don't think that there is some all powerful being out there controlling everything, however I also don't believe the scientists veiws that some stuff smaller than an atom but containing a huge amount of energy exploded, and in this explosion created more matter than anti-matter (explosions have equal amounts of both).
The people who do believe, I have nothing wrong with that, it's only when you try to force it onto others.
For example, at my school we have motivation days (which make everyone less motivated) where christian talk to use about God and Jesus, they made us write down, on butchers paper, stuff about religion so we drew the swastika and pentagrams and all that type of stuff, they were not impressed. We all thought it was funny.

Well, I'm Christian, I don't really like the connotations that come with that word. Let's put it this way. I promise not to shove my beliefs down your throat if you promise not to shove yours down mine.

I believe in God, I believe in Jesus. I don't believe that the Bible is 100% literal, I believe that most of it (particularly creation) is more like parables.

I started questioning things when I first started doing in depth reading of the Bible in VBS. I realized that 1) Genesis has the creation of "land animals" twice and 2) there were other people on earth when Adam and Eve left Eden. Anyone want to argue with that? Well who the hell did Cain marry then? I eventually came to the conclusion that it's just a story. Besides, if the world was created in seven days then what about evolution? So here you have it, a Christian that believes in evolution. We do exist.

I decided that although the Bible is mostly stories rather than fact God still exists. Why? I've had my own experiences that make me believe. As promised, I won't go shoving them down your throats. Besides, what's the point? If you believe in God, you do, if you don't, no number of stories on my part will change your mind.

>>192 I am disappointed in your grammar, Anu.

>>193, I am sleep deprived and rambling if you want grammar come back at five tomorrow.

So I am atheist and I am a republican. I don't shove my religion down anyone's throats and most religions besides mine piss me off cause my parents have been shoving their religions down my throat. I don't 'love' god and I don't love Satan. I don't usually yell my athieisim to the world. This is one of the few times I've stated it the way I want to. :)

I'm like Anubis. :)
I am a Christian and I also believe in Christ. Unlike all the stereotypes our society has placed upon us, I will not shove my beliefs down your throat. I do not believe that there is any problem with homosexuality because love is love. I never chose to fall in love with a particular gender. I fell in love for one's personality.

There are some great things in the Bible (do not steal, respect your parents, love your neighbor etc), but there are also things that are rather far fetched and hard to swollow. Everyone picks and choose what they like from religions. The variety is what makes the word unique.

I grew up in a Buddhist home and I respect that religion. I also follow some of its beliefs and traditions. It's a big part of my culture. So I've taken a little bit of Christianity and Buddhism.

I honestly repsect everyone's different religion. I really like to hear everyone's beliefs and their reasons for following that. We all have our reasons. There is not one of greater or of lesser value. That is my opinion.

Gotta be honest, imma Christian. And no i dont shove my beliefs down anybody else's throats because thats the point of it. Were all entitled to our own beliefs and thoughts. I dont judge people for who they are or what they do i have no right to do that.

That's it. This thread needs to be read by some of the narrow minded out there. You say Christians are unaccepting and then turn around and start lumping us all together like you know everyone of us. I promised not to ram my beliefs down anyone one's throat. That's not what I'm trying to do here. I want what everyone wants. To be free to believe in what I want without being judged. Stop lumping me in with people who have entirely different beliefs and values than I do. I don't lump everyone else into one group. Is it too much to ask for the same treatment?

*Sigh*
Ok, let me state an obvious thing that people tend to forget.
You should NOT judge an entire group based on the actions of a few.
It's just that simple. Really, it is.
Every faction, religion, cult (being a bit extreme here), fandom, ext. has a good and a bad side. Criticizing one without acknowledging the other is a critical error. Please review what you say before you say it. Thank you.

I'm atheist. I cannot see how a higher power could possibly exist. Rather, I believe that any unexplained phenomena are simply manifestations of scientific principles yet to be discovered. The answer to most, if not all questions can be answered through scientific research and philosophical inspection. While I do not believe in a higher power, I do believe that certain species may be more advanced than humans. These species, however, would not be akin to gods, and could be surpassed by human technology given sufficient time. Rather than allowing some god or deity to think for me, I prefer to search for whatever semblance of truth I wish to create on my own.

