What religion are you?

[Canyarion]

Ghehe that's actually not bad. But they'll realise soon enough that there's no point in discussing with SOME people...
Edit: I think it's réaly hard to convince a Jehova's Witness that there is no God. We kinda... know better..

[dropCGCF]

Originally Posted by Canyarion

Ghehe that's actually not bad. But they'll realise soon enough that there's no point in discussing with SOME people...
Edit: I think it's réaly hard to convince a Jehova's Witness that there is no God. We kinda... know better..

I don't like Jehovah's witnesses in general. They come to my house, trying to convert me. I say that I'm a Muslim extremist and that I either have to convert them or kill them. Hilarity ensues.
I don't force my beliefs on them, do I? Why should they force theirs on mine? I don't think it says anywhere in your doctrine that you're supposed to annoy people.
I say that the man who does good out of love for his fellow man is more rightgeous than the one who does it because his god tells him to. Any slack-jawed yokel can say a few psalms and praise God fo the wonders of what he can't explain. It takes a wise man to try and figure out the answers.

[mickydaniels]

Originally Posted by dropCGCF

.
I don't force my beliefs on them, do I? Why should they force theirs on mine? I don't think it says anywhere in your doctrine that you're supposed to annoy people.

But if you feel that your religion is right and true and it is foretold that massive calamity is going to befall your neighbors, and they don't know about it, don't you have a responsibilty to let them know in advance, so that they could at least prepare? Just like with the hurricanes, for example. Let's say you lived in Florida and had a neighbor that never comes outside, and has no TV or radio. Meanwhile one of these hurricanes is coming and will hit your neighborhood. Isn't it your duty to let him know about what's going on, so he could make a decision on what to do? And if something bad happened because of that storm, aren't you going to feel guilty knowing that you could have at least warned him?

Originally Posted by dropCGCF

I say that the man who does good out of love for his fellow man is more rightgeous than the one who does it because his god tells him to.

I don't think so. You know why? Because God can tell you to do something, but you don't necessarily have to do it; you can turn the other way and refuse. He has never operated under the motto of "Do what I say, or else", otherwise, you'd be struck dead the first time you commit a serious sin. And also, you have a foundation on why you do the things you do. If you do good out of love for your fellow man, you're functioning under feelings, and everyone knows feelings are subject to change. God is not.

Originally Posted by dropCGCF

Any slack-jawed yokel can say a few psalms and praise God fo the wonders of what he can't explain. It takes a wise man to try and figure out the answers.

Figure out the answers to what?

[dropCGCF]

Originally Posted by mickydaniels

But if you feel that your religion is right and true and it is foretold that massive calamity is going to befall your neighbors, and they don't know about it, don't you have a responsibilty to let them know in advance, so that they could at least prepare? Just like with the hurricanes, for example. Let's say you lived in Florida and had a neighbor that never comes outside, and has no TV or radio. Meanwhile one of these hurricanes is coming and will hit your neighborhood. Isn't it your duty to let him know about what's going on, so he could make a decision on what to do? And if something bad happened because of that storm, aren't you going to feel guilty knowing that you could have at least warned him?

It's commonly accepted fact that the hurricane is coming, right? Well, for one, right now, i want to warn you that the unicorns are going to return.

Scoffing, are you? You're defending the same thing. No one man can prove definitively that god exists. He can just prove things wrong on why he can't exist. Prove to me that unicorns aren't coming back, or even that they never existed. Guess what? You can't. What's the use in warning people about a hurricane if you can't prove there's one there?

I don't think so. You know why? Because God can tell you to do something, but you don't necessarily have to do it; you can turn the other way and refuse. He has never operated under the motto of "Do what I say, or else", otherwise, you'd be struck dead the first time you commit a serious sin. And also, you have a foundation on why you do the things you do. If you do good out of love for your fellow man, you're functioning under feelings, and everyone knows feelings are subject to change. God is not.

