I guess you can call me Agnostic?

I dunno, I lead a pretty happy life. So does my wife.

 

Yah i dont believe in anything, beliefs suck, i have ideas (dogma anyone?)

I dont think religious people are morons, i think closeminded obdurate people are morons. people who think that they KNOW the truth without a shadow of a doubt because their parents brainwashed them since they were in diapers NOT to think or question thier beliefs. If you can research every religion and every argument and evidence for and against your religion with a relatively unbaised eye, and still be able to devote your life to a religion, more power to you. But i have seen/ heard/ experianced too much to devote my life to a religion

 

I totally agree with you. Majority of my family is Lutheran and my mom, sister and I are all catholic. We've always been pushed aside, they talk "bad" about catholics at get togethers right infront of us. I've NEVER thought anything good of that side of my family because of it. I think churchs should preach their values NOT what they think OTHER churches values are. Too many jump to conclusions but have many ministers and priests ever actually spent time with other ministers or priests? Now a days too many people just believe what they hear rather than experiencing it themselves. The one thing that really turned myself against my family was when I heard my aunt say "christians....and catholics". Catholics aren't christian?

 

Well alot of catholics think they are above normal christians. Little biased in my opinion. I have to say I was born Methodist and baptised Methodist. But I guess when I got to the age of questioning things I started to branch out and look at other religions and their values and such. It is really interesting that there are such strong differences between different religions. Like I said above I am Wiccan and trust me when I say that if some asks what religion am I, I usually dont say anything simply because I know that alot of people in this world would automatically tell me I am going to "hell", well I guess their "hell" technically laugh.gif .

I do not think Catholicism is bad by any means. I simply think that because there are so many followers in high places that they feel they have the "power". Not that it is wrong or right I just have an issue when someone trys to push their religion onto me or anyone else. It should be something that you decide to follow (regardless of which religion) for your own reasons. If you are happy practicing what you do than good for you!

 

First of all, I respect everybody's opinon and I hope you will respect mine as well. I believe in God but I do not call myself Protestant or Catholic or any other religious denomination. I believe one of the problems with "Christianity" is the different denominations that have sprung up that I feel cause further alienation between Chrisitians or those of other faiths so I choose to remain independant of them. I do study different faiths so I can learn the overall picture better by studying all sides.

 

You are correct, the major problem with christianity is the different denominations. When the christian churches first started they all beleived the same thing. Now each denomination seems to have a different understanding of the Bible. I mean one denomination has even gone so far as to allowing same sex marriages when it clearly states in the Holy Bible that it is wrong.

Even some so called non-denominational churches get it wrong. I was raised going to the protestant services at the base chapel. I eventually stopped going to church when I was 15 or so. After I moved to Germany I was baptized and taught how to be a christian in a well known non-denominational church. Part of what I was taught is that if you were not going to our church you were doing it wrong and would go to hell. My wife and I stopped going to that church this past fall. But, I still have a lot to thank that church for because I know a lot more about the history of the Bible and scripture than most people I know. We now attend another non-denominational church and we have seen things happen there that are not necessarily in line with the scriptures either.

 

To let you guys know where I stand, I agree with java on several things that he has posted.


I became a Christian about 4 years ago.
It is not about worship as in the context of a dictator of a country as x7xstring made it sound, but more as a relationship.

About the post concerning dinosaurs and millions of years... there have been numerous reports of Carbon Dating and other forms of dating time frames to be very inconsistent and unreliable. It is NOT, how you put it, a "Fact."

I'm interested in knowing how everybody here believes that the world was created, or humanity itself? Just curious on what you guys think.

I am sorry several of you have had negative experiences in life, in churches, or in schools. I attend a Baptist church, but am by no means a "Baptist"... it's not about denominations. I haven't found one I really agree with. I choose to read, study, and interpret the Bible the best that I can through Bible studies and understanding, and applying it to my life, forming my beliefs from the Bible, and figuring out what is trying to be communicated through the Bible.

We are not puppets for God to control and form into everything he would like. For us to be "made in the image of God" therefore "God must be a sinner" is one of the most rediculous forms of a syllogism as taught by Aristotle.

The above is a TRUE syllogism, with proper form.

But in the context you used with your comment, you could pretty much make the statement,
A: If bananas are fruit,
B: and all bananas are yellow,
C: then all fruit must be yellow
IT DOESN'T WORK! Just as this one doesn't work...
A: God loves and helps people
B: but God doesn't "help" me
C: therefore God doesn't exit


If you want to bring life experiences into the equation, I have several that I could throw in. Unfortunately, many "Christians" do not act or speak like Christians should. It definitely gives a bad understanding to others as to what a "Christian" is. Most of you are generalizing, saying "I was taught by a priest, they said this, so now I'm athiest because I couldn't agree with what he said." or "I was homeless and starving and God didn't help me"... that last one especially makes me VERY confused... how are you now posting on this web forum, from a computer? Are you travelling around still, popping into internet cafe's long enough to post on here, then go back to living on the streets?

I heard this quote, and couldn't believe it when I heard it. I agree with it completely, and honestly, it saddens me.

 

Who said that originally? It is on a CD I have between two songs. But that quote is TOTALLY true.

 

Beginning of "What If I Stumble" by DC Talk. Awesome quote.

I also like one of the Casting Crowns songs, "What if His people Prayed" :
"What if the life that we pursue, came from a hunger for the truth. What if the Family turned to Jesus... stopped asking Oprah what to do!"

 

Yes i love threads like this. It give me a chance to make an off the wall post. Yes i belive in god. I also believe that you don't have to go to chruch to believe. I also think that as long as you believe in something you are doing better then most. Anyone who can sit back and say show me proof or god and can sit back and tell you to show me proof there isn't! So i beg you to please show me? I'm sorry that you were poor and hungry one day but there are plenty of people that are like that every day of their lives. But some of those people sill believe. I haven't been to church since my parents got a divorce. After they were done it made me think when the preacher took one of their sides. I thought why so i listen to a person force his belief on me? You shouldn't, But you can still believe. You can worship your god in you own way. This country was formed becuse of several things. One on them being god! Look at every piece of money you have. It will have god on it. But guess what, It doesn't say what god or which god. That leaves it open for you to believe what you want. That is the problem people think as soon as they hear got you have to think christian. That is not the case. You can believe there is not a God and that is fine. At least you believe in something.