I was raised Christian but I no longer consider myself Christian so I can only speak from a western evangelical Christian perspective/catholic perspective.
I think the reason why I stopped calling myself Christian is because I’ve had hard periods of my life but God wasn’t the thing that helped me to get out of those dark places, I’ve seen people who have testimony’s where they’ve been through hard times and found god though it and I think those are absolutely beautiful to hear so I don’t judge people at all that find love and comfort in God. That’s just not how it worked out for me.
I do think religion is very important though as it can provide a lot of much needed structure in people’s lives and can give them comfort and strength believing in something greater than themselves. I also think when churches function like how they’re supposed to it’s a good way for people to build and find community.
I can only speak for myself. I don't believe for me religion is Necessary
I don't think churches were supposed to Do what they do. It's almost like a small business. But it is what it is and if they do help. People great I love it.
If you go to youtube There's a guy by the name of jordan maxwell Who has a study on the bible who has Studied words and their meanings
For many many years a very smart man And what he is saying. It's so very interesting and mind-blowing.
But if you look at the world today where were being guided and who were being guided from it all makes sense
Like I tell people. The world is in across roads right now. You're going to hear all different types Of information because we are being brainwashed in so many different ways
But what he says. Is something that I have felt For quite a while
I do believe in God. I do believe in jesus christ No matter what stories come out I will always believe that our body is our temple. I will always have faith, no matter what. I will always believe in a higher power.
And if you understand energy and all of us becoming one with Ourselves one with others and one with this universe It even makes more sense
Everything Is energy on this planet And more you understand that the more you become one with it Your body just hums your body becomes complete the deeper it goes
I have never ever been able to follow society's rules Because most of them are manipulation or a lie.
And the thing is no matter have to find out the. Truth for yourself Every single one of us are on a different type of journey. But no matter what The journey is for me , you have to Love yourself become one with yourself Become one with others help others figure out what they need to figure out. And then one with this universe everything.
And I believe if you can do that without any bullshit You become happy everything becomes clear there's The words come out of your mouth mean something
Because if you actually listen to other people talk it's like everything Is a manipulation in one way or the other And when you can free yourself from that or stay away from those people Or help those people everything changes
What is important to me as a Person on this planet Is that we are all equal in every manner. Because I will tell you the rich. Are getting poor by the day we're being manipulated by the day and it's going to be where nobody has a job anymore. So we will all become slaves to whatever. Until we put a stop to it
We already all know that our government does not rule the united states of america anymore They sold us out years and years ago.
But to answer your question I believe in what I believe in
It's great to other people believe in what they believe in All I know is 1 day. We're all going to need each other
Whether we like it or not, whether you're religious or not, in many different ways, as well good as bad, religions are important. Since millenia they weigh more or less heavyly on societies and citizen's private life. The real problem in my opinion remains for ever fanaticism.
Should we get rid of religions, be it already because of the often obscurantistic and outdated theories? Difficult question, considering a very high percentage of citizens needing to be guided and get ready made answers from some authority on existential questions they are not able to face at some point. Maybe a question of courage and maturity, yes, but let's stick to the real situation.
Actually, any sincere religious person has in them the capacity to stick to their religion with open eyes, for instance by rejecting outdated rules. Nothing prevents anyone feeling the need to pray, to do it. The more that all people have had at some point to go through very difficult periods in their life.
Last but not least, let's never forget that, obscurantistic shite set aside, the general basic philosophy of tolerance, respect, charity, will never be outdated. Just take a look at the 10 commandments: everything is already there and worth meditating.
Religion played a role in several wars, it’s a huge reach to say it has been the cause of several wars. The majority of wars are caused by a desire to acquire wealth, land, and power
Absolutely not. I feel like society would have progressed much more had it not been for religion holding it back.
Do you see any other animals taking time out of their day to pray to a non-existent being? No, you don't because it's a bizarre practice that's been normalized over millennia of indoctrination. Other animals are busy living their lives and surviving.
The only reason humans believe in Gods at all is due to their fear of death. They want to be eternal in some form or way. That's why in almost every religion, there's some sort of afterlife.