P.S. I do not wish to offend anyone with this comment. Rather than construing my last sentience as an insult to those who believe in a higher power, I would be grateful if you read it as "Because I cannot comprehend a higher power, I search for meaning on my own rather than attempting to allow another being to enlighten me."

>>200, It's fine. I'm not insulted. See, you're one of the reasonable atheists, not one who makes it their mission to change everyone's beliefs. I, honestly, can't wrap my head around a world where a higher power doesn't exist. We are all free to our own opinions.

I believe actions are what makes you truly human, otherwise your just another animal living to eat sleep survive eat sleep for onesself

I'm Lutheran. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me and all believers, and that through Him I will go to heaven.

But I fear that some people assume that because I'm Christian, I'm the stereotypical Christian who shuns everyone who doesn't believe what I do, is anti-gay, etc.

I have total confidence in what I believe. However, I respect what other people believe, even if it conflicts greatly with what I do. One of my closest friends is Pagan, for example, and while sometimes we have some awkward conversations in relation to beliefs, it doesn't change anything between us.

I live trying to be the best person that I can, especially to other people regardless of who they are or what they believe. I'm in no way perfect, but I think that a lot of problems would be solved if more people had that sort of attitude toward each other (that might sound cheesy, but I think its true.)

I'm an existential nihilist (I know it's more of a philosophy than a religion, but its what I believe in). Basiacally, I believe that everything simply exists an has no intended purpose or meaning. We're just...here.

Religion is the opiate of the masses. Only used to control and intimidate humanity into doing certain things, and controlling their actions. Religion plays of off the simple psychological and sociological truth that humans need something to live for, to believe in, so their lives feel worthwhile. When society feeds into the bullshit of one religion, they find their purpose, and then devote their life to it. For those with very empty lives, they go to extremes and become extremists for that certain religion...
Then those extremists change the way everyone looks at a certain religion, causing people who don't believe to fear it.

I absolutely despise religion.


But I do believe there is something in spirituality.

>>208 i believe this way to an extent. I can not see myself following an organized religion, there are too many people who are a part of it or have been a part of it that I can not trust. any little thing could have been altered at any given time and not recorded, or interpretation may have been manipulated to get people to think the way that they wanted them too.

That being said,I do not judge those who believe in a religion, unless they are being misinformed assholes about it (even the god damned Vatican has admitted that the proof of evolution is too hard to dispute, yet there are so many people who believe that to think that way is heresy. It's a little beyond the point, but i still it can still be used as an example. And with all the events and intricate, complicated things that go into our world, I find it hard to believe that no higher power played a part in it. I think that there's a more abstract way of thinking we may not even be able to comprehend in order to understand god, so i think a two thousand year old book may not be the best way of trying to tell people how to serve God.

>>209 Bingoo.

Just as a reminder, most religions accept evolution and there's only an extremely small percentage on people that don't. I don't need proof of god. I love mystery and look up to god whenever I am feeling down and depressed. God helped me get through touch times and for that, I thank him. I do have Athiest friends and religious friends alike. We argue occasionally but always end up laughing at why we were arguing in the first place. I will always be Catholic no matter what happens.

>>211 there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. There need to be more dedicated religious people like you. Hell, I have a white athletic Mormon friend who's best friend is an Asian atheist that who never does any sports. That's what i feel needs to happen more often.

Also, i know the evolution thing isn't really as big a problem as it once was, but when you do find people who don't believe in it, their ignorance can be suffocating.

a discordian catholic... things called right or wrong does not matter. all there is there is.

i believe in a force that creates life. all gods are equal. names are but names. i believe that we are "gods", that force that creates. and thus, i also believe in magic. i believe that we choose what we will. we create.

i doubt that there will be a punishment in the afterlife. we only did the things we knew how to do.

to summarize the nonsense i have typed, FAITH MAKES EVERYTHING REAL. nothing can be proven right nor wrong without the will to do so.

I'm Christo-wiccan.

I believe in the Christian god, but at the same time I believe in using witchcraft to control my life.

