Religion

[Voice]

I realise that this is a touchy subject usually. But if we can keep it on an open-minded level, these discussions always end up being very thoughtful and deep.

I'm just kinda wondering where everyone here stands on the subject of god and their relationship with god. And reasons why you feel that way.

I myself lean towards the views of Mahatma Ghandi.....Religion is a path with many roads, all intersecting at the same point. As long as we all end up in the same place, who cares how we got there?

I am strongly grounded in my belief in god. However I am also strongly suspicious of much of the worlds organized religion. I look at some of the churches out here in Kansas, that had to cost millions and millions of dollars to construct. All just so people can gather and listen to someone read them a book that they could just as well do in a field with folding chairs.

Also, the pastor has a house on the property of the church, which is twice as big, and twice as nice as my parents house, and he even has his own POND in his back yard.

Both of my parents work at boeing, and both make over 30 dollars an hour....and a man of god is living more lavishly then they are.

It just doesn't seem right in my head. Because my parents work their ASSES off.....

I just think there is a lot of corruption in church these days, and I also don't like the fact that when I walk into one of these churches out here with a stud in my eyebrow....even though I am dressed nicer than half of the people in there.....I get stared at and feel judged...in the one place where you aren't supposed to feel that way.

So I talk to god alone, at my house....and I talk to him like he is one of my friends.

This was long winded, but yah know...

feel free to say anything, no judgement here...and if at any point anyone belittles anyone for their thoughts in a hurtful way...(joking around is ok) I will delete the topic.

[Prime]

I am a christian. As I would like to believe all religions are correct and it all leads to the same place, that seems like the easy road out. An easy way of thinking of it so you dont have to stress or deal with things like Hell.

There is alot of corruption in churches. Everywhere for that matter. But you cant base your faith on what some bad, wrong, idiots say and do(which is most of the world, religion, faith nowadays).
I base my faith on the bible. It even says in the bible to question your leaders and question what you are being taught.

I hear these horror stories of churches where the pastor drives a porshe and a mercedes and lives in a mansion.

My pastor is the smartest man I know. He has a bussiness degree, a masters, and he went to college to become a pastor. He doesnt live in a mansion, he rents a house. He teaches what the bible says. He likes football, baby's favorite word is Dodgers, hes an ordinary guy who is also a great leader, a great man and an all around good guy.

EDIT: The biggest thing about MY religion and about what I believe is my personal relationship with God. I can sit here and say I will be in heaven when I die. I have no fear of death or what is to come after.

[accord 4 me]

Originally posted by Prime
The biggest thing about MY religion and about what I believe is my personal relationship with God. I can sit here and say I will be in heaven when I die. I have no fear of death or what is to come after.

that's whats great about where i'm at right now, i'm a christian and i know i'll be in heaven

its the relationship with the Lord that matters the most

[BugenhagenXIII]

I'm agnostic. While I don't disbelieve in a God or Gods, I don't believe it either.

[Trogdor]

Religion is nothing but trouble, in my opinion. Wars are commonly started for two reasons; land disputes, and religion.

I say it's your life, believe what you want to believe. Myself, I have no religious faith, nor do I attend any type of church. Though Satanism, believe it or not, seems to be the most logical form of organized religion.

[Dmitry M. (Lazer)]

Personally i do not believe in any type of religion.

If, as i have heard from many religous people "God Knows All," well then that means god know the path i'll choose which means there is no possible way of me changing my path or my choice. And i do not believe in this.

I believe that i am who i am because of me, i believe in what i see, i believe in fact. I believe in theory but only theory with reason like science.

[The Benny (Macho)]

I don't believe in any God or follow any religion. I think it is possible that some powerful being created the world and all life on it, but I also find the idea that it's all some big chain of random events equally as plausible, perhaps even more so.

Satanism, believe it or not, seems to be the most logical form of organized religion.

Really? I've been discussing Satanism on another forum, one of the posters there made a thread about them being a Satanist and wanted to hear what other people thought about it, though to be honest I'm not sure he really knew what it was all about himself.

His explanation of it was that you live your life purely for yourself, but still believe God exists. You acknowledge that God created the world and everything on it but choose to ignore him and do what you want instead, as well as naming your religion after Satan. I couldn't and still can't understand how somebody can believe God exists but openly defy him. Surely to believe in God and the Devil means accepting that Heaven and Hell exist too, and by ignoring God you are actually condemning yourself to eternal torment in Hell? Then of course there's the fact that the guy who wrote the Satanic Bible (Anton La Vay?) only did it to annoy Christians...

It certainly isn't something that I've looked into in much detail, but the little I have experienced of Satanism didn't seem too logical.

[nice shirt]

i believe in nothing.

[lue]

Originally posted by Voice


I myself lean towards the views of Mahatma Ghandi.....Religion is a path with many roads, all intersecting at the same point. As long as we all end up in the same place, who cares how we got there?

Following the Christian religion, I have to say that I believe the complete opposite of that statement. I base what I believe in on the living Word of God. The Bible says in John 14:6, "Jesus told them, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.'"

Therefore, I believe that no one can get into Heaven unless they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Also, the pastor has a house on the property of the church, which is twice as big, and twice as nice as my parents house, and he even has his own POND in his back yard.

Both of my parents work at boeing, and both make over 30 dollars an hour....and a man of god is living more lavishly then they are.

It just doesn't seem right in my head. Because my parents work their ASSES off.....

It is very possible that God has blessed that pastor and his family. Your parents may work their tails off, but in God's mind, being a minister for Him, and doing everything for Him is more important in the end.

I'm sure that your parents do work very hard, but its not that God just doesn't care about your family and only focuses on His followers. I'm not saying that God is punishing your family, or anything like that, but it could simply be that God has blessed those people for the work they have done to further His kingdom.

[i]Originally posted by Dmitry M. (Lazer)
If, as i have heard from many religous people "God Knows All," well then that means god know the path i'll choose which means there is no possible way of me changing my path or my choice. And i do not believe in this.

I believe that God does know all, but that doesn't prevent you from doing what you want. Sure, God knows what we are going to do, but its not like he's controlling us like puppets on a string. God gave us the freedom to choose what we want to do. Notice how many people are dieing from car bombs or shootings on the news every night? It's not God thats making the people do that, it's the person's own choice (which God gave them) to do that. Without the freedom of choice, we would be a bunch of robots, all being controlled, having no control over our own lives. I simply believe that that is the person's own choice to do something.

[nice shirt]

Originally posted by Dmitry M. (Lazer)
I believe that i am who i am because of me, i believe in what i see, i believe in fact. I believe in theory but only theory with reason like science.

i feel pretty much the same.