wannabechef-Nah, that’s honestly how I feel about it.
Wall-E-And that’s what scares me about dedicating yourself to one religion.
I renounced my faith as a Christian because I see it more as “am I worshipping the right deity? What if I’m wrong and I’ll end up in some horrible place in the afterlife all because I worshipped Jesus Christ instead of Allah?”, DocKenobi, that sort of thing. Then I just looked at it all and said to myself, “Okay, this isn’t worth my time. If whatever omnipotent beings are out there aren’t going to show up and tell me what I’m doing is right, then I give up.”
I still feel I can live my life without a religion. Having a fatih made a life goal more easy to see (Christianity’s example-Your meaning in life is to spread God’s word and have a connection with God.), but it can’t be the only one out there.
Kind of the same story here as to how my doubt started. I was looking at a map when I was 11ish of the religious distribution of the world and wondered how it was possible that many people could be worshiping the wrong god and why that god would feel the need to punish them for that.
I can’t quite say I have any religion right now. Pretty undecided.
My plan is this:
Wait until I can TRULY be alone for a while, maybe when I move out on my own in the world, take a week, and just study all kinds of religions.
Personally, I’ve always leaned towards Christianity, but there are just so many things about it that makes a shy, backwards guy like me uncomfortable. Churches just kinda…I don’t know.
I say, at least give it a try. Yeah, churches haven’t accumulated the best rep, and I can kind of understand that… and it hurts me because people who are just looking for a place they can go end up getting turned away by the church, of all things; which is supposed to be the most accepting people in the world.
I’d say, “head on over to my church!” But I have a pretty good feeling you don’t live so close to my area.
I hope you find what you’re looking for, anyhow. And if you have any questions, you can always ask me.
This! I hear the saddest stories from people who were just looking to learn more about God.
To be honest, I haven’t been to church in a while either. Mine feels so stagnant. Are there not churches truly dedicated to going out and helping others anymore? 8(
Whilst waiting in the airport in Qatar, for the first time I truly experienced a Muslim culture in the Middle East. I have nothing against Muslim people whatsoever, but at the same time I couldn’t help but be shocked at just how much the women were covered up- not a single bit of flesh was showing, not even on their faces, aside from these two little eyeholes that had been cut out of the material. I know every religion has different views, and I tend not to agree or disagree as a whole, but I did not like this at all. I also didn’t enjoy being stared at because I was wearing something that they would consider much more ‘revealing’- a knee-length dress and bare legs. Of course, other religions may discriminate against sexes or races in similar ways, but this was just so blatant.
I’m a southern Baptist, but I respect other’s choices, and I don’t appreciate the people who go around preaching and trying to persuade people. It’s a “choice”, there’s no reason to make others mad for the sake of a different belief system. All my Christian friends say I’m crazy, because I don’t stuff religion down people’s throats, and I believe Jesus to be God’s son, but not God. I see Jesus as the stepping stone from mortals to God. I have nothing against Homosexuality. My uncle’s gay, I have two gay friends, and free choice is free choice, not free choice on what the Government believes you should have free choice on. I don’t understand why people debate on wether gays should be able to marry, when they believe that you should love others as yourself. The "HypoChristians"give the rest of us a bad name. I believe it’s purely evil to abort, but again, I’m for free choice.
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
Kinda delayed response but I don’t often get to use this line. But really, you don’t have to attend a church or belong to an organized outfit to be Christian, you need only believe and follow the teachings of Christ.
I don’t have a reigion I belong to because I think they are all crap (no offense).
I do have a few simple beliefs.
Like: There is one almighty God, a heaven, but no hell. To get into to heaven you have to be a good person not religious. If you’re not good person you get reborn. I don’t believe Jesus was the son of God or he was God. I believe he was probably a preacher who made a big impact and he was Joseph and Mary’s son. Mary was not a virgin (it’s impossible). I also have some other beliefs but I rather not say.
Ah… religion. I grew up in a Buddhist home, but my parents sent me to a Christianity-teaching private school. Spending most of my time in school, listening to my teachers and friends, I became a Christian. But I’ve always had a hard time with that. I doubt more than anyone I’ve ever met. And among all the things that I’ve dealt with throughout my life… this January, the last thing I told God was to leave me alone and that He was just a figment of my imagination all these years. That everything I believed in since I was little was all a lie. So, I guess I’m not a Christian anymore? So… religion, I don’t really know what to think about it anymore.
I was raised a Lutheran. I have had a Confirmation and have been an 8 year member of my church’s youth group.
I don’t really have a religion though. I was raised Christian, and love the teachings of Christ. But I also study other religions and respect them. I basically follow the teachings of Christ, but do not believe that the events actually took place. I believe in loving your neighbor as you love your self, and the best thing you can do for yourself is to give back to the world and respect your fellow man.
I don’t follow any religion, and neither do my family, but I do believe there’s an afterlife where you can be reincarnated.
I know this sounds weird, but I want to come back as Pixar-animated me in the Pixar universe
To be even weirder, I’d say if I follow any religion, it would be the Pixar religion. John Lasseter is the God. The Pixar-animated universe would be heaven, and there is no Hell. Also, the main rule would be to make awesome movies! XD
I am a true born again Christian. I do believe that Jesus died and raised from the dead for all of our sins. I accepted Him into my life when I was 9 years old. And life has been so much better since. It doesn’t mean I’m perfect though, I still have a few things to work on, but God will help me. It makes me sad to see people who live without Christ and refuse to accept Him as their Lord and Savior.
Ami, I’d say a lot of people here would join the Pixarian Church. As long as it doesn’t conflict with my sunday Baptist Church, I may have to have two religions!!
I’m a Buddhist (though you could call me an agnostic as well, seeing as how I have no active belief in any higher deity). To be honest, I don’t really think of it as my “religion” (since over the years the r-word has come to have very negative connotations for me) – more a set of personal ideals and perceptions which I use as a basic framework to guide me through life. I’ve no interest in converting anyone else to it or even making a particularly big deal about it outside of my own head.
On the one hand, I don’t have a problem with the concept of “religion” in itself. Different religions are a perfectly natural consequence of the existence of so many different cultures, and of the wide variety of beliefs, lifestyles, rituals and traditions that entails. Such diversity, in my opinion, merely makes the world a more fascinating and flavoursome place. It’s when people use religion to create “us” and “them” divisions, as is so often the case, that things start to get ugly, and I start to shut off.
I don’t believe in life after death, and of course I don’t think there’s any kind of deity.
But I’m open minded to the beliefs of others. There’s no way I can be convinced of them, but I can respect them as long as they don’t mess up with other people’s lifes. So I practice tolerance.
And if you have any questions, you can always ask me.