I realise that stating that in itself is an oxymoron, because Christian beliefs entail regarding witchcraft as a tool of the devil, but if you really think about it, the power of the words in spellcasting is the same as the power of words when praying to God. Rather than casting spells intended to be heard by Pagan Gods, my spells are intended to be heard by the Christian God.

This doesn't mean that I practice black magic, I admit that I used black magic a lot in high school in order to control people around me and make them do what I wanted (Sorry, Kevin XD), but I try not to practice black magic anymore because of the three-fold principle. These days, I practice good black magic or pure white magic.

Still having religion confusion, but agnostic atheist.

However if one were to try and put me in any one religion, the one closest to me would be buddhism. Or pastafarianism. Aw yuss.

Evolutionary Christian. Can explain it further sometime but too tired now.

>>217 "fragment of the imagination" You mean figment. You're welcome.

"so they feel that everything is alright with the world" No. I believe because without God there would be no point to setting wrongs right.

"i also believe that people should do what they want to do....that means NO DRUGS." Do I even have to explain?

"i think that religious people are cute" "for me, afterlife can be whatever you want it to be. like... dragons. there could be dragons. and unicorns. everything you could ever want. or you could be reincarnated." And you patronize theists for seeking idealism?


I'm not criticizing your beliefs, because if you actually THINK about what you've told us, you'd realize that you have NO IDEA what you BELIEVE. I have a great deal of respect for many individuals that do not believe in God, but while you think "thats just weird" to many of others beliefs, you decide "while I live, I can do what the fuck ever I want without any relevance or consequence, and when I die... I BECOME SUPERMAN!"

I say this only because either you must put real consideration towards what it is you belleve (without the heavy contradictions) or admit that you don't know either.

>>218 then i apologize for whatever confusion i may have caused. i was really tired because i wrote that like right after school, and i don't believe in any religion because i was never made to believe in one. in truth, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO BELIEVE IN.(or even if i should believe in anything) and thinking that when you die is just rot in your coffin is somehow really depressing. so in actuality, i may have sounded like a stupid smart ass, but i really had no idea what i was talking about. and i was just making shit up as i went along.

and to me (as an eighth grader) figment and fragment have almost no difference. and setting wrongs right are only for someone to have a piece of mind. to know that you do not have to harvest any guilt. but, well, you believe what you want to believe, and lets end it here.

I believe in polytheism with many gods but also in Kami in all things.

I'm Atheist.

but if I had to chose one it would be Haruhiism, because of all the religions out there this on seems to be more fun.

the floor im the main hallway at school had sparkles on it today, I think it was trying to be fabulous

>>222
You can all go home. All other religious belief system pales in comparison to this.

FUN FACT OF THE DAY: Agnostics and atheists scored higher on a test about different religions than any other tested religion. Christians scored the lowest, and different denominations were also used in the study.
Now, to my plate of pasta. I'm an agnostic Buddhist.
Since I feel like many people may not know about Buddhism, or what I specifically believe in, I'll explain a bit.
I believe that a god is besides the point, and that humans aren't wired to know anyways. I believe that happiness (the most basic way I can describe the more appropriate term "enlightenment") in life will lead to a breaking of a continuous chain of rebirth, called reincarnation. To break this chain, I must reach a state called nirvana, which is when I am no longer bound by the sorrows of life. The Buddha had said that the feeling of nirvana was beyond words and without boundaries.
CORRECTED MISCONCEPTIONS:
-Reincarnation does not happen instantly.
-Nirvana is not "Heaven".
-There is evidence of reincarnation in the Bible
-The Buddha was NOT a god.

>>224 You know, if you brought up some study you could have at least been a sport and linked to it. Where does it apply? The US? Canada? Lichtenstein? The town you live in?

Adding to what >>224 said you dont need to be a buddhist to reach enlightment. The buddha exists in all life and our point of enlightment comes to us differently than others. Being happy is the best way to live, and I belive that sufering is beautiful because it helps others to atcheve a human revolution with in themselves and through that we make poison into medicen. Going through life is a beautiful journy for all life once we realize what it means to live.