Sure, God can't tell you what to do. HE'll love you anyways no matter what you do, right? Then what's the point of preaching his goodness? He'll love me no matter what I do, right? So leave me the hell alone.
You're contradicting yourself, saying that I need to be warned of "massive calamity" when it doesn't matter whether it happens or not because I'll be saved anyways.

Figure out the answers to what?

Life's riddles. It's easier for a man to explain the mysteries of the universe in terms of god, but it's a lot more taxing to actually try and solve those mysteries.

[TheSlyMoogle]

A few centuries ago it was widely accepted that there were many Gods who ruled in a counsel.

A few centuries ago people believed the earth is flat.

A few centuries ago people believed the earth was the center of the universe.

A few centuries ago the people believed that the Roman Catholics weren't lying to them.

A few years ago the people believed Child Molestation didn't happen in the catholic church system.

A Few centuries from now, won't it be amazing to see that things we don't believe in anymore?

[thatmariolover]

Originally Posted by TheSlyMoogle

A Few centuries from now, won't it be amazing to see that things we don't believe in anymore?

And on the flipside, the things that we do.

[Joeiss]

2000 years ago Christianity started, and it is still going strong. I believe in 2000 years there will still be Christianity.

[Typhoid]

Originally Posted by TheSlyMoogle

A Few centuries from now, won't it be amazing to see that things we don't believe in anymore?

Originally Posted by Joeiss

2000 years ago Christianity started, and it is still going strong. I believe in 2000 years there will still be Christianity.

I like how you just assume hes talking about only Christianity.

What if hes not even talking about religion at all?







(I know he is, im just sayin is all..)

[Kitana85]

Originally Posted by TheSlyMoogle

A few centuries ago it was widely accepted that there were many Gods who ruled in a counsel.

A few centuries ago people believed the earth is flat.

A few centuries ago people believed the earth was the center of the universe.

A few centuries ago the people believed that the Roman Catholics weren't lying to them.

A few years ago the people believed Child Molestation didn't happen in the catholic church system.

A Few centuries from now, won't it be amazing to see that things we don't believe in anymore?

And yet, for all that, they always believed in something... whether it be one God, or many, since the times of the Neaderthals, we have always had a belief in the "something more."

I'm not sure if it will be amazing what we don't believe in, so much as what our present beliefs will have morphed into

[Joeiss]

Originally Posted by Typhoid

I like how you just assume hes talking about only Christianity.

What if hes not even talking about religion at all?







(I know he is, im just sayin is all..)

If you know he is, then why even comment? Like really, this whole thread has been about Christianity.

[Typhoid]

I will Quote Hoobastank. (Whose lyrics of this song I love, read the lyrics, and think about them, then argue with one another.)

-----------------Same Direction-------------
"Whenever i step outside, somebody claims to see the light
It seems to me that all of us have lost our patience.
'cause everyone thinks they're right,
And nobody thinks that there just might
Be more than one way to our final destination

But i'm not ever going to know if i'm right or wrong
'cause we're all going in the same direction
And i'm not sure which way to go because all along
We've been going in the same direction

I'm tired of playing games, of looking for someone else to blame
For all the holes in answers that are clearly showing
For something to fill the space, was all of the time i spent a waste
'cause so many choices point the same way i was going.....

But i'm not ever going to know if i'm right or wrong
'cause we're all going in the same direction
And i'm not sure which way to go because all along
We've been going in the same direction

So why does there only have to be one correct philosophy?
I don't want to go and follow you just to end up like one of them
And why are you always telling me what you want me to believe?
I'd like to think that i can go my own way and meet you in the end.

But i'm not ever going to know if i'm right or wrong
'cause we're all going in the same direction
And i'm not sure which way to go because all along
We've been going in the same direction"

[mickydaniels]

Originally Posted by dropCGCF

Sure, God can't tell you what to do. HE'll love you anyways no matter what you do, right? Then what's the point of preaching his goodness? He'll love me no matter what I do, right? So leave me the hell alone.
You're contradicting yourself, saying that I need to be warned of "massive calamity" when it doesn't matter whether it happens or not because I'll be saved anyways.
.

