What Is Your Religion?

[CherubHorse]

The last 2 things made absolutely no sense in terms of what we were debating.

It's just what we believe in.

There may not be a God

But I certainly believe in him.

If you really READ what I'm saying and try to understand....

You'd get it.

 

[StenoTim]

I believe that everything is real.

Every religion.

Everything that everyone believes in.

Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Paradise, everything under the sun.

If you put enough energy into something, it can have a life of its own.

Who knows, maybe we created everything that we believe in?

That's Chaos Magic in a nutshell!

And personally, I think that's a very good way to believe, or to conceptualize the power of belief itself.

 

[The Ultimate Doomer]

Also, to add to my last post...

That's really offensive to those who believe fully with their hearts, minds, and souls that they will go to Heaven if they are good on Earth and that God will reward them.

I wasn't being offensive; I was just saying what I think.

 

[XxX KennyLover XxX]

I'm agnostic and always have been. I am open to the concepts of every religion and every time I hear something of a religion I usually feel slightly more draw to it. I like the idea that each religion is like a giant family. Although wars created against each other for religious reasons makes me not want to have anything to do with them, I find it sad to think that their are wars against people for believing in someone that may or may not even exist.

 

[CherubHorse]

That's Chaos Magic in a nutshell!

And personally, I think that's a very good way to believe, or to conceptualize the power of belief itself.

I've never heard of Chaos Magic....sounds cool though

Can you tell me more about it?

It'd just look really weird for that coming up as a suggested search on Google if my mom were to begin typing "Ch" and that popped up underneath hehe

And I agree xD You never know, though, until you die. Who knows what it's like on the other side. Maybe we just *poof* into thin air

 

[Eternal Mametchi Fan]

Well... I don't even think about whether or not I believe in Heaven and all that stuff. Just like I don't think about whether I like bananas or grapes better... if you know what I mean. However, I do respect religious people even though I am not - after all, what harm is there in believing in God? It encourages people to be good, and gives them someone to have faith in. ^_^

 

[StenoTim]

I've never heard of Chaos Magic....sounds cool though

Can you tell me more about it?

It'd just look really weird for that coming up as a suggested search on Google if my mom were to begin typing "Ch" and that popped up underneath hehe

And I agree xD You never know, though, until you die. Who knows what it's like on the other side. Maybe we just *poof* into thin air

It's a form of what we would probably call "witchcraft" these days, but not the sort of old-fashioned witchcraft you might be thinking of (unless that's how you choose to practice it). To be VERY brief, it's basically about belief, the power of belief. You're encouraged to choose a system of beliefs, gods/goddesses, and through the force of your own will/belief, bring about the changes you want in your life or the world at large (you might call this aspect the "magic" or "spells").

The first book that helped me learn about the fundamentals was Liber Null & Psychonaut, but it can be a bit too conceptual for some readers if you don't know what to expect from it before reading.

 

[bluegreen]

Oh yes and here's something my teacher told me once...Heaven and Hell aren't places. They're states of your soul.

 

[CactuarLOL]

I'm an athiest,There is no god, but I can understand why believing in one would give uneducated people some comfort.

 

[fluffums]

I used to be an athiest, but over the past few years I've come to think that there really is a spirtual being (a God) that maybe didn't create everything and doesn't control everything, but looks after everyone.

 

[WhiteClaw84]

I'm an athiest,There is no god, but I can understand why believing in one would give uneducated people some comfort.

Only rigid minded individuals would call someone else uneducated because they believe in something different and hold different viewpoints and opinions other than your own.

I don't want this to turn into a religion argument...I kind of feel like this topic was started to get people riled up. But just couldn't ignore your statement. Be a little open minded =/

 

[Amat Gotchi]

I'm Christian, between denominations right now, and I don't go to church very often. Anyway, I don't think it matters what religion you practice, as long as it encourages you to do good. Whether or not you believe in a God. The problem with many religions is that they forget this and get caught up in their own rules, being super-intolerant and rigid in their restrictions. They forget that people of all religions have had real spiritual experiences.

When you do something good, it should be to bring joy into someone's life, not for your personal gain or advantage (like many religions say, "you'll go to heaven if you do this!"). People so often forget that when you accomplish acts of kindness, even if you can't see the impact your actions have done on the world, a sense of real, lasting happiness lets you know that someone out there--maybe God, maybe something or someone entirely different--is smiling.

