GOD

[Mich]

I remember reading once about a person's near death experience...and in it they mentioned that there was a light all around them, and they just knew this was God...I liked the sound of that....

I feel that it doesn't matter what religion you are, or the beliefs you have, as long as you try to be a good person...live and let live....ppl are always too quick to judge others...and I think that when you do die, God presents itself/himself/herself to you as you see it/him/her in your own personal religion/faith...

[Little Miss Idiot]

Sends in a Mr Whippy ice-cream van

[BEX (PSP)]

I would say that I'm agnostic!

 

I believe in 'something' but I'm unsure about what it is. I suppose I could call it my 'God' but I don't, simply because I'm still uncertain about it all and don't feel that I have fully chosen a religion to follow. Maybe one day I will find something that feels right...or maybe I will spend my whole life still questioning. Who knows?

 

I don't believe however, that if there is a 'God', I would be judged because of these uncertainties. Surely everyone would be loved equally no matter what their faith (or lack of faith) is. In my opinion it is more likely that we would be judged on the way we have lived our lives rather than the beliefs that we harbour.

 

I have many friends who are committed Christians. I'm also friends with a Catholic monk (believe it or not), Buddhists, a Hindu, a Jew, a Taoist, Muslims, Pagans and atheists. We all get on great and no-one pushes their faith on each other.

 

THAT is the way it should be! Religion should be found and explored personally, rather than someone forcing their beliefs upon you. 'Forcing' would, personally, turn me AGAINST that particular religion rather than attract me to it.

 

Whoever said that religions are the cause of wars is, in a way, correct. BUT when you take a step back and understand the core beliefs and doctrines of each faith you would realise that EVERY religion is peaceful and loving. Take Islam for example...it has had so much negative 'publicity' and many people blame the religion for conflict when, in fact, it is people (extremists) who have ABUSED the religion which consequently causes war etc...not the religion itself!

 

Genuine committed Muslims would never dream of harming anyone, and this goes for Christians, Hindus, Sikhs etc (Islam was just used as an example)

 

Soooo, what am I getting at?

 

Basically, I'm just repeating what has already been said aren't I? Well, I agree with you...tolerance is the key in this debate. People may disagree with others beliefs, but NO-ONE has the right to judge others. Instead people should try to learn from each other and question and explore...but never judge. Otherwise, you're just being as bad as a racist or a homophobe; judgement without understanding

 

Did someone offer ice-cream?

 

854251[/snapback]

 

 

And you was smoking what exactly, whilst typing this???

 

 

I soooo love you Theo, you always manage to brighten my day up.

[vegeta]

i dont follow a god but i believe there is a leader out there...

 

like tony blair or that american guy...

 

maybe even saddam if ur a saitinist (sory if that affends any1)

 

but we all no one thing and that is cheese is a tasty food!

[skyriderz20]

i dont follow a god but i believe there is a leader out there...

 

like tony blair or that american guy...

 

maybe even saddam if ur a saitinist (sory if that affends any1)

 

but we all no one thing and that is cheese is a tasty food!

854813[/snapback]

 

No offence, but.. think outside the box.

[theoden_of_rohan]

I would say that I'm agnostic!

 

I believe in 'something' but I'm unsure about what it is. I suppose I could call it my 'God' but I don't, simply because I'm still uncertain about it all and don't feel that I have fully chosen a religion to follow. Maybe one day I will find something that feels right...or maybe I will spend my whole life still questioning. Who knows?

 

I don't believe however, that if there is a 'God', I would be judged because of these uncertainties. Surely everyone would be loved equally no matter what their faith (or lack of faith) is. In my opinion it is more likely that we would be judged on the way we have lived our lives rather than the beliefs that we harbour.

 

I have many friends who are committed Christians. I'm also friends with a Catholic monk (believe it or not), Buddhists, a Hindu, a Jew, a Taoist, Muslims, Pagans and atheists. We all get on great and no-one pushes their faith on each other.

 

THAT is the way it should be! Religion should be found and explored personally, rather than someone forcing their beliefs upon you. 'Forcing' would, personally, turn me AGAINST that particular religion rather than attract me to it.

 

Whoever said that religions are the cause of wars is, in a way, correct. BUT when you take a step back and understand the core beliefs and doctrines of each faith you would realise that EVERY religion is peaceful and loving. Take Islam for example...it has had so much negative 'publicity' and many people blame the religion for conflict when, in fact, it is people (extremists) who have ABUSED the religion which consequently causes war etc...not the religion itself!

