Religion

[Lisaara]

I'm pretty much the same as you ummeiko.

[Turgus]

If only the rest of society was as open minded and accepting as the Petopian community.

[Anyia]

If only the rest of society was as open minded and accepting as the Petopian community.

Amen to that!

(pun fully intentional)

[Tudyk]

God was said to be the creator of all things, that he is everywhere and in everything. God is said to be indistructable...To me, God sounds like Energy, which is in everything, is everywhere, it can neither be created nor distroyed, only transformed. [...] So, I live everyday for that day. I do not wonder if there is a heaven or hell, or a god. Everyday is what it is, and I can only live that day once, I might as well enjoy it.

Both of my parents were raised in some flavor of "Jesus is our savior," but neither of them are very religious (although my mother is becoming a very spiritual person as she gets older ;p). When I was about 6, we had a conversation about going to church with some of my still-very-devout cousins and my opinion at the time was "why do I have to go somewhere to have people remind me what I believe?" They said "church prob'ly isn't for you, kid" and I never went other than for baptisms and weddings and the like. Or when I spent the night at somebody's house on a Saturday night.

Like many others here, the only thing I really latched onto (other than a couple eastern philosophies that don't really count as "religion") was paganism, but that didn't really fit for me either (although I still do use some of the circle/spells to focus myself in a direction). So I made up my own religion when I was about 12/13 and have been a devout follower ever since. =D

As far as I'm concerned, as long as whatever you're following is making you a nicer person and trying to lead your friends/coworkers/children in a positive direction ... bring it on. Just because I don't believe it doesn't make you wrong.

[Setanta]

The most interesting combination of "Genesis v. Evolution" I heard was giving the impression that the Span of days used in Genesis to describe the "Hand of God" creating Earth and life was that despite it being called "a day" in the Bible, the actual span of time for each of those 'days' was a long millennium of years and that it fit in with the concept of evolution just fine with the exception of the fact that it made evolution sound like a specified science experiment to simply create worshipers.

then again, I think I'm probably talking about "Intelligent Design" without actually calling it that.

[cowmuflage]

Yeah you are. Thats not the same as evolution.

[Saturo]

I'm with Cowmu here. Life took a lot more than seven "long millenniums" to develop. ^^

[Cozzene]

~ I believe in God, Jesus was his kid, Heaven, Hell, blahblah. I do not believe you have to wrap yourself in the Bible to get into Heaven (don't be a jerk, accept the saviour, you're good). Basically, I believe your basic Christanity but I do not believe it has to be followed so strictly.
~ I DO believe in reincarnation as well. My only difference with it is I believe it is optional.
~ I believe animals have souls as well as humans. What makes us so special that only we are allowed to have souls? We are so close DNA wise to monkeys and pigs (yes, pigs!)... I dunno. If something is alive and can be killed, I believe it has a soul (this also applies to plants. It is alive and green, you cut it off from water, it withers and dies).

And that about sums up my religion.
Edit; Also, Adam and Eve were cavemen! There, fixed the Creation vs Evolution! ...Not sure I believe THAT exactly, but it totally works. It's my basic go-to statement when I have to try to explain that I believe evolution 110% but still have my religion.

[cowmuflage]

Well not really as "caveman" can mean alot of things its a term for any primitive humaniod. It does not fix Creation vs Evolution at all. Allso saying we evolved from only 2 people does not work in eviolution as you would need more than 2 people to make a race. Thats more intelligent design than evolution.

[Rottingham]

~ I believe animals have souls as well as humans. What makes us so special that only we are allowed to have souls? We are so close DNA wise to monkeys and pigs (yes, pigs!)... I dunno. If something is alive and can be killed, I believe it has a soul (this also applies to plants. It is alive and green, you cut it off from water, it withers and dies).
.

I completely agree with this

I was upset because whe I was younger someone once told me that this dog that saved his owner from a burning house wasn't going to Heaven. Now that just doesn't seem right, does it?

[cowmuflage]

Sheep go to heaven and goats go to hell.

[Aleu]

~ I believe animals have souls as well as humans. What makes us so special that only we are allowed to have souls? We are so close DNA wise to monkeys and pigs (yes, pigs!)... I dunno. If something is alive and can be killed, I believe it has a soul (this also applies to plants. It is alive and green, you cut it off from water, it withers and dies).

This! I guess you could say I'm spiritual to a sense. I do like to believe souls have a final rest when the being dies. I never liked the idea "animals have no souls" that bothered me to no end. All living things regardless of what they are have one. =3

[Anyia]

Sheep go to heaven and goats go to hell.

