Which religion do you follow? Why did you pick that one?

[Delta4Embassy]

Just out of curiosity.

Though born into Judaism, we weren't temple-going or overtly religious. I wound up going to friends' Protestant church services if I felt like going at all. But it wasn't until I was in the Navy that my faith really clicked on. Faced with the very really possibility of killing, or by way of support-role helping to kill other human beings I began asking myself some really tough questions. To their credit, the American military takes everybody aside at some point and has them think about this sort of thing. "Are you okay killing other poeple?" In effect. I wasn't. And I opted out. I simply couldn't rationalize killing people who, history has shown time and again after every war, eventually become our friends. If ever a true monster enemy came along, aliens from space who wanna kill us all like, then I'd be ok with killing them. But not my own species.

After the Navy I took a long look at my faith. Unfortunately, the more you read the Bible the harder it is to believe much of it. While I liked the NT portion, I couldn't help but notice Christianity co-opted Judaism to give itself the appearance of credibility and legitmacy. I always felt Christianity should have just been content with the NT, not pasting it onto a previously extant religion. Would have actually made sense if they'd done that. Tying itself to the Jewish Tanach though just makes thing clash and contradict each other.

I got big into my family's faith for a long time, Judaism. But try as I might, I could never fully say "I believe in God." There's just nothing there to believe in. I believe in...The Sun. Because I can feel it's warmth, see its' brightness, and whether I believe in it or not, if I stay out too long I'll get a sunburn. But there's nothing in religion with such compelling evidence, so while I love the idea of a caring deity, I don't ultimately believe in one. Wish I did, alas.

 

[Hollie]

.

What? No Athiests?

Atheism is a religion. I was sure we had one or two of them. Maybe I was mistaken.

You are mistaken. Atheism is to religion what sobriety is to being drunk. It's just going without.

atheism is another irrational philosophy of mam

It's very irrational, and somewhat sophomoric

There's nothing irrational or sophomoric about concluding arbitrary appeals to partisan versions of gawds is actually the definition of irrational and sophomoric.

You're a christian entirely due to familial and geographic happenstance just as Pakistanis' are overwhelmingly moslem due to familial, cultural and geographic happenstance.

 

[zaangalewa]

.

What? No Athiests?

Atheism is a religion. I was sure we had one or two of them. Maybe I was mistaken.

You are mistaken. Atheism is to religion what sobriety is to being drunk. It's just going without.

Not really, because atheism is a belief and not knowledge. A denomination of the "religion atheism" (materialism, antispiritualism) is for example nihilism. Another denomination is communism. And so on. Atheism is for sure not more harmless than other religions.

 

[Hollie]

.

What? No Athiests?

Atheism is a religion. I was sure we had one or two of them. Maybe I was mistaken.

You are mistaken. Atheism is to religion what sobriety is to being drunk. It's just going without.

Not really, because atheism is a belief and not knowledge. A denomination of the "religion atheism" (materialism, antispiritualism) is for example nihilism. Another denomination is communism. And so on. Atheism is for sure not more harmless than other religions.

Atheism is a conclusion. It's a simple matter to conclude that your gawds are no more "real" than any other gawds.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

.

What? No Athiests?

Atheism is a religion. I was sure we had one or two of them. Maybe I was mistaken.

You are mistaken. Atheism is to religion what sobriety is to being drunk. It's just going without.

atheism is another irrational philosophy of mam

It's very irrational, and somewhat sophomoric

There's nothing irrational or sophomoric about concluding arbitrary appeals to partisan versions of gawds is actually the definition of irrational and sophomoric.

You're a christian entirely due to familial and geographic happenstance just as Pakistanis' are overwhelmingly moslem due to familial, cultural and geographic happenstance.

Exactly.

Indeed, acknowledging the fact that there is no 'god' as perceived by theists is completely rational.

 

[zaangalewa]

.

What? No Athiests?

Atheism is a religion. I was sure we had one or two of them. Maybe I was mistaken.

You are mistaken. Atheism is to religion what sobriety is to being drunk. It's just going without.

Not really, because atheism is a belief and not knowledge. A denomination of the "religion atheism" (materialism, antispiritualism) is for example nihilism. Another denomination is communism. And so on. Atheism is for sure not more harmless than other religions.

Atheism is a conclusion. It's a simple matter to conclude that your gawds are no more "real" than any other gawds.

"real" is another word for existance. Leibniz could ask you "Why is something existing at all but not only nothing?" Or I could ask you: Why do you use "conclusion " (as far as I can see from prejudice to prejudice) as an criterion for your view on truth? A "conclusion" is only a product of your brain, isn't it?

 

[Pedro de San Patricio]

Greetings,

I am a Sabian...I chose that belief system because it's tenets resonated with me.

Peace.

I thought the Sabians were an extinct Abrahamic group from the pre- and early Islamic Hijaz? I wasn't aware it was still a thing. Could you tell us more about your group?

 

[DriftingSand]

Just out of curiosity.

Christianity -- it picked me.

