An Idea I thought I would share what I came up with to be true about Religion. It's an original idea in the since that no one told me or exposed me to this idea. I came up with it on my own. Unheard of in religion. I find it explains everything in very simple terms, also known as Hakim's Razor.
Religious Background: I was Baptist until I was 13. Then my parents said I could choose what I wanted to be. I decided I wanted my weekend back. Growing up with religion, I read the bible as if it was any other fiction book. I found the idea of Heaven vague and the idea of Hell impractical. Why would anyone be punished for eternity? Or even at all? With this disbelief in Hell (Is H3LL censored?) I lost most of my beliefs. I have never bothered to read any other religious books, but I found out the gist of them.
My Thoughts:
GOD: Most religions have some form of God. I believe that the simple answer is that man made God. When you were a kid and asked a question you didn't know, you made one up. I believe that God was the answer to every question that man could not. Who made the sun rise? Who is making it rain? Who made this world? Why did my son die? Why did it happen?
Heaven: Most people fear death. I believe Heaven, or the afterlife or reincarnation, is the answer man came up with to sooth the minds of the fearful. It is much easier to face death knowing you will not really die, now isn't it?
Hell: (I hope that doesn't censor) Hell is a place were you suffer forever because you didn't do what some one else wanted you to do. "You may get away with murder, but you will burn in hell for ever." Sounds like any kid in grade school making claims that his big brother will come beat you up if you hit him. Being punished by a higher power. We would all like to think this happens because the alternative is that bad people will get away with it.
Religion: "I am right, and you need to listen to me." Everyone knows some one who is good at talking. They always get what they want, and everyone around them is just willing to follow along. Everyone loves to be told stories of how things came to be, heroes of legends, and the paradise that awaits them if they only pay a small donation to their story teller. Later on, they will be asked to take up arms to defend their story teller from other story tellers who talk a bit different or louder. To be told you are wrong, why that's the biggest insult one can do, right?
Posting on this thread: Do not post quotes you have read, passages from your holy book, or vomit back up what your preacher has told you. If you want to discus about religion, come up with your own believe and arguments that support your views. There are other threads you can do that in, please keep this one clean of such things, or face the wrath of the (:NOOB stamp. :P
"Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline founded in China by Li Hongzhi in 1992. It has five sets of meditation exercises and seeks to develop practitioners' hearts and character according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance." ^ Taken from Wikipedia.
It was banned in 1999 by the Chinese Government. Many people who practiced it were discriminated, tortured, and often, murdered or raped. Propaganda posters called it a Cult, and called it Evil.
Hmmmm... to copy more or less to Talo's own structure
An Idea What I believe spiritually is that I am free to live and to die and that what happens happens... I will meet "my maker", "eternal slumber" or "ashes to ashes" eventually and care not which it is. I never have been good with authority. I prefer to earn respect and have it earned. Religion demands it. So I won't give it.
Religious Background Born of a Catholic father and a protestant mother the Catholic preists called me "bastard", however the protestant church baptised me happily and so the birth certificate reads "Church of Scotland". Essentially that means nothing.
God consistent contradiction
Heaven If I got there I wouldn't know anyone anyway = )
I was COE until i was about 14 and even though i already taken communion i just stopped believing, when i did that i felt like i understood the world alot better and i had grown up out of a dream.
Although i do believe that some remnants of humans can get left behind from the spirital world i don't really think there is an afterlife. I feel that most humans need that ability to believe in something or feel their lives are nothing, espiecially the time after death.
Another thing with religion is that some are put much more pressure on the individuals than others. Christianity i had to say is probably one of the worst, i was merely 10 and definatly not mature enough to understand clearly with an adult mind the way of the religeon when i was almost forced into stating that i believed in God.
Impossible to have humanly qualities (including intellect), since personalities are formed from inborn (or developing) traits (i.e instincts) and the environment. God has neither opportunities to have a personality, so how can it form the concept of Good and Evil, since that is dependent on the person's own perspective. Even if he is an ethereal body, such intellect must be formed from something.
The thing I think is funny about all the religions in the wotld is that when you pick them apart they are all very similar. Each containing the same stories. Their is an island near india containing a tribe of people that have been isolated for hundreds of thousands of years. they are thought to be one of the first people out of Africa (if you believe that theory) but hsve hardly developed since. They still don't have fire relying on the embers of a tree that was struck by lightning hundreds of years agot thet they keep burning. Yey, despite this isolation, when their religion was studied it was still comparable with other religions containing a Noah style flood.
I never understood the Noah flood thing. I mean, he was what? like the 7th generation from Adam and Eve so there was like what? 50 people in the world???? So God flooded the world to kill 50 people?
@pixie that just shows how great our God is that from birth everyone knows about him! Also you have no idea how big of differences there are. Like the fact the Christian Christ is the Islamic anti Christ and viva-versa.
@Talo I'm not exactly sure how many generations but I believe it was more than that. But let's see, well first per-flood peoples lived much longer lives I think Moses. Was 700ish when he made the ark so while moses was close to Adam and eve some were many generations away. Also people had a lot of kids back then.
Yah, it's right about the time you open the bible that this happends. They name everyone and how old they lived. I also found it funny that Adam hid from God in the Garden of Eden, so much for all knowing all seeing. But to be fair, I'm sure God killed a few sinners and leveled up and got that ability later.
@samy I know there are obviously major differences in the religions. But i was saying the basics as well as some stories are similar. The Masih ad-Dajjal is the Islamic Anti-christ and is believed to arrive before Judgement day and fight AGAINST Jesus and his righteous army. I don't understand the second part of your post diredted at me.