This is how you tell that people have had real life experience with goats.

[Tudyk]

Sheep go to heaven and goats go to hell.

Will be stuck in my head for at least an hour now. Thanks =D

[Redith]

Saw a quote today that made me think of this topic.

Science flys you to the moon, religion flys you into buildings

[Valfreya]

I would say Im an atheist, I dont believe in any dieties controlling my fate or determining my path. When you think of it, organized religion seems alot like World of Warcraft to me. If the game was real we would be the gods right? lol. I treat others like I want to be treated, with honesty, understanding, and compassion. The honesty bit doesnt go over so well at times, but Im never mean and people know how I feel without ever having to question.

We depend on our surroundings way to much for us to be individuals chosen by a higher being to exist. We need the trees and plants to breathe just like they need us. We need the sun to thrive, without it, just like everything on Earth we would whither and die. I grew up in the Bible belt of the southern u.s. and was even sent to a private christian school when I was a kid, with mandatory bible study for an hour at the beginning of each day. Its funny most people would t hink that having an upbringing like that would mold you into believing what they want you to, I know thats what my parents wanted to happen. But the more I learned the more I questioned, by the 7th grade my parents had to take me out of the christian school cause i was asking way to many questions, more or less I wasnt allowed to come back lol. The sad part is I was never rude or angry about it, I only asked why way to many times.
Well thats a very short version of my two cents.. hehe

[pengupuff]

I'm an atheist although truthfully I wish I believed in a higher power. I tried being religious for a long while but I felt odd since I just don't inherently believe in a god. To put in in perspective it's like a kid who still desperately wants to believe in Santa Claus, but on a much larger scale.

[Moore]

I would say Im an atheist, I dont believe in any dieties controlling my fate or determining my path. When you think of it, organized religion seems alot like World of Warcraft to me. If the game was real we would be the gods right? lol. I treat others like I want to be treated, with honesty, understanding, and compassion. The honesty bit doesnt go over so well at times, but Im never mean and people know how I feel without ever having to question.

We depend on our surroundings way to much for us to be individuals chosen by a higher being to exist. We need the trees and plants to breathe just like they need us. We need the sun to thrive, without it, just like everything on Earth we would whither and die. I grew up in the Bible belt of the southern u.s. and was even sent to a private christian school when I was a kid, with mandatory bible study for an hour at the beginning of each day. Its funny most people would t hink that having an upbringing like that would mold you into believing what they want you to, I know thats what my parents wanted to happen. But the more I learned the more I questioned, by the 7th grade my parents had to take me out of the christian school cause i was asking way to many questions, more or less I wasnt allowed to come back lol. The sad part is I was never rude or angry about it, I only asked why way to many times.
Well thats a very short version of my two cents.. hehe

I disagree about the trees and plants needing us

[Epicfail]

I've always figured myself to be the minority in most of my circles... I watch anime, play video games, enjoy various techno/trance style musics and for lack of a better definition... I think for myself and will question anything, much to the lament of the people who love me and would rather I "fit in" at least somewhere

That being said, I'm Christian by faith, believe in God and believe that Jesus is the only path to salvation. I was raised "churchy" but as I went through high school my "faith" and "identity" had separated almost completely. I got to the point where I believed, right in the middle of church service, that none of it mattered and everyone was deluding themselves. I was at a place where if I never heard the name "God" or "Jesus" again, well that'd be ok by me.

Then when I was 19, I had a vision. Not a daydream like I was so fond of having, but a true to life 'this can't be a dream' situation. I was dressed in white robes among many other people wearing the same outside a small chapel in a valley and it was either dawn breaking or dusk setting. I didn't know who they all were, but we were all hugging and treating each other like family. I felt like I belonged, which is no small feat for someone like me. All of the sudden we all looked up and saw a star. The star was like a pin-prick in the sky and it was like this colorful fire and clouds filled the view of everything. Within moments, the entire sky was filled with this... something. It was beyond colorful, bright as the sun without hurting your eyes and just... beyond me. As I looked at it, it seemed to move and pulse and act like it was alive, but more important than what it looked like, was how it made me feel to look at it. I was overwhelmed, feeling.... peace, humility and just... smallness. It was like my feelings were being "blinded" by overexposure of whatever it was. This was God. Not maybe. Not wait a sec, lemme compare notes here. I couldn't doubt Him. I couldn't hide from Him. I didn't even want to. I couldn't handle it. I fainted away and fell into darkness and as I fell, I heard a voice. It said "Lets see if we can find someone for you to help". The voice was sort of gentle, but booming loud like from a distance. Then I was on my bed again, frozen and overwhelmed. It took a few minutes to even start moving again. My muscles wouldn't work. After this, I wasn't a die hard of anything, but... I also couldn't deny Him anymore. He is real. I considered other explainations, but it came back to the same understanding... When I looked at Him, I knew it was Him. It was like going away from home for a while and then seeing your mom or dad's face and just... knowing who they are.

