Do you belive in God/religion ?

[10 years after]

I believe in a higher power than humans. Call it 'God' if you will, I do too sometimes. I definitely believe in angels after having a couple of experiences with them. I don't believe in organized religion which is pure business as far as I'm concerned. And I don't believe in the bible either.

[heartsoup]

I believe in a higher spirituality, often in terms of
A Universal "God /Goddess "rather than one attuned to we
Mere humans.
IMHO
Betsky

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P.s. @heartsoup
GAIA Is almost alway referred to in the feminine

I suppose if you are referring to Greek mythology, but as an idea Gaia is just the earth, or mother earth, which also makes sense for Gaia to be a female

[the chodesman]

When you look at all the atrocities committed in the name of religion; the crusades, the spanish inquisition, protestants v. catholics, the holocaust, catholics buggering boys; etc. I don't see how anybody would want to be associated with any aspect of any organized religion.

I also dislike douchey athiests like Richard Dawkins or Davis Cross. Humility is a good attribute. I don't give a damn about either side of the argument. I suppose I'm agnostic.

**** Mormons.

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@sambob im telling you ya ol chode chaser the solution to all your problems is flying me down for a few months/years, id be the friendly guy that crashes in your bed (because you offer to sleep on the couch of course), eats your food, uses your beat off sock, peruses your nudy stash etc etc, itll be great, and to top it off you'll never miss a delivery as ill be there if it needs a signature and as an added bonus by the time you get off work and get home ill be able to give you a rating of how good the meds were! Only the best of best friends does the above for a buddy.

I'll have you know chode chaser is a registered trademark of chodesman inc.

[screen name]

Boy, this thread has bee overwhelmingly non-religions people. I was kind of hoping for some great debate. I have so many questions, I don;t know where to start. Give me guidance oh Lord.

[Demona]

Ask your questions - I was raised Baptist. Switched to Pentecost. Married a Mormon who hopes they never refold him. Lived in a Muslim area. Lived in a Catholic area. Dated seriously a Lutheran.

I am a preacher's kid so that explains only the crass parts of my personality Everyone knows the preacher's daughter is not behaved. I related to Footloose as a teen a lot more than anyone else I knew. I was living that fight with my dad.

What turns me off religion is how they are all convinced they are the ONLY ones going to heaven and spend more time bickering with each other about which key to use at the Pearly Gates than they do out there trying to win a non believer's soul for the cause. It's pretty disgusting. We'd rather fight over wine, to sip or not, than spend time actually helping other people.

In addition it's all about teaching fear and condemnation. Judge your neighbor! Disregard that phrase of the bible, judge not lest ye be judged. Tear the story of the woman getting stoned and Jesus intervening out of your Bibles that was put in there by somone trying to trick you. Stop loving your neighbor and start hating them. Peek in their bedrooms and chastise their choices. Ick.

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And then people who are against the charismatic movement have started this whole anti women campaign. I'd find it offensive if they weren't so damn amusing.
They are convinced this video shows a red headed devil woman who invokes Satan into the charismatic church and causes total pandemonium to break out:

Yeah because this is what Satan gets his enjoyment from...................(rolls eyes)

Kenneth E. Hagin - Drunk in the Spirit, Holy Laughter - YouTube

[Roswell1947]

I was forced to attend church at age 3 to 18. Every day. Catholic & Episcopalian.
I was in the choir too. I say I believe in God but I've never seen him
so I am dubious. In school we were forced to read old testament,
new testament & darwin.
I'm still confused but respect religious beliefs as Mrs Rowell is a devout
Tibetan Bhuddist. So I just say I believe in God but a little proof would be nice.

[screen name]

If god has been around forever, what did he do before he created us? Not meant to be funny. Does it make sense that he just got bored one day and made us for entertainment?

[Demona]

Even 16 year old boys eventually have to stop because things get sore @screen name
Just kidding
What if forever means he's been around since the day he created us/earth/whatever came first? If Forever started that day.............................it's an odd thought to try and express clearly but what if there wasn't all that time unaccounted for?

[TenaciousE]

A skeptical agnostic.

[Flat ___Line]

I believe there is a God. I also think myself foolish for this belief.

