<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Mag:</div><div class="quote_post">Good to hear. Proud Muslim here. Question for all the "aetheists" (if I may call you all that..), do you guys find inspiration in other places than faith? What religion do you find yourself closest to? Don't want to pry, just get a better understanding of those who don't practice religion.</div> I'd consider myself more of an agnostic meaning i think god may or may not exist but its beyond us to know. I just find inspiration in regular life i dont need a book that may or may not be true to really guide me. i dont really care what religion other people are if it works for them good, but i just dont like people who try to convert other people to their beliefs.
I was raised Lutheran, but I don't really classify myself as a member of any specific Christian organization. I'm Christian, but I have my own beliefs on most things, and many of them don't match up well with Dogma <div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">I have faith, but I don't associate myself with a specific religion. I just don't buy into the ideologies of a Church and praying every Sunday. To me being a member of Church is like being a member of any other social club. You pay your dues and you meet up with other members. In my experience Church is in the business of making money off people's guilt or fear of death.</div> Right on
I'm not really religous. One thing I don't understand about religion is that they state if you don't follow their way, you will go to hell. What happens to you if you are a good person but don't practise a religion? I think this means you don't get to go to "paradise" or "heaven" but you go to hell.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">I have faith, but I don't associate myself with a specific religion. I just don't buy into the ideologies of a Church and praying every Sunday. To me being a member of Church is like being a member of any other social club. You pay your dues and you meet up with other members. In my experience Church is in the business of making money off people's guilt or fear of death.</div> Quote the dragon. I don't think you need to conform to a certain religion to believe and worship God. It's more of a personal thing in my opinion.
Even such a simple quote from the Simpsons is so true " What if we are worshipping the wrong religion and we are just getting God madder and madder? " - Homer J. Simpson I believe my own beliefs. I will leave it at that.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Mag:</div><div class="quote_post">Good to hear. Proud Muslim here. Question for all the "aetheists" (if I may call you all that..), do you guys find inspiration in other places than faith? What religion do you find yourself closest to? Don't want to pry, just get a better understanding of those who don't practice religion.</div> Definitely, I draw inspiration from a lot of different outlets. A simple quote might do it, or just taking in a beautiful day at the beach. What I find wrong about religion is the fear instilled if you do something wrong and against the word of your god. Part of life is making mistakes and working through them. I find statements like ... "If you do that you're going to hell." "God is watching you, you better not do that." very immature. Why do people need a fear of god to be a good person? Buddhism is probably the religion most appealing for me.
I'm Unitarian-Universalist which is a pretty nice religion. I don't consider myself very religious, but I am able to follow and respect the values of the UU faith. It's basically a liberal and all-inclusive religion; meaning that any person of any faith or belief is welcomed. There are certainly different subgroups within the religion, and I guess you could call mine Christian (as both my parents were Catholic) but the sense of openness and community in this church is much better for me because it's not as uptight as Catholic institutions.
I am a Muslim. Also, I'm glad to see that people are open to discuss, what I believe, is a sensitive topic. It's great that everyone has respect for eachother on this forum. It shows a lot of character.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 50:</div><div class="quote_post">Christian.</div> Make that 100 percent Christian for me.
I hate religion. I think it's the root of all evil in the world. I see myself as an Agnostic. I believe in the divine, but am in no way going to accept the falsehoods put forth by people just like me in order to better their pockets. I respect the idealism of Jesus Christ, Buddha, Vishnu and the such but to proclaim myself as being religious, and following and forming my life by rules set out by mankind is out of the question. "Religion is the opium of the people" - Karl Marx
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sasha:</div><div class="quote_post">I hate religion. I think it's the root of all evil in the world. I see myself as an Agnostic. I believe in the divine, but am in no way going to accept the falsehoods put forth by people just like me in order to better their pockets. I respect the idealism of Jesus Christ, Buddha, Vishnu and the such but to proclaim myself as being religious, and following and forming my life by rules set out by mankind is out of the question. "Religion is the opium of the people" - Karl Marx</div> Power is the root of all evil. Seriously, I know people like to point to all of the violence that has resulted from religious differences, but that has come from either the exploitation of religious devotion or the misplacement of priorities. Religion, like anything else, has been a tool for the selfish. I personally see a difference between the basic doctrine of my religion and my own sense of spirituality. In that sense, religion should be a personal experience. I tend to emphasize the equality that Sikhism treats other faiths and religions with, while downplaying the link that it has developed with culture and nationality. I can definitely see why you have a problem with people trying to force their own perspective onto others. But I have to question you about following and forming a life by rules set out by mankind. I mean, doesn't everyone conform to rules set out by society, before we even understand them? I'll provide an example that's nasty, but it proves a point nonetheless. Incest is a taboo in modern society. Do we ever question it? Obviously it occurred in the past. And while we think it leads to genetic defects, its not a documented fact yet. Now, I'm not supporting incest: I think it's disgusting. But doesn't my own reaction speak volumes? Clearly we conform to certain customs/rules set out by mankind without even realizing it. Not saying that this proves that religion is superior, but it does show that hating religion because it espouses certain beliefs and rules is naive. Freud talks a lot about this. You also have a belief in the divine, so that quote seems rather misplaced. Marx was a strict materialist. His interpretation of history can leave a person feeling futile and purposeless. Spirituality seeks to find that purpose, as you no doubt agree. I've never really found that quote to be true anyways. I know Marx thinks that religion's only been a tool of those in power to get the population to overlook the suppression in society. But it also ignores the massive social change that has followed the creation of new religions and interpretations.
Closest thing to my religion would be Taoism, which is more a philosophy, and I do not claim it, but I like studying all religions and truly believe they have mostly the same fundamental values. Taoism is all about taking everything in stride. There's a Native American saying, that was recently featured on Sopranos, that I like: "Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, and all the while a great wind carries me across the sky."
Basketball is my religion Seriously though i dont have a religion, but i just believe in karma, what goes around comes around.