Even after this, it took years before I started going back to Church normally due to the issues most people go up against with the "people of the church" who don't act like Christ. Christ went after the tax collectors, the protitutes and the harlots. They loved Him because of how He loved them while flying high the banner of His Father. So many Churches have fallen prey to all the weaknesses of any organization that has lost its true purpose. When people are on fire for the Lord and are working for the Kingdom, you know it. When God is first in someone's life, you see it. They don't have all the answers... no human does. Painstakingly arguing the whether-tos and why-fors of any understanding, whether it be by science or faith, is (very thoughtfully coined by my pastor as) Adventures in Missing the Point.

I believe that Christ is the way to salvation. For those who want to know how or why, read "The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus". Knowing God is real, seeing Him in my life and learning the truth about the covenants between man and God is pretty much all I need. After actually SEEING God, arguing over whether the universe went "BOOM" or God flipped the switch is kinda irrelevant. Granted, I'm more likely to side with the God story, but either way its ok. God has had a very real effect on me and it makes sense that He would have a very similar effect on those who wrote the many chapters, histories and letters of the Bible. Even if there were spirits or a pantheon of lesser gods, I met the Big Guy. In every tragic failure or disappointment I have had in this life, not once was my faith in God rewarded with anything less than 'win'. Not just meh, but unanimous win. Believing in Him and trying to do right with Him means denying myself more times than not... and that's kind of a hard sell with most people these days.

And most people have the misconception that Christians are supposed to be good people... HA! People don't change just because they believe in something. Over time, walking in the Word and with believers, their actions will start to change and they will start speaking differently... usually for the better. Personally, I'm a broken individual and God's my glue. I'm not better if not for Him. He's the one who is awesome. I'm just struggling to be me in a world that isn't. I don't expect everyone to just believe me and start drinking the koolaid (although it is yummy and very sweet), but if ya'll have questions or whatever, let me know.

Whats my stance on terrorism or indeed any war started for "religious" pretenses? Most of the leadership aren't religious or spiritual, they're businessmen and politicians. They use people's faiths and turn them violently against their enemies. Islam isn't to blame for 9/11 just like Catholicism can't be blamed for the Crusades. Leaders within the churches brought their hubris to the masses and backed it up with persuasive religious overtones and promised lies to those who were willing to give their all to defeat the enemies of their church and gain redemption with their sacrifice.

TLDR: Is God real? Yep. How do I know? I met Him. Are you sure? I doubted before, but I can't deny Him anymore. What's He like? Completely beyond awesome. We're lucky we have reading material and its not surprising that so many books are different. Who's right? /shrug. My stance with other religions is.. Do you love God? Hey, me too! What's my view of paganism, atheism, etc? The way much of that looks to me is like 'do you believe in aliens or ghosts?' why not? Its fun to think about and even identify with some of the many beliefs in this world. Are they true? Probably not, but I don't see many people killing and dying in the name of Bob the panther spirit. You can say you are wiccan or pagan or whatever, but I'd say 90% of my friends who'd admit to being one of these 'faiths" wouldn't sacrifice much if it forced them to change their lives or sacrifice themselves. Its actually the same with a lot of Christians and probably most any religion today. As for following the "Truth", I can't say with absolute conviction that I know everything. I can say that I am at home with being a part of a Church family that welcomes every walk of life through its doors, donates incredible amounts of time and effort feeding, clothing and walking alongside the poor and broken and has a heart for learning the Truth as we read the Bible and walk alongside friends and strangers. Most of the people I do church with would probably think Molten Core is a band, Bleach is for laundry and say they are into techno music now after seeing Tron and buying the soundtrack. I don't have a lot of interests that parallel theirs, but I have felt more belonging, acceptance and at home with these peeps than anywhere else. Most of you don't know me, but saying this, is kind of epic.... in a non-fail kinda way

[Moore]

I like how you equate Paganism with believing in ghosts or aliens while claiming you saw the face of god. Real cool and christ-like of you .