[screen name]

Good answer Demona. I'm glad you understand the question of the reasoning. I was raised roman catholic and was an alter boy. I slowly weened away to become an atheist with a slight attitude. (****ing nuns LOL)

Even 16 year old boys eventually have to stop because things get sore @screen name
Just kidding
What if forever means he's been around since the day he created us/earth/whatever came first? If Forever started that day.............................it's an odd thought to try and express clearly but what if there wasn't all that time unaccounted for?

[BobbyGee]

As they say in the fellowship. I don't know about God, but I know it isn't me. Removal of ego and try to help another.

People often take their beliefs and present them as "facts" which is wrong from the onset. One may believe something to be true but it wouldn’t stand the test of science. That isn't anything bad about beliefs, because a belief is based on faith whereas a scientific "truth" is based on the evidence that has been constructed from theory and then an experiment. They occupy two different worlds

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"Religion is the opium of the people" is one of the most frequently paraphrased statements of Karl Marx

[betsky]

If god has been around forever, what did he do before he created us? Not meant to be funny. Does it make sense that he just got bored one day and made us for entertainment?

@screen name
I usually avoid religious and political threads because they tend to bring oit the worse in some people. This one is interesting and non judgemental.

I was raised Catholic. Church every morning and Sundays.
Like @Rowell10mg we had choir, alter boys etc. Many a person had said my father would have become a priest if he hadn't married and had 8 kids. Yet he had a quiet, pure faith.never preachy. I sometimes wish I had aquired his faith. We were required to hold the missilet (spelling?) Every morning in church. By forth grade i got into a bit of trouble with the nuns because I claimed I could write the words to service, minus the liturgy and another part, cant remember the name, but it changed each time. After a week they stopped using the rulers on my poor hands and gave me a chance. I was allowed 5 wrong words, if i succeeded I didn't have to hold the book, if i failed i had to wash the church floor, hands and knees style, while everyone else was at lunch.(for 2 weeks)
I got 2 words wrong, a "the " and an "at ".
This is really when my disatifaction started. Rather than be proud of me the nuns made sure to make school a nightmare for me for the next 4 years.
I also hated the "fashion parade " at Sunday service. It seemed it was more about who had the designer shoes dresses etc. Than about beliefs and fellowship.
needless to say I'm a non attending Catholic. I never bothered to change my affiliation.
my kids have attended several religious services, sometimes with friends, sometimes with me if they expressed an interest and i didn't know anyone of that affiliation.
Baptists were one of the last kind.my one son even attended their youth group, kind of run like boy/ girl scouts for 2 months.
i always encouraged spiritual discussion and regarding our Baptist experience, my children wondered why everything was explained in a negative way.like how bad we all are no matter what we did etc. Im explaining this poorly and i apologise to our Baptist members now, no ill intent is meant
the only religion we did not explore was Judaism.
My stepfather is a very religious Presbyterian, his 2 sons, my sb, both became Catholic and are now priests. My sister turned to a spiritual fellowship, attended Lily Dale, an became a reverant.
I believe in a universal spirituality. About when God started?
long before man came to be or even before earth, after all
She had entire universes to create
As always this is IMHO
Betsky

[msaok]

I was raised Catholic, educated lower, middle, high school, college ALL catholic.
Oh my god I'm so catholic, my first job out of college was in a catholic institution. I was married in a catholic church or..... so I thought.
A few years ago, I found out the priest who officiated at my wedding was suspended from administering sacraments (for alleged child sexual abuse) during the time he married us.
So long story short, my kids really ARE bastards. That's not just me verbally abusing them.
I didn't raise them with any religious education, which is a testament to the value I placed on it.

[scottbess88]

I don't believe in any gods/deamons/devils and what not. They are very interesing to read about though. I just can't wrap my head around it

[the chodesman]

I went to a Catholic mass and had the impression I was at a Nazi gathering. Sorcery!

[10 years after]

If god has been around forever, what did he do before he created us? Not meant to be funny. Does it make sense that he just got bored one day and made us for entertainment?

Didn't he just hang out with the angels before the creation of man? Isn't that what instigated the fall of the angels, because Lucifer thought man was an inferior being and would not honor him as the other angels did.

This is 8 years of parochial school religious ed. talking