Ancient Greeks believed in Hades (General underworld for the dead. Everyone went here unless you were exceptional. A gloomy, shadowy place), Asphodel Meadows (Where average souls wandered aimlessly, neither punished nor rewarded. Think “gray and boring purgatory”), Elysian Fields (Reserved for heroes, demigods, and the righteous. A beautiful paradise, rare to reach), Tartarus (A deep abyss used as a prison for the wicked (e. g., Titans, oath-breakers). Equivalent to Hell), and the Fields of Punishment (For evil souls who committed terrible crimes. Eternal torment specific to their sins). The Judges of the Dead (Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus) assigned souls to their date based on how they lived their lives.
Ancient Egyptians were obsessed with the afterlife. Their entire civilization was shaped by the belief that life continued after death in another realm, and everything, painted, written, and practiced, was tied to that idea. To an ancient Egyptian, this life was just a preparation. The real goal was to achieve immortality in the Field of Reeds, their vision of paradise. To get there, you had to earn it, spiritually and ritually. That's why they practiced bizarre rituals, such as wrapping their pharaohs in cloth, preserving their bodies with spices, and placing them in gold sarcophagi (the mummies).
They believed in some strange stuff like Ka (Life-force or spiritual double. Ka needed offerings to survive after death). They believed in Ba (Personality/soul that could travel between the living world and afterlife. Often depicted as a bird with a human head), Akh (Transfigured spirit or what the soul becomes if it successfully reaches the afterlife. Eternal, luminous being), Du'at (The underworld or spiritual realm the soul journeys through after death. Full of dangers, monsters, and trials), Weight of the Heart (The soul's heart was weighed against the feather of Ma’at (truth/order). If it was heavier (corrupted by sin), it was devoured by Ammit (a crocodile-lion-hippo beast). If balanced, the soul passed on), and Field of Reeds (Paradise: eternal life in a perfect version of Egypt, green fields, family, food, joy, and the gods).
And then we all know about ancient Norse beliefs. We've all seen Thor and stuff like that for entertainment. They believed in Valhalla (Hall of the slain. Ruled by Odin. For those who died bravely in battle. Spent eternity feasting, training, and preparing for Ragnarok. Not "heaven". It’s warrior bootcamp forever), Folkvangr (A beautiful field ruled by Freyja. Also for brave warriors; she chose half of the dead. Peaceful and less intense than Valhalla), Helheim (The realm of the dead for those who died of old age, illness, or in unheroic ways. Ruled by Hel, Loki’s daughter. Not necessarily a place of punishment—more a shadowy, indifferent realm), Ran's Realm (Those who drowned at sea could end up in the cold halls of Rán, the sea goddess, who pulled sailors down with her net), and Niflheim/Nastrond (The lowest, darkest realm. Home of serpents, suffering, and those who were truly evil. Murderers, oath-breakers, traitors. Comparable to a hellish underworld.)
I'm sure you see a pattern here. It's all stuff we don't believe in and think is a little crazy. These beliefs outdated Jesus by a long shot. And we find their practices and beliefs bizarre. We use them for entertainment. However, it was just as real to the people back then as it is to anyone who believes in a religion today.
What I don't understand is with all the technology and information we have available to us nowadays, how people can possibly believe in God or specific religions.
And what's crazy is a lot of these people think if you don't believe in what they believe, pray and worship that fictional being, then you'll be tormented in hell for an eternity. That makes no sense. So, if you're a good person and don't believe in something you've never seen in your life, you'll be tormented in the afterlife? If there were a God, I doubt they'd ever have that kind of logic.
And the thing that blows my mind is that there are plenty of intelligent people who believe in god. And it's a specific god. Do they not see that they were raised and indoctrinated to believe in that god? Like if you were born in the Middle East, you'd likely believe in Islam. If you were raised in India, you'd probably be a Hindu or believe in whatever other 1000 gods they have. If you live in Europe, then you'd likely be raised Christian, etc. It runs in families and creates communities over time.
I think religion is divisive and damaging to society. Building your identity around lies, especially comforting lies, makes people weaker. Religion as the opiate of the masses and all that. Likewise building a sense of community and structure around a group of weak, insecure people dependent on those lies creates a defensive closed off mind unable to accept change. And change is inevitable in life. So they set themselves up for strife and conflict.