Adding to what >>224 said you dont need to be a buddhist to reach enlightment. The buddha exists in all life and our point of enlightment comes to us differently than others. Being happy is the best way to live, and I belive that sufering is beautiful because it helps others to atcheve a human revolution with in themselves and through that we make poison into medicen. Going through life is a beautiful journy for all life once we realize what it means to live.

>>224
>The Buddha was NOT a god.

SO many people get this wrong and it annoys me

I believe in God. I do not believe in the "big bang" that created the Earth. I believe God made it and everything around us. And most of us have drifted away from him, but I have not. I don't really care if you believe or not because it's not like I can change your mind. I love everyone on this planet, good or bad, black or white, straight or gay, ftm or mtf. But I may disagree with you. But no hatred.

Be open minded and accept everything that is awesome, you're good to go.
Like believing in Shinto, Greek, European, and so on

...This.

>>232 lmao Pretty much.

I'm being serious- I'm not what you would call a believer of anything, I just want to see who (or what) comes out on top in the end. For all I know, the cult of Dagon is the "true" belief.

Historians say that Zoroastrianism is the oldest organized world-religion.
That being said, I'm Christian, so...(shrugs)

I do believe though that religions evolve; like how after Christ, Jews became Christians. Thing is, we branch out so horribly... I think the safest thing to do is after choosing your religion, study it yourself and don't go to church unless you're in need of spiritual guidance or more hands on you in prayer. More people are beginning to take this approach so that when people ask "what kind of Christian/Jew/Muslim/etc. are you", you're not in danger of being labeled.

I can't say what a "true religion" is. I've always thought it was the one that works out best for a person. My mom is a Buddhist and my dad is a Christian so I'm not even sure what my own religion is. I kinda carry beliefs from both religions so I guess I'm in the middle. Then again, being Buddhist doesn't mean not being Christian, at least that's what they taught me at temple.

I believe in higher powers, spirits, and things like charms being protective. I don't believe in wearing pants so I only wear skirts and dresses that come to my knees. Besides that, religion doesn't really "govern" my life a whole lot. Whoever thinks differently is cool with me. I got friends from different religions or who are atheist but we get along just fine! My philosophy is that your religion doesn't matter because everyone can think individually. It's nice having so many different beliefs anyway because it's interesting to learn about.

"Religion is an act, belief is what matters."

-Everyone near my area, myself included

>I don't believe in wearing pants
tfwnogfthatdontbelieveinpants

>>238 lol. Sir, I have no idea what that even means. Can you please tell me? It's confusing me. ^^

>>239 I don't believe in wearing pants. That feeling when you don't have a girlfriend that also doesn't believe in pants.

>>240 i think it was more them not getting why the person decided to post it, not that they couldn't read it.

>>240 Thank you for the translation, based Inu.

I don't speak Internet.

>>240 Thanks for the translation. I got lost for a moment there! ^^
>>241 I don't wear pants cause it's part of my beliefs not to. There are people who don't get it but I'm cool with it. ^^

necrobump.

I wouldn't say I have a religion. I don't put faith in anything. If I can't see it don't trust it and if I can see it, don't trust it. If I had to say what my beliefs are, I would say I bel8eve in a higher structured being. You can call this being 'God' but I wouldn't say that is its official name/ title. This might sound crazy, but I believe in the theory of stacks of narratives. Like how any book or movie we read/ watch is one narrative stack below us and how we can alter anything in those universes simply by writing it into existence. Well I believe that if a God exists we are nothing but fiction to it. We are something that can easily be modified in any way without our knowledge or understanding. In this theory we exist only as a source of entertainment. To our creator they might exist on an Earth like planet and they may be one of 8 billion humans. They probably would have a creator as well and the stacks of narratives would transcend upward by infinity. In the end it boils down to the first something in an omniverse of narratives each possibly containing an infinite multiverse. Our beliefs always boil back to creation, but I wouldn't have an answer to that.

I used to be Catholic, but there are so many misconceptions about the faith that I figured what it stood for was not truth and if an all powerful creator did exist I figured creating a fake religion for the world and trolling us would not be beneath it if they were human and in a theory of narratives a human can be all powerful to one narrative while insignificant to another.