There are many religious users on AG. There are also the irreligious. And there are those who don't care enough to pick a side. What or who do you believe in(God, Darwin, etc.) and why?
I do not believe that there is a God, but my problem is more with religion than theism. Since religion has been the excuse for more atrocities than anything else ever, a large proportion of religious teachings are hugely bigoted, and because I really like empirical things that I can observe and test, it leaves me cold at best, and deeply disturbed at worst. (I find evangelical christianity especially disconserting) In any case, our lives are fleeting, and should be spent on what we want, and not on the whims of an immortal being who has an eternity to do as they like.
Rereading that, I would like to point out that religion has given the world good things; a moral framework, great scientists (e.g. Bede), and architecture, but it's time is over.
This universe is so incredibly wild, I find it to be near impossible for there not to be something greater than us.
That being said, I'm not referring to the traditional concept of "god", but rather another level of existence. Perhaps a different universe with intelligent life capable of creating a simulated universe of their own.
Of course, this doesn't answer the question of what was the first thing to ever exist... it would be something humans are and will forever be incapable of comprehending. Similar to how fish have no idea and never will know that the universe exists. (edit: and this is the very reason I find it foolish to argue with certainty of any form of "God", or lack of one.)
So if it weren't for the Catholic Church's involvement in the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and its overall hypocrisy and debauchery, you might consider taking up religion?
i believe in a good personality, passion, dedication and dreams. life is a 1 time thing only that you have to embrace and get the best out of it.
i don't care about who, what or how it got together. because it doesn't matter. we live now. and we can only act in the now. 30 sec ago is the past. whatever you've done back then is history and unchangeable. 30 sec in the future is nothing more then a idea, a thought. we don't know what will happen within that time. maybe something happens that changes your whole idea of what you would be doing...
what i'm trying to say here is that life is short and it can change in a blink of a eye, both negative and positive. so be happy and enjoy what you have now. and don't get bothered by misses in the past. or get nervous for the future. because it is just a thought.. now, at this moment, everything is oke. and it feels good. just think about it.
So if it weren't for the Catholic Church's involvement in the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and its overall hypocrisy and debauchery, you might consider taking up religion?
No. I find the Bible, and all other religious texts, full of unreasonable, prejudiced and skewed propositions, sayings, and moral values. I am also against highly organized religion; it would be far better if so called mega-churches would just break up and disperse. I'm fine with personal and private worship, but some of these religious groups seem more akin to corporations, than spiritual houses.
Not to mention the fact that even if religions were reasonable, I don't think there's compelling enough evidence for God, and since I'm a fatalist, don't believe there would be anything to be lost in the long term if I ignored a God which did definitely exist.
I am a Christian. I believe that there is one true God that died on the cross to save my soul from the sins that I have committed. I believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I have dedicated my life to living as an example for Christ.
I was brought up in a Christian household, I hold true to my beliefs. I admit that it can get hard sometimes, especially with all of the persecution.
It's a broad category that includes, atheists (both explicit and implicit), people who are indifferent to religion, people who are opposed to organized religion (though they may believe in deities), agnostics, etc, etc. In sum, the absence of religion, an indifference towards religion, a rejection of religion, or hostility towards religion.
Pardon me, but there is no "ersecution" of Christians (At least in the US where you seem to live). Persecution indicates gross mistreatment usually through blunt violence and harassment, quite contrary to the situation in the States. If you were to state that there is persecution of Christians and the various minority Muslim sects in say, Syria, then that would be correct.
Pardon me, but there is no "ersecution" of Christians (At least in the US where you seem to live). Persecution indicates gross mistreatment, quite contrary to the situation in the States. If you were to state that there is persecution of Christians and the various minority Muslim sects in say, Syria, then that would be correct.
How would you know this sir? Do you live near me? Do you attend my School? Have you ever even been to Alaska? Please do not make assumptions and call me a liar without gathering accurate information. Good day.
How would you know this sir? Do you live near me? Do you attend my School? Have you ever even been to Alaska? Please do not make assumptions and call me a liar without gathering accurate information. Good day.
Let me rephrase it: There is no organized persecution on a large scale. Persecution generally has connotations of large sections of society actively mistreating other groups based on their religion, ethnicity, politics. When ISIS engages in sectarian violence, that is persecution.
I think it is possible for people to gather information and form impressions of the world, without actually physically being there if their sources are diverse and well established. So yes, I do feel it is possible and valid to state that there is no persecution of Christians in the States, given the normal, accepted meaning of persecution.
Of course there will be persecution on an individual level in any place, at any time. But to say that there is large scale persecution towards Christians in the States is hogwash.
The term "ersecution" has historically been applied to situations whereby there was large scale mistreatment. For example, the Spanish Inquisition and witch burnings, the Holocaust and anti-Jewish pograms, or the Moors in Spain. It generally points towards society level beliefs, hatred and actions. Given the rather comfortable position of Christians in the US today, I do not think my words came across too strongly or inaccurately.
Precision of speech is key here. There are different levels of persecution. Such as persecution in a small setting (i.e. school, social settings, etc.) and large scale persecution, which you are describing.
Looks like we have reached a point of agreement then!
Ok, aside, as a general post, I used to be a Buddhist, but I was a very lax one, as the particular strain of Chinese folk religion-Buddhism I happened to be introduced to due to my family was not particularly dogmatic. It was very relaxed in a way, and after a while, I made the decision that religion was just a wool over my eyes.