He'll love you no matter what? Where the hell did you get that from? You won't get saved anyway, because mercy does not last forever. It gives you a chance to come to the proper path, and if you ignore it, then you are destroyed. You are given a warning and a chance for an out when you are being preached to. You choose to reject knowing the consequences, and the calamity befalls you. Like I said, you can either choose to listen or not listen. That's what I meant by you are not forced to do anything.

[dropCGCF]

Originally Posted by mickydaniels

He'll love you no matter what? Where the hell did you get that from? You won't get saved anyway, because mercy does not last forever. It gives you a chance to come to the proper path, and if you ignore it, then you are destroyed. You are given a warning and a chance for an out when you are being preached to. You choose to reject knowing the consequences, and the calamity befalls you. Like I said, you can either choose to listen or not listen. That's what I meant by you are not forced to do anything.

So what about the priest who tried to brainwash me with lies? Was he directing me to the proper path?

Also, you still haven't proved to me that you know there is a proper path. And some people never get a chance to listen to whatever you're preaching. What happens to them? You need to think about this from a logical perspective. I think God would be pretty screwed up if he judged me on if I believe in him or not. Some atheists I know are the nicest people in the world. Some Catholics I know are the worst people in the world who get their weekly dose of God and go out and sin again. You're telling me those atheists are going to hell? That's screwed up. If that's the way it is, I'd rather go to hell.

[Bond]

There is not one proper path. There are many ways to the proper place.

[Xantar]

Here's something I've figured out after thinking about it for a while recently: all religions are saying the same thing. They're all headed to the same place if you think about them.

Consider the teachings of Buddhism. It teaches (broadly speaking) that people suffer in life and that the only way to escape that suffering is to shed your earthly attachments. This has a number of meanings. The most obvious is that physical objects, money and rich food aren't worth much. Buddha realized that the pursuit of material goods is futile because no matter how much we horde, we will still be unhappy. Getting that new car might make you feel great for a day or two, but it won't take too long before you get used to it and then start wanting that latest, even more expensive new car.

But there's more to it than that. If you simply sold all your possessions, you still would be miserable. What you have to do is believe, truly believe, that none of it matters. And that's hard. The vast majority of us will fail at that. You try looking at a gold statue and rock statue and believing that they're really all the same. What you have to realize is that you only place value in the one over the other because you've been taught to believe that it is more valuable. But if you had been raised all your life believing that gold is useless and aluminum is to be coveted, who is to say that's not an equally valid view of the world? It's all just a trick your mind plays on you.

And isn't that the same thing as what Judaism, Christianity and Islam teach? In their own way, they are all saying that these earthly possessions around us mean nothing. It's the afterlife that counts (in Buddhism, it's the reincarnation). But here's the thing: many Christians, just like many Buddhists, can't fully grasp the implications of their religion. You probably know someone who goes to church and repeats all the phrases but still experiences moments of doubt and unhappiness. It's part of the same problem. They are still too attached to the world. They don't grasp the bigger picture.

We all know in our heart of hearts whether we are spiritually fulfilled or not. If you are and you look deep within yourself, you might realize that it has very little to do with the fact that you refer to God under one name and not another. Rather, it's because you've absorbed the teachings of His religion, whichever it is, about how to live your life and how to see the world.

Why argue about believing in one God or another? His existence can't be proven or disproven by His very nature, so arguments (or wars) on the matter are pointless. It's just going to make you sad, frustrated or dead. And why should following your religion cause you anguish? It doesn't make sense.

So if you're satisfied with your beliefs after thinking about them closely, then so be it. I'm happy for you. But if you really are so confident in your beliefs, you will also have realized that you have no need to convince anybody else to see it your way.