 

[icewolf113]

I am an eccentric pagan, I believe in many things but I seem to follow more rituals that are pagan based. I believe that when we die we are reborn into another form, be it a little bumble bee or a giant tree. I also believe that if there is a god, that he or she is not the only one and that there are many. I have gone to catholic and christian churches out of respect and to learn with friends and family. And more then anything I am interested in all beliefs and I tend to adapt what I think is true or something that needs to be in my life.

 

[CactuarLOL]

Only rigid minded individuals would call someone else uneducated because they believe in something different and hold different viewpoints and opinions other than your own.

I don't want this to turn into a religion argument...I kind of feel like this topic was started to get people riled up. But just couldn't ignore your statement. Be a little open minded =/

Rigid minded? Of course I am rigid, in the same way that a Christian is rigid in their belief of deitys or a child is rigid in their belief of faeries and magic pixies dust, Why would I be flexible my belief when I have none and know it to be false?Be open minded? What exactly do you mean by that, As I have already stated I can understand why people believe in religions, which I may add is a little more understanding than religious people have for athiests, I can assure you that my comments don't come from random ramblings, I have studied the Bible, Koran and many other religious texts and cults in an attempt to improve my knowledge and better understand religions so I know a great deal about them and where they come from.

And yes this thread looks like it was started to get people riled up, the fact that the thread is named "What is your religion?" is a charged question in itself as it assumes everyone is religious.

 

[WhiteClaw84]

Rigid minded? Of course I am rigid, in the same way that a Christian is rigid in their belief of deitys or a child is rigid in their belief of faeries and magic pixies dust, Why would I be flexible my belief when I have none and know it to be false?

Be open minded? What exactly do you mean by that, As I have already stated I can understand why people believe in religions, which I may add is a little more understanding than religious people have for athiests, I can assure you that my comments don't come from random ramblings, I have studied the Bible, Koran and many other religious texts and cults in an attempt to improve my knowledge and better understand religions so I know a great deal about them and where they come from.

And yes this thread looks like it was started to get people riled up, the fact that the thread is named "What is your religion?" is a charged question in itself as it assumes everyone is religious.

Just because someone doesn't feel the same way you do doesn't mean they aren't educated. I'm interpreting your statement of calling people uneducated to mean anyone that doesn't feel the same way you do must be stupid. Perhaps I'm misinterpreting

 

[CactuarLOL]

Yes you are, I wasn't saying that anyone who doesnt feel the same as me is uneducated, What I was saying is that anyone who believes that magical stories handed down for hundreds of years are actually fact, decides to base their life around such stories and goes on to worship those stories, Those people are uneducated and doctrinated slaves.

I could happily understand a person believing in a God because there are plenty of humanitarian reasons to do so, The main problem I have is with organized religion, people are told to worship books, what is in those books is taught as fact and free thinking is frowned upon, books written by people thousands of years ago by people to control the common-folk, back in a time before scientific discovery people could easily take it for truth, that to me is not worshiping a God, but religious organizations are still quite happy to use it to control people and make a hell of a lot of money. There is a reason why catholics call their followers sheep..

To me that is a waste of human life that could be much better used elsewhere, we shouldn't have organized religion in this day and age, at least not in its current form, religious texts are archaic forms of controlling populations and should have been turns out years ago.

 

[StenoTim]

I get where CactuarLOL is coming from...I think he's expressing his anger an frustration at things like the anti-gay rights movement that has its main basis in organized religions (namely Christianity and Islam). It's enough to make anyone bitter.

 

[Amat Gotchi]

CactuarLOL, I understand what you're saying. I don't think religions should cause wars, either. People shouldn't fight over their religion. A religion is only good if it makes its people/members good. Some religions, or certain groups of those religions, use their beliefs to motivate one another to do good. But what many religions have become is merely a method of control.

That said, the way you worded it at first sounded a bit intolerant, but I get what you meant now.

 

[Kiruu]

I'm Wiccan but believe in the elements that Wicca doesn't explain. Basically I use science to fill in the blanks Wicca doesn't fill and Wicca to fill in the blanks science doesn't fill. For me though its mostly a lifestyle choice, not a dominating element in my life Many elements of Wicca I do support like the oldest law basically saying "Love all hate none." I'm a strong supporter of LGBT rights which well, the catholic religion doesn't really support. I used to be Catholic but moved away from it because I disagreed with some of the teachings. But majority of my friends come from a strain of Christianity so I'm a tolerant person ^_^

 

[CactuarLOL]

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