Problems with Religion

It is my opinion that you don't need a church to believe in God. I'm a Protestant Christian, so others will disagree with me and that's fine.

I just feel like God loves us gays, but the church doesn't. Since you don't need the church to be saved, I don't go. I'm a-ok with that.

 

The thing is, she is religious herself. lol She is really talking about hating (religious) dogma. I get what she saying though and I think religious people who question their faith are a whole lot wiser than the ones who don't, she just got the word wrong. But yeah, I really identify with what she is saying. The world would be in much better condition if people thought like this.

---------- Post added 16th Dec 2013 at 10:56 PM ----------

Also, you can believe in a higher power and call it "god" and not be religious. But if you believe in the "christian" god and say you're not religious, that is not true. Because the god you believe in is in itself an inherently religious god.

*Religion = an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence.
**Dogma = a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.

 

I think the Constitution and the Bible (read: religion) face similar issues. Both were handed down to us by God/Framers for the people to be ruled by. However, God himself hasn't added books to the Bible in about 1,900 years and the Framers haven't altered the document itself in about 225 years (amendments excepted). Many items are left to interpretation of "What Would Jesus Do/Say" and "What Did the Framers Intend." Do we use strict interpretation or do we interpret it loosely? Because neither God nor the Framers can say, it is left to man to discern and that leads to debate and discourse and schisms (or Civil War). I personally favor the "living document" interpretation because you can't expect a document or books written in 80 CE or 1787 CE to apply faithfully to 2013 CE. Sure, the message can evolve to remain relevant and be applied to modernity but it must evolve to be mindful of the collective psyche of humanity in that point in time.

I am personally agnostic but do respect religion, not for religion's sake, but out of respect for her practitioners' belief system.

 

You hit the center of the Bull's Eye.

---------- Post added 17th Dec 2013 at 10:09 AM ----------

Forgot to quote the second part

 

I can totally get down with this. I mean, I've always thought Jesus was a cool dude, and I'm still not 100 percent of my own belief on whether or not he's the offspring of a deity or not...hmm but what he was all about is really more important i think. And I believe in an afterlife or something too...but yeah not religious..

Oh and I was looking at the comments and someone said this poem is actually Jefferson Bethke's. So I looked it up and yeah...just in case nobody knew:

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word - YouTube

I like both, but the one first posted was more emotional and I connected with more..

 

Wait is this a poetry?

 

Im a quaker..woop woop! I am agnostic kind of. I want to believe in God but there this little thing called evidence. There is none. Also, what I hate the most is when people say my god exists. You cant prove he doesn't so he does. I hate that 'logic'.

 

Your whole post sort of nails it.

 

This is another thing I just figured out about myself is that I wish there were a god. I really do. I think that the idea of god is like a teddy bear: something that seems like it's listening to you, but won't talk back.

 

^
similar belief system as well

 

Well, the biggest reason I'm not agnostic or atheist is because it would make for no accountability for people's actions. The fact that there would be no consequences for heinous actions bothers me.

However, God definitely doesn't talk back, and often doesn't listen, either. So it can be frustrating.

The biggest issue with religion is that it's about mind control that is spoon fed to you. And, for some reason, about 2/3 of it seems to deal with regulating sex. Also, if a guy is heterosexually promiscuous, they just pat him on the back and say "try to exert more self-control." In some religious institutions, a guy, and even a girl, experimenting with same sex intimacy are viewed as pariahs - kind of like "shoot first, ask questions later." Religion, especially in the U.S., is OBSESSED with sex.

 

baloney

I am atheist and I hold myself accountable for my actions everyday, and other people hold me accountable for my actions all the time

I can be good with out any god

and you don't need whichever god you worship to be good

there are thousands of gods and people are massively evil and do worship a lot if different gods so going to church of being religious does not help at all

 

There is no god so get on with your life.

 

What I think you're getting at is a basic moral compass. And, no, you don't need God to have one. It can be intrinsic and/or socially conditioned.

As for accountability, I was referring to an after life. While this is not meant to spawn a tangent, I do believe in one, as do most people who subscribe to a religion, either ardently or loosely.

 

That's another thing I wish there was is an afterlife. Steven Hawking said a couple years ago, "Heaven is a fairy tale for people afraid of the dark."

Some atheists say that when brain activity ceases, it's over and you cease to exist. I take the attitude of "I don't know" when it comes to what happens after death. The reason for that is obvious: I'm still alive. I haven't died yet, and I'm not ready to find out just yet.

 

No need for the attitude. State your opinion respectfully or that's when I get defensive.

 

^ Agreed, no need for attitude. This forum has devout atheists and people who practice various religions. No need for one side of the fence to sling mud at the other side of the fence. Most won't be budging on this topic, anyway.

Many of those who practice a religion have become disenfranchised. Well, if only a certain church, parish, synagogue, or temple welcomes you and the others do not because of what you do between the sheets, it would only be kind of normal to stop going or not buy in 100%, just as it is normal to dislike someone who perpetrates discrimination toward any demographic group one may belong to.

 

My parents are baptist ministers, and the thing I am most ashamed about is the fact that I have to assure people they are "good" Christians. My parents are fairly liberal, preach social justice, and act on that preaching which I find pretty awesome. But the fact that I have to actually say that to people I meet makes me recognize the problem with Religion.

I think there should also be noted a difference in religion and spirituality. Religion is the organized, collective ideology. Spirituality is the belief. At least, that's how I separate the two. I hate religion. I have somewhat turned away from it since college, and I used to be involved in just about every religious activity known to man. It was mainly as a way to forgive myself for my homosexuality, and not impressed upon by others. But I do believe in God because I believe in love.

But I totally get why people don't believe in God. It is a very hard thing to do, but also there have been lot's times I have questioned the whole process of it all. Why trust something you cannot see and believe in a doctrine that has been abused for centuries.