 

Genuine committed Muslims would never dream of harming anyone, and this goes for Christians, Hindus, Sikhs etc (Islam was just used as an example)

 

Soooo, what am I getting at?

 

Basically, I'm just repeating what has already been said aren't I? Well, I agree with you...tolerance is the key in this debate. People may disagree with others beliefs, but NO-ONE has the right to judge others. Instead people should try to learn from each other and question and explore...but never judge. Otherwise, you're just being as bad as a racist or a homophobe; judgement without understanding

 

Did someone offer ice-cream?

 

854251[/snapback]

 

 

And you was smoking what exactly, whilst typing this???

 

 

I soooo love you Theo, you always manage to brighten my day up.

854795[/snapback]

 

 

I swear I don't need to smoke anything anymore...I feel stoned enough as it is

[gaztx]

I believe in aliens.....They are my Gods.

854222[/snapback]

 

 

*dances with* yeaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaa i love aliens i want to die being probed by one... ok kinda sick but still its my dream

[BEX (PSP)]

I believe in aliens.....They are my Gods.

854222[/snapback]

 

 

*dances with* yeaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaa i love aliens i want to die being probed by one... ok kinda sick but still its my dream

855068[/snapback]

 

 

MMMM talking of drugs....... Gaztx, your madder than me, and I take some beating. xxx

[TommyT]

Whoever said that religions are the cause of wars is, in a way, correct.

854251[/snapback]

It is to be expected; after all, fighting over religions is just the grown-up version of two kids arguing about whose imaginary friend is best.

 

But I would say that, being the cynic that believes that all religion originally stems from primitive man trying to explain the weather (and earthquakes, volcanoes etc)...

[porkfat]

I can't believe Gaz is responsible for creating such a meaningful thread.

 

[Nell]

[nyhobbit79]

Personally I do not believe in God, or any kind of religion that claims a higher being created life.

 

If there was one religion I would follow it would be Buddhism, because Buddah was not a higher being, he was simply a man who decided to get some peace and quiet, living on a mountain for a few years doing nothing but meditating all day.

 

Hobbitslut, I applaud you for having the determination to follow and believe in something that obviously gives you some sort of comfort.

 

Religion is fine until people start to disagree with each other (this is usually the male of the species) and the typically being male they decide to go out and kick some ass in a desperate attempt to make everyone believe in the same thing.

 

When us ladies know it is better if you have different interests, for example not all ladies like the delectable Elijah Wood, that is fine with me cos it means less competition .

[GoldenGreen]

I know what I believe and I'm so sick and tired of people dissing it. I'M A CHRISTIAN AND PROUD!!! God loves me and I love him. End of story.

853185[/snapback]

 

Whilst I respect everyones view, blind faith can be dangerous.

 

You need to look no further than the recent terrorist bombings carried out in the name of religion.

 

Of course the majority of people that believe in religion are not going to do this whether they are Christian or Muslim, or whatever, but it would be wise to keep an open mind.

 

If everyone spent more time helping their fellow humans , rather than trying to get one over on them, the world would be a better place.

853279[/snapback]

 

Right, you know nothing bout my so called 'blind faith' in fact you know nothing about me. It pisses me off when people like you jump to conclusions like that.

 

I am a Christian and I do not I repeat NOT condone killings in the name of any religion.

 

How do you know that I haven't looked into other religions?How do you know I haven't been tried and tested? How dare you assume things like that?

 

I do not try to get 'one over' on anybody. I believe what I believe and you believe what you believe.

853628[/snapback]

 

I was trying to make a more general point, so apologies if you felt it was aimed at you.

 

I was thinking about the suicide bombers who are promised untold riches when they go to heaven and they then kill innocent people believing that this is what they will receive. Whilst, they are really being used by some evil individual who is distorting the religion to their own political end.

 

I do think it is right for people to question things, and personally do feel that it can be dangerous to accept everything without any form of checks.

 

You have your own views and experiences that have taken you down the path to where you currently are, as do I.

 

And as I finished off in my last post, I just feel life would be easier if people were more willing to spend time helping others with no motivation other than to do good, and their actions and thoughts did not get tied up in competing religious doctrines.

[mistaken_plane]

Sorry to be a few days late on this, but Ive been away sunning it up on the Cote d'Azur!