Religion starts by making up the answers (lies) to fundamental questions and proclaiming them the word of some all powerful invisible sky fairy whose word can never be challenged. Because the lies must be true or the god is false. They can never back down from that trap they create for themselves. So when religions collide, wars are fought over lies to find out whose magic invisible sky fairy is more powerful when neither of them actually exist.
Does any of that sound like an intelligent pursuit for a rational, healthy adult mind in the 21st century?
Yes and No. It's important in the sense that erasing them would generate chaos and madness. Which is an unrealistic situation anyway since religious belief is actually increasing around the world
I believe some people would function much worse in society if they hadn't been told to fear wrath of god, or if they didn't feel they are close to get the bus ticket to heaven
I believe some people are, essentially, worse because they're locked in ethics based on moments of History that don't exist anymore
I believe cultists, religious fundamentalists are an actual threat to society, and they could be increasing, because they recruit a lot, strategically, among the most vulnerable people.
513 opinions shared on Religion & Spirituality topic.
No. It's just that it has been part of every culture since the dawn of man. It sets rules of behavior, establishes traditions, binds communities together, and is used to enforce laws. It's a form of politics except it uses the word of gods to reinforce its authority. Priests claim to know the will of the gods. Kings claim divine authority.
Before science, it was used to explain natural phenomena. Belief in an afterlife gives people courage and comfort.
But it isn't necessary for rational people. A person doesn't need religion to be moral. In fact, people often use religion to justify immoral acts.
443 opinions shared on Religion & Spirituality topic.
I think a lot of people feel like they need to belong to some kind of group or organization to feel welcome, wanted, and valued and all that good happy shit. Personally I've never needed religion. I think religion is for weak minded followers who believe everything they're told just because some idiot wrote it in a book hundreds of years ago. I don't need the desire of going to heaven or the fear of going to hell as motivation to do the right thing. I just try to do the right thing because it's the right thing to do, and I want to be able to sleep at night and not think of how much of a piece of shit I am like my friend that blew his brains out.
"I think the reason why I stopped calling myself Christian is because I’ve had hard periods of my life but God wasn’t the thing that helped me to get out of those dark places"
Well you don't know that God wasn't the one to help you put of those places.. He works in mysterious ways.. But yes to answer the question, I believe that at least faith and belief in God is important to society, and even religion to a certain extent because it does provide people with that structure and conviction.. But also it's one of the big reasons why the West is more prosperous.. Why slavery was first abolished in the West..
342 opinions shared on Religion & Spirituality topic.
Yes. But Faith rather than Religion. Most people who call themselves christians aren't actually disciples. They treat Christ as a "get out of Hell free" card like this world is some eternal version of Monopoly.
Having literally died in 2020 and been revived through four hours of CPR - something that I'm told is unheard of - my Faith is substantial and based on a relationship with God that predated 2020 by decades. It's personal and if Christianity was made illegal today I'd die before I abandoned it - but I have no interest in forcing my beliefs on anyone. I'll tell my story - too long to post here - and if it ignites a fire in you, great. If not, that's your choice.
A lot of people seem to need religion. They have to have that ultimate authority to reassure them of what is right and wrong. They can't just look at the end result and know that way, they have to have the creator of the universe's seal of approval on it or they go nuts. It's sad, because they are religious literalists. It's not a metaphor to them it's literally real and that's as nuts as saying a man can get pregnant. You won't get anywhere walking away from reality.
@strateguy632 In general an atheist doesn't think anything about being an atheist. All atheist means is someone how doesn't believe in a god of some kind. There isn't any dogma there. There are no rituals or any belief about anything. The man himself might have all sorts of beliefs but it's not tied to the fact he's an atheist. You don't go around thinking "I'm an atheist so I have to do this". You don't think about it at all it's just a description.
4.4K opinions shared on Religion & Spirituality topic.
In general that is obvious yes, the fact so many people embrace religion proves it is important for people.
The fact that most are false, does not mean that it does not serve helpful purposes... nor that all religions are wrong. That is like saying "3x2 has many wrong answers therefore no answer is right". Atheists are so pathetic!
Yes, it it’s important to a society. I honestly think that Conservative men who served in the military would have attacked and decimated the Left if it wasn’t for Christianity. Our souks just aren’t for trade for that. We will trust in God that being patient is the way to go.
