basic

[ria]

i kinda started this in the other "what is love?" thread (which by the way makes me sing the song in my head everytime i read the title) but i think we should make a separate thread, because the other one will get out of hand.

So, basically, what's your religion, or if your agnostic, what do you believe?

[&& We Will Become Silhouettes]

I'm Methodist... but I've never been to a methodist church except um last year.... and that was in NC so I don't think I'd be going there often...
but I mean I believe other things though... that not all Christians agree with...

I don't know... bah...

[ria]

well i have no idea what the difference is between all these religions, so what do methodists believe?

[&& We Will Become Silhouettes]

they're Christians. It's just another branch ...

like I said I've never really been to church. I've been to baptist churches, and community bible churches, and methodist churches. if you ask me they don't do anything different....

they study the bible
they listen to the priest
they try to find a common plane with God.

not a plane that flys but like a level...bah...

I don't see a difference... because the main idea is still there ...

[DCOTN]

Baby don't hurt me, don't huuurt me no more...

-cough- Anyways. Sorry for talking this much:

I suppose I grew up protestant, or at least that's the class I got signed up in for Moral Ed. It's more or less Christian, which is something I have no idea about. I know Jesus was involved somewhere, and there's always that damn David and Goliath rumble.

My family isn't religious at.. all. So while it was nice to go to sunday school and eat paste, we stopped going as reached 7 it seemed. It just.. wasn't playing a big role in my life. Yes, I know the stories. God and Jesus and sheep in Bethlehem. I celebrate Christmas, but it's probably because it's just the cool thing to do.

Personally, I don't believe in much. I don't want to assign myself a belief, to be an atheist just beause I think religion sucks and getting up Sunday mornings isn't cool. While watching a certain unnamed movie *COUGH* Darko *COUGH* I heard an explanation from a character's therapist about beliefs:

"An agnostic thinks it impossible to know the truth in matters such as God and the future life with which Christianity and other religions are concerned. Or, if not impossible, at least impossible at the present time."
(click HERE for the rest of the article.)

This description sounds more like me. I don't want to denounce a higher being of God or something of equal meaning, because this would be going against so many other people's beliefs. I myself am not sure of there being any higher being like this, but I'm not about to decide there isn't.

....Blah blah blah.

Really, I don't believe in much of anything. I'm still hoping there will be some amazing coming-of-age one day, that all the answers to my questions will strike me down and I will be able to live on with a certain peace or something like that. But I'm really doubting that will happen..

I think you learn from your mistakes, and that some people choose to avoid making those mistakes; others will continue to make them--and they might learn more, they might not.

Urhm... Yeah. I could continue with my thoughts, but I really don't think I'm anywhere near this age of knowledge. I'm just getting to the age where I think I know everything. I'd just keep talking, about things that could seem ot have some meaning in this matter. I don't think they do though, so there you go.

---

For a different perspective, I'd suggest to read some books. This sounds painfully dumb, but The Vampire Lestat (written by Anne Rice, yeah..) explores this topic quite profusely. The format it's written in, becuase it's a book, it also interesting-- It is all in one-on-one through the conversations between characters, as they share (and discuss) their separate beliefs. While it doesn't deal with things like, 'which religion is the better one', it gives various opinions on good and evil--Which is relayed as a God and a Devil. It's pretty nifty.

..The end, for now.

x

[&& We Will Become Silhouettes]

My parents didn't go to church because they got sick of people pretending... People would come to church with the whole "I'm so holy" attitude and my parents got sick of it... so yeah we just are like eh... whatever. I believe in God, I know he's there for me, I know he'll help me through, and so on and so on... but really who needs a church? that's just organized prayer...

"I'm not sure but I've got a good idea"--Dogma...

yup

[Pay No Mind]

This is the third time I have typed this....

I am Catholic....

I haven't been to church in a while...but I think it is better to just believe.....I mean not believeing is just sad....It's nice to think that something is watching over you and that there is something better that this life that we live....

Religions have taken something good and turned it into a belief system...I mean...the bible is supposed to help you live your life...not tell you how to live it....It's just there for reference....besides it's been tampered with soo much through time...