 

[Anonymous1977]

I thought the Sabians were an extinct Abrahamic group from the pre- and early Islamic Hijaz? I wasn't aware it was still a thing. Could you tell us more about your group?

...To my understanding, there are still some Sabians in the Middle East. To learn more about them you would have to talk to them...I just read up on some writings about the religion and it's beliefs and embraced that religion.

Peace.

 

[Anonymous1977]

I thought the Sabians were an extinct Abrahamic group from the pre- and early Islamic Hijaz? I wasn't aware it was still a thing. Could you tell us more about your group?

You're welcome.

 

[zaangalewa]

No religion. Used to be Catholic but discovered religion is typically just immoral obedience codes for social clubs.

Your statement here is absurde. Your ideas about Catholics are far from any reality.

Just out of curiosity.

Though born into Judaism, we weren't temple-going ...

The temple was destroyed 70 AD. What's the sense of such statements? ...

 

[Delta4Embassy]

No religion. Used to be Catholic but discovered religion is typically just immoral obedience codes for social clubs.

Your statement here is absurde. Your ideas about Catholics are far from any reality.

Just out of curiosity.

Though born into Judaism, we weren't temple-going ...

The temple was destroyed 70 AD. What's the sense of such statements? ...

"Temple-going" rolls off my tongue better than the more accurate "synagogue-going."

 

[hangover]

It says in the Christian bible, and the Torah, and the Koran, that God created ALL things. If it's true, then God created ALL religions.....and it was Satan that perverted them all.

And it's silly humans that fall for Satan's deception, and point their fingers at the religions that isn't theirs, and say, "Those are the perverted religions, but mine isn't. My God is better than your god." Fooled by Satan into believing that it's not all the same God. Islam, Christianity and the Jews ALL ALL ALL worship the God of Abraham. IT'S ALL THE SAME GOD!

 

[1stRambo]

Yo, we know who Satan is in today`s world? Its none other than the Socialist Progressive Democrat Party!
If you have any decency, and are involved with this Party, you should run as fast as you can from the Demons!!! Go back and look at the 2012 Democrat Platform, it will tell all you want to know who took over the Old Democrat Party!

 

[toxicmedia]

.

What? No Athiests?

Atheism is a religion. I was sure we had one or two of them. Maybe I was mistaken.

You are mistaken. Atheism is to religion what sobriety is to being drunk. It's just going without.

atheism is another irrational philosophy of mam

It's very irrational, and somewhat sophomoric

Again, just like religion.

Participating in activities my Presbyterian church sponsors, increases levels of oxytocin in my system, which if you didn't know already, inhibit the fight or flight response...so I'm less vulnerable to at least some long term conscious disadvantages created by fear....at least while I'm doing that stuff.

Being of service to others, or actually being altruistic, works in the same centers of the brain that have increased activity when people practice child rearing.

So the result of going to my church is that I'm less afraid, and in love with doing nice things for other people. So everybody wins, except anybody who might be offended by my irrational happiness, and the resulting peaceful sleep patterns.

I'm off track here...so my point is that my church makes me feel better, and I haven't found any drawbacks to it yet.

Presbyterians are kind of.....ummm........not so much on the propagation thing, or the fire and brimstone. I can't even remember the last time my Minister used the word Satan or the Devil. He most certainly does not talk about abortion, gay marriage, contraception, gun rights, or Islam. But we did have a pot luck where we invited members of the local Muslim Community Center, and they brought some off the hook Dolma, Tabouleh, and other stuff I can't remember what it's called.

There I go again...oh yeah!...irrational atheists.

I forgot my point, never mind

 

[Inevitable]

Your statement here is absurde. Your ideas about Catholics are far from any reality.

Is this all you have?

 

[hortysir]

Christian...southern Baptist.

Raised Southern Baptist and Methodist.
Have always believed in the infallible word of God inn Scripture.
My wife got me into the Pentecostal church and, as such, blessed with the gift of tongues in the Spirit.
Have been shoutin' ever' since

 

[zaangalewa]

... "Temple-going" rolls off my tongue better than the more accurate "synagogue-going."

Lots of members of the jewish part of my families werde murdered and for you "temple-going" rolls off your tongue better than the more accurate "synagogue-going"? Please do me the favor not to speak with me as if I would be a german idiot - oh sorry: I am a german idiot. Nevertheless: You never in your life had anything to do with Jews. So why do you tell such a confused story? What's your motivation to do so?

 

[Hollie]

Just out of curiosity.

Christianity -- it picked me.

No. It didn't. It's nothing more than happenstance. Had you been born and raised in the KSA, you would be a Koran thumping moslem as opposed to a bible thumping christian. Had you been born and raised in India, well, see above for a comparable analogy.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

ZAANGALEWA SAID:

“Not really, because atheism is a belief and not knowledge.”

Incorrect.

To be free from faith is just that – to be free from faith and belief.

All religions are creations of man, false and untrue from the very beginning. To acknowledge this fact is not a 'belief.'