Wow, that's a pretty damning statement for you and religion and in general. If the only thing that's keeping you from becoming a homicidal pedophile is the belief in some invisible being, then you are one sick puppy. But in your case, please, by all means, keep believing in your invisible friend if it keeps you from being a maniac. Other people, like me, don't need the threat of punishment or the hope of a reward in order to treat people well.
@AndrésC64 who said pedophile? You did, not me. Did it slip out? I think many of the men I speak of are wrestling with the fact that the Founding Fathers were religious and at some point they needed to pick up a rifle. Would they have already done so in the current circumstances? Anyway, watch you ass as when some go, many will follow like an avalanche I suspect. And when they cross that line I suspect they won’t easily hold back from that point. FAFO seems to be the thought.
LOL Okay. That's interesting. I noticed that you didn't deny that the only thing keeping you from being a homicide or rapist pedophile is your belief in your invisible friend. Interesting.
It's very important @caitycat21 in the way that a person treats it the way if you google what is a "cafeteria Catholic" or google "what is a cafeteria Anglican/Episcopalian" and let the Google AI result explain the rest - it's not quite being cultural but not quite being adherent to the religious dogma day in day out 24/7 ⌚⏰
I believe getting rid of religion is important for society. If it weren't for religion we could hypothetically be living in a technologically advanced utopia like Star Trek by now. But the entire course of human development has been held back because of lunatics infected with a memetic disease.
Absurd, the greatest famous scientists were always Christian for centuries newton and darwin and more, bringing progress not slowing it. But i know you are quoted shallow family guy... so...
@strateguy632 : Do you even understand how much of history christians were busy rounding up and executing each other for being the wrong flavour of christian for? How do you honestly think they reacted to anyone openly rejecting religion entirely? Besides that, there is also the same reason the artists also claim: that the churches were where the money was. If any of them actually had the slightest chance of being able to openly reject religion without DYING (potentially with torture too) for it, they would have done so in an instant.
Yes Religion is very important. Through Allah/God you can overcome everything! You just have to believe with heart and mind. Just don't give up believing in his power.
I am an atheist with broadly -- not entirely -- Western Christian morality. That sounds like where you are landing too. It is a perfectly fine place to land. And you get to sleep in on Sunday mornings.
@WilliamPamer446 As much as Jesus Teachings borrowed from someone else, other times and civilisations. So if we want to respect the copyright chain, it's going to be a looooooong list of sources lol
No it's more of a hindrance and nuisance now than anything else. It tries to use bronze age mythology with modern spin to apply morality to things that are no one's business
@Hellraiser1984 wars were around long before any abrahamic religions. Look at all the atheist groups like the nazis and communists and how many they killed in a 50 year period perhaps as many as 100 million
Japan killed 35 million people in ww2. Poland is one of the most Christian countries in Europe and have among the lowest crime rates. They don't have the same rape problems more secular countries like Sweden, Germany, Britain and France do.
Americas considered a Christian nation but that doesn’t erase the heinous things that have happened in americas history in the past so your argument still doesn’t make logical sense?
What about all the native Americans the USA raped murdered and tortured to get this so called land of freedom? Or the native children the us government took away from their families to teach them how to be white and Christian? A lot of those children never saw their families again. Many died of diseases they may not have been exposed to if it weren't for Christianity saying to spread the word.
I'm again forcing your religion and culture on others and removing children from their families to do so. Who says they are xenophobic? This is their land that was stolen from them. Their cultures should have been respected by the Christians and left alone.
@Hellraiser1984 it would have been racist to treat them differently than others, they were after all doing the same thing as Europeans conquering and colonising every chance they got.
Yes. Forcing your religion and beliefs on others is wrong. No matter what your religion says. You forget you live on stolen land. They would have been better off if the Christian invaders would have kept their beliefs to themselves.
The natives were very diverse. You just want everyone to worship your child murdering God and his whiny son. You're probably a trump supporter and a klan member. You believe in white supremacy and live in a trailer park in Arkansas. I don't care about you or your racist bigoted hate filled religion.
Just because it may be a normal part of being a human doesn't mean that it's good. And of course everybody believes in something. How could it even be possible for a person to live and not believe in anything? It's impossible. But I should be quite obvious, if you're talking about believing in some invisible sky daddy, then no, not everyone believes in that.
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