 

I would class myself as athiest/agnostic. Which basically means I dont really know, but I find it very unlikely there is a 'God' figure out there. My dont know bit comes from the belief that if there is a higher being, then that one being is far far above anything humans believe in. Instead it is not appeased by laws set out in books, worship in places of belief, but simply wants us all to do the best we can, while we can do it.

 

I lead a good life, I do no wrong by people, I am good, friendly, dont harm, dont steal, dont upset others or any of that stuff. Yet I am led to believe that by not being religious I am to lead an eternity of torment and suffering. That I find very wrong, and kind of offensive.

 

(NB: A little disclaimer here now...nothing in this thread is pointing at anything already said. So the above comment about an eternity of torment was not directed at the individual who made comments about the afterlife. I respect your views completely, and hope you do mine. Ta.)

 

Now I went to a Catholic Sixth Form College, and had a Christian upbringing, but I do not follow the Christian faith. I used to, but then bad things happened in my life. I asked God to help them stop, they didnt, so I stopped beliving. Might sound silly, but for a 12 year old that was my decision. Around 16-17 I was interested in Anarchism, in that I agreed with the principle that humans could exist peacefully without rulers, and thus because of that was very much anti-religion, and often spoke out against them strongly, without regard for other peoples views.

 

So now I am a little older, and a little wiser, and now take little bits of everything to become the person I now am. If you wish to believe in God, or Allah, or the small monkey at the end of your garden that is fine by me. Talk to me, we can exchange ideas, we might even become better people because of it (no one every lost out by having an open mind, but many do by closing themselves off). But...please dont preach to me. And I dont mean the people that tell you to your face you are a sinner and the work of Satan etc etc, but just that your religion is yours, and yours only. I dont need to know, and I dont want to hear that I am any less of a person for not beliving as you do. I am not.

 

I do not find the idea of someone creating things plausible. Space is infinite, time is infinite, and as humans we have trouble dealing with that. The things that exist on Earth do so simply because there are infinite possibilities out there. Somehow some small, tiny, almost microscopic blobs worked in a way that pumped a little oxygen into the atmosphere. Millions of them worked and our planets makeup changed and life began to form. One day it will change again, oxygen levels will be different, and life as we know it will die off. Maybe more will come along, maybe none will for a long time.

 

I believe in evolution, because it is there, can be seen and can be proved. Species evolve, they adapt, they constantly change to best fit their environments. Plants become toxic to aviod being eaten, the animal eating evolves defenses to that toxicity. Things change constantly, but we do not clearly notice it because it is slow.

 

Religious beliefs are appealing because we do not clearly know how the universe came to be (or did it? I believe it didnt, but just always has been...), why things are expanding in the universe, what black holes really are, where gamma ray bursts come from, and a whole lot more. Religious beliefs mean that we dont have to know, and that everything is because it has been made that way. It also deals with the blunt ending by talking of an afterlife.

 

I dont believe in the afterlife, because it is not clear what it is. What would my eternal form be? Would I be old and withered as I might be when I die? Would I be the age I was in my best form? What about young children and babies which sadly die? Do they spend eternity at that age? Do we age in the afterlife? And so on.

 

As for religions being peaceful, sorry, but they are not. In The Bible, for example (dont take it personally, I just know this religion more than I do others, I am not anti-Christian!) says things like:

 

"And all the firstborn in the land of Eygpt shall die..." Ex 11:5

 

"...for I am a jealous God, visiting the inequity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." D 5:9

 

"When the Lord they God shall bring thee into the land whither thous goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgas***es, and the Amorties, and the Cannanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;

 

And when the LORD they God shall deliver them, and utterly destroy them: thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them:

 

Neither shall thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt take unto thy son." D 7:1-3

 

"Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills and under every green tree:

 

And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire: and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods and destroy them out of that place" D 12:2-3

 

Where God him or herself, clearly says to attack and kill those of other faiths. So if you are to follow the exact word of God, you should kill those others. And this leads to the situation like we have with Israel/Palestine. According to human law Israel is at fault for occupying land not theirs, but Jews see it as their land because their holy book says as much.

 

Things are too complex for easy answers, and only by discussion can we understand each other.

 

Sorry that was so long, but there you go. And if you read it all, you can have a prize. Not a cookie, cos I dont have any, but a banana. Which is also better for you in about 20 ways :)