I also think that God just is...he isn't one thing but more like everything...and he doesn't judge you...He will give you what you want just not everything....

I think there is a plan foreveryone...I mean not everyone is going to grow up and do something dramatic...I mean some people do but....Like everyone has effected someone somewhere somehow....Really....They have....Wether is was just a little bit or a big life change...They have somehow done something.....

[&& We Will Become Silhouettes]

yeah the quote I found um the other day reminded me of something I was talking about.. it's on the quotes board...

um it's something like people strive their whole life for something they already have. or something like that...

now God is all forgiving so yeah I don't think anyone goes to Hell.....but that's just me. maybe the really bad people go live in Ghetto Heaven.. I've no idea...

but really. I believe that everybody no matter the religion worships the same person. like Ria said it's as believable as Greek Mythology. well religions have different versions of their God, and the pagan religions I think are based on one central God with a bunch of joint gods/goddesses which to me is like one God with fingers, and hands and arms. if that makes any sense.

So I mean it's all the same. And then there's the whole Lucifer ah. thing...If he exists I think he's just a symbol to scare people. But I mean I have my own ideas and I kind of take them from other religions and create my own belief but it's mostly Christian I guess. I mean Wicca. They say that good does not exist without evil, black without white.. and so on.. and that's what I think. because if satin does exist he's a part of God. I mean God did seek wrath upon the Egyptians and the people of the great flood.

I don't know.. I'm just babbling about different things... bah

[Pay No Mind]

God didn't seek wrath on the Egyptians....The Isrealites or whatever wanted to make it to the promised land butthe Egyptians had them in slavery so God sent the plagues down so that the Isrealites could make the great exodus..

Was it the Isrealites? It was someone...whoever was lead my Moses....

I believe Hell (don't usually say that but for the sake of the arguement) is here on earth....

[&& We Will Become Silhouettes]

I agree with the Hell comment..

sorry I mean a lot of Christians would gasp if they ever heard me but the only way I even know about Moses is the little story books and the actual Ten Commandments Movie...

I've never really read the bible except for some excerpts...

but look at me do you think I'm so terribly off?

[Pay No Mind]

I have never read the bible...To tell you the truth...I can't understand it....If I read it...I wouldn't be able to tell you what it said... Like I'm smart (sometimes) but the bible is written way past my level.....

You aren't too off but like I said...The bible isn't there to tell you how to live your life....It's there to help you live it...

[&& We Will Become Silhouettes]

well yeah.. ok....

bah I'm tired.... I can understand what I have read...

I just don't read it. I guess I think there are more fascinating things to read.. but then again Stewie thought there were some terribly delightful things in the bible....

[Pay No Mind]

Yeah he did didn't he?

I mean there are good things in the bible...but a lot of it has been changed....

[ria]

See, there's just one thing that bugs me about what you say...

I also think that God just is...he isn't one thing but more like everything...and he doesn't judge you...He will give you what you want just not everything....

I highly disagree with that. God will give you what you want, just not everything? I mean, go tell that to the homeless people sleeping on the streets, the kids in Ethiopia with the flies on their ears, the people in Africa trying to survive the civil war; I could go on and on and on. Where is God for those people? He only helps a select few? What the fuck makes those people more deserving than someone else?

No, what you're saying sounds like God will make sure you live at least a mediocre life, and that's soooo untrue. What happens to us happens to us because of the decisions we make, not some pre-determined plan or because we decided in a past life that we should make these decisions. If a teenage girl gets pregnant it's because she said "fuck it" when her boyfriend told her he didn't have a condom, and they fucked anyway because they decided to not wait and do it right then. That's all.

Why should there be a God? Why? Is the prospect of us being alone so scary? What evidence is there at all that a higher being exists? Some book everybody deemed holy? Seriously, what evidence is there AT ALL that God exists? Please tell me, because I'd love to know.

[ria]

if i sounded angry or something i apologize, i didn't mean for it to come out like that. im just saying...

personally, for you guys, what makes you believe in god?